What's Your Problem?
- Acne
- Allergies
- Arthritis
- Babies - Fruit Juice
- Babies - Sleeping
- Babies - Weaning
- Bed Wetting
- Blood Pressure - High
- Blood Pressure - Low
- Body Odour
- Bruises
- Burns
- Caffeine
- Cancer
- Candida
- Children - Speech Impediment
- Children and Television
- Cholesterol
- Chronic Fatigue
- Colds and Flu's
- Conjunctivitis
- Cystitis
- Dandruff
- Depression
- Dizzy Spells
- Ear Problems
- Eczema
- Endometriosis
- Fasting
- Female Sexual Hygiene
- Fever
- Foot Rot
- Grief
- HIV - AIDS
- HRT - Premarin
- Halitosis
- Hangover Cure
- Head Lice
- Headaches
- Headaches and Migraine
- Heart
- Hepatitis
- Herpes and Shingles
- Hypoglycaemia
- Immunisation
- Insomnia
- Jetlag
- Kidney Stones
- Knee Problems
- Memory
- Miscarriage
- Period Pains
- Polycystic Ovaries
- Pre Menstrual Syndrome
- Psoriasis
- Restless Legs
- Sexual Performance
- Stings - Insects and Snakes
- Stomach Ulcers
- Thrush
- Underweight
- Varicose Veins
- Warts
- Water Drinking
- Worms
Please read our Golden Rules of self help before considering the information on this page.
High Blood Pressure
High Blood Pressure is one of these conditions people seem to believe is inevitable, like grey hair or saggy muscles. This is of course not necessarily so. Many cultures, especially so-called primitive cultures do not automatically suffer from High Blood Pressure, so what are we doing wrong?
Salt
Too much salt is definitely one of the cause of HBP. Salt does two things that contribute to it. First of all it causes water retention and too much water increases the pressure in the blood vessels. Secondly, it hardens the blood vessels themselves, which can no longer ‘stretch’. Too much pressure in a hard container: POP!
Does this mean that you should cut out all salt? Not really. As always, balance is the word. Usually it is the hidden salt that causes the problem: salt added to the foods you buy already prepared: canned foods, frozen meals (such as pizza). Check the salt content on the label; remember that it won’t be called ‘salt’ but ‘sodium chloride’. Monosodiium Glutamate know as MSG (also known as 621) has exactly the same effect (if not worse) and should therefore be avoided.
However some people really use too much salt. If you are one of these people who reach for the salt shaker before you have even tasted your food, you’re in trouble. You need to re-educate your taste buds! The best option in this case is to go off salt altogether. It will be awful at first but once your taste buds start working again, not only will you need less salt, but everything will taste better.
Fat
As bad cholesterol deposits on the artery walls, this gradually causes blockage and blood pressure rises accordingly. So deep fried foods with salt lavishly poured on are some of the worst foods you can have if your blood pressure is high. Which is why unfortunately more and more teenagers actually have high blood pressure.
We just had a special on Cholesterol (issue 10) so I won’t bore you by writing it all over again. But I shall rub it in though: avoid cooking in saturated fats (such as dripping, lard, coconut oil and butter), use unsaturated fats such as olive oil instead and make sure you have a lot of whole grains and vegetables.
Obesity
Increased body volume must be supplied with blood, causing the heart to pump harder. Fatty tissue is more difficult for the blood to get through; therefore the blood pressure needs to be increased to do the job. Aim for your optimum weight through diet: cutting down on salt and fats.
Exercise
Exercise is important to a healthy circulation. But if you are already suffering from high blood pressure don’t start jogging or doing other strenuous exercise, otherwise: POP! The best exercise are walking (not power walking), yoga or tai-chi which are all gentle on the circulation. Aqua- robics are also excellent.
Kidney Disease
This may lead to fluid retention in the same way as salt does. In this case you need, again, to cut out salt and include diuretic teas such as green tea, chamomile or dandelion.
Stress
Ah! Here is that dirty word again! It is not uncommon that a blood pressure reading will be high if taken by one doctor, while if you go to another doctor down the road it will be normal. Why is it so? Stress and tension cause the arterial walls to contract. This means you can have high blood pressure even if your arteries are clean on the inside, just by being anxious and nervous. The pressure comes from the outside so to speak.
“Don’t worry, be happy?” Well, we all know that’s easy to say, not so easy to do. If stress is one of the major components of your high blood pressure, you need to lighten the pressure on yourself. Maybe your are working too hard, may be you are doing too much. I find that a lot of my patients who suffer from ‘emotional’ blood pressure are the people who seem extra calm and extra cool. In fact they are not, they are just suppressing their emotions. For these people, they need to admit that they are in fact anxious and worried and if the cause of their worries is another or other persons they need to learn to tell people where to go.
The Case of the Too-Caring Granny:
I had a patient who always did the best for her family and always wanted everything to be just right for everyone, since she had a large family this meant a lot of effort. By the time her husband retired, she was hypertensive. One of her daughters, who was a nurse, brought her to me because when the doctor took the blood pressure it was very high, but when the daughter took it, it was perfect. Her diet was really not bad at all, she had been sensible all her life. In her case it had to do with the pressure she put herself under and also from what the family had come to expect of her.
So, as well as prescribing her herbs, I told her to start being rude and to not be every one’s patsy. Well, within weeks her blood pressure had returned to normal and most of her family was rather miffed that she actually was saying “no” to some request instead of the unconditional yes. Her husband was rather happy though because she finally said yes to the long holiday he wanted to have with her.
What To Do If You Already Are On The Medication?
It is most important that you stay on the medication. Just because you decide you are going to lower your blood pressure naturally, this is not going to change the physical state of your body overnight.
Cut down salt and saturated fats, get onto a diet with a high level of fresh vegetables, fruit and whole grains. Start gentle exercise, cut down on as much stress as you can and start expressing your emotions. Go to a herbalist who will prescribe the right herbs for you. Increase your daily intake of garlic, it is well known to decrease high blood pressure. Have the diuretic teas mentioned above, as well as teas such as Rosehips and Linden flowers (Tilia) which are great for blood vessel tone. Take small amounts of B complex (yeast tablets are the best for this), and make sure you have enough calcium (best source being yogurt).
Make sure you are being monitored. In this way you will be able to decrease your medication gradually until you really are a cool cat.
For a personalised treatment please contact me here.
The information on this website is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. None of the products mentioned on this website are intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
The information on this website is not intended to provide personal medical advice, which should be obtained from a medical professional.
This information is made available with the understanding that the author and publisher are not providing medical, psychological, or nutritional counseling services on this site. The information on this website does not cover all possible uses, actions, precautions, side effects, and interactions.
Liability for individual actions or omissions based upon the contents of this site is expressly disclaimed.