High Blood Pressure...prevention.?!
Question: I have to ask again do you know of an effective way of lowering blood pressure .... apart from medication that is?
I'm on Diovan and it does not seem to be helping. Been back to the doctor who is at a loss...so now I want to see if the alternative medicine approach will work for me.
My present approach prescribed medication + healthy eating + weight watching+ excercise
Answers: I have to ask again do you know of an effective way of lowering blood pressure .... apart from medication that is?
I'm on Diovan and it does not seem to be helping. Been back to the doctor who is at a loss...so now I want to see if the alternative medicine approach will work for me.
My present approach prescribed medication + healthy eating + weight watching+ excercise
Exercise and maintaining a healthy weight are both great ways to help high blood pressure. Stress reduction measures should also be taken. Also, have you heard of the DASH diet? It is recommended for high blood pressure. Eat a diet rich in veggies, fruit and nonfat dairy products. Limit alcohol intake to no more than two drinks per day and a biggie: lower your salt intake!! Also, if you are a smoker, quit. It is a vasoconstrictor which means is narrows your blood vessels, making high blood pressure worse! Hope this helps!
Restrict salt intake, regular exercise, fruits & veg, sounds like you are doing all the right things already
You're doing everything right.
Your doctor being "at a loss" over this is odd...surely he knows that there are dozens and dozens of HBP medications. Many people are prescribed a few different kinds until they and their physician find one that works the best for them.
High blood pressure is of two types. The "Essential" hypertension has no cause & can not b prevented. The "Secondary"hypertention is due 2 a cause & may b prevented by removing that cause.
In addition 2 medication, it is essential that;
Weight is 2 b watched.
No extra table salt 2 b taken.
No saturated fats (which increase bad cholestrol) 2 b taken.
No smoking
Regular exercise like swimming, walking.
Some people have a family tendency toward high blood pressure which can make it more difficult to treat. But for my husband, we are doing all the things you are doing, but the thing that has helped the most is the workout each morning before he goes to work. 3-4 times a week we get up and go to the YMCA for a half hour on the bike and a tour of the weight circuit. It has really made a significant difference in his ability to handle the stress of his job and his blood pressure reflects that. As of his last doctor's appointment he was 120/80 and that's a huge improvement from where he was. I'm not saying the medication hasn't been a factor, but the more strict we are about the exercise, the better he has done with the medicine.
You are on the right track. Regular exercise and a well balanced and healthy diet. Preferably, a DASH diet ( Dietary Approaches to STop Hypertension) and maintaining a healthy weight.
Prevention of hypertension centers on avoiding or eliminating known risk factors. Even persons at risk because of age, race, or sex or those who have an inherited risk can lower their chance of developing hypertension.
The risk of developing hypertension can be reduced by making the same lifestyle changes recommended for treating hypertension:
reducing salt intake
reducing fat intake
losing weight
getting regular exercise
quitting smoking
reducing alcohol consumption
managing stress
Lose weight.