Help for Hypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure is defined as any sustained BP reading higher than 140/90mmHg. If either number is high or both, then the GP will most likely recommend BP medication to you. The ideal BP is 120/80mmHg, however this for a 21yr old male! Hypertension is suffered by 1 in 3 adults in the UK. 5.5 million UK people have undiagnosed high BP.
Having chronic high BP is a risk factor for strokes, coronary heart disease, kidney disease and vascular dementia. Most people do not have any symptoms. Primary causes of hypertension are not well understood. You can have high BP as a result of diabetes, and kidney disease, as well as certain medicines such as: contraceptive pill, steroids, NSAIDs (ibuprofen etc.) and SSNRIs (venlafaxine anti-depressant). There are certain risk factors that cannot be changed e.g. age, sex, being of black or Asian heritage, hereditary factors etc.
The good news is that there are many lifestyle changes that you can do to help your BP reading be in the ‘normal’ range. The NHS recommends to cut down on alcohol and caffeine, stop smoking, and decrease your BMI to the ‘normal’ range. They also recommend eating more fresh fruit and vegetables, increasing your exercise and getting better quality sleep.
So far so normal. But what would I recommend? Here are my 5 top tips:
1. Have a walk daily.
A brisk 30mins walk everyday will do wonders for your heart health and your mental health too. Make sure you are slightly sweaty and breathless by the end of your walk.
2. Hawthorn tincture daily.
Crataegus ox. is a safe herbal tincture that is often taken for high BP. You can eat the hawthorn berries too! Please contact me for dosage instructions or if you are taking any medication. I can source this tincture for you if needed.
3. Heart Chakra healing.
Your heart chakra may need some healing. Reiki is a fantastic way to do this. The emotion in Chinese medicine associated with the heart energy is joy/sadness. We can see this in the language we use e.g. heartbroken, ‘love you from the bottom of my heart’, ‘my heart bleeds for you’ etc.
4. Reduce stress.
Stress has the ability to cause lots of things in the body, and high BP is one of them. Yoga, meditation, breathing exercises, journalling, keeping a gratitude diary are all examples of how to reduce stress. My mental health E-book has lots of tips!
5. Supplements and food choices.
Foods that I would recommend are: alfalfa sprouts, eggs, raw red onions, oats (help to decrease stress), nuts, seeds, green vegetables, garlic, extra virgin cold pressed olive oil, butter, avocados, brightly coloured fruits and vegetables, and fermented foods.
Try and reduce or stop eating: refined sugar, processed foods, refined carbohydrates, man-made fats, alcohol and caffeine.
Supplements I would recommend are: Vit C, Vit E, lysine, omega 3 oils, magnesium citrate, chromium, L-carnitine, Co-Enzyme Q10, Lecithin granules, and grapefruit pectin powder. Please email me if you need help sourcing any of these items, or are on any medication.
As a homeopath, I have many wonderful remedies that can help with reducing high BP as well as addressing the root cause.
The Charity I would recommend for support is: www.bhf.org.uk
