Pressure control: learn to manage hypertension naturally

Better Nutrition, July, 2005 by Mary Bove

I'm a woman in my early 50s. I teach dance for several hours a day, don't smoke and try to watch what I eat, but still I was recently diagnosed with high blood pressure--it runs in my family. Are there any natural steps I can take to lower it?

--Julie in Vermont

Non-drug therapies play an important role in managing hypertension, also known as high blood pressure. It occurs when your blood vessels become tight, stiff and constricted, making it hard for your heart to pump blood through them. The extra pressure required can damage blood vessels and organs, including the heart, kidneys and brain.

What you eat, whether you exercise, how much stress you're under, the amount of caffeine and alcohol you drink--all of these can affect your blood pressure, as can genetics, which seems to be a key factor for you. Since you're obviously already quite fit, focusing more on diet and nutritional supplements is a smart move.

Avoid the usual suspects: foods that are low in fiber, high in saturated fats, high in processed sugars and starches. These are nutritional delinquents anyway, and they don't do a thing for your arteries. Sodium and salty foods appear to be somewhat less critical than once thought, but a high-salt diet may increase the tendency for hypertension in some people.

A little caffeine won't hurt, and a little alcohol--about one drink a day--can actually help, but more than that can backfire.

Act like a vegetarian, at least part of the time. As a group, vegetarians have healthier blood pressure levels than the rest of the population. Adding some meatless meals or even meatless days to your lifestyle will benefit blood pressure in a couple of ways: First, it eliminates the artery-clogging saturated fat that's a natural component of meat. Second, it increases the plant foods you eat--and the high amounts of potassium found in many vegetables and fruits are known to help lower blood pressure.

Focus on mineral-rich foods: specifically, foods that are packed with the following three minerals, all of which help bring blood pressure down in various ways: potassium (see above), calcium (low-fat dairy foods) and magnesium (mainly dark leafy greens). Garlic is also useful; it makes the blood less viscous and thus easier to circulate. Include it in dishes regularly, both raw and cooked.

Add supplements: a good basic multivitamin/mineral will boost your levels of potassium, calcium and magnesium. Omega-3 oils and vitamin Bs will keep blood clots from forming, and CoQ10 acts as an antioxidant. From the botanicals shelf, relaxants such as linden flower, valerian root and cramp bark relax constricted arteries, muscles and nerves; hawthorn flower also seems to help relax arteries. And dandelion leaf both provides potassium and acts as a diuretic, which is what many established prescription hypertension drugs are.

Finally, if stress is an issue--and it is for most of us--some easy techniques can make a huge difference: breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, yoga, regular massages and other forms of bodywork all help ease stress. Even simpler: Get outdoors, take a daily walk and reconnect with nature. Tune in to the plants, birds, insects and animals. Hum yourself along, and let the world in and the tension out.

the highs and lows of blood pressure

There are no-frills reasons to bring down high blood pressure: It's tied to diabetes, chronic kidney disease, heart disease, stroke and other health destroyers. What's high? According to the National Institutes of Health, which classifies hypertension into four stages, anything above 139 over 89. (The top number, or systolic rate, is the pressure generated when your heart beats; the bottom, or diastolic, is the pressure when your heart rests between beats. Both are important.)

Normal                  No higher than 120 over 80
Pre-hypertension        120-139 over 80-89
Hypertension stage 1    140-159 over 90-99
Hypertension stage 2    Anything above 160 over 100

Filling in for our regular Ask the Doctor columnist this month is Mary Bove, who received her doctorate of naturopathic medicine and midwifery certification from Bastyr University of Natural Health in Seattle. She currently practices at the Brattleboro Naturopathic Clinic in Vermont Frank Ervolino, ND, will return next month.