We recently spoke to a friend who recently discovered his blood pressure was starting to climb. He said, “I’m not going to just take a pill. I’m going to get to the underlying cause and treat this naturally.” Well, he did!
Common risk factors for high blood pressure include overweight, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, unhealthy diet, excessive alcohol consumption, stress, sleep apnea, diabetes, poor vagus nerve function, hormonal issues, as well as other factors such as age, race, and family history.
If you are facing a climbing blood pressure, we recommend that you see a natural medicine-minded provider – otherwise, you may be told to “take a pill.” Our philosophy on healing any condition is our bodies have amazing healing capacity, so let’s do everything we can to support the body’s efforts to repair itself!
Each person’s plan is individualized, but here are some general guidelines to help.
- Eat real food. Some people are sodium sensitive hypertensives. Fresh real food contains virtually no sodium compared to prepared packaged foods.
- Get to a good weight if you are carrying extra pounds.
- Get regular exercise and develop an active lifestyle. Reduce sitting. Intentionally increase movement.
- Manage your stress and monitor your HRV, adding meditation, prayer, deep breathing, and letting go of things that you cannot control.
- Get at least 7 hours of good sleep per night. Turn off “blue light” prior to bed, use relaxation essential oils, keep the room temperature cool, and meditate on something positive prior to sleep.
- Consider these supplements: Berberine, garlic, fish oil, hibiscus, magnesium and calcium.
- If you smoke, quit – immediately!
- Reduce added sugar and refined carbs. Develop savory taste buds. Start with eliminating added sugar or artificial sweeteners.
- Moderate alcohol consumption to no more than 1-2 drinks for women per day and 2 drinks per day for men. Red wine has been shown to lower the risk.
- Moderate caffeine consumption to 1-2 cups per day and increase your water consumption to at least 6 to 8 8-ounce glasses per day – more if you sweat a lot.
- Disconnect and reconnect – with real people. The “facedown lifestyle” harms your cervical curve which causes vagopathy (destruction of the vagus nerve) which can lead to all sorts of diseases. Stop watching TV so much, read a book, talk to a live person, take a walk, go outside!