Fight Hypertension

Is it really possible to get your blood pressure under control using natural methods? Many of us are disillusioned with the prescription drugs available to treat the condition because they come packed with way too many side effects. But before you consider throwing away your meds, consider this. High blood pressure is a very dangerous condition. It can lead to heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, and in some cases-even blindness. So its not an issue to take lightly.

Firstly, lets examine what we mean by a natural cure. First of all the condition really can't be cured, it can only be controlled-meaning that certain methods may help you keep it below 130/90. By natural, we generally mean changes to diet and lifestyle used to influence the condition rather than taking prescription drugs. This may also mean taking herbs, but this can be as problematic as taking prescription medications because herbs can also come with side effects.

The good news is there are natural ways to deal with high blood pressure. In fact, we can zoom in on six lifestyle changes that will get hypertension under control for the vast majority of people. These include:

1. Increasing the amount of potassium in your diet. Potassium is found in fruits like bananas, orange juice, apples, and avocados. You can also get it in spinach, tomatoes, and some meats like chicken. Potassium has been scientifically proven to lower BP readings, and its also a fact that most adults only get about half the potassium they need to be healthy.

2. Cut back on the salt. You've heard this one before and its true-too much salt can raise your blood pressure. Most adults get way too much salt in their diets, mainly from processed food or food in restaurants (especially fast food). As you get older, chances are your sensitivity to salt when it comes to hypertension will increase, because salt balance is maintained by the kidneys and your kidneys don't work as well when you get older.

3. Exercising on a regular basis will help keep your blood pressure under control. This is by no means a cure, but combined with the other measures discussed in this article, it can be very effective. The recommendation is 30 minutes per day of aerobic exercise. It doesn't have to be particularly vigorous exercise, walking will work just as well as running. Its also advisable to lift weights a couple times a week, its recently been scientifically proven that lifting weights can help lower BP readings slightly.

4. Losing weight can also help the condition. If you're already thin-sorry. But its a fact that losing about 10-15 pounds can reduce hypertension. Readings drop as much as 20 points in some cases.

5. Special breathing techniques have been proven to reduce blood pressure as well as prescribed medications. In fact there is an FDA approved device called "Resparate" that you can use to help you do this. Results in several clinical studies have been dramatic. Combined with other methods, this is a key way to help control your blood pressure, and may keep you off drugs.

6. Get your magnesium. This is a little known mineral that has a big impact on the condition. It may be involved in helping blood vessels relax. You may consider taking supplements.

If you really want to quickly lower blood pressure without drugs, you can do it if you apply all six techniques described here. This is a very serious condition, so talk to your doctor about making any lifestyle changes and don't go off drugs without your doctors knowledge.

For more information please visit http://www.how-to-lower-blood-pressure.com/bp_lttr.html.