1. health and fitness
2. disease
3. cholesterol

CURE YOUR BLOOD
PRESSURE NATURALLY
Your 9 step plan to reducing your blood
pressure without drugs
Disclaimer
This report is not medical advice and has not been written by medical professionals.
Its use is intended for informational purposes only. If you are taking medications,
please consult with your doctor or healthcare practitioner before stopping or reducing
them or making any other changes to your health maintenance program.
The use of supplements or natural remedies can alter the effects of prescription
medications, so do not make any changes without consulting your physician first.
All information in this document is for general informational purposes only. The author
has used her best efforts in preparing this document and makes no representations
or warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, or completeness of the
information contained within. Furthermore, the author takes no responsibility for any
errors, inaccuracies or omissions and disclaims any warranties or fitness for any
particular purpose.
The author shall in no event be held responsible for any loss or damages whatsoever
and assumes no responsibility for any consequences resulting from any action or
inaction based on information in this document.
Reproduction or translation of this document without written permission of the author
is forbidden. You are not permitted to share, sell, trade, or give away this document.
By using this document, you agree with all the terms and conditions in the disclaimer.
2
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Table of Contents
Introduction
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About Blood Pressure
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What is Blood Pressure?
What Do Those Numbers Mean?
Do It Yourself – Measuring it at Home
Symptoms of High Blood Pressure
So What Causes High Blood Pressure?
What Happens if I Leave it Untreated?
The Downside of Drugs
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Diuretics
Beta Blockers
ACE Inhibitors
Alpha Blockers
Vasodilators
Calcium Channel Blockers
Summary
Your 9-Step Action Plan
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Step One: Super Supplements
Step Two: Ditch the Old Diet
Step Three: Avoid Alcohol
Step Four: Stop Smoking
Step Five: Fight Fat
Step Six: Embrace Exercise
Step Seven: Stress Less
Step Eight: Beneficial Breathing
Step Nine: What Else Can I Do?
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Break it Down! Your Summary Checklist
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Your Personal Record Chart
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© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Introduction
Congratulations!
…on being one of the millions of people
taking the initiative to investigate
alternative pathways for reducing their
blood pressure, without medication.
There are so many reasons why more and
more people are turning to these methods,
such as the desire to avoid side effects,
the need to save money, a search for more
effective control, or simply wanting to heal
themselves from the inside out, the way
nature intended.
Natural methods for treating high blood
pressure are extremely well-studied now,
and have been proven to be effective – in
many cases, even more so than prescription
medications.
By following the methods outlined in this
report properly, almost all people (around
90%) should be able to reduce their high
blood pressure to such a range that they
should never need medication for it again.
Of course, there are exceptions to every
rule - some people will always need blood
pressure medication, for example those
with kidney failure, those with adrenal gland
cancer, and so on. However even most of
the other 10% of people should still be able
to reduce their dosages. By following just
some of the advice, your blood pressure
will still decrease – some of the more simple
changes will be enough for pre-hypertensive
people or those with mild hypertension.
4
The advice in this book will also help you
prevent high blood pressure if it hasn’t
already developed – which is always
preferable to treating it once it has.
It’s up to you how many of the changes you
implement. If you pick and choose, you may
enjoy lowered blood pressure but not get a
complete result - but be confident that there
is enough advice in this book to reduce the
blood pressure of even those with severe
hypertension to “safe” levels. In fact, some
of these methods may be more effective
than you expect and you may be reducing
your medication sooner than you thought
possible.
So remember to keep an eye on your
blood pressure regularly in case it gets
too low (sounds nice, doesn’t it!)
One important note to make here though –
the amazing changes in your blood pressure
are only going to last as long as you keep up
the program for. Once you get it to a healthy
level, going back to your old lifestyle is just
going to undo all the good work you’ve
done. You’ll be able to see this reflected in
your blood pressure readings.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Introduction
The basis of this program is
sustainable, long-term changes.
But, I’m counting on the fact that you’ll feel
so amazing once you get into the swing of
things you won’t even want to go back to
the way you lived your life before.
The first section deals with the basics of
blood pressure – what it is, the symptoms,
causes, risk factors and so on, as well as
how to measure it at home yourself.
It also discusses why many of the traditional
methods your doctor may prescribe for you
aren’t the best answer after all. If you’re
already familiar with this information, feel free
to skip to Step One of the Nine-Step Action
Plan.
5
You’ll notice that the first two steps are the
longest. This is because these are the areas
with the most debate surrounding them.
We get inside all the conflicting views,
unearth all the facts and present you
with a balanced view.
Read through the entire book before starting
so you have a good overall idea of the
lifestyle changes that you will be making.
By the end, you should be excited and
inspired to begin straight away!
I would love to hear about your progress and
any feedback you have on the information
in this guide. Please feel free to email me at
[email protected].
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
About Blood Pressure
According to the American Heart
Association, nearly one in three adults
in the United States has high blood
pressure, or hypertension – and nearly
one third of those people don’t even
know they have it!
It is often symptomless, which is why
it affects people for years without their
knowledge. And about 28% of American
adults (about 58 million people) have prehypertension, which is also dangerous and
carries elevated risk of heart attack and
stroke.
So What is Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure is the force that blood is
exerting on your arterial walls. It’s recorded
as two numbers – systolic pressure (when
the heart beats) over diastolic pressure
(when the heart relaxes in between). It does
rise and fall during the day, but when it
stays elevated over time, it’s known as high
blood pressure. It overworks the heart, and
the high force of the blood flow damages
arteries, as well as other organs like the
brain, kidneys, and eyes.
So when your doctor says “your blood
pressure is 160 over 95”, what’s he or she
actually saying? The first number in the
reading is the systolic pressure (SBP), and
the second number refers to the diastolic
pressure (DBP). The values are in units of
mmHg which shows a change in the height
(mm) of a column of mercury (Hg).
For such a dangerous condition to go
unnoticed in so many people is extremely
frightening – this is why it’s so important to
have your blood pressure checked regularly
– every time you visit the doctor, in fact.
Don’t assume your blood pressure is
normal just because it used to be.
Once it develops, it’s usually with you for
life if left untreated.
6
You’ll be familiar with the cuff that’s used by
the doctor to measure your blood pressure.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
About Blood Pressure
What’s actually going on in there?
Well, inside the cuff that’s secured tightly
to your arm are two rubber tubes – one
inflates the cuff and the other goes to a
reservoir containing mercury. The numbers
come from the effect of the pressure on the
mercury, and how many millimeters it rises
when the heart beats and relaxes.
Different institutes and organizations
have slightly different guidelines as to
what constitutes normal and high blood
pressure. Today in the UK, for example,
a reading of 140/90 is considered to be
normal, however research suggests that an
even slightly elevated blood pressure, for
example 130/80, still carries risks. This has
lead to the introduction of categories like
“borderline” and “pre-hypertensive.” The
following chart shows what the readings
are generally considered to mean:
Normal
Pre-hypertension
Stage 1 Hypertension
Stage 2 Hypertension
It might read unusually high one day
because you’re anxious or stressed, and
it can be affected by certain medications.
Systolic
120mmHg or less
121mmHg – 139mmHg
140-159mmHg
160mmHg or over
If your blood pressure doesn’t decisively fall
into either of these categories, the systolic
reading is the one to pay more attention to
(for example if your reading was 125/75, you
would still be considered pre-hypertensive).
A rise in systolic blood pressure is a better
measure of stroke risk than a jump in your
7
diastolic, a study in the American Journal
of Hypertension reported.
For every 10 point spike in your systolic
blood pressure, your risk of stroke increases
by 20%! Note that one high reading doesn’t
necessarily mean you have high blood
pressure.
Diastolic
80mmHg or less
81-89mmHg
90-99mmHg
100mmHg or over
That’s why it’s advisable to regularly test
your blood pressure at the doctor’s – or
even better, at home.
If you have extreme hypertension, it’s
advisable to go on prescription medication
straight away to bring the levels down rapidly.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
About Blood Pressure
However if you start using natural cures at
the same time, under medical supervision
you should be able to reduce the medication
or even stop it completely.
How Low Can You Go?
The lowest advisable reading of blood
pressure is around 90/60.
Using just natural methods shouldn’t
lower it to unsafe levels, unless you
are combining them with medications.
This is why it’s important to keep a close
eye on your readings and be supervised
by a doctor around the point where you
are phasing between natural cures and
medication, ie using them both at once.
Doing it Yourself –
How to Measure it at Home
Blood pressure can change from moment
to moment, affected by factors such as your
emotional state, body position and physical
activity.
Measuring it at home yourself will give you
and your healthcare practitioner a clearer
idea of what your blood pressure is like
outside the clinic, and you can keep track of
how well your treatments are working.
8
• You can buy blood pressure gauges at
most pharmacies and medical equipment
suppliers.
• Many of them haven’t been formally
tested for accuracy, so treat them as more
of a guide. The systolic reading is usually
more reliable than the diastolic on home
monitors.
• If you have a particularly small or large
arm, test it before you take it home to see
if the cuff fits properly.
• Home blood pressure monitors should be
calibrated against the doctor’s mercury
sphygmomanometer every six months.
Ask your doctor to use both yours and
theirs and compare the readings.
In general, there are two types of
machines:
The aneroid machines are very accurate
when regularly calibrated, are quite
inexpensive and are easy to maintain and
repair. However, they usually require a bit
more training to learn how to take a reading,
and it’s harder to use if you have poor
hearing or eyesight, or if you have difficulty
turning the valve release very slowly.
The digital machines are easier to use but
vary quite a lot on cost, generally ending up
more expensive than the aneroid machines.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
About Blood Pressure
To develop a good technique, it’s advisable
to undergo a practical instruction session
from a trained professional. Get them to
observe your technique.
When taking the reading:
• Make sure you’re somewhere
comfortable, without distractions.
• Relax for five minutes before taking the
measurement. Keep your legs uncrossed.
• If you’ve been instructed to take it while
standing up, wait two minutes after
standing to take the reading.
• Avoid stimulants such as caffeine (tea,
coffee, cola) and cigarettes for at least two
hours before the reading, and don’t eat for
30 minutes before.
• Try and take the reading in the same
place, at the same time of day, under the
same conditions and in the same way
every day.
Take your chart with you when you visit
your healthcare practitioner.
• While you are working on lowering your
blood pressure, it can be helpful to take
a reading up to three times per day. After
your blood pressure is at a level you’re
happy with, continue to monitor it two to
three times per week.
Symptoms of High Blood
Pressure
High blood pressure has been dubbed
“The Silent Killer” because it is often
symptomless. However, symptoms can
include:
• Fatigue and irritability
• Headaches
• Confusion
• Nausea
• Tinnitus
• Visual disturbances
• Nosebleeds
• Shortness of breath
• It’s useful to take the reading twice and
see if it differs.
