{"id":205223,"date":"2018-07-21T06:39:13","date_gmt":"2018-07-21T06:39:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/5f17670acf5743285.temporary.link\/rohsi.org\/?p=205223"},"modified":"2018-07-21T06:39:13","modified_gmt":"2018-07-21T06:39:13","slug":"6-ways-to-lower-blood-pressure-without-medication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rohsi.org\/?p=205223","title":{"rendered":"6 WAYS TO LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE WITHOUT MEDICATION"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>By: A. Pawlowski\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Lifestyle changes are the first approach doctors try in patients with hypertension and they can be very effective.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If just reading about\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.today.com\/health\/u-s-continues-grapple-high-blood-pressure-epidemic-t117655\">blood pressure<\/a>\u00a0is raising your blood pressure, a doctor may have mentioned you need to keep your numbers in check.<\/p>\n<p>Chronic high blood pressure \u2014\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.today.com\/health\/new-blood-pressure-guidelines-might-mean-yours-too-high-now-t118776\">higher than 130\/80<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 takes a toll on your arteries, heart, kidneys, and brain. Lower it, and you reduce your risk of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.today.com\/health\/5-heart-attack-warning-signs-never-ignore-t107554\">heart attack\u00a0<\/a>and stroke.<\/p>\n<p>Cardiologists say it can absolutely be done without the help of medication. In fact, lifestyle changes are the first approach they often try in patients with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.today.com\/health\/hypertension-5-foods-can-help-lower-blood-pressure-t107687\">hypertension<\/a>. So what are the best ways to lower your blood pressure without pills? We asked two experts:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Dr. Ron Blankstein, a preventive cardiologist at Brigham and Women&#8217;s Hospital in Boston, associate professor at Harvard Medical School and a member of the American College of Cardiology\u2019s Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease Section Leadership Council.<\/li>\n<li>Dr. Jennifer Haythe, an assistant professor of medicine and co-director of the Women\u2019s Center for Cardiovascular Health at the Columbia University Medical Center.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Here are their six tips:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>WEIGHT LOSS ESSENTIAL<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>It\u2019s imperative to shed any extra pounds, both doctors said. The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.today.com\/health\/america-s-obesity-epidemic-reaches-record-high-especially-kids-t117478\">rising rate of obesity<\/a>\u00a0in the U.S. means doctors are seeing more young people with high blood pressure because it rises as body weight increases. Being overweight puts extra strain on your heart, the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.heart.org\/HEARTORG\/Conditions\/HighBloodPressure\/MakeChangesThatMatter\/Managing-Weight-to-Control-High-Blood-Pressure_UCM_301884_Article.jsp#.W1Cx8dVKipo\">American Heart Association<\/a>\u00a0noted, but losing just five to 10 pounds may help.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are many advantages of weight loss, but certainly that\u2019s one of the most important ones \u2014 lowering blood pressure,\u201d Blankstein said.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/nightly-news\/video\/new-warning-on-link-between-high-blood-pressure-and-grilled-meat-1191659587844\"><br \/>\n<\/a><strong>2. IMPROVE YOUR DIET<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There is good evidence plant-based diets high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes will lead to lower blood pressure\u00a0<em>and <\/em>weight loss, Blankstein noted. You\u2019ll also naturally get more\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.today.com\/health\/hypertension-5-foods-can-help-lower-blood-pressure-t107687\">potassium<\/a>, which is associated with lower blood pressure.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, banish processed foods.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have to stick to real foods, which are foods that haven\u2019t been taken by a company and processed and put in a box or plastic bag,\u201d Haythe said.<\/p>\n<p>Bottom line: Your weight and eating style should be at the core of your strategy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe combination of weight loss and diet together is incredibly powerful for lowering blood pressure. I have patients who have had enormous success doing that,\u201d Blankstein said.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li><strong> LIMIT SALT<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>We need\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.today.com\/health\/salt-shake-too-much-or-too-little-sodium-may-be-2D79473507\">sodium<\/a>\u00a0to live, but too much salt leads the body to hold on to more fluids and that causes volume changes inside blood vessels. Over time, blood pressure rises.