Following my post on Blood Pressure here

Here are some recommendations on how to reduce your blood pressure naturally….

Traditionally, much of the treatment for high blood pressure has centered on
lifestyle changes as well as medication.
The main advice given by doctors to their patients with high bloodpressure includes:
• Lose weight if you are overweight.
• Quit smoking if you smoke.
• Be more active, striving to exercise at least 30 minutes a day.
• Eat a healthy diet low in cholesterol, saturated fat and salt.
• Cut back on alcohol to no more than one drink a day for women and two a day for men.
• Take medicine only as prescribed.
For some people, this advice (and following through with it) is enough to get their blood pressure back to normal levels. And if your blood pressure isn’t too high, this may be enough for you, as well. If diet, exercise and other lifestyle changes aren’t enough to reverse high blood pressure, then consult a doctor and start using prescribed drugs, since High Blood Pressure is a silent killer

Treating High Blood Pressure Naturally

One of the great things about treating high blood pressure naturally is that even
doctors will agree there are many non-pharmaceutical things you can do to improve your
health and lower your blood pressure.

LOSE WEIGHT
The best thing you can do for your body if you are overweight is to lose weight.
Not only will losing weight improve the health of your heart, it will make your whole Body work better and will reduce your risk of many of the diseases that plague modern ife.
A good way to determine if you are overweight, if you don’t already know, is to
measure your body mass index. This number is a calculation based on your height and weight. You can quickly measure your own body mass index by entering your weight and height on a calculator like the one provided by the National Institutes of Health
(http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/). A body mass index of between 18.5 and 24.9 is
considered normal weight, while a measurement of 25-29.9 is considered overweight and over 30 is obese.
If you fall into the overweight or obese category, it is important to try to lose weight. Make sure your diet is a healthy one, full of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. You should also include physical activity when possible (more on why below). Losing one to two pounds a week is usually considered a healthy rate, and this slow pace will reap big rewards.

GET PHYSICALLY ACTIVE
Exercise can help people with high blood pressure no matter what they weigh. Activity
is the key to strengthening your heart. And a strong heart pumps more blood with less effort, thus lowering your blood pressure without doing anything else. Getting more exercise can lower your blood pressure 10 points, and if you don’t already have high blood pressure it can help you prevent it. About 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day is ideal for preventing or reducing high blood pressure (and it will make that weight loss easier, too).
What counts as moderate aerobic activity? Here are some ideas:
• Walking, Jogging or Running
• Dancing
• Swimming
• Biking
• Using workout equipment like elliptical trainers, rowing machines, stair step
machines, treadmills or ski machines
• Water aerobics

EAT A HEALTHY DIET
By now, you’re beginning to see how each of these steps builds to help lower your blood pressure. Eating better and exercising more can help you lose weight, which is vital to lowering your blood pressure. A popular diet for the treatment of high blood pressure is known as the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension). The DASH diet was studied by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and found to lower blood pressure in as little as two weeks when followed faithfully. The cornerstone of the diet is reduction of sodium to, at most, 2,300 milligrams a day, which is a teaspoon (1,500 milligrams, a little more than half a teaspoon is even more effective). In addition to the reduction of sodium, the DASH diet calls for eating lots of grains, fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds and dried beans. It’s not a vegetarian diet, but the amount of meat is reduced from what most people probably eat. The diet also involves supplementation with potassium, calcium and magnesium, all of which we will talk about later.
According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, “Scientists supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) conducted two key studies. Their findings showed that blood pressures were reduced with an eating plan that is low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and total fat and that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and fatfree or low-fat milk and milk products. This eating plan—known as the DASH eating plan—also includes whole grain products, fish, poultry, and nuts. It is rich in potassium, magnesium, and calcium, as well as protein and fiber. This diet can not only help reduce high blood pressure, the suggested reduction in calories will also make it easier to lose weight, which, again, will help lower blood pressure. Everything is connected! Results showed that reducing dietary sodium lowered blood pressure for both eating plans, according to the NHLBI. “At each sodium level, blood pressure was lower on the DASH eating plan than on the other eating plan. The greatest blood pressure reductions were for the DASH eating plan at the sodium intake of 1,500 milligrams per day. Those with high blood pressure saw the greatest reductions, but those with prehypertension also had large decreases.”

SEEK EMOTIONAL STABILITY
When you have high blood pressure, the slightest provocation can send your numbers soaring. That’s why it’s important to do what you can to control stress in your life and the way you react to it. There are many different ways to cut your stress level, but one of the most popular ways to bring more even emotions to your day is meditation. Spending just a few minutes a day being quiet and sitting with your eyes closed, trying not to think about the things that are worrying you, can make a big difference in how you deal with things
through the rest of the day. Most people think meditation is difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. Just sit quietly in a comfortable chair and try to clear your mind. Focus on a picture of a place you enjoy or the flickering of a lit candle. Breathe deeply and try to release any stress and tension from your body. It might feel a little silly at first, but this can be a big help for your blood pressure and your outlook on life.

CUT BACK ON ALCOHOL
Wine in particular has been in the news a lot lately for the healthy effect it seems to have on the body, including offering protection against heart disease and certain cancers. But too much alcohol can be bad news for people with high blood pressure, and if you are particularly sensitive to alcohol any amount may be too much. The mechanism that causes alcohol to raise the blood pressure isn’t known, but cutting back on drinking can lower your systolic pressure two to four points and your diastolic pressure by one to two points. Alcohol in moderation is fine for most people. A woman can have one drink a day while a man can have two. A drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine or one ounce of liquor. Now that we’ve taken a look at what medical and natural health practitioners agree on when it comes to preventing or treating high blood pressure, let’s delve into the more non-traditional but still quite effective treatments.

P.S This is an assimilation of knowledge, and credits goes to the original author

Related Links

Blood Pressure
Healthy Diet for reducing Blood Pressure