How to Handle High Blood Pressure

Female: Every 33 seconds, someone dies of cardiovascular disease. High blood pressure is often a pre-cursor to heart disease. So preventing and controlling it is essential.

Female: Thirty percent of Americans have high blood pressure or hypertension and up to a third of them do not even know it, while extreme hypertension is often regulated with medication, so natural remedies can also help lower blood pressure. Blood pressure which is measured in two ways is the force of which the heart pumps blood. One measurement refers to systolic pressure which measures blood pressure during heart contractions. The other measure is diastolic pressure, the force when the heart is relaxed. Blood pressure is expressed as systolic pressure over diastolic pressure. The optimal blood pressure is 120/80 while any measurement above 140/90 is classified as hypertension. While high blood pressure is calls for concern, lifestyle changes can often help control this condition. Watching what you eat is the first step to lowering high blood pressure. If you have hypertension, shake that salt habit. Our lower bodies require only 500mg of salt each day. Most Americans ingest at least 7000mg.

Once you have high blood pressure, too much sodium can make the problem worst. Replace salt with other delicious spices like basil, dill and rosemary. Eating pasture raised and organic meat is another easy way to lower blood pressure. By raising animals on natural grasses and foods, farmers can offer leaner cuts of meat. Following these specifications of the diet known as the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension or DASH can reduce high blood pressure within two weeks. The DASH, I recommend as a daily consumption of seven servings of grains, five servings of fruit, and five of vegetables, four servings of nuts and beans, two servings of low fat dairy, two or fewer servings of meats and less than five weekly servings of sweets. You can also lower hypertension by eliminating tobacco and alcohol. Both can cause blood vessels to constrict, in turn making it harder for blood to flow through the body. Over 50% of people with high blood pressure overweight, just 30 minutes of modern aerobic exercise like swimming or biking three times a week can help reduce obesity and reverse high blood pressure. Because high blood pressure is often linked to stress, lowering stress levels may also help curb hypertension.

One effective stress reliever is Yoga. Try with the pose Apanasana. Lie flat on your back, inhale bringing both knees into your chest. Then as you exhale, bring your legs back to the ground, inhale again as you bring your left knee inward, stretching your chin to touch the knee. Repeat by alternating knees. The most important thing you can do is to combat high blood pressure is to get tested by your doctor during your annual check up. This ten second procedure could save your life. If you have been diagnosed with hypertension, you can take healthy steps to lower your blood pressure. Remember though, to see your doctor before starting any diet regimen.

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