HYPERTENSION - and BP- by Andrew Saul

October 13, 2007

HYPERTENSION "My doctor has recently declared that I have blood pressure that has to be treated and wants to put me on blood pressure pills (the reading was 150/100). Is there a way I can reduce my blood pressure without medication?"

You bet there is.

1) Switching to a good, near-vegetarian natural diet is a good place to start; there is no downside to eating right. More fiber, less sugar and fat, and more fruits, vegetables and grains are all great for the ticker.

2) Supplement your diet with lots of vitamin C and the mineral magnesium. Physicians investigated the effect of 600 mg/day of magnesium and 2 grams/day of vitamin C on a group of 56 non-insulin-dependent diabetics. The vitamin C improved control of blood sugar and fasting blood-sugar levels. It also lowered cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and reduced capillary fragility. The magnesium lowered blood pressure in the subjects.

3) Your BP will be significantly higher when you are anxious, and a false reading may result in unnecessary medication. Take your own blood pressure

at home, or have a friend do it. You may find that you already have a partial cure for hypertension: avoid high-stress doctors' office visits!

4) A daily program of stress reduction (such as meditation) has repeatedly been scientifically proven to effectively reduce high blood pressure without drugs.

5) Weight loss almost always helps, too.