Here is Part 2 of D. Carestia’s blog post. Part 1 can be found here.
This has lead me to post on the Intercure blog on occasion about natural, non-toxic methods of lowering high blood pressure. Perhaps you have seen my posts on various topics/questions in the past. Over the last 6 years I read books, studied articles, read voraciously on line, tried many, many different supplements, foods, therapies, relaxation techniques, exercises, and essentially learned a lot about hypertension and natural treatments for hypertension. More importantly, after two years of research, study, discipline, and trial and error of almost everything I read, I was finally able to get off the drugs and keep my blood pressure consistently within the 120’s over 70’s ranges, and this was accomplished through entirely natural, non-toxic methods. It wasn’t easy, and one of the most difficult things was actually weaning off the physical drug dependency, but I did it!
I am not a doctor. I do not give medical advice. I am more than happy
to debate doctors on these subjects however, and I freely discuss them with anyone who is interested. With all due respect for the AMA’s vast knowledge of scalpels and pills, medical doctors by and large are simply not very knowledgeable of natural treatments, foods, supplements, and therapies outside the realm of drug companies like Pfizer and Merck who largely “educate” them once they are out of medical school and in practice.
The one thing that has hit home the hardest about hypertension throughout all my studies is that its causes are multifactorial. What works for one person, may not work for another, and this is largely a function of the underlying cause of each person’s hypertension. Rather than discover that cause and treat it, the medical profession tends to treat the symptom, and they do it with drugs – drugs that I submit are toxic in nature to the human body and which lead to a variety of negative side effects.
Let’s look at just one illustration. Just for fun, and to better understand only one drug’s, atenolol’s, side effects on people like you and me, check out this link to PeoplesPharmacy.com, and read the over 150 patient comments.
There are many more sites just like this one filled with patient comments about dismal negative side effects on every blood pressure drug on the market. Wouldn’t it be great if you could control hypertension without the downsides of drugs or at least reduce your dependence on them? Maybe you can. The different approaches, therapies, and methods for potentially doing just that are what we will discuss in this blog. I am hopeful that you will find a natural, non-toxic answer to lowering your high blood pressure like I did. Hopefully, your doctor will be supportive of your efforts, but unfortunately, that is too rarely the case. My doctor was not at all supportive, saying “you may not be able to get off the medications”. He was being diplomatic and subtle in putting it that way. In later years, however, he came to ask, “How did you do that”? That question, and my own blood pressure, well controlled naturally, were my best rewards.
In future installments, we will begin talking specifics about foods, exercises, supplements, therapies, raw juicing, fasting, chelation, hormone therapy, EECP, relaxation techniques, and much more. And again, it is my greatest hope and wish that you will find something helpful to you in our discussions!
Until then………all the best………naturally!
Do you have a story or tip living with high blood pressure that you would like to share »
(31 votes, average: 3.90 out of 5)
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Lots of words but basically says…NOTHING!
Hi Mike……..stay tuned. I will talk about a lot of things. If I talked about all of them today it would reading a book.
This is meant to be an ongoing blog with input from others, answering questions, and discussing supplements, foods, relaxation techinques, chelation, EECP, exercise, diet…….all the things that can be helpful especially considering the likely cause of YOUR hypertension.
And as for selling something, I don’t want to sell anyone anything, and I am receiving nothing for doing this blog. Lowpressure.com asked if I would be willing to share information based on my past posts on Dr. Rowena’s questions and answers. I offered my time for free.
Instead of nothing, what I am saying is that there are many ways to help control hypertension naturally, and all of them will be discussed in due course and at no charge. I respectfully suggest that you reserve judgment until we get into the merits of the natural methods that can help people. I am a witness to the fact that these things can work for people.
I learned them all the hard way, and it took two years. Perhaps you will discover that I do indeed have something, rather than nothing, to offer.
All the best to you!
Hello D, i too am looking into doing things naturaly. i do agree with all i have read from you so far. like your fish (in picture) i feel we are being ‘hooked’. it scares me to think that i can not live without my drugs. what happens if there is some catastrophy,and supplies are inhibited, we will be dropping like flies. NO, i don’t want to rely on drugs, i want to be free to live with what nature provides. And what about all the strange things that is happening with my body. i dont think the stiffness and joint pains and morbid thoughts are all to do with old age. this all started in my late forties with the drugs.
mind you i am seriously thinking of ditching the husband and get back to being totaly independant and in control of my own destiny. empowerment is the start to seeking a better way what ever your quest.
Hi reyv! I hope we will discuss some things that will benefit you soon.
All the best!
i hope it happens soon D. In the mean time i wish you good health and increasing wisdom.
Hi,D, Yep with you all the way on your introductions I was taking Atacand plus for 3 years and had ever increasing attacks of gout, my so called specialist Cardiologist didn’t pick it up until I went to a chemist and she advised me the Atacandplus was probably causing it.. sheezz, anyway thanks for articulating everything I am feeling toward medical doctors and I look forward to hearing the rest of your story… be well
Thank you Andrew. Hopefully there will be many things in the coming weekly posts that can be of benefit!
All the best!
Agreed, a waste of reading time. Looks like the testimonials that try to sell something.
Hi John, and thank you for your comment. I invite you to check future posts on specifics. I wish to sell nothing, I offer my time for free, and I hope to help people.
I have no problem having readers be the judge of all that. Respectfully, I would ask you to consider whether judgment at this point is a bit premature?
After reading a few of the upcoming posts perhaps you will look at things differently. In any event, again, I am trying to sell nothing and my time is completely voluntary and free.
All the best to you!
So disgusting…waste of time…got to question myself on what happened with ur continous bleeding after the plavix? What are the natural remedies after the supposed to be lifetime beta blockers…you keep us hanging.
You talk too much and say nothing. By the time you tell use what you discovered about natural methods we’ll all be dead. Spit it out now!
I would love to, H. Koby, but there is no “it”. There is over two years of indepth study and lab-ratting of myself, and that cannot be condensed into one “it” for everyone on one day demand.
Hopefully there will be something for the people who are truly interested in what it really takes to get blood pressure under control naturally.
All the best to you!
What you say about it being multifactorial is true. If there were a singular treatment everyone would do it, or someone would sell it.
I too am lab-ratting myself after little to no insight from the medical community.
Started at 170/105, took meds for a year (felt horrible and like I was going to pass out most of the time, cold turkeyed even though I know this isn’t recommended) and now run around 135/90 after 3 years of experimenting and changing my lifestyle.
I read everything I could find about what has worked for others and tested much of it on me.
Can’t say what finally caused the shift but here’s what I did – best of luck:
– eliminated added salt and processed foods with salt (have heard that Real Salt and Bamboo Salt from Korea are ok in small doses for some people)
– lost 15 pounds by following the Rosedale diet (it was very easy!)
– exercise 1 hr every day (walking)
– eat mostly fruits and veggies (90% of diet)
– little meat or bad fats
– take Omega 3s and adaptagenic herbs for stress
Good luck finding what works – could take a while but well worth it.
Thanks for your input, Jaky. I am hopeful that we will discuss even more things that might be of help to you as we go forward!
All the best!
Hi Lolette!
I kept tissues on the few little cuts for freakin neared an hour trying to get my blood to finally clot that next morning. Those free little razors in the hospital must have been designed to help people commit suicide! Geez, I never cut myself shaving so much before I grabbed that crappy little plastic thing!
Thankfully, the plavix eventually diminished in my system enough to allow my blod to clot normally again.
I will try to get to specific answers to everyone’s questions. As you can see, I have tried to address some specific questions today.
Respectfully, the subject is big………and needs to be treated thoroughly. I am committed to doing that.
All the best!
Thanks a bunch for doing this, D. Carestia. Looking forward to more of your posts on this subject. I too have been on a quest for a natural solution. After trying several medications including Atacand (awful!) and coversyl (chronic cough and fatigue) I decided to drop them and move to search for a natural solution. Thus far I’ve had things under control with a combination of Omega 3’s with CoQ10 and plant sterols (Costco brand) along with Hawthorne Berry a couple of times per day. Still looking for some other solutions. What you have said is very true…there is no solution that works for everyone as we are all inherintly different. Can’t wait to see what you have come up with for your solution! Thanks again for doing this voluntarily! People tend to forget this.
Thank you Paul! I appreciate your comment, and because of that, I will address some things that have helped people like you in some of my very first future posts. In fact, let’s address your situation a bit right now.
Everything you are doing so far is good for not only your blood pressure, but also for your heart health. I don’t know how old you are, but I want to point out to you that CoQ10 in the form sold most often is fine for young people, but our body’s ability to absorb it decreases with age. If you over 40 years old, I would suggest that you consider Ubiquinol rather than Ubiquinone. The older we are, the more important it is to take Ubiquinol so that our bodies actually get the benefit that we are seeking.
I like to take at least 4000 IU of omega 3’s each day. That is because, in addition to the circulatory system benefits, I also get a very beneficial anti-inflammatory benefit. This helps not only the heart, but also joint discomfort. In fact, you would be shocked at the values that I get on my c-reactive protein (equivalent of a new-born baby) and homocysteine levels(also excellent). This is due to more than just the type of CoQ10 my wife and I take (she has similar test results), but the ubiquinol and fish oil are an important factor.
Hawthorne Berry is a very good heart soothing supplement. I took it for a time after my extreme hbp episode and it helped calm my heart and reduce the discomfort.
The coversyl you were taking is an ACE inhibitor. The side effects of all these drugs are just too much for me, so I found natural alternatives. Pomegranate is an excellent natural ACE inhibitor. So much so that Jarrow, for example, cautions that if you are also on blood pressure medications that you monitor blood pressure closely for the potential of becoming hypotensive when you take their concentrated pomegranate juice.
Both Jarrow Formulas and Knudesen make pomegranate juices that I have used to good result. I got the best results on Knudesen’s 100% pomegrante juice. If you take Knudesen’s straight, you may want to add a little stevia to help sweeten it up a little. I drank 8 ounces of Knudesen’s straight pomegranate juice the first time I tried it, and it dropped my systolic almost 20 points. So, I cut back the amount I drank after that, as I was still on so-called “meds”.
I can hopefully be of more assistance to you if I know a little more about your specific situation. Age, sex, what do you believe prompted your high blood pressure, overweight and clogged blood vessels, or stress, or?? If you haven’t thought about what the cause is, it may be key to determining the approaches that will best work for you.
All the best!!
Hi D!
Many thanks for your insight on all things HBP! It is very much appreciated. At this point, I am early in the stages of the game and still learning much about what will work and what will not work for me. I am 43 and I do have sleep apnea which I address by using a CPAP machine. That alone has helped me get some better night’s rest. I have also been diagnosed with a mild HCM (cardiomyopathy) of one of my left ventricles. No blockages were found or observed. They have found a similar issue in my father and now I will have to get both of my small children (8 mos. and 5 yrs. old) checked at certain points as they feel it could be a hereditary condition. No family history of previous heart disease, though so that is somewhat positive in that sense. My changes in BP were a combination of these things as well as my job which is very stressful at many times during the year. It doesn’t help that I have put on a bit of weight in the last couple of years. I regularly exercise but it isn’t always consistently during the week.
I did not know this about the CoQ10. I also did not know about Pomegranate juice. I’m going to try both of these and see if things will get even better.
A time ago, I did use the Natural Calm product and I think that I need to revisit that. I had good success with it as well.
Many thanks again for taking the time to reply. It really is appreciated. Your knowledge of what has worked for you may indeed help many others and that in itself is a great thing.
If you have any more suggestions, kindly let me know.
Yes, there are lots more suggestions that I am hoping will help people. They certainly helped me. Watch for future posts each week, and all the best!
Paul, I’m 48 and also had sleep apnea also. I was 50 pounds overweight and in a stressul job. On top of that I have a family history of hypertension on both sides. Things have changed this past year. I lost the weight, changed my diet and am getting lots of exercise. My blood pressure has dropped to normal now but I do take CoQ10 and Fish oil everyday now too. CoQ10 is a powerful antioxident for cell energy and hear function. It’s almost a must for any of us old guys over 40.
I want to thank you for your post.
I’m 32 male with GAD and on Benicar 10mg
Can you till me which 100% pomegrante juice your think is the best. I went to Knudesen’s website and they have a couple of pomegranate( organic pomegranate nectar, Blend, concentrate….etc?
Thank you so much. I will be folowing your blog.
Hello D,
For most of us time is important, cut to the chase! Just tell us what worked for you and what didn’t. Or save it and sell it to someone else.
jt
Hi Jt!
Please send me $0.00 and I will tell you everything I know. I am curious, do you think that time is at all important to me?
I intend to “cut to the chase” on every modality that I will talk about going forward. I will be happy to tell everyone what worked for me, but not all of that will work for everyone else, and respectfully, it cannot be done on one day. I think there are groups of therapies that will help people depending on the causes of their hypertension. If you are the calmest person on the planet, but have clogged blood vessels, relaxation techniques are near the bottom of my list for you.
Unfortunately, it will take more than a minute or two, but anyone with a serious interest is welcome to everything that I have to offer. It is my hope that people seriously trying to find natural methods of controlling hypertension will find some benefit.
All the best!
D. Carestia.
Please ignore the “nay-sayers”, who have apparently given up hope on having a life free of hypertension and the drug-pushers of BIG Pharmacy. Allow them to continue to use the “crutch” of a pill for a quick fix just to bring their BP numbers down, without addressing their real health issues that cause a hypertensive and inflamed state of being. Do me and those like me a gratious favor by CONTINUING YOUR BLOG.
As for any solicitaion from you, give me a break, I feel the real “salesmen” here are some of the doctors that threaten their patients with a life of debilitation if they don’t use the latest drug treatment (in many cases, for the rest of their lives).
You are doing the right thing, you are injecting not another prescription, but rather, you are giving a much needed dose of HOPE.
Thank you Don. I was dedicated to finding the natural cures for me because I could not stand what the AMA and Big Pharma were doing to my body and my life. “Salesmen” is putting it nicely in my view.
I hope to not only offer “HOPE”, but rather realistic potential based on my own, and others’, actual, successful outcomes.
There are lots of good, natural approaches coming, and be assured, I will be continuing, and we will discuss them in detail over the coming weeks and months. Hopefully, you will find somehting that helps you, as well!
All the best!
D. Carestia
I was diagnosed with hypertension when I was attempting to qualify for life insurance. I had tried a few Chinese herbs but nothing seemed to work. A cardiologist put me on a diuretic and exforge, a combination calcium channel blocker and angiotensin receptor blocker. I had indicated my concerns regarding side effects, but I felt my comments were disregarded. I shortly stopped the protocol.
Note that I usually workout everyday for 30 minutes of cardio exercise, averaging about 29 days a month. I walk briskly, although for the past month and a half, I run every other day, taking care to avoid injury.
I then sought natural methods for controlling hypertension. After trying hawthorne, which did not seem to have much effect, I found a combination of Standard Proces’ Cataplex G, Metagenics’ Arginine plus, cinnamon, fish oil, and ginger seem to work for me. I also use NatureMade’s Cholestoff to manage cholesterol ratios.
I take several other herb combinations for liver and kidneys as well.
It’s a lot of pills, but I am pretty consistent taking them. I really enjoy the freedom from side effects.
I sincerely appreciate your blog on this issue.
JB
Thank you John, and thanks for being another witness to the fact that hypertension can be reduced through natural methods.
I am also a fan of L-arginine. It is very helpful in dilation of the blood vessels and in oxygen transfer, and can help many people lower their blood pressure. Thorne Research makes a time release L-arginine that I still take daily. I like it because the suppy into the blood stream is much more constant over time.
There are many natural diuretics if you want the benefit without the detrimental side effectst. These will be discussed in depth in future posts. Two of my favorites are Dandelion Leaf (not root) and Juniper Berry. Rather than deplete potassium (as hydrocholorothiazide and other drug diuretics do), dandelion leaf is high in potassium which is very heart healthy.
Cinnamon is great for controlling insulin spikes and blood sugar levels. I also take red yeast rice to get cholestorol down without the ugly side effects of the toxic statins.
Thank you for your comments. We will have much to talk about, and I am hopeful that there will be something discussed that will help you even more!
All the best!!
OH PLEASE FOR GOD’s SAKE!!!! Please share your tips. As another poster said, you will share it when we are dead? If you think it would be like “writing a book” then write it, it might be more helpful than this blog where there’s nothing of use at all!!!
I thought you were trying to help us. Sir, please think about this!!!
Please quit being so rude! Be thankful someone has done so much research and wants to share the knowledge he’s learned with us. ME ME ME isn’t nice, and I’m sure does nothing to help your blood pressure either. I can’t wait for part 3. pharmas and me don’t get along. I take coQ10, fish oil, black hawthorn berry, turmeric and a few more supplements and my blood pressure is still too high. I can’t wait to read the next installment. Thank-you D. Carestia for taking the time to share
Thank you Darica for your comments! Watch for future weekly posts and I am very hopeful that you will find some things that will work for you in your effort to control blood pressure in non-toxic, natural ways!
All the best!
D. Carestia, These people making negative comments obviously don’t read the posts. I always look for your posts because I can tell you are knowledgeable about causes and natural remedies and therapies. However, I gather from ALL the comments. You are right: what works for one doesn’t work for another, BUT it’s worth trying things out. After reading your posts, I have noted many worthwhile suggestions. Thank you for all you do to help us with our blood pressures issues.
Thank you for your comment, Lois, and you are welcome. Did you send me some money yet? LOL Frankly, with all due respect for those who seem to want to be sold something, I have nothing to offer that I want money for.
Please let me know what topics you are interested in. Have you thought about why you have hypertension? There are lots of potential reasons, and identifying it or them is really important in finding what will work for you. I am hopeful that we can do that, and that I can offer some modalities for your consideration that can be of assistance to you!
I did lots of trial and error and some things worked well while others didn’t. That also helped me figure out what caused my own hypertension. I have not forgotten what didn’t help me, but does help others, depending on their particular situation. I will be discussing those, as well.
This is not a quick or easy road. Hopefully, we will discuss something here that will shorten the road and the time frame for many who are trying hard to reach their goals.
All the best!
Hi, i am reading your blog and people’s comments with great interest and plan on checking out several of the natural remedies you mentioned. I like knowing where people’s biases are because it helps me evaluate the information they write about,so just curious about whether you are being compensated by Respirate for writing your blog/sharing your experience. Please dont hear this as a challenge; i have their bp lowering device–i just like knowing about the source of information. Thanks, wendy
Hi Wendy, and that’s a fair question.
Resperate did not pay me for my story and is not paying me for my ongoing blog. I receive no compensation from anyone, not intercure/resperate nor any of the manufacturers of the items I mention.
I am about as “unbiased” as you are going to find. If I don’t believe it, you aren’t going to hear it.
🙂
All the best!!
Dear D. Carestia,
The first thing that strikes me about so many negative responses that I read is this: I see angry, demanding, impatient and aggressive comments from many people. What a perfect “garden of delights” within which one can cultivate a smashing case of high blood pressure .
I applaud your dedication and spirit of generosity! As a cancer victor (6 1/2 years), one who is also meeting the challenge of reversing Type 2 diabetes, as well as endeavoring to relieve myself of high blood pressure and it’s accompanying meds, I am in the same position as you in many respects. Maybe it’s karmic – maybe it’s God or maybe both; but I am doing for others dealing with cancer and diabetes what you are doing with HBP.
I acknowledge and receive the blessing of what I will learn from your blog. I look forward to reading and thoughtfully considering all you have to offer.
The passion for doing the research, the drive to keep reading, researching, seeking solutions, dealing with trial and error; can only be appreciated fully by those of us who are willing to do it. I’m in the seventh year of my self-healing pilgrimage.
I bow to you.
Wow. I am humbled.
It is obvious to me that you are a wonderful, “pay it forward” type of person. Your comments alone have made this entire first blog “episode” worthwhile. The support of others like you has now become the icing on your beautiful cake!
I sincerely hope that I can offer something here that will help you. You are the kind of person who needs to continue on your mission for a long, long time yet.
Thank you again, and thank you for your good work for others, for which I bow to you!
All the very best!!
May God and the universe BLESS you!
Hi carestia,don’t be discouraged.the Merrits or otherwise of your Write ups shall surface with time.after-all,wisdom they say is proved righteous by its work.
And in that, I am confident and take comfort!
All the best!
I, too, have hypertension, and my blood pressure is way too high, 165/76/80 at times. I find relaxing and taking deep breaths gives me a better reading. Currently, on 25 mg metaprolol twice a day. Doctor increased it after a visit and with my white coat syndrome naturally the blood pressure always shoots up, I can feel it, and the doctor prescribed 100 mg Atanol once per day. Took it for a week and it left me short of breaths, felt miserable, so I went back to the 25 mg Metaprolol. He told me losing weight and brisk walking 2 miles a day should eventually get me off. Have to say, the walking did help a lot, whereas I had problems at first now I can walk breathing right, no longer short of breaths. I will follow your blog because it is my goal, too, to get off medicine. I don’t take any other pills.
Thank you, Viola. I will try to get to some specific ideas that focus on situations like yours early on in future discussions. I am curious. How old are you? Are you overweight, and if so, how much? This is not to embarrass you or anyone else, rather it is designed for you to try to figure out what causes your hypertension. What doctors too often don’t understand is that there is knowledge within us. We just have to dig it out. Getting a good handle on what the likely source of your hypertension is, is one of the keys to controlling it by natural means.
I am hopeful that by doing that, you can focus on some of the modalities to be discussed here that can benefit people like you.
All the best!
Has anyone found a way to overcome White Coat Syndrome? MY BP is always high at the DR. office but normal at home and I’m sick of the Dr. chewing me out about high BP. I think I need to bring a log in to show him my numbers.
Hi Frank!
I have the same problem because of the doctor chewing me out! You would think they would know better.
Anymore, I just take my home monitor with me and show him my blood pressure readings for the last 30 days before he takes my blood pressure. That makes me relax a little more about having it taken, and it is proof that it is not high except when the white coats come around.
He doesn’t chew, and I relax. The record is good, but the 30 days recorded on my monitor is even better!
All the best!
Thank you very much for sharing your story with high blood pressure. I am especially grateful that you also shared you educated views on medical professional who are trained and heavily sponsored by the drug industry. I concur based on my own experience that doctors for the most part (there are some exceptions!) not only have no knowledge of alternative non-toxic healing methods, they tend to be extremely hostile to them. It takes a lot of courage and determination to explore alternatives to the drugs. Doctors for the most part comply with drug protocols recommended by the pharmaceutical industry. Furthermore, you are absolutely right that overall Western medicines is focussing on the symptoms of diseases not the cause. I am especially grateful that you mentioned how hard it is to get off the BP drugs again. Apparently I am not the only one who is experiencing this. Thanks again!
Hi Johanna, and thanks for your comments. Weaning off of hypertension drugs is both an art and a science. Suffice that I was not able to do it the first time I tried, nor the second. It is a careful, slow, and deliberate process. The “rebound effect” is very powerful.
I am hopeful that you will find things discussed here that can help you in your efforts!
All the best!!
I love your story and your dedication to cure your hypertension with natural products. I am trying to do the same. You are taking CoQ10 and Magnesium. Could you tell us what kind of Magnesium. They are so many, citrate, malate, glycinate etc… and how much. I know everyone is fiddirent, but this info would help.
Thank you,
Hi Francoise, and thanks!
I take a whole food supplement which includes magnesium. I like the ones that are “food based” and also are in liquid form. The one I take is by Irwin Naturals and is called “Living Green Liquid Gel Multi”. That does not have a huge amount of magnesium in it, but there are two issues. Are you taking a lot, or are you taking in a lot? If it goes through our systems, with being absorbed, it didn’t do us much good. I don’t just take that for magnesium, however.
To focus on magnesium, I also make sure to eat foods high in magnesium every day. We have a salad which includes broccoli every night. We also steam broccoli and carrots. In addition we eat our own granola which includes seeds and nuts high in magnesium as well as omega 3’s. We also eat sprouted whole grain bread. Whole grains are high magnesium foods, and we like the sprouted aspect. Our favorite bread is Silver Hills Big 16 (16 sprouted whole grains).
Now, if I were low on magnesium, or to get a good dose on board, I take Natural Vitality’s “Natural Calm” developed by Peter Gilham who makes a very good argument that this ionized magnesium citrate is the most bio-available form to take. That is just a fancy way of saying that the body absorbs and uses it, and we get the benefit of it. I like magnesium oxide the least.
I usually make the “Natural Calm” in hot water in the morning and again in the evening before I go to bed. I have to be careful about putting the hot water in because it really comes alive when the hot water hits it and the foam can overflow. Whitaker Wellness sells a similar product called MagnaCalm.
I also take extra magnesium into my blood about once each month with my edta chelation regimen. I have my naturapath add 8000 IU of magnesium to the edta IV.
Now, those are the most important ways that I get magnesium as it is simply GREAT for heart and circulatory health. If I just wanted an immediate daily impact, I would take the Natural Calm twice per day. There is only so much you can take orally, however, as it will soften your stools, so I know not to take too much! Magnesium relaxes the muscles, including the heart muscles, and relaxes blood vessels as well. It has been instrumental in helping get blood pressure down for many people, and it is just very good for the heart, as well.
I really like the big dose of magnesium right into my blood stream, and the chelation therapy, but we will talk about those therapies at length going forward.
I hope this helps, and all the best!
This is a very refreshing and inspiring article to all of us and I can very much relate this to my own expereinces trying to find a natural alternative to drugs over the past 6 months. The fact is there are natural treatments that are proven to be just as effective as diet but some folks prefer to just pop a pill for every conceivable ailment. I prefer to take the natural route. It’s a lot of trial and error detective work, but eventually you’ll stumble into the right combination. For myself, it’s diet, exercise, stress reduction and supplements to include 400mg of Magnesium, 3-4g Fish Oil and 200mg of CoQ10 per day. These supplements are important as most Americans are woefully deficient in Magnesium and CoQ10 and also lack Omega-3 EFAs. Frankly, I didn’t see much in the way of results using Resperate with before/after data–No change in BP readings.
Thanks for your kind words, Jason! As you can probably tell, I am well aware of the struggle, time frame involved, and difficulty of the task. The good news is, that it can be done. I sincerely hope that something we discuss here will shorten your journey and ease your burden.
Magnesium is a WONDERFUL supplement for heart health. Potassium is also very important. Typcially, diuretics deplete these important minerals. I commented earlier on CoQ10, and depending on your age, you may want to consider Ubiquinol rather than Ubiquinone if you are not already taking Ubiquinol. Love fish oil.
I have a lot more things to talk about, and hopefully you will find some that will help you even more. As for resperate, I have had good results using it as one of my relaxation methods. Before I saw results, I did 20 minutes twice each day for almost a month. But we will talk about resperate down the road, and more.
All the best!!
This is an extremely informative dialogue for all of us and probably one that has been long overdue since most of the past stories focus on medication therapy.
I can definitely vouch for the value of a naturopathic doctor helping me with my supplement regimen. I had previously done quite a bit of research online but the information was overwhelming. The naturopaths do this every day and know what works.
I appreciate the good info on Ubiquinol. I have heard one should go with Ubiquinol over Qbiquinone (CoQ10), especially for someone in their late 40’s like myself.. I use a very strong hydrosoluble version of CoQ10 by Swanson. It’s called Q-Gel Mega 100.
I’m also a firm believer in a non-Western diet since Hypertension with aging is almost non-existant in some other cultures in rural Asia, Africa and Mexico.
Thank you Jason! Your perspective is appreciated. I too see a naturpopath, but I leave my health to nobody else. He and I have GREAT discussions about all the supplements and other modalities we both find.
I am glad to help a bit here and there where I can. I have studied and tried quite a few, and after all that I like Ubiquinol non-soy Kaneka QH by Healthy Origins, 100 mg, 150 softgels for about $60 at My Natural Market, iherb, etc. If I wanted to stay with Swanson, I would try their 100% natural Kaneka Ubiquinol. There are a lot of enhanced q-gels around, but they are trying to “enhance” ubiquinone. I don’t think that is as good for me at age 63, even “enhanced” with increased bioavailability.
You might share some of the specifics of your diet for people to consider. Thanks much for your input!
I appreciate the valuable information on the Ubiquinol. I’ll need to bring this up to my ND next week at my appt. She has been fantastic in getting my BP on target (now about 119/65) It varies some but that is my average nowadays.
Also saw your reference to the Whitaker Wellness Ctr. and looked up the website. They look like a fantastic organization. I just relocated to CA from Seattle and the Bastyr Center for Natural Health was outstanding there as well.
My diet is primarily fruits vegetables and whole grains, no dairy, meat or oils. I do have a bit of fish once per week for the Omega-3 benefits, but I supplement with 3-4g per day usually. I consume no white flour, sugar, HFCS, agave/maple syrup or fruit juices. They are now targeting insulin resistance as a causative factor for hypertension, so sugar is prime suspect. I also use no salt added products. This is all augmented by vigorous exercise, typically 4-5 miles of walking/running/biking per day in addtion to some light strength training.
I like everything you have to say with the small exception of no oils. I like heathy fatty acids in my system. I espeially love fish oil.
You are doing GREAT! Hopefully, something you find here will be of even more help to you, and I look forward to your contributions going forward!
All the best!
Hi Mike,
I’ve recently published my own experience which is SO similar to yours!!! I’ve submitted my story to lowerpressure.com and I hope they publish it next. I was only 26 when I was diagnosed with essential hypertension. By 32 I was on 5 different pills… and my blood pressure was still not under control. So I found myself a new doctor – a Homeopathic GP and the rest is history. Please read my blog at http://tracypepper.blogspot.co.nz/2012/07/define-normal.html
Well done! More people need to learn to listen to their bodies and stop relying on drugs to fix them. The power to heal ourselves is within all of us.
Hi Tracy. I’m not Mike, but thanks for your comments. I have read your blog page, and respectfully, I don’ believe our stories are very much alike. But good on ya for seeking and finding some more natural solutions to your many health problems!
My only real health problem over my lifetime has been the bout with hypertension beginning back at age 57. Most of the people here, I suspect, did not suffer from “essential hypertension” at age 26. Even for those, I am hopeful that we will discuss some helpful therapies for them.
By the way, I asked my doctor why they called it “essential hypertension”. He said, “Because, essentially, we don’t know what causes it”! That was the beginning of my needing to solve that problem for myself.
Also, I am a BIG believer in hormone restoration therapy. The difference is that I like bio-identical hormone restoration therapy. I am not at all in favor of the horse-urine derived hormones developed for women. Is it any wonder those compounds are unhealthy? However, I was not at all in need of this at your age.
I do see a naturopath on occasion, and we have great discussions about all kinds of health issues. One of the issues we will discuss on this blog is chelation, which is made available primarily by naturapaths and such wonderful alternative health clinics as the Whitaker Wellness Center in California where my primary physician resides.
Thanks for commenting, and all the best to you!
Hi D. Carestia –
Question: How would I go about finding a naturopathic practitioner? I am also wanting to find a doctor of osteopathy who practices functional medicine ie. one who seeks for a cause to treat rather than just throwing medication at a symptom. I’ve had it with allopathy. Wholeism in health care just makes pure sense to me. Like Tracy I have been badly hurt by being ‘a good and compliant patient’ where my cholesterol and blood pressure are concerned. I know in my heart that there are some ethical doctors out there. I also doubt that they are allopathic physicians. To be honest, I say, what a shame that these beautiful, optimistic and idealistic young people go to traditional medical schools and get swallowed up by the drug-pushing goons who are licking their chops like mad dogs, just waiting to sink their greedy teeth into these naive but well-meaning kids.
Anyway – I better not get started.
Any suggestions of where to look for such doctors?
Hi K! One of the things that I have done in the past is to ask the people at a local really good health food/supplement store. The people there usually know who is good. Also, massage therapists, colonic hydrotherapists, and wellness centers have turned me on to some really good practitioners in other fields at times. My ideal naturapathic doctor does chelation and detox protocols among others.
There are medical clinics that are devoted to alternative and holistic healing. Check the yellow pages in your area, and also ask the people mentioned above.
I found the Whitaker Wellness Center online and chose a D.O. there to be my primary physician. I see her once each year in California. While you may not want to go to California each year, the staff at Whitaker’s and other Wellness oriented medical clincs can likely tell you what physicians are availabe in your area. They treat people from all over the country and help people at times with the names of similar providers in those patients’ local areas.
I hope those ideas help. If anyone else has some good ideas, please also chime in!
All the best!!
A plant based diet has been the best solution for myself. You essentially eat to save your heart. When you eliminate the atherosclerotic building blocks (animal protein, dairy, oils) you cannot develop plaque in your arteries. It’s so simple it’s almost criminal! Cholesterol and BP normalize, Diabetes dissappears, and excess weight just melts away.
Thanks Nick! There is a lot to commend complex carbohydrates in the form of fresh, and especially raw, vegetables and fruits. One of the things we will discuss is juicing and juice fasting. You may recall that Norman Walker was a pioneer in this area and indeed ran a health clinic in California for a time focused on raw fruits and vegetables and lots of juicing of those.
I do have a few ideas I would ask you to consider. Indeed, one of the very healthiest things we can put in our bodies is oils. I am not talking about unhealthy hydrogenated oils, but rather primarily olive oil, flax oil, primrose oil, and especially fish oil. Fish oil can actually clean atherosclerotic plaque from our blood vessels with high enough intake. It strikes me that fish oil is a very good supplement in our diets for this and other reasons.
Cholesterol is actually healthy for us as long as it is not radicalized through oxygenation. There is no question that cholesterol will come down, however, on a vegetarian diet, at least no question in my mind, as I too have experienced that when juice fasting for long durations.
There are some interesting studies, the most recent of which was a British study published in Lancet calling into question the whole “cholesterol is bad, but hdl cholesterol is good” mantra that we have heard for many years now. Perhaps it is because the patents on the statins are finally running out?
I am very much into anti-oxidants and believe that c-reactive protein and homocysteine levels are much better indicators of heart attack potential, for examples, than just cholesterol. Inflammation, especially in the arterial walls, is also a subject that needs to be factored in when we are talking circulatory diseases, in my humble opinion, and that is another really good reason to include oils like fish oil with anti-oxidants (many of which have fruit and vegetable bases). I am also an advocate of sprouts and sprouting foods like almonds, etc., also rich in omega 3’s. We will talk about supplements at length here before all is said and done.
I also like protein in my diet, although animal fat protein, especially in red meat, is not the staple by any means, because respectfully I do not believe that vegetable protein is the entire answer. Your position, and approach, nevertheless have a lot to commend them, and again, we agree on much!
Thank you for your comments, I hope that you might find something of interest here, and I look forward to your input along the way!
All the best!
I don’t believe any oils are “heart healthy” as they are touted. Olive oil is 15% saturated fat and injures the endothelium. Canola oil might be a tad better due to it’s better Omega 3:6 ratio, but I use sparingly if at all. The key point to keep in mind is to avoid any foods that contribute to atherosclerosis. This includes animal protein of any kind, dairy and oils. They injure the endothelium. Atherosclerosis is a precursor to hypertension, heart disease and diabetes.
C-Reative protein and homocysteine are good predictors for cardivascular disease, but inflammation should not be an issue if you’re consuming an anti-inflammatory diet such as a plant based diet. Those should be non-issues.
I would encourage you to read some of the studies by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn in reversing hear disease. One of my favorites is his video on becoming heart attack proof. http://www.heartattackproof.com/articles.htm
Thanks Nick.
Respectfully, it doesn’t look like we are going to convince each other about healthy fats in the diet. I believe in them for good reason. As I mentioned, as just one example, fish oil in large enough doses can actually clean the plaque out of arteries. That said, we strongly agree on the benefits of fruits and vegetables in the diet, and hopefully you agree with me that raw is far better than cooked. Indeed, in addition to the fruits and vegetables themselves, I focus on raw juices as well as I3C as one of my daily supplements.
Canola oil, in my humble opinion, should never be put in the human body. I think it is great for tractors. 🙂
The only oils that I am willing to eat happily are flax oil, fish oil, primrose oil, and organic virgin olive oil. We also use grape seed oil for baking at times.
There is more than enough omega 6 in the world without seeking it out. Omgega 3’s are what I am looking for as well as vitamin D and ALA from fish oils. Fatty acids are one of the keys to a healthy brain, for example, which is made up in large measure of fat itself. I remind myself that the circulatory system is one of the more important, and at the same time, there is more to a healthy existence than just the circulatory system. There is the liver, the brain, and other organs of great importance which are benefited by healthy fats.
I have read Dr. Esselstyn’s book, “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease”. I took some good away from it, and left the rest when it conflicted with other knowledge that I have acquired over the years and still trust.
One thing is for sure. You are on top of your regimen, and it serves you well! Good on ya!
All the best!
I am anxious to see your next article.
Also do I need to understand my body’s response to natural treatment.
Will this take years to curb down the blood pressure and be free from a calcium channel blocker for example?
Hi Mak, and thanks! Learning your body’s response to whatever regimen you are on is very important to ultimately finding the right answers for you. Are you aware of your body’s response to the drugs? Mine were pretty bad, and I wanted rid of them. My body was saying, these drugs may be suppressing your blood pressure, but they are also doing harm to your body.
Because of that, I did things differently, and you know the rest of the story. HOWEVER, GETTING OFF OF DRUGS IS NO SIMPLE TASK. I also contantly remind myself, and the people here, that I am not a doctor and I cannot and do not give medical advice. I offer ideas here that have helped other people including myself, and these should only be considered with the help of a, hopefully, supportive physician.
How much time it will take is largely a function of how bad your condition is, what is really the cause, and what the therapies and treatments are that can help that particular problem. I have not been on a calcium channel blocker, but I have read a lot about them. Why are you on that drug instead of something else? Do you also have angina, or irregular heart beats? Is that the only medication that you are on? What is your bp without that drug versus with that drug? How old are you? Do you engage in regular exercise? Is your diet laden with manufactured salt (sodium chloride), or do you use sea salt? How about refined sugar intake. There will be more and more written about sugar’s impact on hypertension in the coming years. I happen to believe that sugar is as bad, if not worse, than salt. I also believe that sea salt is much better for me than just the manufactured sodium chloride, salt salt. Are you overweight? Are you an A-1 driver with tons of stress? Is your fight or flight mechanism on full-time alert?
May I respectfully suggest that you focus on why you have this problem. If you can do that, perhaps the appropriate therapies will shorten your time. If you have no clue, then the search may take longer.
I will do my best to offer some ideas that have helped many, and hopefully will help you as well.
All the best!
I am 74 but have had a tendancy to HBP sine my late 20s as did my father and mother (for awhile). I didn’t get on medication until in my 50s–atenenol. I have exercised fairly regularly over the years but more now. For example I did 3 miles today in an hour on the treadmill. I do water aerobics 3 times a week do weights and walking most other days. A recent treadmill echocardiogram showed mild mitral regurgitation and mild LA enlargement, but at low risk for a myocardial event. I reached a heart rate of 140 with no difficulty.
However, I have had occasional PVCs since my 30s. This got worse in the last few years. It seemed that I have brachycardia and I wonder if this happened when I started the atenenol years ago. That was when I first noted a low HR> Now I am on a calcium blocker and wonder if that could cause it. My doctor once said I had sick sinus syndrome, but has not said that for awhile, only that I will need a pacemaker in the future.
I look forward to hearing about your experience and what you now use. I am on Q10 60, eat a lot of greens, vegetables and fruit; no meat or dairy. I use eggs three times a week. My cholesterol is normal 160. I have gotten help from drfuhrman.com. I know I am salt sensitive and this is difficult to keep under 1000 mg per day.
Thank you for your blog.
I believe Dr. Fuhrman recommends a cholesterol <150 as does Dr. Esselstyn to ensure becoming heart attack proof. Your diet is similar to mine although I am 100% Vegan and do not consume eggs either. I follow Dr. Esselstyn's diet which says "nothing with a mother or a face" as well as all oils. You may want to consider at least 400-600mg of Magnesium to help with the PVC's and heart rythym. A good reference book is "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease" by Caldwell Esselstyn and "Reverse Heart Disease Now" by Stephen Sinatra.
Hi Ella, and thank you for your comments. It seems you have had a bit of a trying history with hypertension and other ciruculatory difficulties. Unfortunately, these do have the potential to get worse as we age. At 63, I am not all that far behind you. I had a few pvc’s as far back as in high school that I can recall. There are times now when I have too many to make me comfortable, so I have read a lot about pvc’s and have read lots of comments on pvc support groups. The thing that I remind myself of is that these are almost always harmless. The less I worry about them, the fewer I have.
I agree with Scott about the potential for Magnesium to be of benefit to you. The first time I received a magnesium IV at Whitaker Wellness, I did not suffer a single pvc for days. I also have become very aware of pvc’s when they occur. As I have mentioned already, if we can figure out what causes our problems, we have the first key to healing them. If you try “Natural Calm”, you can drink this a couple of times each day, and can work up to 600 mg per day or even more. Stool softness will limit your intake as you determine how much you can take each day. That is one of the things I like about the magnesium IV every once in a while. I can take a very large dose and potential runny stools are not even an issue.
In my case, sugar causes my blood pressure to go up, and it causes my pvc’s to increase. Lack of sleep causes my pvc’s to increase in number also. Sleep apnea is a big cause of hypertension and heart problems, including pvc’s and almost nobody talks about sleep apnea as a culprit. Do you suffer from that? Are you a big snorer?
Stress is also a very big factor with me. I think it has to do with adrenaline which helps trigger my pvc’s. I have used specific frequency microcurrent to calm my adrenals which reduced both blood pressure and incidence of pvc’s.
I respectfully am in disagreement with Scott on the issue of oils, however. Fats, the right kind of fats, are among the best things that we can put in our bodies. Fish oil is among my absoulte favorites for lowering inflammation, both in my joints and my blood vessels, and for preventing and reducing arterial plaque. If someone put a gun to my head and said you can only take one supplement from now on, I would be hard pressed not to choose fish oil/omega 3’s.
I also respectfully believe that far too much has been made of cholesterol so that the pharmaceutical companies could sell literally billions of dollars of statins. Healthy cholesterol is quite beneficial to our bodies. Free radicals, and their effect on cholesterol, however, are quite detrimental to our good health. My cholesterol is kept right around 165 with the use of red yeast rice (this is reduced from around 210 without that supplement). I really an not concerned about it with c-reactive protein near zero (newborn baby levels) and stellar homocysteine levels as well. I take LOTS of antioxidants and that helps keep my cholesterol healthy among their many other health benefits.
I have read the Esselstyn and Sinatra books. With all due respect, I did not find the Sinatra book that helpful. I found a lot more specific ideas for treating high blood pressure naturally in Dr. Sherry Clark’s book, “The High Blood Pressure Hoax”, as just one example.
I think it is impractical for most people to be vegetarians, but if you think it might work for you, go for it. Certainly there are those who are dedicated and can stick to this regimen. That said, there are those who believe you just can’t get everything you need for good health on a strict vegetarian diet, Dr. Ann Loise Gittleman, for one example. I have read two of her books on diet, and detoxification, as well.
With due respect for Dr. Esselstyn and Dr. Sinatra, I don’t think you can become heart attack proof in the toxic world in which we live based only on cholesterol levels. I strongly prefer c-reactive protein and homocysteine levels as markers instead of cholesterol. And I like to detox often to get harmful chemicals, metals, plastics, herbicides, pcb’s, hydrocarbons, and other harmful substances out of my body. Raw vegetables and fruits, and herbs like cilantro, and sea algaes among other antioxidants and can help with this. I also include far infrared sauna, chelation, and fasting as part of that regimen.
All of this is not to say that the doctors Scott mentions do not provide helpful ideas. I agree with much of what they say. The point is, almost everyone needs to find out what works for them within general, acceptible healthy guidelines. There are also diets based on blood type for example that some people swear by. Some people do very well on the zone diet, and maintain good health on it in addition to the rest of their good-health regimen.
Pay close attention to your body’s reaction after the things you eat. If you don’t feel good, or your pvc’s kick in, ask youself “what did I eat a little while ago”? “How much sleep did I get last night”? “Am I mores stressed out than usual, and about what”? These can be helpful clues for you about what you try changing. Our bodies are smart, and they tell us things if we are willing to listen.
And finally, again, Magnesium (and also potassium) are very healthy for your heart. If you do not reduce the incidence of pvc’s however, remember that worry tends to make them even worse. When I sleep well, eat right, and reduce stress, I have far, far fewer.
I am hopeful that some of the things we will discuss about treating hypertension naturally will be of assistance to you, Ella. For one thing, consider sea salt with many trace minerals and an alkaline property over crappy sodium chloride made in a lab with terrible ph for the human body. That helped me with my own salt sensitivity. Healthy, natural foods are just much better for us generally!
All the best to you, and thank you also Scott for your input, as well!
Thanks for your very informative and interesting perspective D. Carestia. You are absolutely correct in listening to your body. It gets a little tricky when one doesn’t exactly know what the body is telling onseself and why. I sometimes do not get a regular pattern as to why things are happening. My BP would typically increase and decrease for no apparant rerason. Was I stressed? No, not necessarily. Did I consume too much salt? No, not that I could tell. What I did observe was that my BP stayed elevated when I consumed animal protein of any kind and oils. I was putting olive oil on my salads for lunch everyday. This is something that Dr. Esselstyn adamently stresses, NO OILS! Contrary to the critics, animal protein and oil have a very low nutrient content and are high in fat. All of the nutrients and antioxidents are in the fruits, vegetables and legumes. Whole grains also provide these in addition to B-12. Vegans do need to supplement with 1000mcg of B12 daily though. All other Vitamins should fall right into place. You’re getting them from the whole foods. My only variation to the diet is a few nuts daily, they are an excellent source of blood pressure friendly Magnesium as well as whole grains. The Walnuts throw in an additonal dose of ALA Omega-3.
I would be interested to hear what your detox regimen consists of. That is an area I have not explored in addition to Chelation therapy.
Thanks, Scott, and I plan to devote future posts to detoxification. I am a strong believer in getting as many toxins out of our bodies as possible. I have done a major course of edta chelation and I continue to do maintenance. I have also used Captomer to more specifically addres mercury after removing all amalgams from my teeth.
I use my far infrared sauna after every workout. It is amazing the poisons that far infrared saunas can get our your system including plastics, pesticides, and even PCB’s. Sweat from the far infrared sauna has a MUCH higher percentage of toxins in in than regular saunas. That is because FIR saunas heat much more deeply into the tissues but at lower temperatures.
I grew up in a uranium smelter town and my uranium levels before I began all this were WAY too high. They have come come WAY down, thankfully, along with other toxins measured by urine tests, etc.
My detox regimen also includes fasting with water or juice, or at times a combination of both, at least twice each year for approximately 3 weeks each time, fall and spring. Fasting does amazing things for hypertension, as well. Paavo Airola has a GREAT old book on juice fasting. He supervised literally thousands of fasts and noted the maladies that were cured by fasting and the percentage of cures for hypertension was extremely high.
I also do Hulda Clark’s liver cleanses and colonics after each liver cleanse.
I will get into the specific regimens that I use in future posts!
Respectfully, I still like healthy oils, fish oil, flax oil, virgin, organic olive oil, primrose oil. I guess neither of us will convince the other on that one. 🙂 I would simply suggest that it is interesting to say the least that the only documented way to reduce plaque in the arteries is by taking large doses of fish oil.
All the best!
I believe my high blood pressure was brought on by stress. I was having chest pain and convinced myself it was a heart attack coming on. Stress tests revealed that my heart was fine. However, my b.p. remains high. I see a chiropractor and he has me trying grape seed extract and Protandim. My b.p. has come down when I began each supplement, but tends to creep up again. I am at just about normal weight, maybe 10 lbs too heavy, 55 years old, jog about 3 miles 3-4 times per week. I will say that eating sweets is a downfall of mine, however, I try to control it and otherwise eat a pretty healthy diet. What can I try? My chiropractor, thankfully, does not believe in putting me on drugs.
Good morning, Kat, and thanks!
There are many, many things you can try. It is a good thing that you have tried to identify why it is that you are experiencing high blood pressure. If you can identify the stress that is harming you, try talking to your subconscious about the problem. Tell your inner self that this stress is out of your control and is harming you, and you want that stopped, and your blood pressure reduced.
In addition, there are many relaxation tecniques that can be used to reduce stress. Among these are Transcendental Meditation where 20 minutes per day of TM has been helpful to many in lowering stress-induced blood pressure. I have used TM to good effect at times. There are also breathing methods for relaxation and lowering blood pressure. I view Resperate as one of these, and I have used Resperate to good effect as well. There are others that are effective, as well. I have also used a breathing and exercise method called BP Down, and it has also helped. There are many types of breathing exercises that can help reduce stress and hypertension, and many of these go back to east Indian breathing referred to as pranayama. Try googling “breathing to control hypertension” for a lot of good articles and methods to try. One might ring true to you.
Now, there are lots of ways to reduce blood pressure essentially doing the same thing as the drugs without the negative side effects. These can be helpful both short term and long term, while you try to find something that will actually “cure” your problem. The drug commonly prescribed for hypertension called Hydrochlorothiazide is a diuretic. Diuretics reduce blood pressure by reducing fluid volume in the body reducing blood pressure. The problem with diuretics, however, is that they create an imbalance in electrolytes. They tend to deplete us of the very minerals that are essential to maintaining good heart and circulatory health.
The good news is that there are wholesome food that can act as diuretics while replenishing important minerals. Dandelion leaf (not root) as a supplement is one of my favorites. It is high in potassium which drug diuretics tend to deplete. I also like juniper berry for it’s effectiveness as a natural diuretic. As far as foods go, celery is an excellent diuretic. I run a few sticks through my juicer, with some carrot, beat, and spinach, to make my morning healthy juice cocktail which also serves as a daily diuretic. Watermelon, canteloupe, and honeydo melons are also a natural diuretic. There are many more natural diuretics, but these are some of my favorites.
I also take magnesium every day in the form of “natural calm”. Magnesium relaxes muscles and blood vessels and can help lower blood pressure.
Pomegranate is a natural ACE inhibitor like fosinopril and others, but again, without the negative side effects and it is a healthy, natural food. I drink Knudesen’s 100% pomegranate juice and it really brings my blood pressure down.
The interesting thing is that I used to have to do all these things. As time has gone on, I can do fewer and fewer of them and still maintain normal blood pressure.
One of my favorite things to do is fasting. I either do a water fast, which I don’t recommend for newbies, or I do a juice fast on only fresh, raw pressed juices. We have our own juicers. After a few days of fasting this way my blood pressure starts going way, way down. Fasts of a couple weeks and longer can have very long lasting effects on lowering blood pressure.
All of the things you can do, however, can all be undone by bad habits. What I had to do to effect long-term improvement in blood pressure was to effect the habits, diet, exercise, supplements, etc. on a long-term basis.
One last idea for now. I LOVE my far infrared sauna. Not only is it effective at detoxification, but it is a great vasodilator with increasingly lasting effect. We will talk about that one at length going forward, also.
I hope there are some things here that will help you. I can only touch on them in this answer, but watch or these things to be discussed in depth on future posts!
All the best to you!
All this sounds like bla bla and no substance. We all know that bp medications have side effects but natural remedies are so rare and difficult to apply to everybody that they are almost useless. If only we all lived our lives naturally, we would not have high bp to start with. Going back to a completely natural way of life is equally difficult if not impossible for almost all of us. So, continue talking but I don’t see any useful result from it. Maybe continued dialogue will improve yout bp. Good luck.
Hello Darshan! Thanks for your comments. You seem clever enough, but I wonder how often you put that clever intellect to positive use.
Respectfully, based on the rather casual manner in which you address “side effects”, I doubt that you have a real understanding of the severity of negative side effects that many people here experience. If you lived with those really ugly side effects like I did, and like many here do, you might actually be interested in how to eliminate them from your life.
There are many natural methods of treating hypertension well within the reach of all of us. Thankfully, they are not at all useless and have helped me bring my blood pressure down from its extremes at 190/115 to consistent 120’s/70’s. I respectfully disagree that natural remedies are rare or difficult to apply, and indeed, they thankfully are quite useful to myself and a growing number of people.
Did you read any of my specific answers to people’s questions before commenting that there was “no substance” to be found here?
I can always use good luck, and I thank you for your well wishes!
All the best!
All very well but for heaven’s sake tell us what those natural remedies are, not just bla bla bla.
I guess I will take that as a “No, I didn’t read any of the specific answers to people’s questions”.
All the best to you!
This is exactly what I’m looking for, now I can’t wait for the details about some of the natural solutions. I too was so shocked that US doctors just give drugs to treat the symptoms instead of getting to the root of the problem. I had the same issue when put on meds where I wasn’t told about natural cures and although I insisted that there were an underlying causes, thyroid and hormone problems, that was not treated. My thyroid is borderline normal despite me fitting almost all out of about 20 symptoms of a low thyroid. My hormones are also out of whack, but that was not even discussed as an issue and something I came to realize recently. It’s really sad that these doctors are more about pushing drugs because drug companies pay them than about actually curing people. I weaned myself off of the HCTZ by splitting my pills into half, then a quarter over the period of 3 months. My blood pressure is generally in the 120 over 77 range when I eat right, but I could still use some help.
Hi Veronica!
GOOD FOR YOU!!
One of the things that my wife and I both do is monitor our blood with our natural health care doctor regarding hormone levels, including thyroid. Getting hormones back into proper healthy proportions and levels is one of the things that indeed normalizes blood pressure for many people. We will talk about that at more length in future posts.
Also, if you read my answer to Kat, above, you will learn about some of the natural diuretics that can do the same thing as the HCTZ without the negative side effects.
You have already done a GREAT job in naturally lowering your blood pressure. I am sure there will be many things here for you to choose from for additional help with keeping your blood pressure where you want it. As we go forward, look for the things that your inner self tells you are likely the right ones for you!
All the best!
Thanks for your quick reply. I left my comment before reading the other posts which I just did. I will look into the natural diuretics.
I forgot to add the sleep apnea, I snore (but I’m not diagnosed)and did research showing this can lead to HBP, but it was ignored because I was “not fat”. I am overweight by 25 lbs. despite being a vegeterian and jogging 2 miles 3 times a week and doing brisk walks for 4-6 miles a few times a week. I’m only 34 and was on HCTZ for a year before I weaned myself off of it. I gained 25 lbs. in the year that I was put on HCTZ and that was the one year I actually ate right and exercised. After stopping it my weight gain stopped, but it hasn’t gone down yet. My HBP is also sugar sensitive which was surprising because I always associated it with salt. My sugar cravings come around that time of the month and that’s when I screw up all my good work. I’m curious to know what you did in reference to sugar spiking your HBP. I know cinnamon helps, any other tips? Thanks
Ah, and thanks for the additional info!
I suspect that you will not suffer the same problems on natural diuretic foods and supplements. And I really enjoy my far infrared sauna for both detox and lowering bp. It is part of my exercise regimen which for me is 5 days per week. It helps take toxins out of the body, and I also believe it helps with the sugar craving by getting rid of it in your system. Sugar has to be one of the most addicting things man has ever come up with to mess up our health!
Now, since sweets are also a fun part of our lives, we had to adjust. We almost NEVER eat refined sugar or high fructose corn syrup. Those things are killers! I have been talking about sugar exacerbating hbp to my naturapath for a few years now, and he was also a bit surprised at first at the causal factor. I am starting to read in the literature that I was right, however. Increasingly we are going to see articles about sugar and hbp.
So, what do we do? We have gone to more fruit oriented delights. We love cherries, apples, berries, oranges, kiwi, etc. While these are naturally sweet, we also like a little sweeter treats at times.
We use stevia for sweetening many things now. Stevia (we use the powder) is probably one of the best sweeteners because it is essentially zero calories and near zero glycemic index. But many people find it not perfectly to their liking by itself from a taste standpoint, including us. So we also add a little “Volcanic” agave. It gives is just enough of a very palatable sweet taste to make the stevia blend right in! Not all agave nectars are created equal. Volcanic agave has a lab tested glycemic index in the mid 20’s! We do not use the store brands, and if you read the data on the Volcanic site, you will learn why. And it tastes soooo good! We on occasion also use a little xylitol crystals here and there for its comparability to sugar. It also has a very low glycemic index. I have found that not triggering insulin is a big help in keepin my blood pressure under control, and these foods accomplish that while giving us a sweet treat. We also, on occasion, use raw (uncooked) wild honey for its healthy benefits, but it is high glycemic index.
When we add sweetener to fruits, we also typically add cinnamon which as you mention helps moderate blood sugar levels.
I am afraid, for us, that we had to almost never eat refined sugar or hfcs in order to maintain healthy weights. We also cut out all white refined flour. We use spelt flour now when we want pasta or baked goods of any kind. If we want cookies, we often use almond flour and natural bitter chocolate, and the sweeteners mentioned above. Our diet has become much more protein and complex carbohydrate oriented with the “sweet” part of life as described above. I have always been an “easy flesher” and this has made a big difference for us!
All the best!!
Thanks. Coming from the Caribbean, I’ve always loved fruits, so adding the veggies was the most difficult part. I got rid of the sugar and I use agave, but I will look up the volcanic agave and possibly switch to that. I also use almond flour when I make pizza (with veggies). I eat the Ezekial sprouted bread and I am just happy to learn new tricks to stay healthy.
Good on ya, and be sure to check out the agave difference, perhaps mix a little stevia in to improve that even more.
I am not a big fan of the agave that is sold in supermarkets. Glycemic index of some is almost twice that of “Volcanic” and there are lots more “sugars” in the store brands than are found in the Volcanic. We made the switch, and will never go back. You can even taste it in the flavor!
We will be talking about all kinds of “tricks” before we are done, and your input is appreciated!
All the best!!
