Lowering your blood pressure without pills
By pH health care professionals
Many people believe that even a little variation in blood pressure from the ideal of 120/80 for adults is worrisome. That includes doctors! And recent studies suggest that many people with mild hypertension are treated with drugs, even though such drugs have not been shown to reduce their health risks. But the truth is that there are many things that can cause your blood pressure to briefly run higher, and going straight to medications to bring it down isn’t always warranted.
Some of the factors that can cause your blood pressure to run higher include:
Caffeine
Stress
Recent exercise or even walking
Hunger
Medications
Dehydration
A warm environment
Pain
Even if you have evaluated your blood pressure properly, with several readings, and it’s still that pesky 140/85, there are many things you can do to bring it down before turning to pills. All blood pressure medications have side effects, and some create more problems than they solve.
Of course, before trying any of these suggestions, first run them by your doctor because they may not be appropriate solutions for everyone. If you get the A-OK to try these first, you might see improvement with the following strategies to lower your blood pressure.
Eliminating caffeine
Getting more rest
Changing your diet/going on a weight loss program
Reducing your sodium intake
Reducing your alcohol intake
Exercising
Taking magnesium or other needed supplements
Getting a pet
Meditation, yoga or tai chi
Acupuncture
Physical therapy and/or chiropractic to address any chronic pain issues
Be sure your doctor is satisfied that you don’t have any type of hormone disorder such as hyperthyroidism that could be causing your less-than-perfect blood pressure. Check back in with your doctor after a couple of weeks after trying these strategies to see if they are helping.
Then tell us about your success! Send us a message on Twitter at @_pHLabs or post to this blog if you are able to pull a fast one on blood pressure pills with these strategies.
Enjoy Your Healthy Life!