• Don’t rely on your memory. Use a chart
to record the readings as well as any
comments you have about how you
feel, what you have been doing to treat
yourself, and other factors such as
stressful events. We’ve included a chart
you can print off at the end of this book.
9
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
About Blood Pressure
These symptoms usually only present
themselves when your blood pressure has
already reached a dangerously high level.
Primary hypertension risk factors include:
So What Causes High Blood
Pressure?
• Race – African Americans are more
likely to have high blood pressure than
Caucasian people, for example.
Because so often symptoms of high blood
pressure aren’t evident, it’s more telling
to examine risk factors that might cause
a person to have high blood pressure.
However, according to the American Heart
Association, it’s unknown what actually
causes 90-95% of high blood pressure
cases (also called primary, or essential
hypertension).
• Genetics – high blood pressure often runs
in families.
• Weight – the greater your body mass,
the more pressure there is on your artery
walls. This is because more blood is
produced to supply more oxygen and
nutrients to the extra tissue in your body.
Occasionally, high blood pressure is a
symptom of another underlying illness, such
as kidney disease or a hormonal disorder, so
it’s important that your doctor tests for these
before you commence any kind of treatment
program, natural or otherwise.
Your doctor may take a reading from
both arms and they will listen to
your heart as well to check for any
abnormalities.
They may also look into your eyes, check
your thyroid, ask about your family medical
history and any other symptoms you may
have, and take blood samples. Once the
root cause is treated, your blood pressure
can go back to normal. This is called
secondary hypertension.
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• Gender – men are more at risk than
women of having high blood pressure.
• Activity level – a sedentary lifestyle actually
causes you to have a higher resting heart
rate, forcing the heart to work harder.
• Smoking – the chemicals in tobacco
speed up your heart as well as damage
artery walls.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
About Blood Pressure
• Age – the older you get, the more likely
you are to develop high blood pressure.
atherosclerosis (blood vessel damage),
vision loss, and congestive heart failure.
• Sodium intake – excess sodium can result
in water retention, particularly in saltsensitive people. This excess fluid puts
pressure on the blood vessel walls.
Heart attack and stroke are the first and
third leading causes of death in the United
States (cancer being second).
• Poor diet - lack of essential nutrients, such
as potassium, will raise blood pressure.
Some food additives in processed foods
also raise blood pressure.
When high blood pressure is combined
with obesity, smoking, high blood
cholesterol levels or diabetes, the risk
of heart attack or stroke is higher
again.
• Alcohol consumption – over time this will
increase the rate of heart disease.
• Stress - prolonged stress will raise blood
pressure.
• Being pregnant or diabetic will usually
increase your blood pressure.
• Drugs such as oral contraceptives,
steroids, diet pills, and cold remedies
increase your risk of high blood pressure.
The Dangers of Leaving it
Untreated
11
So, if there aren’t any symptoms, why is
it so important to normalize your blood
pressure?
• When the heart is forced to work harder
than normal for an extended period of
time, it enlarges and weakens.
If left untreated, high blood pressure can
damage the kidneys and lead to stroke,
heart attack, kidney damage or failure,
• The vascular system also suffers, with
arteries becoming scarred, hardened
with plaque and less elastic.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
About Blood Pressure
They then can’t transport blood to your
organs as effectively, so those suffer as
well.
• You could end up with kidney damage
or failure simply from leaving high blood
pressure untreated.
• The small blood vessels in your eyes
can burst from high blood pressure, and
extreme cases can even lead to blindness.
• High blood pressure can lead to
degeneration of the brain, resulting in
dementia.
Scary stuff! Remember though, that while
even small increases in blood pressure can
lead to increased health risks, the opposite
is also true.
12
Small changes in your blood
pressure will also dramatically
reduce your risk of developing
these conditions.
It’s said that reducing diastolic blood
pressure by just 2mmHg results in a 6%
reduction in the risk of coronary artery
disease and a15% reduction in the risk of
stroke!
It could be as easy as regular vitamin, herbal
and mineral supplements combined with
three walks a week to bring your levels
down to a point where you aren’t at risk.
So read on!
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
The Downside of Drugs
If you’ve been diagnosed with high
blood pressure, the doctor usually gives
the following advice: to lose weight, stop
smoking, increase exercise, cut back on
alcohol, and lower salt and fat in your
diet.
This is, of course, good advice, although
not comprehensive by any means. If these
lifestyle changes aren’t effective, or if you
already don’t smoke, aren’t overweight, you
exercise regularly and consider yourself to
have a good diet, then they will generally
prescribe medication to control the problem
artificially.
It should be noted here that even if you
do all the above things, but still have high
blood pressure, and you believe it could
be attributed to factors you can’t control
(such as heredity, age, or gender) there is
still more you can do before resorting to
prescription drugs. Use the information in
this book to guide you, and get the help
of a natural healthcare practitioner before
you start taking prescription blood pressure
medications (unless your BP is scarily high,
in which case you should start on them
13
to bring your BP down quickly to limit any
damage, and do your best to replace them
with natural methods over time).
Remember that 90% of cases of high
blood pressure can be resolved through
natural means.
But why would you want to avoid drugs
anyway? It seems much easier than all the
other ways – don’t you just have to take a
pill and everything is cured?
Not exactly. Prescription drugs have
no healing properties, and manage the
condition artificially (and most of the time
they only barely keep it under control). This
means they act as a continual band-aid,
rather than actually healing the problem
itself. The other major problem is that they
often have serious side effects – and who
wants to “fix” one problem, only to have two
others pop up in its place?
Let’s have a look at the most common types
of drugs that doctors prescribe to treat high
blood pressure.
Diuretics
Diuretics are basically dehydrators that
remove fluid from your body through the
kidneys.
The idea is to increase urination to eliminate
water and sodium, reducing your blood
volume and therefore the pressure on your
arterial walls.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
The Downside of Drugs
However, sodium and other minerals that
get flushed away by diuretics are essential
for proper heart function. The good nutrients
are flushed along with everything else,
including minerals such as potassium that
are essential for lowering blood pressure.
An electrolyte (mineral) balance is one of the
most crucial factors in normalizing your BP
(more on that later). Diuretics are often also
responsible for thiamine (B1) deficiencies
which can lead to heart failure.
Make sure you are taking at least a
multivitamin and mineral, a potassium
and a B1 supplement if you’re on these
drugs.
In addition to this, other problems caused
by diuretics can include: gout; cardiac
arrhythmia; uremia; kidney damage or
failure; impotence; headaches; visual
disturbances; male breast enlargement and
female menstrual disturbances; abnormal
cholesterol; and the risk of diabetes
increases by up to 50%! (But wait – aren’t
high cholesterol and diabetes things that go
hand-in-hand with high blood pressure…?)
heart attack, pulmonary edema or heart
arrhythmia. (Isn’t the point of this to get
your heart healthy? How can treating it with
cardiotoxic compounds be beneficial?).
Other side effects include fatigue, asthmalike symptoms, lowered “good” cholesterol,
stroke, poor circulation, insomnia,
depression, and type-II diabetes.
These drugs also have a severe rebound
effect, meaning that once you start taking
them it’s hard to stop without ending up
worse off than you were before.
ACE Inhibitors
Angiotensin Converting Enzyme inhibitors
block the release of a chemical, angiotensin
II, that raises blood pressure and narrows
arteries. It messes with your body’s natural
chemical releases, waging artificial chemical
warfare inside you to force blood vessels to
relax.
And, diuretics are actually the least toxic
types of drugs for hypertension.
Beta-Blockers
These serious cardiac drugs slow the
heart down, reducing the force of its
contractions and thereby the pressure of
blood on the arteries. But, they can actually
cause congestive heart failure, leading to
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Side effects can include a nagging dry
cough, rashes, loss of your sense of taste,
and kidney damage.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
The Downside of Drugs
Because the kidneys can become
compromised, another complication arising
from ACE inhibitors and angiotensinreceptor blockers is hyperkalemia, or
potassium toxicity. While potassium is an
important nutrient in normalizing blood
pressure, it’s all about balance – and when
the kidneys can’t process potassium
properly, it’s potentially life-threatening.
Hyperkalemia has been linked to ACE
inhibitors in 10-38% of patients hospitalized
with hypertension, and affects about
10% of outpatients within a year of being
prescribed.
Calcium Channel Blockers
The worst of the bunch! These block
the movement of calcium across cell
membranes, which suppresses muscular
contraction, which in turn dilates the
arteries. Sounds good – but at what cost?
Alpha-Blockers
These drugs reduce nerve impulses to blood
vessels, meaning they’re chemically unable
to contract. Side effects include nausea,
headaches, fatigue, weight gain, irregular
heartbeat, and cholesterol problems. Longterm use can even lead to heart failure –
again, exactly what you’re trying to avoid.
Alpha-Blockers aren’t the first choice for
hypertension but rather used with other
medication when blood pressure is difficult
to control.
Vasodilators
These are usually combined with other
drugs, and they work to reduce blood
pressure by relaxing the muscle in the artery
wall. Side effects can include aches and
pains, facial swelling, heart palpitations,
extreme weight gain and headaches.
They can also cause you to grow excessive
amounts of hair.
15
Well, the sudden drop in blood pressure
you can experience from these drugs (when
you stand up after sitting or lying down) can
actually lead to a stroke (which is something
you were trying to prevent in the first place
by lowering your blood pressure…).
Other side effects can include heart
failure, heart attacks, gastrointestinal
bleeding, liver and kidney damage and
reduced white cell blood count.
They can also have deadly interactions with
other drugs. A recent study showed that
they don’t even prevent the cardiovascular
complications of high blood pressure – in
fact, they cause them.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
The Downside of Drugs
The head of the research project, a
medical professor at Wake Forest
University School of Medicine, said that
calcium channel blockers had lead to
about 40,000 unnecessary deaths in the
US each year and about 85,000 similar
cases worldwide.
Not to mention, these drugs will cost you
anything up to US$940 per year – although
that’s hardly the issue, when the treatment
appears to be even worse than the disease
itself. The U.S National Heart, Lung and
Blood Institute has admitted calcium
channel blockers cause cancer in their
animal tests. You also have 26% more risk
of heart failure with these drugs than with
any of the other ones mentioned – yet they
are the most widely-prescribed treatment.
If you’re on these drugs, speak to your
doctor about coming off them as soon as
possible. However, stopping them suddenly
could also be fatal. They need to be stopped
very gradually.
16
Summary
As mentioned, it can be very dangerous
to try and come off medications like these
yourself. However, it is absolutely worth it
to work with your doctor to come up with a
program to wean yourself off them, and treat
your blood pressure naturally without them.