I’m only in my 30’s and was diagnosed with HBP. There is a family history of it for me. I was put on medication and I never would have imagined I would feel this bad. It so bad, it’s depressing me, so I’m very motivated to pursue the natural route that this forum is discussing. Not knowing how to proceed, I have decided to try a Nanturopath to help guide me.
Thank you for your comments. I hated the side effects that I experienced, so I can relate!! I am very hopeful that we will discuss things that can help you. Stay tuned for future weekly posts!
Whatever negative comments you get from people who’ve had sad experiences w/different treatments they’ve tried to no avail, please don’t get discouraged. There are a lot more of us waiting with enthusiasm how you beat Hypertension the natural way.
Thank you Fe………I promise that I will not become discouraged at all! I had to overcome my AMA doctors to get this done!! LOL If those people can’t discourage you, nobody can!!!
Stay tuned for future weekly posts on ideas that can work to reduce high blood pressure!
I agree with Fe. I’m not sure why there are so many negative comments? I am looking forward to hearing about your methods and hopefully applying them to my own BP situation. There is no quick fix to reducing blood pressure naturally. It takes time and dedication. I think it is great you take time to reply to individual comments. Keep up the good work.
Thank you David. I am very willing to try to help people with individual questions. We will talk about lots of methods, something specific each week, and for those who are interested and serious about trying to lower their blood pressure naturally, I will do my best to provide helpful information.
I look forward to your participation, and I wish you all the best!
You keep saying you will eventually publish some information. yet you have included some information in the long long conversations above. Is it going to be necessary to read thru pages of dialogue to find you information or is it going to be consolidated into an article.
also it seems that with the time you spent replying to people above you could have taken that time and published several more articles of your blog.
which days and how often are we to look for this information?
Thanks Joan, and I appreciate your perspective. I could just publish hundreds of pages for people to read on specifics, or I can try to address individual questions. I think the latter is a little better, and other people can benefit, as well. I am doing it this way because I believe that people will benefit more if their specific situation is the one being addressed. I also like to see of others will comment in a way on each subject that can also help.
I will post future weekly posts on specific ideas. In addition, I will answer specific questions for each post. I hope people will consider this to sort of be the best of both methods.
I am not sure on the day. This is somewhat out of my hands, but I will submit my post to the editor every wednesday.
All the best!
Hi there. I posted this on another blog(Tracy’s story) but thought it might be useful here.
I was diagnosed with essential hypertension 6 months ago and my doctor put me on 3 different tablets and he ramped up the doses every time I saw him! I was walking round like a zombie with no quality of life whatsoever. He told me that the doses would most likely increase as I got older – I am a 49 year old male. I told my doctor I wanted to reduce my BP naturally and he laughed! He said that in all his years of being a cardiologist he had never come across someone who had reduced their BP in this way! I have not been back to this guy since and was determined to prove him wrong. I am now on 1/2 tablet of one of the medications and am close to ditching this soon. I have reduced my BP through a combination of exercise, diet, juicing and a positive outlook. It can be done naturally but it is not a quick fix and you have to work at it all the time. There are inevitable setbacks but you have to work out what is best for you. One size/approach does not fit all with blood pressure! We are all different.
Hi David! Of course he laughed……I would like to grab him by the scruff of the neck and tell him to get educated on a little more than just toxic drugs and scalpels!!
And good on ya for proving him wrong. I am hopeful that what will be discussed here an help you even more. Juicing is a GREAT therapy, and juice fasting can be even more effective in lowerin blood pressure. We will talk about that and much more!
I look forward to your input along the way!
All the best!
So you took all this time to write such long replies to every person but you couldn’t find time to share more of your tips? What a shame!
Wow! A lot to take in. My BP has been in the high hundreds but mostly around 155, 165 . I read they do not care about diastolic any more, Is that true. I just started with a new MD who I know is tough and gave me a time limit to get it down or she mentioned statins for HBP??? I broke my leg and that has been over 4 months. Back to exercise but not like when i skied or hiked all the time. I do not want a stroke, I am 75 and really active but tend toward hyperactivity if I do not control myself. But I believe all I have read here about the meds and am more afraid of them. My Bp has been high even while I was climbing mountains. Fasting sounds tough but rewarding. What do you think of thee master cleanse? I can do that.
Hi Phyllis, and thank you for your comments. One of the interesting things that occurs to me is that the blood pressure numbers you mention used to be considered normal for someone your age. That is not to say that lower blood pressure is not beneficial. I just think the medical profession has an “interesting” history in this regard.
Yes, diastolic pressure is still very important, not just systolic pressure. Systolic pressure can actually be lowered a little easier than diastolic pressure most times. The diastolic pressure is actually the one that perfuses our organs, so some physicians actually don’t like for the diastolic to be too low. I try to keep mine between 70 and 80 actually.
Statins…….don’t get me started! Maybe if your doctor really wants to reduce your cholesterol to lower your blood pressure (?), you might ask him or her about red yeast rice.
Fasting is tough, but very rewarding. Yet, it is not as tough as people think if done properly. I use only raw juices that we make ourselves in our auger-type juicer, and we strain them to get all the pulp out. As beginners, we would only fast for a few days on juices only to start with. Fasting can cure so many of the body’s ills, including hypertension a good majority of the time. This typically requires a long fast, however, and that is not something someone should attempt without building up to it, being supervised on the fast, and proper monitoring along the way. There is a GREAT old book by Paavo Ariola on juice fasting that talks about all the cures that were effected by fasting under his direction. Again, fasting should always be supervised, however, until you are very experienced in fasting.
Exercise is good. Have you thought about swimming oriented exercise since you had the break in your leg?
The master cleanse. Well, any method that helps get toxins out of your body is better than leaving them in. I have done the master cleanse once, but once I discovered the benefits of raw juice fasting I never went back to it. Actually, when I do a raw juice fast, I do not lack for energy, and after a couple of days, I do not get hungry either. One of the keys is to drink all the juice, especially vegetable juice, that I want. I usually mix it with water. I also drink all the water I want, too. If I strain the juice really well, I don’t get hungry. It is the pulp left in the juice that triggers digestion and hunger.
We will talk a lot more about fasting, juicing, and cleansing.
I am hopeful that these discussions will be helpful!
All the best!
I am beta blocker+ace inhibitor + blood thinner + anti lipid and my pressure is fine, but sometimes I just get bored and stop taking them and start daylight fasting for a week or more and strangely I get the same good result as if I am taking drugs. I am thinking of stopping drug taking but my doctor is adamant about drugs.
Of course your doctor is adamant about drugs… 😉
Longer term fasts have a high probability of lowering blood pressure long term, See Paavo Airola’s book, “How to Keep Slim, Healthy, and Young with Juice Fasting” where he documented a very high percentage cure for fasters under his supervision.
I like fasting, although I am sure that many “doctors” are opposed. After a prolonged fast, I feel like a new person.
Toxins take their toll on our bodies, and getting them out has been a very good thing for my overall health and for lowering my blood pressure.
We will talk at length about juicing and fasting, and hopefully there will be things of interest in there for you!
All the best!
Mr. Carestia,
Be Your heart blessed for all your time you spent sharing your experience!!!… You are highly highly appreciated! I’ve been struggling with my BP for quite a long time resulting from kidney failure due to juvenile diabetes. Having had a kidney-pancreas transplant, I continue taking BP meds, although I’ve tried multiple approaches to treating hypertension naturally, like fasting (before transplant, up to 9 days and weekly for 36-48 hours), having switched to a vegan diet (have been a vegan for over 6 years), of course, working out (I am 5’3″ and 125 lb), relaxation, breathing, etc., etc., etc. So, I respect your efforts to searching for a different approach to hypertension treatment. THANK YOU…
Blessings and good luck with all your trials!!!
Irina, thank you so much for your kind words! My longest fast was 21 days. I have done several of those, and they are always a new lease on life.
I am hopeful that we will discuss some things that can benefit you. You certainly haver your trials, yet I am always hopeful.
You deserve all the blessings you wish for others, and I wish you all the best!
First of all, I have had hypertension since my early 30’s and had just ignored if for several years. Hispanics typically have a higher degree of hypertension than other races. I just figured it ran in the family and what can one do. I learned that the impacts of leaving it untreated were not good but I did not want to take drugs after hearing about the bad side effects. I changed my diet to DASH diet, started exercising and my BP is now a lot better a year later.
Good for you, Ricardo!
I am hopeful that you will find many alternative treatments discussed here that can help you even more.
All the best!
Where can one find the weekly column D. Carista speaks of? I find the blog style difficult to follow.