Jul 19 2009

Herbal Treatments For Hypertension – 7 Natural Steps To Minimize Cardiovascular Risk Now

Hypertension, or high blood pressure as it is commonly called, is one of the biggest preventable medical issues facing people today. It is triggered by a combination of two factors. One, the blood vessels and arteries decrease their elasticity and harden. This puts more pressure on the flow of blood as it travels through the body. And two, the walls of the heart thicken and become less effective for pumping blood. This increases the chance of heart failure or a heart attack

Because it IS a preventable health issue, there are several different kinds of approaches used to cure it. In the event of moderate to severe hypertension, doctors will usually prescribe one of the popular hypertension drugs.

Although these approaches are effective at treating hypertension they do have inherent risks and possible complications. These risks are generally accepted as “necessary evils” to treating high blood pressure and its symptoms.

But, high blood pressure is generally a reversible problem, by properly altering dietary and lifestyle habits, medicines can often be avoided.

So, here are a few of the more effective natural remedies for blood pressure:

1. Exercise – This comes at no surprise, but it is so worthwhile it needs to be mentioned. Exercise is one of the most important things a person can do to eliminate high blood pressure. In fact, studies have demonstrated that exercise can actually reduce the weakness of the heart and blood vessels that causes high blood pressure.

2. Lose Weight – The bottom line is, if the heart is pumping blood through a bigger mass, it will pump excessively hard. This goes hand in hand with step 1, exercise.

3. Minimize Fat and Sodium Intake – In fact, this is the most crucial step besides aerobic exercise to naturally reducing hypertension. Fried and Processed foods alike have a high concentration of salts and fats, and these are two very large contributing factors to high blood pressure. Replace these types of foods with fruits and vegetables. Leafy greens are particularly important.

4. Drink Plenty of Water – Water is necessary for every part of the body, particularly the cardiovascular system. Drinking plenty of water makes sure the body has enough H20 to digest food properly and get rid of any excessive plaque, cholesterol, and other chemical compounds that can affect the heart or arteries, causing spikes in blood pressure.

5. Take a Vitamin – Specifically one with plenty of calcium, magnesium, and potassium. These minerals have demonstrated in several independent studies to be good at reducing blood pressure.

6. Use herbal supplementation – There are many great herbal remedies that are proven to decrease hypertension. use garlic for lowering high blood pressure and uncooked crushed garlic is probably a bit better than cooked garlic. Another good supplement is Co Enzyme Q10.

7. Stop Smoking – or using any tobacco products for that matter. the additives and compounds in tobacco are able to damage the arteries and reducing the efficiency of the cardiovascular system. And this isn’t even counting the damage it does to the lungs.

These 7 basic steps can be started by just about anyone to reduce blood pressure. Of course, speak with a medical practitioner or doctor before trying anything, because everyone has a unique situation. These steps listed here is just information that needs to be discussed with a doctor before applying them.