Not only are there nasty side effects, but
these drugs can ultimately lead you to the
exact opposite outcome of what you’re
trying to achieve. It’s too high a price for
treatment that is often not effective enough
anyway – up to a quarter of patients don’t
experience an ideal reduction in blood
pressure from these drugs, even in many
different combinations. Even if you are part
of the small percentage of people who can’t
lower their blood pressure to a safe range
using only natural methods, you should be
able to drastically reduce your intake by
following the advice in this book.
But first, you have to start reducing your
blood pressure on your own, and prove to
your doctor, and yourself, that you can do it!
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step One: Super Supplements
Correcting Your Mineral
Imbalance
This is one of the most crucial aspects
of lowering your blood pressure, and the
easiest one to get started on straight
away. It should also be one of the most
effective ways of managing your blood
pressure.
Sodium – A “Sensitive” Issue
Most evidence to date has shown that a
high-salt diet can increase blood pressure.
A reduced-salt diet can prevent high BP in
people at risk, and also control it in people
who already have the condition.
Consuming salty food and drinks can cause
an irregular heart rhythm and a surge in
blood pressure in only a few minutes! When
the body is laden with too much sodium that
it can’t excrete fast enough, it causes water
retention that increases over the day. Blood
pressure then increases and is typically
higher in the evening than the morning, and
then at night the body offloads the sodium
in the urine. A sodium-reduced diet begins
to show benefits after about a month, and
increases as time goes on.
Salt intake should be no more than about
2000mg per day; less than that could
decrease blood pressure even more.
People in the U.S currently eat an average
of 3300mg (women) and 4200mg (men).
17
Some tips to reduce the salt in
your diet are:
• Only buy fresh, frozen or no added- salt canned vegetables
• Use fresh poultry, fish and meat
instead of processed
• Use herbs and spices to season
instead of table salt
• Cook rice and pasta without salt.
Eliminate instant rice, pasta and
cereal
• Eliminate frozen dinners, pizzas,
packaged mixes, canned soups,
sauces, gravies and salad
dressings
• Rinse canned foods such as
tuna
• When available, buy reduced-salt
or low-salt versions of foods
• Just to give you an idea, bread
has 100mg per slice, and cheese
can have 400mg or more per
slice
• There are lots of salt alternatives
on the market – find one that
also contains potassium chloride
to further balance out the sodium
• When eating out, ask the waiter
to limit the salt in your food
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step One: Super Supplements
But - Why Cutting Out Salt Won’t Be
Enough
New research suggests that salt is being
unfairly blamed for too much of the high
incidence of high blood pressure in the
population.
Some experts believe that sodium
doesn’t raise blood pressure in
everyone, only those who are “saltsensitive” – only about 30-40% of
the population.
They say that unless you are salt-sensitive,
salt is only going to cause problems if you
aren’t consuming adequate potassium as
well – suggesting that potassium deficiency
is more to blame than salt intake.
If they’re right, salt isn’t as much of a factor
in causing the high blood pressure epidemic
as previously believed. However, if you
suffer from high blood pressure, you’re
more likely to be salt-sensitive than most
people. So cutting down your salt intake is a
good measure towards lowering your blood
pressure. It just isn’t a cure-all.
Too much salt is more of a problem for
overweight people. When you gain weight,
your insulin levels increase, and it’s more
difficult for you body to get rid of salt when
your insulin levels are high. So if you’re
overweight, you may be eating the same
amounts of salt as everyone else, but have a
harder time getting rid of it.
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It’s basically all about getting the balance
right. Too much salt coupled with diminished
amounts of other minerals such as
potassium, magnesium and calcium is a
common cause of high blood pressure.
These other minerals slough off excess
sodium and help to control the mechanisms
of the vascular system.
Low-salt diets do have the potential to
decrease hypertension, and may also
reduce risk for stroke, left-ventricular
hypertrophy, osteoporosis, renal stones,
asthma, cataracts, and possibly even
dementia.
However, too much salt restriction
can actually encourage production
of angiotensin II as well as increase
sympathetic activity, which can be
damaging to vascular health - so
cutting it out completely could do more
harm than good, particularly if you’re
“salt-resistant” (the opposite of saltsensitive).
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step One: Super Supplements
Research suggests that cutting out
salt definitely lessens coronary risk for
overweight people (who are more likely
to be salt-sensitive), but could actually be
detrimental for leaner people’s hearts.
• Some people are more sensitive to
salt than others, meaning they will
experience a greater reduction in
blood pressure by lowering their salt
intake
New evidence is also showing that it could
in fact be the “chloride” part of sodium
chloride (common table salt) rather than the
sodium itself that’s harmful to the heart.
• Potassium, calcium, and magnesium
help to balance salt intake and could
decrease your salt sensitivity
Other salts, like sodium citrate or
bicarbonate (for example sea salt or rock
salt) don’t raise plasma volume or blood
pressure, or promote calcium loss or stroke
in rats. However, they do still lessen the
impact of salt restriction on the production
of angiotensin II and the increase in
sympathetic activity. So, more research
needs to be done on this.
• So, restricting salt is beneficial for
everyone with high blood pressure, but
especially those who are more affected
by it
• Salt is also worse for you if you aren’t
getting an adequate potassium intake
• The new research shows that restricting
table salt, but getting a moderate
amount of unrefined sea salt (balanced
by potassium and taurine) may have
a better impact on reducing blood
pressure than simply restricting all salt
– particularly if you’re lean
• Be aware that if you’re restricting salt
intake, you may need to supplement
with iodine to keep your thyroid healthy.
This can be taken in kelp for or as part of
a multivitamin and mineral supplement.
To summarize:
• Excessive amounts of salt cause high
blood pressure - some people are more
tolerant of salt than others, but everyone
is sensitive to too much
19
Potassium Has the Power
Potassium is one of the most important
nutrients in the fight against hypertension,
preventing it in people with normal blood
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step One: Super Supplements
pressure, and lowering it in those with high
blood pressure and pre-hypertension.
Scientists say that potassium supplements
decrease blood pressure by 3.1mmHg
systolic and 2mmHg diastolic in people
with normal levels, and 4.4mmHg systolic
and 2.5mmHg diastolic in people with
hypertension. This is about half the
reduction usually seen from drugs – and
that’s just with potassium alone!
Potassium acts as a natural diuretic, helping
you excrete sodium, as well as assisting
with muscle contraction and sending nerve
impulses through the body. People are often
deficient in potassium, through poor diet
and too much salt, which flushes potassium.
This is another good reason to cut back
on salt, as even if you think you are getting
enough potassium, it could be being
negated by sodium.
As well as balancing out your sodium
levels, potassium also relaxes small
blood vessels.
It’s recommended that you consume around
4,000mg daily of potassium. It’s a good idea
to get this from both supplements and diet –
most foods don’t have enough potassium in
them to get you anywhere near this amount
(a banana has about 400mg) and most
supplements have fairly small amounts.
20
The 21 Best Food Sources
of Potassium
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Bananas
Apricots
Avocado
Cantaloupe
Lima beans
Milk
Oranges/orange juice
Melons
Kiwifruit
White and sweet potatoes
Prunes
Figs
Spinach
Tomatoes
Eggplant
Peppers
Pears
Vegetable juice
Meat, fish and poultry
Raisins
Winter squash
Check with your healthcare practitioner
regarding the mixing of potassium and
certain pharmaceuticals and other
supplements, or to see if it will exacerbate
any other medical conditions you may have.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step One: Super Supplements
Maximise Your Magnesium
Magnesium is another essential nutrient that
is shown to help reduce blood pressure.
It balances out potassium, calcium and
sodium, and helps relax and smooth blood
vessel walls and keep them elastic. It’s
just as crucial to have sufficient levels of
magnesium as it is potassium – in fact,
studies have shown that if magnesium
is deficient (in negative balance) then
potassium is far less effective at lowering
your blood pressure.
Studies of food intake show we
get nowhere near the minimum
recommended intake of magnesium
(300-500mg) in our diets – supposedly
90-95% of the world’s population is
living with a magnesium deficiency!
Supplementing with magnesium should
assist you with reducing your blood
pressure, or you can up your intake of the
following foods:
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•
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•
•
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•
•
•
•
•
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Garlic
Lemons
Avocado
Yogurt
Chamomile
Cantaloupe
Wholegrain bread
Dark green leafy vegetables
Halibut
Nuts, especially cashews and almonds
Soybeans
Oatmeal
Potatoes
Peanut butter
Black beans
Careful With Your Calcium
A lot like sodium and potassium, calcium
and magnesium are partners in the battle
against high blood pressure – some
researchers even say this partnership is
the more important one. Calcium regulates
heartbeat; magnesium helps control how
blood vessels dilate.
And on top of not putting enough in our
bodies, magnesium depletion is exacerbated
by alcohol, smoking, sweating, drug use,
hypothyroidism, sugar, carbohydrates,
sodium, calcium-filled diets, and stress.
21
Some experts theorize that a deficiency
in calcium can contribute to high blood
pressure, because calcium acts as a natural
diuretic that helps to release sodium, and
inhibits a parathyroid hormone that raises
blood pressure.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step One: Super Supplements
It also assists in the functioning of muscles
and nerves and helps blood to clot.
Therefore calcium intake is important –
but supplementing with calcium to lower
blood pressure isn’t recommended. In
fact, if you’re deficient in magnesium in the
presence of adequate calcium stores, taking
extra calcium can actually worsen your
magnesium deficiency.
Low levels of calcium can affect your blood
pressure, however, so instead of taking
extra calcium supplements, simply try to get
sufficient amounts (about 1000mg per day)
through diet or within your daily multivitamin.
Calcium can be found in the following foods:
•
•
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•
•
•
22
Leafy green vegetables such as spinach
Broccoli
Tofu
Salmon
Dairy products
Orange juice and other foods fortified
with calcium
Keep Up With Copper
Copper is essential for healthy arteries.
High doses of zinc deplete copper.
Copper is found naturally in:
•
•
•
•
Seafood
Nuts
Leafy greens
Legumes
Think About Zinc
Zinc is another very important mineral –
however excessive doses can be damaging
to the cardiovascular system.
You should supplement with zinc and
copper every second day at a ratio of 10/1 –
30g of zinc, 3g of copper.
Zinc is also found in:
•
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•
•
•
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Meat
Dairy
Beans
Eggs
Cheese
Popcorn
Pumpkin seeds
Oysters
Mind Your Manganese
This mineral is vital in support of enzyme
systems, blood sugar control, thyroid
function and energy levels.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step One: Super Supplements
Your body needs manganese to create the
antioxidant superoxide dismutase (SOD)
which reduces cell damage from free
radicals and also reduces inflammation.
have toxic symptoms when taken in excess,
however, so speak to your doctor about that
and interactions with any drugs you may be
on. Natural sources of selenium include:
If you’re supplementing high doses of
other minerals, it can deplete your stores
of manganese. Manganese can be found
naturally in:
• Brazil nuts (6 per day will provide you
with adequate selenium)
• Mushrooms
• Wheat bran
• Crab
• Shellfish
• Oily fish
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Nuts
Potatoes
Wholegrains
Beets
Blueberries
Leafy greens
Colloidal Trace Minerals – Tiny but
Mighty
There are many minerals that you only
require in very small amounts, ie “trace
minerals”. Adding these to the list of other
minerals you’re taking when treating
hypertension is important, as they are
needed for enzyme activation, digestion,
and absorption of other minerals and
nutrients.
