Alternative Medicines for High Blood Pressure

According to nutritional therapy, diet can make all the difference between high blood pressure and healthy blood pressure. Population surveys have shown that certain groups of people in some parts of the world have a high rate of hypertension, while others have a low rate. This difference is usually attributed to their food choices.

In general, the ideal diet to prevent or reduce blood pressure should emphasize fresh vegetables and fruits and whole grains and limit animal products, including milk and cheese. Fats and sugars should be avoided as much as possible. This sounds close to a vegetarian diet for good reason: Surveys of vegetarians, who eat no meat, poultry, or fish, show that they consistently have lower rates of hypertension than nonvegetarians.

The following are specific dietary guidelines:

People who are overweight are also at higher risk for high blood pressure. Maintaining ideal body weight is an important part of the treatment, and adhering to the above dietary guidelines should make this possible.

Several supplements are also commonly prescribed, including:

Here are some tips to reduce sodium in your diet:

For people whose hypertension is triggered or exacerbated by emotional stress and tension, mind/body medicine can be an effective treatment. Research has shown that several mind/body therapies have the power to decrease high blood pressure, sometimes by as much as 10 mm Hg.

Biofeedback training, which instructs people to alter certain involuntary functions of the body, is particularly recommended for people with hypertension. It involves using sensors to hook a patient up to a biofeedback monitor, which reveals the levels of heart rate, muscle tension, body temperature, or other functions. Using this information, the patient is taught to change one or more of these levels. Relaxation techniques and guided imagery exercises are usually part of the instruction.

One of two training types are typically used to treat hypertension: electromyograph biofeedback, which measures muscle tension (on the forehead, for example), and thermal biofeedback, which measures body temperature. A study at the Medical College of Ohio showed that patients who used diuretics and biofeedback were five times more likely to lower their high blood pressure than patients who only used drugs.

Other helpful mind/body therapies include:

Here's a sample relaxation breathing exercise that might be helpful in relieving stress:

Herbs hold a great deal of promise in preventing and treating high blood pressure and other heart conditions, and they have few or no side effects. Herbs have the ability to dilate vessels to increase circulation, regulate the heart rate, and encourage urination (to remove water), among other functions.

Commonly used herbs include: