Blood Pressure, HBP Relief Program
An alarming 33% of U.S. adults have high blood pressure!
An additional 28% have pre-hypertension.1
Hypertension increases the risk for heart disease and stroke2, the first and third leading causes of death respectively in the United States3. High blood pressure is called the "silent killer" because it often has no warning signs or symptoms, therefore many people don't realize they have it. This is why it is important to get your blood pressure checked regularly.
Blood pressure can rise and fall during the course of the day. But when it stays elevated over time, it's called high blood pressure. High blood pressure is dangerous because it makes the heart work too hard, and the high force of the blood flow can harm arteries and organs such as the heart, kidneys, brain, and eyes. Imagine that the pump has to work harder to squeeze the blood through narrowed arteries. High blood pressure often has no warning signs or symptoms. Once it occurs, it can last a lifetime. If uncontrolled, it can lead to heart and kidney disease, stroke, and blindness.
The good news is that you can take steps to prevent and even lower high blood pressure.
1. Simple Steps to Using this High Blood Pressure Program
Stress Relief: 20 minutes of progressive relaxation daily helps relieve stress and protect you from it's negative effects. 80% of hypertensive patients have lowered blood pressure and decreased medications - 16% have been able to discontinue all of their medications. (Patients in the relaxation response group were more likely to successfully eliminate an antihypertensive medication. The Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2008.)
View the Stress Video: View either the short introduction or the 30-minute video with Dr. Eva Selhub. It provides insightful information to educate and motivate you to better understand the techniques.
Download the Workbook: Read through the workbook and choose those techniques that appeal to you, and start with those.
Download the Body Scan Relaxation Audio: This is the heart of the Natural Stress Relief Program, methodically scanning the mind through the body, connecting and relaxing as you go. Remember 20 minutes a day for 5 weeks will get you the positive results. It takes 5 weeks daily to be able to produce a relaxation-response at will and turn-off the switch that produces the fight-or-flight response. The goal is eventually not to need this audio, but to do a memorized version as your own narrative to your relaxation response.
2. Diet
Maintain a Healthy Weight. Consider the Diet-Detox and Nutrition-for-Life programs to keep your weight in check (include links.) To find out whether your weight is healthy, doctors often calculate a number called the body mass index (BMI). Doctors sometimes also use waist and hip measurements to measure a person’s excess body fat.
DASH Diet: Follow a healthy eating plan, which includes foods lower in sodium (See the DASH Diet). Avoid sodium by limiting the amount of salt you add to your food. Be aware that many processed foods and restaurant meals are high in sodium. In 2006, the average intake of sodium in the United States was 3,436 mg./day (its like taking 7 capsules of salt every day.) The maximum daily sodium consumption of 1,500 mg. recommended in 2005 applied to nearly 70% of U.S. residents (2005--2006 NHANES data.) Most of the sodium we consume is in the form of salt. Too much sodium is bad for your health. It can increase your blood pressure and your risk for a heart attack or stroke. Heart disease and stroke are the first and third killers of men and women in the United States each year. Download the CDC's info on the Dash Diet or read the pdf (on the right) for a brief version.
DASH Diet 56-page booklet fact sheet, based on the DASH research findings, tells about high blood pressure, and how to follow the DASH diet and reduce the amount of sodium you consume. It offers tips on how to start and stay on the eating plan, as well as a week of menus and some recipes. The menus and recipes are given for two levels of daily sodium consumption —2,400 milligrams (the upper limit of current recommendations by the Federal National High Blood Pressure Education Program, or NHBPEP, and the amount used to figure food labels’ Nutrition Facts Daily Value) and 1,500 milligrams. Those with high blood pressure may especially benefit from following the eating plan and reducing their sodium intake. But the combination is a heart-healthy recipe that all adults can follow. Eat a healthy diet. What you choose to eat affects your chances of developing high blood pressure aka hypertension (the medical term). Recent studies show that blood pressure can be lowered by following the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan—and by eating less salt, also called sodium. Eating healthfully can help keep your blood pressure down. Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, which provide nutrients such as potassium and fiber. Also, eat foods that are low in saturated fat and cholesterol.
