How can you lower high blood pressure?
If you want to lower high blood pressure, a change in lifestyle is unavoidable: this includes, among other things, a balanced diet with little salt and alcohol, regular exercise, reducing excess weight and giving up nicotine. In addition, many patients are interested in alternative healing methods and home remedies that can help them lower high blood pressure naturally.
All together it may work so well that the patient does not need any antihypertensive medication or a smaller dose of it. But be careful: the dose of medication should only be changed by the doctor, never on your own!
What foods to eat for high blood pressure?
Most people in industrialized countries eat a diet that is too fatty, too salty and unbalanced. The result of this diet is, among other things, overweight, increased blood fat levels and high blood pressure. This triple combination often has serious consequences for the heart and blood vessels, such as heart attacks, strokes and diabetes mellitus. The good news, however, is that if you change your diet and other lifestyle habits when you have high blood pressure, you can have a positive effect on the course of the disease and prevent possible secondary diseases.
High blood pressure: Mediterranean-style diet
- If possible, eat fruits or vegetables at every meal, preferably fresh and natural. Freshly squeezed juices, frozen and dried fruits and vegetables are useful additions to the menu.
- Dietary fiber is important for the whole organism: whole-grain bread, cereal flakes and brown rice keep blood sugar levels constant and provide many valuable nutrients.
- Eat less animal fats and saturated fatty acids. These are found, for example, in sausages, butter and margarine. Instead, use vegetable oils such as rapeseed oil or olive oil more often.
- Switch from high-fat cheese and other dairy products to low-fat alternatives such as cottage cheese, low-fat quark or low-fat yogurt.
Part of a healthy diet is also drinking enough fluids. Drink regularly and especially unsweetened beverages. Teas and water are ideal. When it comes to water, go for mineral-rich varieties; just make sure that it is as low in sodium as possible.
High blood pressure & salt
Salt consumption plays an important role in the development of high blood pressure: table salt (sodium chloride) binds water in the body and causes more fluid in the cardiovascular system – thus increasing the pressure in the blood vessels.
Also, try to cook as much as possible yourself. When seasoning, use fresh herbs and spices rather than table salt.
Even bouillon cubes and powders consist largely of salt!
Natron or sodium hydrogen carbonate has a similar effect as salt. When used excessively, for example, against heartburn, it may lead to an increase in blood pressure. Try to avoid high-sodium foods or use them sparingly if you have high blood pressure, but also in general.
High blood pressure & alcohol
A healthy diet for high blood pressure includes not only eating the right foods and drinking plenty or enough; your choice of beverages is also important. Alcohol plays a crucial, albeit ambivalent, role in cardiovascular disease and hypertension. It has been found that an occasional glass of wine sometimes has a protective effect on the heart. But this only applies to small amounts of alcohol.
That’s why the German Hypertension League recommends that healthy men drink less than 20 to 30 grams of alcohol a day. This corresponds to about half a liter of beer or a quarter of a liter of wine at average alcohol content. Healthy women are recommended to consume less than ten to 20 grams of alcohol a day.
Anything above this is harmful to the organism in the long term. This is especially true for people who already suffer from high blood pressure and other pre-existing conditions. Alcohol is anything but a blood pressure reducer: anyone who regularly consumes more than 30 grams of alcohol doubles their risk of developing hypertension. In the case of existing hypertension, increased alcohol consumption places an additional burden on health. For people with severe hypertension, it makes sense to avoid alcohol as much as possible.
High blood pressure & coffee
After a large cup of coffee or a caffeinated energy drink, blood pressure rises measurably for a short time. This is especially true if you don’t normally consume caffeine, or only rarely – in other words, only drink coffee occasionally. In people who drink coffee regularly, the short-term rise in blood pressure is less pronounced or even does not occur at all. To be on the safe side, experts recommend avoiding caffeine (even in the form of black tea) shortly before a blood pressure measurement.
In individual cases, the doctor may make a different recommendation: If hypertension patients also have gastritis or cardiac arrhythmias, for example, it may make sense to avoid caffeine altogether. Therefore, ask your doctor what caffeine consumption he considers advisable in your case.
Reduce excess weight and high blood pressure
Overweight and high blood pressure are closely related. To assess whether your body weight is in the green zone, looking at the scale alone is not necessarily meaningful. Experts usually use the body mass index (BMI) to assess your weight. This can be easily calculated using the following formula:
BMI = body weight (kg)/height (m)2.
A value of more than 25 kg/m2 indicates overweight. Values above 30 indicate obesity.
If you are overweight or obese and would like to reduce your elevated blood pressure, it is highly recommended that you lose a few kilos. Discuss with your doctor the best way to reduce your weight and still eat healthy. The diet tips mentioned above are a good guide! Additionally, regular exercise will help lower your high blood pressure and boost your health.
Lose kilos and reduce abdominal girth
Exercise and sport help lower blood pressure
Regular exercise and sports have been shown to lower high blood pressure. For example, moderate endurance training five days a week for 30 to 45 minutes each time usually reduces resting blood pressure by up to 10 mmHg. This effect is seen after just a few weeks of training.
The type of exercise that is most suitable for you depends, among other things, on your age, your state of health and the severity of your high blood pressure. It is also important that you enjoy the type of sport you choose. Only then are you likely to remain motivated in the long term.
Light endurance sports such as Nordic walking, jogging, cycling or swimming are generally recommended. Less suitable, on the other hand, are sports with a rapidly changing pulse such as tennis. You should also refrain from weight-training sports that involve pressurized breathing and blood pressure peaks (such as lifting weights).
A doctor or sports therapist will advise you on the design of your sports program. He or she will also suggest a suitable training intensity. The training should challenge you, but not overtax you – this is very important!
