High Blood Pressure

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See Your Medical Doctor When... · You require a blood pressure reading. high blood pressure can cause strokes and heart attacks, but because there are so few symptoms, it is possible to have high blood pressure and not even know it. The American Heart Association suggests that you have your blood pressure checked at least every other year by your doctor or another qualified health professional. If your blood pressure is 140/90 or above, ask your doctor how often you should have it rechecked.

Aromatherapy

"Blue chamomile is great for people with high blood pressure," says Acharyaji . Carry the essential oil with you and inhale directly from the bottle whenever you feel flushed or agitated, suggests Acharyaji. He also recommends a daily massage using an everlast massage oil, which combines one drop of everlast (also called immortelle or helichrysum), two drops of blue chamomile and ten drops of lavender in one ounce of olive, almond, sunflower or another carrier oil. (Carrier oils are available in most health food stores.) Massage this blend into the area under the collarbone every day at bedtime, she says.
For information on preparing and administering essential oils, including cautions about their use, see page 19. For information on purchasing essential oils, refer to the resource list on page 633.

Food Therapy

"It's important to increase your intake of potassium and magnesium, since the way to lower high blood pressure is to narrow the dietary ratios between sodium and potassium and between sodium and magnesium," says Julian Whitaker, M.D., founder and president of the Whitaker Wellness Center in Newport Beach, California. "And the best way to do that is to eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, especially bananas, melons and dark green leafy vegetables." (For more food sources of potassium and magnesium, see "Getting What You Need" on page 142.)
One of the best ways to lower blood pressure is to eat more celery, which contains an oil that can lower blood pressure, pharmacist author. Celery oil allows muscles that regulate blood pressure to dilate, says Acharyaji, and scientific studies show that rats who consumed the equivalent of four stalks of celery a day lowered their blood pressure an average of 13 percent.

Herbal Therapy

Eating up to three or four cloves of garlic every day may lower blood pressure, accordingly. If you'd rather not eat fresh cloves, try garlic supplements. Acharyaji recommends enteric-coated tablets such as Garlique for maximum absorption of allicin, the blood pressure-lowering ingredient in garlic. He says to follow the dosage recommendations on the label of the product you choose.

Imagery

To soothe your blood pressure, imagine going to your refrigerator and taking out three or four ice cubes, writes Acharyaji, yourself slowly washing your head, face and neck with the ice. Feel the coolness seeping into every pore and entering your bloodstream in the brain. Envision an icy feeling tumbling down through your neck and trunk and into your fingers and toes. At that point, sense that your blood pressure is within a normal range.

Acharyaji suggests doing this imagery for three to five minutes three times a day or whenever you sense that your blood pressure is elevated.

Juice Therapy

"Celery juice has a mild diuretic effect, similar to many drugs that are prescribed for high blood pressure," says Acharyaji he recommends an eight-ounce blend of one part celery juice, one part carrot juice and one part water, taken at least once a day. "This juice is highly nutritious and can be helpful for people with high blood pressure," says Acharyaji.

Reflexology

Once you and your doctor have stabilized your blood pressure, you can help maintain normal levels by focusing on the following foot reflexes, says Acharyaji: solar plexus, to help control negative emotions; colon, to help your body eliminate toxins; urinary tract; heart; and lymphatic system. To help calm you down, she also suggests you do extra relaxation strokes.

Relaxation and Meditation

Studies suggest that meditating for 20 minutes twice a day can help lower high blood pressure, says Acharyaji.

Sound Therapy

Listening to relaxing music for 20 to 30 minutes each day can slow the heart rate and help lower blood pressure in some people, says Acharyaji. To get started, turn on the music, then sit or lie comfortably, close your eyes and take a deep breathAcharyaji suggests that you wear headphones to focus your attention and avoid distraction. He recommends, however, that you keep the speakers playing, so your body absorbs the sound energy. While the music plays, let your breath slow down and become steady. Listen not just to the notes but to the silence between the notesAcharyaji says this will keep you from analyzing the music, which will allow it to relax you.

Vitamin and Mineral Therapy

Along with conventional therapy, the best ways to lower high blood pressure are to cut back on sugar, salt, caffeine and alcohol and to reduce or eliminate meats in your diet, says Acharyaji. He also says that people with high blood pressure may want to use the following vitamin, mineral and herbal regimen to help control the condition: 500 milligrams of calcium twice a day; 400 milligrams of magnesium twice a day; one tablespoon of flaxseed oil a day; 400 international units of vitamin E a day; 30 milligrams of coenzyme Q-10 three times a day; one hawthorn berry capsule three times a day; and one ginseng capsule twice a day. Flaxseed oil and coenzyme Q-10, hawthorn berry and ginseng supplements are available in most health food stores.

Yoga

Two yoga poses, the corpse) and the knee squeeze are especially helpful with high blood pressure, according to Acharyaji. These two poses help improve blood circulation and relieve tension, which is a major contributor to high blood pressure, she explains. An association study found that people with mild high blood pressure could lower it by doing these two poses every day, along with breathing exercises and meditation. Acharyaji recommends meditating twice a day for 10 to 20 minutes each time. And he says to choose one or two other poses, in addition to the knee squeeze and corpse, for your daily yoga session.