Lowering Blood Pressure with Natural Solutions and Self-Help choices

Your doctor may recommend medication to lower high blood pressure, however lifestyle changes and natural solutions can also help to control high blood pressure.

Using lifestyle changes and natural methods:

• Usually less drugs or no drugs are needed.
• Less drugs = lower risk of side effects.
• Additional health benefits = overall healthier body, more energy and increased positive attitude.

What you choose to eat affects your chances of developing or increasing high blood pressure.

With lifestyle changes, including increases in physical activity and adoption of a healthy eating plan called DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) rates of high blood pressure dropped from 37 to 22 percent among participants in a study conducted by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health.

The DASH eating plan used along with other lifestyle changes can help you prevent and control blood pressure. If your blood pressure is not too high, you may be able to control it entirely by:

• Changing your eating habits
• Losing weight if you are overweight
• Getting regular physical activity
• Cutting down on alcohol use

Regular exercise is very important for the health of your heart, lungs, and blood vessels. Aerobic exercise helps your heart the most.

• The main thing is to enjoy being active
• If it feels like a punishment, then you’re less likely to keep it up
• Do something you like, have fun and get healthier at the same time

Relaxation techniques that have been widely studied and can help you achieve deep relaxation with its healing benefits for body and mind include:

• Breathing techniques
• Hypnotherapy
• Visualization techniques
• Massage
• Yoga and Tai Chi

Learning the basics of these relaxation techniques isn’t difficult. But it takes regular practice to truly harness their stress-relieving power.

Choose a technique that appeals to you. There is no single relaxation technique that is best, consider your specific needs and preferences.

The right relaxation technique is the one that resonates with you and fits your lifestyle.

Meditation

Meditation is the deepest form of relaxation, totally letting go into being in the moment, just pure experiencing.

The meditator is simply aware of what is happening in each moment: the thoughts, body sensations and emotional feelings - but not focusing, reacting, judging or being 'attached' to anything in particular.

It’s a natural state that most of us have forgotten how to access.

Meditations are meditative methods and techniques, tools we can use to support us to stop and take a break from our usual busy body-mind so that we can experience Meditation.

There are many different types of 'Meditations', including: silent sitting, listening to music or nature sounds, breathing techniques, chanting, prayer, mantras, dancing, humming, movement, emotional release.

They all have the possibility to help create the inner stillness that is Meditation.

Studies have shown that the benefits of Meditation are many: Practised on a regular basis our overall physical and emotional health improves, and our ability to be calm and centered during those challenging moments that happen in our daily life. Useful tools for just about everyone!

An exciting recent discovery by researchers has shown that our blood pressure can be lowered naturally.

Research at the National Institutes of Health indicates that breathing consciously and slowly for a few minutes a day can help lower blood pressure.

Breath Therapy is being taken very seriously: the United States Goverment has just started a new 3 year research study.

The Breath Therapy we recommend is a method of slowing our breath rate during a short session in order to lower our blood presssure throughout the rest of the day.

A daily session of just 15 minutes often shows positive results.

Self-Hypnosis

The purpose of Hypnotherapy is to help you gain more control over your behavior, emotions or physical well-being.

It is used to treat many conditions, including - lowering blood pressure, reducing stress and anxiety.

Sessions with a Hypnotherapist can be either:

• a private session
• a recorded Self-Hypnosis session which you can use at home

Subliminal Messages

Subliminal Messages, (usually with music or nature sounds), work on the same principles as hypnosis, both methods access the subconscious mind, the difference is:

• Subliminal messaging is passive - you don't consciously hear the messages and don't have to pay attention.
• Your subconscious will hear and receive the subliminal messages recorded beneath the music or nature sounds.
• Many people use it as a gentle background sound to other activities: reading, walking, gardening, driving, working or exercising.

Natural remedies have been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years to support the health of the heart and circulatory system. In more recent times, research has investigated these claims.
There are now a number of published clinical studies demonstrating the ability of a range of herbs to support the cardiovascular system and to maintain blood pressure within the normal range.

These Herbs include:

• Crataegus xyacantha (Hawthorn) - helps the body to adequately dilate blood vessels
• Passiflora Incarnata (also known as Passion Flower) - has flavonoids which are compounds found
  in fruits and vegetables
• Viburnum Opulus (also known as Guelder Rose bark) - is known for its natural ability to relax
  muscles
• Ginkgo Biloba - it is highly prized for its medicinal properties in Chinese Traditional Medicine
• Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) - there is evidence that the supplement CoQ10 may help to reduce blood pressure
• Garlic - recommended and used by many Natural Health practioners

Naturopathic, Chinese and Ayurvedic medicines are whole-body systems that effectively restore balance and health.