Selenium is Significant
Selenium is a powerful antioxidant that
causes many problems when it’s deficient,
such as heart arrhythmia and palpitations,
cardiomyopathy (deterioration of the
heart muscle), heart attacks, liver failure,
pancreatitis, and cancer. Along with zinc
and copper, selenium is often found to be
deficient in people with high blood pressure
and heart disease. Selenium works best in
conjunction with vitamin E. Selenium can
23
Two tbsp per day of a colloidal trace
mineral supplement is recommended.
What Other Supplements
Will Help?
Get Your Garlic
One of the most potent and highly-regarded
natural remedies for lowering blood pressure
is garlic.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step One: Super Supplements
Not only is it beneficial for the heart, but it
also lowers “bad” cholesterol and increases
“good” cholesterol, and acts as a powerful
antioxidant, lowering the risk of many
cancers. Garlic (and onions) are thought to
have this effect because of a compound
they contain called allicin, which combats
hardening of the arteries.
Taking a potent garlic powder
supplement daily can reduce systolic
blood pressure by 5-11 points and
diastolic by up to 5 points!
Be liberal with fresh garlic during cooking
(it’s a great way to add flavor to meals in the
place of salt), add raw onions to salads and
take a potent garlic supplement containing
the highest amount of standardized allicin
you can find (at least 10mg). Taking vitamin
C alongside garlic is said to increase its
benefits. Garlic is a powerful blood-thinner,
so if you are pregnant or on anti-coagulant
drugs such as Warfarin, consult your doctor
before taking garlic in large amounts and
never exceed the recommended dose.
24
Extraordinary Coenzyme Q10
Also known as ubiquinone, this is a
naturally-occurring compound found in
every cell of your body that assists with
the basic functioning of cells. It’s involved
in the production of an important molecule
called adenosine triphosphate (ATP) which
delivers energy to cells and drives muscle
contraction.
This is how it’s thought to increase energy
production in the heart muscle - increasing
the strength of the pumping action, which
helps your heart to pump more efficiently
and with less effort, thereby decreasing
blood pressure. It also works as a powerful
antioxidant, and has been shown to improve
glycemic control (blood sugar) which has a
positive effect on blood pressure.
CoQ10 levels are commonly low in
people with high blood pressure, as
well as people with heart disease,
diabetes, cancer and other medical
conditions. Your levels of Coenzyme
Q10 drop as you age.
Several studies into the supplementation
of CoQ10 have shown that over half
of people were able to stop or reduce
their hypertension medication after four
months of supplementation. One clinical
trial, published in the Southern Medical
Journal, says that patients taking CoQ10
had an 18-point reduction in systolic blood
pressure!
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step One: Super Supplements
And after over 100 clinical trials performed
on CoQ10, it has been decreed to be
completely safe with no side effects. There
are also no contraindications to taking
CoQ10 with other prescription hypertension
medications – in fact, it seems to boost
their efficacy and even reduce some of the
side effects. However, CoQ10 could help
eventually completely eliminate the need for
them at all. Medications actually reduce the
amount of CoQ10 in the body.
EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA
(docosahexaenoic acid) means your blood
is pumped more efficiently, exerting less
pressure on your heart.
The anti-inflammatory action is important as
well as the softening of the arteries, because
high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines are
associated with high blood pressure, and
EPA produces anti-inflammatory eicosanoids
which limit their production.
Suggested intake varies, but it’s generally
recommended to take around 100-200mg
daily, ideally spread out twice or three times
during the day. It’s fat soluble, so ideally take
it with a meal that contains fat.
Optimize Omega-3 Fatty Acids
A Harvard analysis of 31 studies of
fish oil showed that as fish oil intake
increases, blood pressure drops, and
several other studies have confirmed
its effectiveness, particularly when
combined with other elements of
a natural blood pressure reduction
program.
Fish oil (Omega-3 fatty acids) is antiinflammatory and has a powerful anticoagulant effect on the blood that
reduces blood pressure and maintains
the elasticity of artery walls. The bloodthinning effect of the Omega-3 fatty acids
25
Studies by Harvard Medical School
researchers have showed the effectiveness
of fish oil in lowering both systolic and
diastolic blood pressure readings. The
effect on people who already suffered from
hypertension was more dramatic than in
people with normal readings, however
it’s still helpful for people with mild or prehypertension.
Your body can’t produce Omega-3 fatty
acids by itself and so they must be sourced
from diet or supplementation. However, you
can produce DHA if you get enough EPA.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step One: Super Supplements
Most of us get too many inflammatory
Omega-6 fatty acids, so the EPA in fish oil
is needed to produce Omega-3s which
restore the fatty acid balance, and reduce
inflammation, thereby lowering blood
pressure.
X”, including obesity, insulin resistance,
adult-onset diabetes and stroke. Recent
evidence is showing that all these related
conditions of the modern age are the result
of high levels of Omega-6s, low levels of
Omega-3s and deficiencies of vitamins.
Flaxseed oil is a good alternative to
fish oil if you’re vegetarian, as it also
contains alpha-linolenic acid (another
term for Omega-3 fatty acids). Just a
tablespoon a day has been shown to
reduce both blood pressure levels by up
to 9 points.
The benefits of fish oil are maximized by
taking vitamin E at the same time.
Cod liver oil is a good choice of fish oil.
It contains large amounts of elongated
Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A and vitamin
D, as well as small amounts of vitamin K.
The Omega-3s are helpful for artery health
but are supported by the other vitamins,
which help with essential calcium and
magnesium absorption, muscle function
and keeping blood vessels elastic. Cod
liver oil also assists by changing the muscle
response to serotonin, helping the heart
to “relax”. Studies done on rats also show
that cod liver oil shrinks artery-blocking
atheromas, enlarges blood vessels, lowers
blood pressure induced by stress-elevated
levels of cortisol, and reduce intra-ocular
pressure which helps to prevent and treat
glaucoma.
Roll Out the Resveratrol
This is a powerful phytochemical found
in red grape skin, red wine, Japanese
knotweed, peanuts and some berries.
As well as having extensive benefits for the
brain, energy, prostate, breast, cell health
and joint mobility, researchers believe it to
be responsible for the “French paradox” –
meaning the French have low rates of heart
disease despite their lifestyles laden with
fat, caffeine and tobacco – but they also
consume red wine.
Many of the conditions addressed by cod
liver oil and other “good” oils are related to
blood pressure and known as “Syndrome
26
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
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Resveratrol has been used for years in
Asian medicine to treat heart and liver
problems.
It helps keeps blood vessels open and
pliable. It has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory,
anti-fungal, anti-mutagenic, anti-cancer,
anti-depressant, anti-anxiety, weight loss,
neuroprotective and anti-aging properties
and may be more effective than aspirin at
heart protection. It doesn’t actively lower
cholesterol, however it does act to reduce
artery-clogging plaque. Resveratrol mimics
calorie restriction, which can normalize
blood pressure, reduce insulin levels,
help you to lose weight and raise “good”
cholesterol levels.
Although research has found that a glass
of red wine a day reduces the risk of heart
disease, alcohol-free red wine works just as
well. Because of the fermentation process,
red wine has about three times the amount
of resveratrol than grape juice. However, you
can get the benefits of resveratrol without
the negative impact of red wine by buying
resveratrol and mixed red wine polyphenols
in capsules – one capsule is approximately
equal to one bottle of red wine!
You can also purchase resveratrol
supplements that combine resveratrol
sourced from Japanese knotweed with other
polyphenol-containing substances such as
red grape skin, pine bark and green tea to
get the same effects without the red wine.
This is useful for people with red wine allergies.
27
You shouldn’t take resveratrol if you are
pregnant or on Warfarin or any other anticoagulant medication. You should also
consult a healthcare practitioner before
taking it alongside any other prescription
medications.
Take Taurine
This amino acid (also known as L-Taurine),
available in protein and as a supplement,
balances potassium and sodium in the
blood. It’s also involved in stabilizing the
heart’s rhythm and is also used in the
treatment of congestive heart failure. Taurine
is the main ingredient in bile and assists in
the digestion of fats and the absorption of
fat-soluble vitamins. It also facilitates the
passage of sodium, potassium and possibly
calcium and magnesium ions into and out of
cells, and relaxes the heart during diastole.
The Japan Heart Journal contained research
showing that L-Taurine is effective at
lowering blood pressure levels when taken
at 850mg per day. Other studies show it to
reduce blood pressure in as little as seven
days when taken at 3-6g per day. A study
done in 1987 showed it to reduce blood
pressure (9 points systolic, 4 points diastolic)
in patients with borderline hypertension.
Interestingly, it doesn’t cause a
reduction in blood pressure in people
with normal blood pressure.
Learn About L-Arginine
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step One: Super Supplements
This is another amino acid that is helpful
in lowering blood pressure as it assists
in the production of nitric oxide, a gas
made of nitrogen and oxygen that works to
relax smooth muscle and dilate your blood
vessels.
Vital Vitamins
Vitamin B Complex
Lack of B vitamins, especially folic acid,
B3, B5, B6 and B12 can lead to heart
complications and high blood pressure.
A B-complex will combat stress, smooth
arterial walls and help produce nitric oxide. It
will also reduce homocysteine (a substance
that is thought to encourage pathological
buildup of artery plaque) levels, thereby
reducing your risk of heart disease.
Vitamin C
A lack of L-arginine means low levels of
nitric oxide, which results in constricted
blood vessels. Studies have shown that
eating foods rich in arginine combined with
supplementation can lower your blood
pressure by up to 20 points! It also reduces
cholesterol and blood sugar. Foods rich in
arginine are:
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•
•
•
•
•
•
28
Peanuts, walnuts and almonds
Seeds
Wheat
Soy
Meat and poultry
Seafood
Dairy products
This helps reduce blood clot formation risk,
reduces free radical damage of the heart
and blood vessels, protects nitric oxide
levels and relaxes arterial walls. Ensure
you’re getting at least 500mg per day.
Supplementing vitamin C can give you a
reduction of between 5 and 10mmHg. You’ll
get the maximum benefit if you take vitamin
C with garlic.
Vitamin D
Studies have shown that a vitamin D
deficiency can lead to high blood pressure,
however this is mostly only proven to be
effective when combined with calcium. As
we’ve seen though, it’s not recommended
to supplement with calcium for high blood
pressure. We also absorb vitamin D through
sunlight, and although prolonged sunbathing
increases your risk of skin cancer, there are
many health benefits to be found in going
outside and absorbing small amounts.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step One: Super Supplements
Vitamin D also helps with stress levels.