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe problem is, salt is everywhere,\u201d Haythe noted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not just the salt that you add with the shaker,\u201d Blankstein added. \u201cMost of the sodium we get in our diet is found in various processed foods \u2014 things like canned soups, chips, cold cuts, pickles and even bread.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He recommended consuming less than 2 grams (2,000 mg) of salt \u2014 or less than one teaspoon \u2014 a day for people who are trying to lower their blood pressure. That can be very effective, he said.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n<li><strong> GET ACTIVE<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.today.com\/health\/regular-exercise-can-reverse-years-laziness-study-finds-t121010\">Exercise\u00a0<\/a><\/strong>improves circulation and cardiac output, and has a dilating effect on your blood vessels, Haythe said. It raises blood pressure at the moment, but in an appropriate way, both doctors noted. Long-term, exercise actually lowers your resting blood pressure.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur blood vessels learn to relax when we\u2019re not exercising. So the benefits with exercise are not necessarily at the time of exercise, but in general afterward,\u201d Blankstein said.<\/p>\n<p>He advised cardio over weightlifting and considered the general recommendation of 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, five times a week, to be \u201cthe absolute minimum.\u201d An hour of exercise a day on most days of the week is better.<\/p>\n<p>Squeezing in a workout, but then just\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.today.com\/series\/one-small-thing\/sitting-bad-your-health-move-every-30-minutes-t116207\">sitting the rest of the day<\/a>\u00a0is still not enough activity: Regularly get up and move, Blankstein said. He recommended aiming for 10,000 steps a day.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"5\">\n<li><strong> LIMIT ALCOHOL<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure, so have no more than two drinks a day if you\u2019re a man, and no more than one drink a day if you\u2019re a woman, the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.heart.org\/HEARTORG\/Conditions\/HighBloodPressure\/MakeChangesThatMatter\/Limiting-Alcohol-to-Manage-High-Blood-Pressure_UCM_303244_Article.jsp#.W1DDN9VKipo\">American Heart Association<\/a> advises.<\/p>\n<p>Eliminating alcohol altogether might be useful for someone who already has high blood pressure, Blankstein said.<\/p>\n<ol start=\"6\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.today.com\/health\/how-deal-stress-daily-basis-t126882\">MANAGE STRESS<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>You can feel your heart working hard if you get angry at work or frustrated in traffic. If you feel that way all the time, the damage accumulates.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s very important for people to try to find ways to reduce their chronic stress, whether they need to go to a therapist, be on medication for that or exercise, do yoga, meditation,\u201d Haythe said.<\/p>\n<p>Stress management can be very helpful, Blankstein agreed. Still, he would never tell patients that managing stress would single-handedly do the job of lowering blood pressure if they\u2019re also overweight or have a poor diet.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.today.com\/video\/how-stressed-do-hoda-kotb-and-savannah-guthrie-get-over-24-hours-1208201283672\"><br \/>\n<\/a><strong>BOTTOM LINE:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re not able to lower your blood pressure with lifestyle changes, having to take a medication is not a failure, Blankstein said. Sometimes, the combination of both is the best approach.<\/p>\n<p>If you have high blood pressure, both doctors recommended buying a monitor for home use.<\/p>\n<p>Whether at home or the doctor&#8217;s office,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.today.com\/video\/how-to-take-your-blood-pressure-the-right-way-1109946947524\">blood pressure should be measured the right way<\/a>: You need to be in a quiet room. Don&#8217;t smoke, drink caffeinated beverages or exercise within 30 minutes before taking the measurement. Also, empty your bladder and be still for at least five minutes before, the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.heart.org\/HEARTORG\/Conditions\/HighBloodPressure\/KnowYourNumbers\/Monitoring-Your-Blood-Pressure-at-Home_UCM_301874_Article.jsp#.W1DHetVKipo\">American Heart Association<\/a>\u00a0recommends.<\/p>\n<p>Measure your blood pressure at different times of day and keep a log so you and your doctor can identify any patterns. If the result is high, also include what you were doing just before the measurement.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s common to have \u201cwhite coat hypertension\u201d \u2014 or higher blood pressure when you\u2019re nervous at the doctor\u2019s office. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to make any decisions based on that high number,\u201d Blankstein said. Ask the staff to measure your blood pressure again at the end of the visit when you&#8217;ve had a chance to relax.