Natural Remedies for High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure or hypertension is a serious health problem that affects almost a third of the US population. Individuals suffering from it are likely to also experience strokes and heart attacks as well as weakened cognitive capacity, vision loss, and damage to the kidneys. The cost of hypertension seven years ago was believed to be almost $70 billion excluding the cardiovascular complications related to it, which by itself would already amount to a staggering $100 billion. The American Journal of Hypertension featured an article that stated that only less than a quarter of people affected by hypertension are able to keep their blood pressure under control. Moreover, among the people who take medications for hypertension, those who are in control of their blood pressure are less than 44%. Fortunately, a variety of natural high blood pressure treatment are available that are safer, less costly, and equally if not more effective than pharmaceutical drugs.

Stevia to Lessen Sugar Consumption and Lower Blood Pressure

Several human and animal studies have shown that stevia is able to decrease hypertension. One such study done in 2003 whose outcomes were posted in Clinical Therapeutics revealed that the participants received either a placebo or stevioside (derived from stevia) for two years. The results showed substantial waning of systolic and diastolic blood pressure in the group given stevioside.

Lower blood pressure can result when a person replaces stevia instead of sugar in his/her diet. One of the first persons to distinguish the association between hypertension and excess sugar intake is Dr Gerald Reaven, who is credited in coming up with the concept of metabolic syndrome. He said that around 40% to 60% of essential hypertensive patients are insulin resistant as well and that resistance to insulin foretells the onset of hypertension.

Controlling Blood Pressure through Meditation

Throughout the years, the benefits of meditation for lowering blood pressure have been studied several times. The Cardiology Review journal published an article in 2004 that reviewed the effects of meditation on the risk of hypertension and other types of cardiovascular diseases. The researchers concluded that meditating two times a day led in part to a healthy heart. This is because compared to the control group, meditation contributed significantly to the lowering of both systolic and diastolic blood pressure of the members of the meditation group. The outcomes were shown in both male and female subjects as well as in the participants who were at high and low risk for hypertension. Although, not as impressive as the results shown by the meditation group, the group who followed a muscle relaxation technique also had some success in this regard.

The authors of this article concluded that blood pressure can be effectively reduced by practicing mediation because it reduces physical and mental stress thereby lessening its negative impact on the body.

Coconut water

Today, more and more supermarkets and health food stores are stocking up on coconut water. Coconut water is the fluid derived inside a coconut. In many countries in Asia, coconut water has long been used as a source of nutrition especially during famines. It can actually be directly injected into the body. Coconut water should not be confused with coconut milk, which is derived from the meat of the coconut.

The West Indian Medical Journal in 2005 printed an article that reported on coconut water’s effectiveness as well as another popular Caribbean drink known as mauby, which is derived from the buckhorn tree bark, in lowering high blood pressure. The study lasted two weeks and involved twenty eight participants who were divided into four groups. One group drank only coconut water, another drank mauby only, one other group drank a combination of mauby and coconut and the last group only drank water. At the end of two weeks, 71% of the group who only drank coconut water showed marked decrease in their systolic blood pressure followed by 43% and 40% for the mixture and mauby groups respectively. A significant lowering in diastolic pressure was seen in 29% of the coconut group and 57% and 40% respectively for the mixture and mauby groups.

Increasing potassium intake can also help lower blood pressure as it balances out the sodium that contributes to hypertension. There is a high level of potassium in coconut water which can explain its effectiveness in lowering blood pressure. Cutting down on sodium in your diet can help lower blood pressure.

Ivelisse DeJongh is a Miami acupuncturist and the medical director at DeJongh Acupuncture Clinic.