If you eat oily fish three times a week or
supplement with fish oil you should be
getting sufficient amounts of vitamin D.
naturopath or herbalist to determine correct
dosages, and discuss with your doctor to
determine any contraindications with any
current medication you may be taking or
conditions you may have.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is an anti-coagulant that magnifies
vitamin C’s blood pressure-reducing effect
by preventing blood clots and strengthening
the heartbeat. The RDA is 400iu per day
but you’re able to take much more than this
without any harm or side effects.
Vitamin K
Calcium deposits can collect on artery
walls, decreasing the elasticity of blood
vessels and raising blood pressure. Vitamin
K helps to reduce coronary calcification.
Vitamin K is also a blood clotting factor, and
a deficiency in vitamin K leads to bleeding.
Therefore a lack of vitamin K while on blood
thinners (even natural ones such as garlic)
is of serious concern. But on the other
hand doctors are concerned that too much
vitamin K could increase the risk of blood
clots. This shouldn’t be a concern, however,
if you’re taking other measures (such as
garlic) to keep your blood flowing smoothly.
Healing Herbs
The use of herbal remedies is a very
effective way to fight hypertension. However,
don’t assume that just because a remedy
is “herbal” that it is wishy-washy and weak.
Many herbs can have extremely powerful
effects. It’s always advisable to consult a
29
Grape Seed Extract
This has been shown to lower blood
pressure quite significantly. New studies
show that it has excellent effects on nitric
oxide levels – one study showed that taking
300mg of grape seed extract for eight
weeks dramatically reduced both systolic
and diastolic blood pressure.
Hawthorn Extract
Hawthorn extract is probably the most
beneficial herb for lowering blood pressure.
Its berries and flowers are used as a blood
vessel relaxant and dilator, an antioxidant,
and to block angiotensin.
It’s recommended to take between 100250mg per day (consult your doctor first,
especially if you’re taking vasodilator
medication).
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step One: Super Supplements
Hawthorn is effective but it may take you a
few weeks to see results. Linden blossom
is often combined with hawthorn extract for
reducing blood pressure.
Gingko Biloba
This ancient plant has many medicinal
properties, in this case relaxing blood
vessels, acting as an anti-inflammatory,
regulating heartbeat, improving circulation,
dilating blood vessels, and reducing blood
“stickiness”. It can have a blood-thinning
effect so avoid if you’re taking a drug such
as Warfarin.
are effective in reducing blood pressure by
reducing oxidative stress and improving
nitric oxide levels. The green beans only
carry about 10% caffeine by weight - a high
daily dose contains no more than about
20% of the caffeine of a strong cup of
coffee.
Eclipta Alba
This Ayurvedic anti-aging herb has been
shown to reduce blood pressure, reduce
blood lipids, and act as a natural diuretic,
reducing swelling from water retention.
Passiflora Incarnata
This is a calming herb that reduces blood
pressure by relaxing blood vessels.
Rauwolfia Serpentina
Also known as Indian Snakeroot, this
ancient Indian root is a calmative that
reduces cardiac output and total peripheral
resistance, making it very effective for
hypertension. Contains a compound called
Reserpine which has trationally been used
for high blood pressure since the 1950s.
Green Coffee Bean Extract
This extract from unroasted coffee beans
contains potent antioxidant medicinal
compounds called chlorogenic acids which
30
Rhodiola Extract
This plant has been used for centuries
in Eastern Europe, Asia and the Arctic
to positively affect the nervous system,
stimulating adrenal hormone production.
This means it’s effective in treating high
blood pressure, sleeping difficulties,
headaches and fatigue, and low mood, and
increases your resistance to a variety of
biological, chemical and physical stressors.
By reducing mental fatigue, anxiety and
depression, stress is reduced, which we all
know is beneficial in lowering your blood
pressure.
Boosted energy means less stress and
possibly weight loss.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step One: Super Supplements
Rhodiola is also a natural ACE (angiotensinconverting enzyme) inhibitor so it protects
you from constricted arteries. On top of this,
rhodiola is an excellent antioxidant which
protects your nervous and vascular system
from oxidative damage.
Achillea Wilhelmsii
Also known as yarrow, this plant is widely
found in parts of Iran.
over four weeks to hypertensive patients
taking the drug Captopril, and blood
pressure fell equally in both groups!
Ginger
This helps circulation and helps break
down fibrous deposits on blood vessels
and arteries. Add ginger to foods and teas,
although it can thin the blood so be careful
with large amounts if you’re on bloodthinning medication such as Warfarin.
It’s full of flavonoids and sesquiterpene
lactones, which have been shown to
be effective on lowering both blood
pressure and cholesterol.
It’s effective but can take 2-6 months to
see results.
Olive Leaf
This contains a number of substances that
act as vasodilators. It has no side effects
but proceed with caution if you are already
taking vasodilation medication.
Reishi Mushroom Extract
Taking 55mg of concentrated reishi
mushroom extract every day has been
shown to have a moderate lowering effect
on high blood pressure after one month.
Hibiscus Sabdariffa
When patients in clinical trials were given
two teaspoons of hibiscus sabdariffa in a tea
three times a day for 12 days, their blood
pressure was significantly reduced. And in
another trial, 10g per day was compared
31
Celery Seed Extract
A traditional Vietnamese remedy for
hypertension, celery seeds act as a natural
diuretic and have been shown to support
the cardiovascular system, lowering blood
pressure and “bad” cholesterol levels in
animal studies. They also protect the liver
from damaging substances.
Remedies and supplements that can
be harmful include: rosemary oil; Asian
ginseng; ephedra; and licorice extract.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step One: Super Supplements
Your Ideal Daily Supplement
Program
This list may look a little daunting at first!
However, you will find many of these
combined in one supplement, for example
zinc, selenium and manganese can often
be found together, or you can find a quality
multivitamin and mineral that covers most of
them at once.
Just supplement whatever isn’t contained
in the daily multi. Take these in conjunction
with a balanced diet.
• Cod Liver Oil – 1tbsp
(or equivalent in capsule form)
• Vitamin C – 1000mg
• Vitamin E – 100iu, increased after a month
to 200iu per day (not if on blood-thinners)
• Resveratrol – 1-3 capsules (not if you’re
currently on blood-thinners)
• Powdered garlic capsules (follow dosage
on bottle, and start off with the minimum
amount if you are currently on blood
pressure medication)
• L-Taurine - 850mg
• L-Arginine - 6000mg
• Any extra herbs you choose to take
(consult a herbalist about doses)
• CoQ10 – 100mg x 2
• Colloidal mineral and trace elements
supplement – 1 tbsp
• Potassium – 2000mg
• Magnesium Glycinate - 200mg 3x
• Selenium – 50mcg per day
Note: If you are on any blood pressure
medication containing MAO inhibitor,
avoid anything that contains the
chemical tyramine or tyrosine –
combination with either of these
chemicals can lead to a stroke.
• Zinc - 30 mg every second day
• Copper – 3mg every second day
• Manganese – 2mg
• Vitamin B Complex – 50mg
• Vitamin B12 – 500mcg
• P5P (pyridoxal-5-phosphate – coenzyme
B6) – 50 mg
32
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Two: Ditch the Old Diet
Foods to Eat More Of
• Vegetables: phytochemicals like
bioflavinoids, beta-carotene and
isoflavones help to slow the aging process
as well as protect from heart disease.
• Foods rich in Omega-3s: raw walnuts,
freshly ground flax seeds, wild salmon,
anchovies, lake trout, fresh seaweed,
and organic free-range eggs all have high
levels of Omega-3 fatty acids, which are
proven to improve cardiovascular health.
• Soy: studies suggest the isoflavones in
soy, tofu, tempeh and miso make arterial
walls more elastic.
• Dark chocolate: this and other cocoacontaining products contain flavonoids
that lower blood pressure – provided
there’s no major gain in overall calorie
intake for the day.
• Grapes: the flavonoids act as a powerful
antioxidant, enhance cell function, and
can negate the effects of a high-salt diet.
The polyphenols produce nitric oxide
which lowers blood pressure.
Studies show a small amount every day
can lower systolic blood pressure by 2.9
points and diastolic by 1.9 points! Make
sure it’s the darkest you can get though
– milk and white chocolate don’t cut it,
unfortunately.
• Oats: eaten daily, the soluble fibre in oats
has been proven to reduce hypertension.
• Bananas: these and other potassium-rich
foods are an excellent way to absorb this
blood pressure-reducing nutrient along
with supplementation.
33
• L-Carnitine and L-Glutamine protein
drinks: these particularly helpful amino
acids have been shown to protect
against heart disease and regulate blood
pressure. Choose a whey amino acid
protein drink enriched with extra carnitine
or glutamine. They heal the body and
require no digestion.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Two: Ditch the Old Diet
• Herbs and spices: try basil, black pepper,
chilli powder, cloves, curry, cinnamon,
nutmeg, oregano, rosemary, sage,
horseradish, fennel, thyme and tarragon.
Their antioxidants will help, and some
lower blood pressure directly. They also
make good seasoning substitutes for salt.
• Saffron: this herb contains a blood
pressure-lowering substance called
crocetin.
• Cinnamon: this spice stabilizes blood
sugar, lowers insulin resistance, and
lowers sodium retention which lowers
blood pressure.
• Cayenne pepper: these prevents platelets
from sticking together, facilitating smooth
blood flow.
• Celery: a chemical called
3-N-butylphthalide that’s only found
in celery relaxes blood vessels and
decreases blood pressure.
been used as a remedy for high blood
pressure for many years. It’s said to have
many trace minerals, enzymes, amino
acids and bacteria that not only treat
hypertension, but also high cholesterol,
high blood sugar and many other
conditions. It’s also said to aid in the
absorption of nutrients, and act as a blood
thinner and effective weight loss aid. It’s a
very strong taste and highly acidic (though
very alkaline-forming in the body) so dilute
2 tbsp in a glass of water three times a
day, adding a small amount of raw honey
if necessary.
You can also add it to oils to use as a
salad dressing. Overwhelming anecdotal
evidence says it has an almost instant
effect that increases over time. Scientific
evidence has shown it to be effective
in hypertensive rats, but more human
studies have yet to be done.
• Water: drinking enough water is the most
simple and one of the most effective ways
of reducing hypertension.
Celery is quite high in sodium though,
so go easy if you’re salt-sensitive.
• Turmeric: this Indian herb commonly
used in curry contains curcumin, an
antioxidant that improves blood flow and
liver metabolism and strengthens blood
vessels.
• Apple Cider Vinegar: raw, organic,
unpasteurized apple cider vinegar has
34
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Step Two: Ditch the Old Diet
It keeps you hydrated, strengthens the
heart and arteries, and keeps the kidneys
healthy, allowing them to better clean your
blood. Dehydration sends your kidneys
signals to constrict your arteries and veins,
meaning your heart has to pump harder to
get the blood through and put more force
on the artery walls.