3. Exercise: Maintain moderately physically active life on most days of the week. Consider the Fitness and Exercise program to keep your weight in check (include links) see also CDC's Physical Activity Web site.
4. Alcohol in Moderation: If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation. Limit your intake to 1-2 glasses of beer or wine daily. More information on alcohol can be found at the CDC's Alcohol and Public Health Website
5. Don't Smoke: Smoking injures blood vessels and speeds up the hardening of the arteries. Further, smoking is a major risk for heart disease and stroke. If you don’t smoke, don’t start. If you do smoke, quitting will lower your risk for heart disease and stroke. See the True-Wellness Smoking cessation program.
6. Dietary Supplements: Consider a regimen of dietary supplements targeted at lowering blood pressure. See article on right for details, Blood Pressure Support Supplement
Coenzyme Q10: Research shows that 200-300 mg CoQ10 per day can reduce blood pressure. CoQ10 makes cells healthier and less vulnerable to constriction, which can elevate pressure inside blood vessels. Many of my patients who take a water-soluble form of CoQ10 have cut their use of blood pressure drugs in half, while maintaining healthy blood pressure.
Magnesium: It's hard to get sufficient levels of this critical mineral in your diet, which is why you must supplement. Magnesium helps regulate heart health, so it's best to take 400 mg of magnesium every day. **Note: Take magnesium after meals. If you have kidney problems, don't take supplemental magnesium without your doctor's approval.
Fish Oil: A recent study of 11,000 patients shows that fish oil promotes healthy blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels-even better than vitamin E. I'm so thrilled with fish oil that I’ve included it as part of my core program for heart health.
Garlic: The "stinking rose" acts similarly to ACE inhibitors to promote healthy blood pressure levels. A clove a day, chopped or minced in your food, is plenty. I recommend garlic itself, because I'm not convinced that powdered garlic capsules have all the herb's active ingredients. If you really don't like garlic, 500-1,000 mg garlic in softgel form is your best defense.
Hawthorn: Studies show that hawthorn berry promotes blood flow in smaller vessels. It acts to reduce blood pressure much like ACE inhibitors, preventing production of angiotensin 2, a powerful blood vessel constrictor responsible for increasing blood pressure..
7. Pharmaceuticals: Finally, if working with your healthcare practitioner, if all else fails and you have high blood pressure and are prescribed medication, you must take it as directed.
8. Dietary Supplement Plan: Articles available with information about how dietary supplements and vitamins can protect us.
9. Acupuncture: Consider supportive therapies like Acupuncture and Nutrition as they can help you further. We strongly suggest you consider these gentle interventions that can have a profound and supporting impact on high blood pressure. Ask around and see if you can get a personal referral from someone you trust. You can also follow the links below to make an appointment with a practitioner near you. Get the support you need to make these efforts life-changing and enduring. Acupuncture, A German study published in the June, 2007 issue of Circulation found that acupuncture significantly lowers both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Significant results were reported after 8 weeks of acupuncture, in this study (Yin C, Seo B, Park HJ, Cho M, Jung W, Choue R, Kim C, Park HK, Lee H, Koh H. Acupuncture, a promising adjunctive therapy for essential hypertension: a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial. Neurol Res 2007; to find an acupuncturist near you click here.
10. Check Your Blood Pressure: Getting your blood pressure checked regularly is important because high blood pressure often has no symptoms. Your doctor can measure your blood pressure, or you can use a machine available at many pharmacies. You can also use a home monitoring device to measure your blood pressure. Blood pressure is written as two numbers. The first (systolic) number represents the pressure in your blood vessels when your heart beats. The second (diastolic) number represents the pressure in your vessels when your heart rests between beats.