In general, make sure you get more exercise in your daily life. For example, use the stairs instead of the elevator, and take the bike more often instead of the car or bus. Such small exercise sessions are effective if they last at least ten minutes.
Stop smoking if you have high blood pressure
Smoking has many harmful effects on health. Among other things, it constricts blood vessels and increases blood pressure. It also promotes atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and related secondary diseases such as stroke and heart attack.
Giving up cigarettes & co. is therefore beneficial for everyone. However, stopping smoking is particularly advisable for hypertensive patients: those who stop smoking lower their high blood pressure. This also reduces the cardiovascular risk enormously! Patients can get help to stop smoking from their doctor.
Those who find it difficult to give up nicotine completely should at least smoke less. This may not have the desired effect of lowering blood pressure, but the heart, lungs, blood vessels and so on are grateful for every “non-smoked” cigarette!
Lowering blood pressure naturally
Lowering blood pressure with medicinal plants
- Garlic
- Wild garlic
- Green tea
- Soybeans
- Beet
- Ginger
- Hawthorn
- Arnica flowers
- Mistletoe
- Olive leaves
- Hibiscus flowers
- Rauwolfia root
- Valerian
- Melissa leaves
- Lavender flowers
- Elderflowers
These plants are available partly dried, as pressed juice or as essential oil. Many of them are suitable for preparation as a tea or as a bath additive (do not bathe too warm!). A pharmacist or experienced therapist can advise you on the selection and use of suitable medicinal plants for high blood pressure.
Here is an example of a tea mixture that can be used to lower high blood pressure naturally: Mix together 25 grams each of the following medicinal plants (from the pharmacy): Mistletoe herb, hawthorn leaves and flowers, birch leaves and lemon balm leaves. The infusion time is five to ten minutes. Drink one cup of it in the morning and one in the evening.
Rauwolfia root (Indian snake root) with the main active ingredient reserpine has long been an important remedy for high blood pressure. However, the medicinal plant can have significant side effects, for example, a slowing of the heartbeat, gastrointestinal disorders and depressive moods with a risk of suicide.
Other natural active ingredients
In addition to medicinal plants, there are other active ingredients from nature that are said to have a blood pressure-lowering effect. One of these is L-arginine. This is a nitrogen-rich amino acid that is involved in the formation of nitric oxide in the body. Nitrogen oxides dilate the blood vessels and thus lower blood pressure. However, there is no clear medical evidence that taking L-arginine-containing agents has a lasting effect against high blood pressure.
Potassium is also considered to lower blood pressure. It is a vital bulk element – a micronutrient – that performs important functions in the body as an electrolyte. It plays a decisive role in many metabolic processes, is a component of the bones and is particularly important for the contractility of the muscles. Together with magnesium, potassium regulates the heartbeat and blood pressure.
Potassium is particularly rich in fruits and vegetables such as bananas, apricots, carrots, kohlrabi and tomatoes. The German Nutrition Society (DGE) recommends 3500 to 4700 milligrams of potassium per day for the prevention of high blood pressure in adults. But here, too, there are not yet enough studies to confirm a lasting effect.
Homeopathy for high blood pressure
- Aconitum D6: For sudden rise in blood pressure, palpitations and anxiety
- Arnica D6: For ringing in the ears, dizziness, irregular and rather weak pulse, palpitations after any exertion and frequent nosebleeds
- Aurum D6: For red face, restlessness, melancholy and violent palpitations.
- Crataegus D6: In elderly people with dizziness, heart restlessness and possibly chest tightness (angina pectoris)
- Rauwolfia D6: For high blood pressure with feeling of heat
In addition, the homeopathics Nux vomica, Phosphorus and Lachesis are used for constitutional treatment in hypertension patients. The aim is not to treat the current symptoms and diseases (such as high blood pressure), but to positively influence the so-called constitutional type of a person. According to experts, the type picture of the above three homeopathics should fit well to hypertensive patients.
Consult an experienced homeopath when selecting and dosing homeopathic remedies for hypertension. This is especially true for the use of Rauwolfia: all homeopathic preparations up to and including the D3 potency require a prescription. Lower potencies are available without prescription, but should only be used on the advice of an experienced therapist!
The concept of homeopathy and its specific effectiveness are controversial in science and not clearly proven by studies.
Stress causes blood pressure levels to skyrocket. This is particularly unfavorable in the case of already existing high blood pressure. However, stressful situations cannot always be avoided. Try to learn strategies to cope better with stress. Take stressful situations that cannot be changed as they are. Take your time to consider possible strategies for solving the problem, instead of stubbornly fighting it or getting upset about it.
Some people find special relaxation techniques such as yoga, autogenic training, progressive muscle relaxation according to Jacobsen or Qi Gong helpful. They calm the sympathetic nervous system, causing the vessels to dilate. This usually lowers blood pressure when used regularly. Breathing exercises also provide relaxation.
Alternating warm applications have a favorable effect on the circulation of hypertension patients (and other people) – they prevent, for example, that the blood pressure rises on contact with very cold water. For example, try alternating foot baths, knee and thigh casts, or arm casts. They stimulate the circulation and ideally help regulate blood pressure in the long term. A visit to the sauna and massages may also be recommended.
Conclusion: Lowering blood pressure without medication
Whether sports training, diets, sauna sessions, medicinal plants, homeopathy or other alternative healing methods: Discuss all measures and applications first with your attending physician. He or she will give you valuable tips or advice. For example, sauna sessions and cold showers are not advisable in the case of very severe or poorly adjustable high blood pressure.
All of the above-mentioned measures – if used correctly – can sometimes help to lower elevated blood pressure. In this way, you can prevent the need for treatment with antihypertensive drugs.