Hypertension is a major indication
of dehydration that is unfortunately
commonly treated with diuretics that
dehydrate the body further.
Over time this leads to blockage of the
heart arteries and arteries that go to the
brain.
Insulin resistance stops vessel-relaxant
magnesium being stored, so vessels
constrict and cause high blood pressure.
Excess sodium also gets stored which
throws off the rest of your mineral balance.
Sugar should really only be consumed
within low-GI complex carbohydrates,
which release their sugar slowly and
don’t cause that sudden spike.
Be careful of corn syrup, sucrose,
maltodextrin, dextrose, molasses, rice
milk, soy milk, fruit juice, brown rice syrup,
date sugar, maple syrup, cane sugar, corn
sugar, beet sugar, succanat, and lactose.
Foods to Avoid
• Sugar and sweets: cut back as much as
you can on sugar in any form. Consider
that before the 1880s, people were
only consuming 5lbs of sugar per year,
and cardiovascular disease was almost
unheard of. And in the last 30 years,
Americans have increased their sugar
intake from an average of 26lbs to an
average of 142lbs! Eskimos (who live on a
diet of saturated fat) only developed heart
disease after being exposed to sugar in
their diets.
When sugar (which has the highest
glycemic index, meaning it releases
energy suddenly) causes spikes in your
blood sugar, you become insulin resistant.
35
• Artificial sweeteners: many “sugar free”
sweeteners are actually sugar alcohols,
meaning they may have no sugar but
still contain about half the carbohydrates
of sugar. Common sugar alcohols are:
are xylitol, sorbitol, maltitol, galacticol,
erythritol, ribitol, dithioerythritol, and
glycerol. Aspartame (found in diet soft
drinks and “sugar free” foods) should be
avoided completely.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Two: Ditch the Old Diet
Aspartame is a precursor to phenylalanine,
which is a precursor to dopamine and
other neurotransmitters that are powerful
vasoconstrictors. Phenylalanine and
tyrosine should only be consumed in small
amounts as part of your protein powder
drinks.
and a high salt and sugar content. Many
studies that conclude that “meat” is
unhealthy and leads to bowel cancer and
other medical conditions don’t differentiate
between processed meat and fresh meat.
Splenda, which claims to be “made from
real sugar” (ie sucralose) may be just
as harmful as aspartame, and may lead
to weight gain, sleep disruption, sexual
dysfunction and increases in cancer, MS.
diabetes and other degenerative diseases
– so avoid this too.
• Refined carbs: Refined carbohydrates
such as sugar, white rice and white flour
have a high GI, are nutritionally lacking,
and lead to high levels of triglycerides and
insulin resistance.
• Processed meats: Meats like sausages,
hot dogs, ham, salami, injected turkey and
injected chicken have added chemicals
36
• Glutamate: this potent neuro-exciter is
a swift road to hypertension. It’s found
naturally in the body but excess amounts
cause blood pressure to rise rapidly.
Monopotassium glutamate is found in
some salt-substitute products, so check
the ingredients; MSG, or monosodium
glutamate is a common food enhancer;
and processed foods like soups and
packaged meals often contain unlisted
glutamate.
• Processed food: processed or packaged
foods like breakfast cereal, biscuits,
crackers, cookies, processed cheeses,
packaged meals, tortillas and taco shells,
chips, muesli bars, sauces, gravies,
desserts, soups, cakes, candy and
pastries generally contain things like
partially hydrogenated vegetable oils,
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Two: Ditch the Old Diet
preservatives, Omega-6 fatty acids, MSG,
chemical thickeners and colorings, so limit
these as much as you can.
• Most margarine: almost all margarine and
commercial mayonnaise contain partially
hydrogenated oils (trans fats) which lead
to clogged arteries and heart disease.
• Canned vegetables: Canned vegetables
such as tomatoes, carrots, mixed
vegetables, carrots and zucchini often
have a firming agent in them called
calcium chloride. Not to be confused
with calcium, calcium chloride is used
for ice and dust removal on dirt roads,
in concrete, in car tires – and in canned
vegetables. It’s in fairly small amounts
but try and choose fresh vegetables the
majority of the time.
• Licorice: Licorice contains glycyrrhizin, a
chemical that causes you to retain water
and sodium, and decreases potassium
levels, leading directly to high blood
pressure.
But What if I’ve got a Sweet Tooth?
So you have to avoid sugar, AND artificial
sweeteners – so what do you do if you just
can’t do without some sweetness in your
life? Luckily, there are a few alternatives!
• Agave is the syrup taken from a Mexican
succulent plant, and is traditionally used
to make tequila. It’s 90% fructose and is
milder and runnier than honey – although
sweeter, so you don’t need to use as
much. It’s low-glycemic and has virtually
no impact on blood sugar. Make sure
you use the pure, organic kind with no
additives, preferably from the Blue Agave
plant. Go easy, though, as fructose
converts to fat faster than any other
sugar.
• Rice syrup and barley malt (often
recommended in a macrobiotic diet) are
raw with no chemicals, unlike refined
sugar. They still have a high glycemic
index, however, causing the same blood
sugar spike.
• Honey causes the same blood sugar
spikes too, but is more digestible than
sugar; is sweeter so less needs to be
used; and raw honey has antimicrobial
and other health benefits.
• Maple syrup is another good alternative
to sugar. While it still comes in high on the
glycemic index, it contains minerals such
as zinc and manganese which are good
for heart and vascular health.
37
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Two: Ditch the Old Diet
Maple syrup can be expensive though
– but make sure you buy organic, as
other versions can actually contain
formaldehyde.
Also watch out for “maple flavored
syrup” which is just sugar and
flavors in disguise.
• Stevia is a plant extract from South
America that in its extract form can be
100-300 times sweeter than sugar! Not
only is it few-to-zero-calorie with a zeroto-low glycemic index (depending on
the type you use), it actually has health
benefits: it supports the function of the
pancreas; increases your body’s ability
to process other sugars; reduces dental
cavities; in rats it has decreased the
incidence of breast tumours and lesser
incidence of kidney damage.
It also actually stabilizes blood sugar and
has been shown to lower blood pressure!
It’s not surprising that Coca-Cola is
releasing a stevia-sweetened range of
soft drinks in an attempt to revive the
flagging industry. Stevia’s downsides are
that it can have a slightly bitter, licoriceflavored aftertaste if you use too much
(which is quite easy to do), and that it’s
about three times more expensive than
artificial sweeteners such as aspartame.
Try and use whole stevia leaves (it’s quite
easy to grow yourself), or powdered
leaves. The liquid drops and white
powder are better than sugar, but have
still been highly processed.
38
What about Caffeine?
Because caffeine is a stimulant, it would
seem at first that it would be something to
avoid if you’re hypertensive.
However, although caffeine causes a
temporary spike in blood pressure, there’s
no evidence to show that it has any longterm effects on hypertension. The more
hypertensive you are, however, the more
it affects your blood pressure, albeit
temporarily – but if you’re consuming high
levels throughout the day it’s going to stay
at a constantly higher rate, something you’re
trying to avoid.
There’s nothing wrong with coffee in
moderation – in fact, if you drink it
regularly, you become more caffeine
tolerant, so feel free to have your
morning coffee every day.
Decaffeinated coffee and tea is not
recommended due to the toxic chemicals
used to remove the caffeine.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Two: Ditch the Old Diet
If you’re used to having sugar in your coffee,
start reducing it slowly until you don’t
need it anymore (you’ll be surprised how
quickly you get used to one sugar instead
of two, and so on) or use one of the sugar
alternatives I’ve mentioned. Don’t use
artificial sweeteners.
Black and green tea is full of antioxidants,
and green tea has been shown to reduce
cholesterol and improve metabolism, as
well as actually reduce blood pressure.
Herbal teas are also delicious, calming
and beneficial for your health – a tea such
as ginger and hawthorn is a great way of
getting those blood pressure-reducing
nutrients, so consider substituting some of
your coffee for these more healthful drinks. If
you really must sweeten them, use a minimal
amount of raw honey or one of the sugar
alternatives mentioned above.
As well as being recommended by
physicians, it’s also endorsed in the U.S by:
• The National Heart, Lung and
Blood Institute
• The American Heart Association
• The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for
Americans
• U.S guidelines for treatment of
high blood pressure
• It’s also the basis for the new
USDA Food Pyramid
It’s based on the fundamentals of a highcarbohydrate (grains, fruit, vegetables), lowfat, moderate-protein model. Specifically the
DASH Diet includes:
Daily Nutrient Goals Used In
the DASH Studies
(for a 2,100 Calorie Eating Plan)
Your Overall Diet
Choosing the optimal ratios of protein, fat
and carbohydrate in a bid to lower blood
pressure can be a dilemma, as there is a lot
of conflicting information around.
The DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop
Hypertension) is generally recommended
by doctors, nutritionists and official health
organizations to people with high blood
pressure or prehypertension. It has been
shown to lower hypertension in studies
sponsored by the National Institutes of
Health.
39
Total fat
27% of calories
Satured fat
6% of calories
Protein
18% of calories
Carbohydrate
55% of calories
Cholesterol
150 mg
Sodium
2,300 mg*
Potassium
1,700 mg*
Calcium
1,250 mg
Magnesium
500 mg
Fiber
30 mg
* 1,500 mg sodium was a lower goal tested and found to be even
better for lowering blood pressure. It was particularly effective for
middle-aged and older individuals, African Americans, and those
who already had high blood pressure. g = grams, mg = milligrams
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Two: Ditch the Old Diet
Servings on a 1600 3100 Calorie diets
Servings on a
2000 Calorie diet
6 - 12
7-8
Fruits
4-6
4-5
Vegetables
4-6
4-5
Low fat or non fat dairy foods
2-4
2-3
1.5 - 2.5
2 or less
3 - 6 per week
4 - 5 per week
2-4
limited
Type of food
Grains and grain products (include
at least 3 whole grain foods each day)
Lean meats, fish, poultry
Nuts, seeds, and legumes
Fats and sweets
The Diet Debate
However, there is vehement and heated
debate as to whether this diet is, in
fact, the optimal one for lowering blood
pressure. Amidst all the conflicting data,
you might lean towards the “official” DASH
diet because it’s connected to health
organizations associated with government
agencies or educational institutions. They
align themselves so that anything outside
their recommendations seem out of the
question.
There is a whole other camp that is saying
that a low-carbohydrate, high-fat, high
protein diet is actually more effective in
reducing hypertension.
This school of thought is less publicized,
not endorsed by any official institutions, and
far less orthodox. However, there is huge
anecdotal evidence, and some scientific
evidence that this is the case.
