High Blood Pressure Alternative therapies

High Blood Pressure and Alternative Treatments

There are many different causes of hypertension and there many different methods of management. One main concern involved in high blood pressure is an irritant inflammatory process and a loss of vessel elasticity due to plaque formation. Below are a few options to encourage overall vessel integrity, decrease inflammation, reduce stress, encourage a healthy weight and decrease excess fluid, support liver and digestive function and to balance the cardiovascular system.

Vessel integrity

  • Magnesium has been found to dilate and stabilize blood vessels, provide an overall calming effect, mediate digestive processes, block the develop of arrhythmias and prevent dangerous clot formation.
  • Adequate amounts of Calcium and Potassium have also been shown to regulate blood pressure.

Decrease inflammation

  • Wobenzyme is a formulation of enzymes that when taken AWAY from food provide a powerful anti-inflammatory effect.
  • Fish Oil contains Omega 3 fatty acids that are essential fats involved in supporting a healthy heart. Fish Oils with Omega 3 contain both DHA (docohexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) which are known for their anti-inflammatory properties.

Reduce stress

  • The breath – known as prana in Ayurvedic medicine – is a powerful tool in regulating the body’s response to stress and it’s ability to maintain blood pressure by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system.
    • Breathing Zone itune app – relaxing breathing exercises. Breath work is a powerful tool for individuals to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system and ultimately aides to lower blood pressure. Also consider Dr Andrew Weil’s breathing exercise that are easy to find on the web
    • Other mind/body interventions including biofeedback, acupuncture, meditation, aerobic exercise and yoga all can aid in encouraging stress reduction.

Encourage healthy weight and eliminate excess fluid retention

  • Vegetable juice fasting or just vegetable juicing along with other appropriate therapies is the FASTEST way to bring down high blood pressure. Green vegetables juices: celery, etc, will be alkalinizing, highly anti-inflammatory, lead to ketosis and body scavenging around for proteins elsewhere (fibrinogen included) and is full of minerals (Mg, K, trace minerals). Here is one recipe that is great for its diuretic effects:
    • Juice (2 glasses qd)
      • 2 celery
      • Half cucumber
      • Half cup parsley chopped
      • ½ cup fennel chopped
      • 1 onion or 1 clove of garlic
      • 1 apple
      • 1 orange
  • Also consider Hydrotherapy – this is something you cna do at home or a gym or you can visit a Naturopathic Physician whom provides this professional service. Submerge yourself in a hot tub or shower for both temperatures. Begin with HOT (as hot as you can stand without burning yourself) for 5 minutes and then change to COLD (as cold as you can stand without freezing yourself) for 2 minutes. Continue this for 3 rounds and work up to 6. This action causes the body’s blood vessels to dilate and then constrict so it increase circulation of blood, fluid and lymph throughout the entire system. It is very detoxifying.

Support Liver and Digestive system function

  • Botanicals including Silymarin, Artichoke and Turmeric (aka Curcumin) are all potent anti-inflammatory herbs also help protect and support the liver.
  • Castor Oil packs are a great tool to support the body’s detoxification and elimination functions, enhance liver metabolism, balance the immune system, and improves lymphatic circulation. The castor oil pack costs next to nothing, only asking a bit of your time and your openness to its therapeutic power.
  • Increase fiber – this will help your body to eliminate any toxins

Support and balance cardiovascular system

  • Botanicals (medicinal herbs) including Rauwolfia provide hypotensive actions and are used by many clinicians to help wean people off of cardiac medications.
  • Hawthorne is another traditionally used botanical with hypertension in that is very cardioprotective. This botanical provides hypotensive actions as well as aids in the healing of any offense to the heart such as a past heart ache.
  • CoQ10, aka Ubiquinone, is involved in the processes of energy metabolism (production of ATP) in the mitochondria of the cell. Mitochondria are the “power houses” of all our cells and therefore CoQ10 is an important compound throughout the entire body. With the heart in particular, CoQ10 has been shown to reduce symptoms of heart failure and increase the overall production of energy in the heart muscle itself.

Of course, contact a healthcare professional with questions and concerns about your condition as well as before initiating any of the abovementioned therapies. If you are in need of some guidance or direction regarding your healthcare – contact a Naturopathic Physician with Blocks of Health at (480) 451-6161.

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