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.today.com\/health\/how-lower-blood-pressure-hypertension-without-medication-t133845\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">6 WAYS TO LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE WITHOUT MEDICATION<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By: A. Pawlowski\u00a0 Lifestyle changes are the first approach doctors try in patients with hypertension and they can be very effective. If just reading about\u00a0blood pressure\u00a0is raising your blood pressure, a doctor may have mentioned you need to keep your numbers in check. Chronic high blood pressure \u2014\u00a0higher than 130\/80\u00a0\u2014 takes a toll on your [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-205223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-healthy-tips"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>6 WAYS TO LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE WITHOUT MEDICATION - Rays of Hope Support Initiative<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/rohsi.org\/?p=205223\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"6 WAYS TO LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE WITHOUT MEDICATION - Rays of Hope Support Initiative\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By: A. Pawlowski\u00a0 Lifestyle changes are the first approach doctors try in patients with hypertension and they can be very effective. If just reading about\u00a0blood pressure\u00a0is raising your blood pressure, a doctor may have mentioned you need to keep your numbers in check. Chronic high blood pressure \u2014\u00a0higher than 130\/80\u00a0\u2014 takes a toll on your [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/rohsi.org\/?p=205223\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rays of Hope Support Initiative\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-07-21T06:39:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"ROHSI\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"ROHSI\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rohsi.org\\\/?p=205223#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rohsi.org\\\/?p=205223\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"ROHSI\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rohsi.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/659bd25ce63983eeef99b0f5b39d2764\"},\"headline\":\"6 WAYS TO LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE WITHOUT MEDICATION\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-07-21T06:39:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rohsi.org\\\/?p=205223\"},\"wordCount\":1020,\"articleSection\":[\"Healthy Tips\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rohsi.org\\\/?p=205223\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rohsi.org\\\/?p=205223\",\"name\":\"6 WAYS TO LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE WITHOUT MEDICATION - Rays of Hope Support Initiative\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rohsi.org\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2018-07-21T06:39:13+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rohsi.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/659bd25ce63983eeef99b0f5b39d2764\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rohsi.org\\\/?p=205223#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/rohsi.org\\\/?p=205223\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rohsi.org\\\/?p=205223#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rohsi.org\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"6 WAYS TO LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE WITHOUT MEDICATION\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rohsi.org\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rohsi.org\\\/\",\"name\":\"Rays of Hope Support Initiative\",\"description\":\"Resources for a healthy lifestyle\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rohsi.org\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rohsi.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/659bd25ce63983eeef99b0f5b39d2764\",\"name\":\"ROHSI\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/7d8bd0fd5230d8c4f421baab16078f465db9d8330d80ca8259ddd25e5ecdd781?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/7d8bd0fd5230d8c4f421baab16078f465db9d8330d80ca8259ddd25e5ecdd781?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/7d8bd0fd5230d8c4f421baab16078f465db9d8330d80ca8259ddd25e5ecdd781?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"caption\":\"ROHSI\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/rohsi.org\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rohsi.org\\\/?author=2\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"6 WAYS TO LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE WITHOUT MEDICATION - Rays of Hope Support Initiative","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/rohsi.org\/?p=205223","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"6 WAYS TO LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE WITHOUT MEDICATION - Rays of Hope Support Initiative","og_description":"By: A. Pawlowski\u00a0 Lifestyle changes are the first approach doctors try in patients with hypertension and they can be very effective. If just reading about\u00a0blood pressure\u00a0is raising your blood pressure, a doctor may have mentioned you need to keep your numbers in check. 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