However, it’s important that you’re wellinformed of the various arguments and
evidence involved so you can make your
own decision.
What if the diet recommended by your
doctor isn’t the best one?
40
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Two: Ditch the Old Diet
• One way the low-carb people say that
this diet alone can reduce blood pressure
is by acting as a powerful natural diuretic.
Carbs are stored in the body as glycogen,
and each gram of glycogen holds three
grams of water. As the glycogen is used
up, the water is released as urine, thereby
lowering blood pressure. However, this
method only works when carbs are
severely restricted (less than 20g per
day) – anything over this will result in
immediate water retention again.
• The low-carb advocates say that the
USDA food pyramid is actually not based
on scientific fact, and that if you follow it
you’ll encounter degenerative diseases
such as cancer, diabetes, bowel disease,
autoimmune disease and heart disease.
They say that the standard food pyramid
and the advocacy of carbohydrates and
vegetable oils over protein and saturated
fats is responsible for the current high
incidence of adult-onset, or type II
diabetes, which has more than tripled
over the last 30 years.
• It’s thought by low-carb advocates that
high blood glucose and insulin levels
from eating high amounts of carbs cause
blood vessel walls to stiffen and they
inhibit the processes that regulate blood
pressure.
• This school of thought looks at primitive
societies such as Eskimos who lived for
centuries on an all-meat diet and had
low rates of heart disease and other
41
conditions such as scurvy that result from
a lack of vitamin C. They say that highcarb diets such as the DASH diet largely
ignore meat as a source of nutrients,
when it is in fact packed with vitamins
and minerals, essential fatty acids and
amino acids. Vitamin B12 is only found in
meat.
• The vegetarian diet can be severely
lacking in protein and high in the carbs
that produce the three heart diseasecausing hormones insulin, cortisol and
adrenaline. If you are a vegetarian it’s
essential you supplement, particularly
with vitamin B12.
• Foods predominant in a vegetarian
diet such as wholegrains, beans, nuts,
seeds and vegetable oils are high in
Omega-6 fatty acids which produce the
heart disease-causing eicosanoids and
leukotrine.
• Many people say that when they
are eating a diet high in protein and
saturated fat they feel energized and
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Two: Ditch the Old Diet
well, but when they eat carbohydrates
and polyunsaturated fats they become
lethargic. There is also anecdotal
evidence that some people experience
lower blood pressure and more vitality
once they switch to a low-carb diet.
• The low-carb diet challenges the idea
that saturated fat blocks arteries. They
say it is in fact trans fats and partially
hydrogenated vegetable oils alongside
excess amounts of insulin caused by too
many carbohydrates and sugar. This diet
advocates that you eat red meat, chicken
and fish; eggs; saturated fat (particularly
coconut oil); moderate amounts of
fibrous, non-starchy vegetables; cheese;
and supplement with Omega-3s, soluble
fibre and potassium.
• Low-carb diets have also been shown to
be more effective for weight loss and, in
some cases, treating hypertension than
low-fat diets. However, there is a higher
incidence of people gaining the weight
(and their hypertension) back after the first
year. It’s thought that these people have
relapsed into their previous style of eating,
however, instead of sticking to a lowcarb diet. But, this raises the question of
whether the low-carb lifestyle is in fact
sustainable for many people.
• On a high-protein diet the body can
become more acidic, however this is
said to be negated by a good dose of fat
in the diet as well as small amounts of
nutrient-dense carbohydrates.
42
Apple cider vinegar is also supposed to
help alkalize the body (more on that later
in the chapter).
If you do decide to try a low-carb diet,
make sure follow these guidelines:
• Take fiber supplements such as psyllium
husks.
• Supplement with potassium and
magnesium as well as taking an overall
multivitamin and mineral supplement.
• Make healthy food choices, such as
choosing raw nuts over roasted, lots of
fish etc.
• Lower, rather than completely eliminate
carbohydrates – continue to eat fruit,
some starchy vegetables, wholegrains
etc.
• Don’t assume you can go hugely
overboard on animal fats.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Two: Ditch the Old Diet
They contain long-chain fatty acids which
aren’t absorbed quickly by the body and
tend to be stored as body fat.
• Inform your doctor and have your
cholesterol and blood pressure checked
regularly.
oil; canola oil; and any oils that have
been heated to very high temperatures
are responsible for causing heart disease
as well as cancer, immune dysfunction,
osteoporosis and more.
• Drink loads of water. Protein metabolism
produces nitrogen which is toxic and
must be flushed out with water.
• Be wary if you have kidney problems or
kidney failure as high protein intake can
compromise already-stressed kidneys.
The Fat Debate
It has been drummed into our heads that
saturated fat is “bad” and clogs our arteries.
This is beginning to be challenged, however.
That saturated fat causes heart disease is a
fallacy.
The harm comes when we eat fats that
have been damaged by high heats and
processing.
It’s said that nutrient-rich traditional fats
such as butter; lard; virgin coconut, palm
and sesame oils; cold pressed olive oil; and
cold pressed flax oil have nourished healthy
groups of people for years and are essential
to our diets. This school of thought says that
“new-fangled” fats such as hydrogenated
oils; soy, corn and safflower oils; cottonseed
43
Choosing the right fats can be extremely
confusing! Here’s a breakdown of what it
all means:
• All forms of fat contain different
percentages of saturated,
monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated
fats.
• Saturated fats are found in animal fats
and tropical oils such as palm oil and
coconut oil. They tend to be solid at room
temperature and are stable and able to
be heated safely to high temperatures.
However, any very high-temperature
cooking with any type of fat should only
be done rarely or in moderation.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Two: Ditch the Old Diet
• Monounsaturated fats are liquid at room
temperature and are quite stable and
don’t go rancid when heated during
cooking. The monounsaturated fat most
commonly found in our food is oleic acid,
the main component of olive oil as well as
the oils from almonds, pecans, peanuts
and avocados.
• Saturated fats are needed for bone
health, cell health, and immune health,
and have powerful antimicrobial
properties that are good for the heart
and blood vessels.
• Polyunsaturated fat is usually either
Omega-6s or Omega-3s (EFAs). They are
highly reactive and go rancid easily, and
should never be heated.
• Research shows that only 26% of the fat
in artery clogs is saturated, and over 50%
of the remainder is polyunsaturated.
• We generally consume too much
polyunsaturated fat (around 30% of our
calorie intake). We should be getting
enough (around 4% -1.5% Omega-3 and
2.5% Omega-6) from the consumption
of nuts, grains, olive oil, and fish, but not
commercial vegetable oils.
• Excess polyunsaturated fat has been
shown to be bad for your health, largely
due to the oxidization when exposed
to heat, oxygen and moisture during
cooking or processing.
The free radicals cause damage in
the blood vessels and the buildup of
plaque.
Another reason is that many
polyunsaturated oils often have too much
Omega-6 and not enough Omega-3
fatty acids, and our lipid ratio gets out of
balance.
44
Omega-3s are better retained in the
presence of saturated fats.
• Modern oil processes such as extraction,
homogenization and hydrogenation cause
fats to become unhealthy.
• Not all fats are created equal. Saturated
fat is not a single substance, but a
family of molecules of varying lengths.
Shorter-length molecules (which are
always saturated) are more quickly
absorbed by the body for energy than
long-chain molecules (polyunsaturated,
monounsaturated and some saturated
fats), so are less prone to causing weight
gain.
Long chain fatty acids perform
important functions too, however,
so it’s important to get your fat from
varied sources.
• Olive oil is mostly monounsaturated,
making it ideal for salads and cooking at
moderate temperatures. Extra virgin olive
oil also contains antioxidants.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Two: Ditch the Old Diet
It’s the safest vegetable oil you can
use – just don’t overdo it, as the longchain fatty acids mean it’s more likely
to contribute to body fat than butter or
coconut oil.
It should never be heated, always
refrigerated, and used or supplemented
in small amounts.
• Tropical oils like palm oil and coconut oil
are more saturated than other vegetable
oils and are much more stable. Coconut
oil contains high levels of lauric acid
(medium-chain fatty acids) which are
healthier than the long-chain fatty acids
found in animal fats.
The fatty acids in coconut oil
also have strong anti-fungal and
antimicrobial properties which
are good for the immune system.
• Peanut oil is stable and good for cooking
but contains lots of Omega-6s. Same
with sesame oil. These are fine for
occasional use.
• Safflower, corn, soybean, sunflower
and cottonseed oils contain over 50%
Omega-6 and, except for soybean oil,
almost no Omega-3. Safflower oil is 80%
Omega-6! Limit these oils and never
consume them if they’ve been heated.
• Canola oil goes rancid easily and
develops trans fatty acids during the
deodorizing process. It can also create a
deficiency of vitamin E.
• Flaxseed oil has a very high Omega-3
content which is great for addressing your
lipid balance.
45
Coconut oil is great for baking, pan-frying
and roasting.
• Rice bran oil is also good for hightemperature cooking, such as stir-fries,
and is also rich in vitamin E. It’s free of
trans fats and contains y-oryzanol (an
antioxidant thought to help prevent heart
disease) and phytosterols (a compound
that lowers cholesterol absorption).
It’s better than other oils in many
respects, but its Omega-6 to Omega-3
fatty acid ratio is far too high, so should
also be used sparingly.
• Modern agricultural and industrial
practices have reduced the amount
of Omega-3s in commercial eggs,
vegetables, fish and meat.
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Step Two: Ditch the Old Diet
For example, free range or organic eggs
can contain Omega-6s and Omega-3s
in the beneficial ratio of two to one; but
supermarket eggs can contain up to 19
times more Omega-6s than Omega-3s!
For unheated uses, like salad dressing and
dips:
Cold pressed olive oil
Flaxseed oil
Avocado oil
Walnut oil
Summary of Oils:
For high-temperature cooking such as
roasting, pan-frying and stir-fries (use in
small amounts):
Unrefined coconut oil
Rice bran oil
Sesame oil
Clarified butter
Red palm oil
The Role of Fiber
Thankfully, everyone agrees that fiber is
an important factor in keeping your heart
healthy and your blood pressure down.
It plays an important role in weight
management, and also benefits those who
suffer from insulin resistance, blood sugar,
and cholesterol-related issues.
• Insoluble fiber is beneficial for colon health
as it softens stools and gets your food
moving through more quickly. Sources
of insoluble fiber include: wheat bran,
wholegrain products, cereals, nuts and
the skins of some fruit and vegetables.
For medium-temperature cooking, like
baking and sautéing:
Cold pressed olive oil
Unrefined coconut oil
Butter
46
• Soluble fiber lowers cholesterol and slows
the absorption of sugar and fat into your
bloodstream. Sources of soluble fibre
include: xanthan gum, guar gum, psyllium
husks, oats, flax seed, pectin, and most
fruits without the skin.
• Dietary sources of soluble fibre give the
benefits and feeling of fullness without
the bloated feeling some people get from
insoluble fibre.
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Step Two: Ditch the Old Diet
• Both kinds of fiber help protect against
heart disease, high blood pressure and
diabetes.
• While low-carb advocates say that
insulin leads to obesity and high blood
pressure, high-carb advocates argue that
fiber is the best antidote to this. Dr Dean
Ornish, founder of the widely-known
low-fat Ornish diet, says that fiber slows
the absorption of sugars contained in
complex carbs, so you don’t get rapid
spike in blood sugar that incites a flood of
insulin.
The Role of Insulin
The low-carbers say that the standard,
“official” recommended diet, with its 6-12
servings of bread, pasta and rice daily,
stimulates the production of far too much
insulin, which Michael and Mary Eades,
protein proponents and authors of the
book “Protein Power” dub “the monster
hormone”.
Insulin transports glucose to our cells,
which is then turned into energy. But
when too much insulin is produced (by the
consumption of carbs) or you’re insulinresistant (you need more insulin than normal
to be effective), it stores excess glucose,
resulting in high blood pressure (through
lowered magnesium and retention of
sodium) and weight gain.
Other scientists rubbish this claim, saying
different people react different ways to
carbohydrates.
Another argument goes that when
insulin mops up the glucose out of
the blood, if there’s too much it does
it too well, leaving you with a craving
for sugar again.
The Glycemic Index
This is a way of ranking carbohydrates
(from 0 to 100) according to how much
they stimulate insulin production and
cause a spike in blood sugar levels. It’s a
useful way of dividing simple and complex
carbohydrates and will help if you’re trying
to lose weight as well as control your blood
sugar and insulin levels.
Overly high blood insulin levels are
associated with increased appetite,
sugar cravings, fat storage, high blood
triglycerides, high blood pressure and heart
disease, so concentrating on low-GI foods
is a good philosophy.
47
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Two: Ditch the Old Diet
Examples of low-GI carbs are:
A Balanced Approach
•
•
•
•
•
•
Now you have more information, I don’t
blame you if you’re even more confused!
There have been countless studies done
comparing low-carb vs high-carb diets – in
one study a particular method might seem
better, in another the other diet might stand
out. For example, low-fat diets tend to
improve total and LDL cholesterol levels, but
worsen HDL and triglyceride levels – while
low-carb, high-fat diets have the opposite
effect.
Oat bran and flaxseed breads
Chickpeas
Lentils
Kidney beans
Beans
Nuts
Some GI tips to remember:
• Select fresh food – in general, the more
cooked or processed a food, the higher
its GI (although not always the case)
• Because of its unique structure, the carbs
in pasta don’t break down as easily.
Cook pasta just a bit firm or al dente –
overcooked pasta gets a GI boost.
• Foods like meat or eggs have little or no
carbs, so don’t have a GI.
• Adding acidic ingredients to carbs can
reduce their GI level, and so can serving
starchy high-GI potatoes cold. So if you
want to eat potatoes, do a cold potato
salad with vinaigrette.
48
There certainly is compelling scientific
evidence in favor of both, for weight
loss through to lowering your blood
pressure.
I suggest either trialing both separately
and seeing what works for you (taking into
account your blood pressure readings,
your general feeling of wellbeing, and how
sustainable you think it will be) or simply
combining the agreed principles from each
one.
It’s not sustainable to follow an extremely
rigid diet anyway, and as high blood
pressure is a condition that will generally
hang around for life (if you let it), you’re going
to need to be aware of your diet for the
rest of your life as part of its management.
You don’t need to be extremely precise or
extreme. Just follow the basic guidelines
and improve your diet as much as you
possibly can.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Two: Ditch the Old Diet
Here’s what we suggest as good
guidelines to follow:
• Avoid hydrogenated fats, partially
hydrogenated fats, oxidized cholesterol,
and trans fats. Choose unprocessed,
virgin oils, and moderate amounts of
animal fats.
• Never heat polyunsaturated fats, and try
to cook every other type of fat in as low
temperatures as possible.
• Avoid sugar, corn syrup etc as much as
possible.
• Avoid processed foods such as
packaged meals, junk food, canned
sauces and processed meats as much
as possible. Try to make as much as you
can from scratch. Buy organic meat, oils
and eggs when you can.
• Avoid refined, simple carbs such as white
flour and white rice, and replace with
complex carbs such as wholegrains,
brown rice and fibrous vegetables.
One reason that low-carb diets are
successful in comparison with lowfat diets is that fat is often replaced
with sugar or refined carbohydrates
when people are trying to avoid fat.
(Foods labeled “low-fat” often contain
high amounts of carbs and processed
ingredients). However, if you feel the
DASH diet RDA of 55% carbs is too high
(and it is pretty high) or if you want to try
and reduce your insulin resistance, it’s not
going to hurt to reduce your carb intake,
say to 40 or 45% of your diet. Just make
sure they’re the good ones.
• Assuming you’re consuming 40% carbs,
get around 30% protein and 30% good
fat. Play around with these ratios a little
to see what suits you best – everyone is
different and respond to different types of
foods better than others. But keep it fairly
balanced.
• Focus on foods with a low glycemic
index.
• Ensure you are getting sufficient fiber.
• Reduce sodium, particularly if you are
salt-sensitive, and replace table salt with
unrefined sea salt.
49
• Eat plenty of meat, poultry, and above all,
fish (preferably wild). Aim to eat fish three
times a week.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Two: Ditch the Old Diet
• Avoid harmful food additives and
preservatives such as MSG.
• Consume lots of leafy greens and colorful
vegetables, and plenty of fruit.
Bear in mind that the quantity of foods
that are unhealthy for your heart and blood
pressure you consume over time is an
important factor in considering their long
term effects.
Having a bowl of ice cream once every so
often, or a few store-bought cookies every
few weeks isn’t going to significantly raise
your blood pressure if your overall diet and
lifestyle are healthy.
Occasional indulgences even contribute
to good health over the long run if you
allow yourself to properly enjoy them.
• Drink loads of water to stay hydrated.
Limit fruit juice, and drink tomato juice,
black and green tea and other herbal teas
instead.
The point being not to allow stress that can
come from not following your ideal diet ALL
the time to hurt your health more than the
occasional indulgence can!
• Watch your portions. It doesn’t matter
how healthy a food is, too much of
anything isn’t good – and if you take in
more calories than you’re expending, it
will lead to weight gain, even if you are
making healthy food choices.
• Supplementation is important to bolster
the effects of your main food choices.
50
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Three: Avoid Alcohol
One of the major contributors to high
blood pressure is the consistent excess
consumption of alcohol.
Basically, if you drink excess amounts of
alcohol regularly, it’s going to make any of
the other treatments you’re doing almost
useless.
Women should have no more than one drink
per day and men no more than two.
If you can, make it red wine – yes, this does
have heart-health benefits, however only in
moderation. You can get the same or better
effects from a polyphenol supplement such
as resveratrol.
High blood pressure and heavy
alcohol intake is a very dangerous
and life-threatening recipe!
• Alcohol causes you to gain weight due
to all the extra calories, further increasing
your blood pressure.
• Alcohol severely dehydrates you, further
increasing your blood pressure.
• Alcohol acts as a diuretic, flushing away
all the important minerals I’ve talked
about that are essential for reducing
blood pressure.
• Alcohol affects the absorption of calcium
and magnesium, so even if they weren’t
getting flushed away, your body still can’t
process them properly.
• Alcohol both diminishes the effects of
blood pressure medication you may be on
and increases the side effects of them. It
will also diminish the effects of any natural
remedies you may be using.
51
Some tips:
• Start with a non-alcoholic drink. You’ll just
guzzle your first drink down if you’re thirst,
so start with a glass of water or juice.
• If you drink spirits, be aware of what
you’re mixing them with. Soft drinks are
stacked with sugar, and diet sodas aren’t
really any better for you. Try tonic or soda
water with fresh lime instead.
• Use one shot instead of two in a mixed
drink – and measure it out rather than just
glugging it into the glass. Use a tall glass
instead of a short one.
• Low-carb or light beers are better options
than full-strength beer.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Three: Avoid Alcohol
• If you drink white wine, try it half-and-half
with soda water. Red wine can also be
diluted a little with a splash of fruit juice,
water or soda water.
• It can help to keep an alcohol diary or
chart so you can see how many drinks
you’re typically consuming (date, how
many drinks, and where).
• Make a conscious effort to drink more
slowly.
It also encourages you to keep a
better track of the amounts.
• Have one drink at a time – don’t let
people top up your drinks. It’s much
harder to keep track of how much you’ve
had.
It can also be gratifying to see the
numbers go down when they’re there in
front of you in black and white!
• Try and have at least two alcohol-free
days a week.
52
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Four: Stop Smoking
If you are a smoker, it’s no wonder you
have high blood pressure. Even if you
follow all the other advice in this book,
you probably won’t be able to get your
blood pressure down to the ideal reading
of 115/75.
And remember, even slightly elevated
blood pressure still carries risks with it.
Smoking damages blood vessels, and
causes constriction and plaque buildup on
Here are some tips you might
find useful:
• There is no one way to quit smoking that
works for everyone. Trial and error is ok –
as long as you’re genuinely trying!
• It helps to really want to quit, so write
down the reasons you want to. Make
them positive reasons rather than
negative ones, for example “lowered
blood pressure”, “an extra $50 a week to
spend or save”, etc.
Don’t look at quitting as a bad thing.
Look forward to it, get excited about it.
Be proud of yourself.
Don’t think about what you’re
missing; rather, what you’re gaining.
• Think about how much of a slave
cigarettes turn you into. Is it really ok to
let something control your life that much?
artery walls. Nicotine has an adverse effect
on the adrenal glands, stimulating adrenaline
and causing blood pressure to increase
temporarily, but regularly throughout
the day each time you have a cigarette.
Hypertensive people who smoke have a
much greater risk of heart disease and stoke
than those who don’t.
53
• If you slip and have a cigarette, don’t give
up altogether. It was a minor setback.
Pick yourself up and keep going.
However, you are just making it harder on
yourself every time you do this.
• One way to start cutting down is to limit
the amount of cigarettes you can have
each day and stick to a schedule, instead
of just lighting up whenever you feel like it.
Reduce the amount as you go.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Four: Stop Smoking
• Another way to start cutting down is to
stop smoking in certain situations, such
as after dinner or on car journeys. Break
one habit at a time.
• Some people find quitting “cold turkey”
more effective. Just finish the packet
you’ve got, throw it away and don’t buy
another one. Throw away all lighters,
matches and ashtrays.
• Make a list of activities you can do each
time you feel like having a cigarette.
• It may be hard at first, but the longer you
have given up for, the easier it gets. After
a couple of weeks you will forget you
even smoked.
It really helps to focus on the positives of
quitting. Here’s some motivation – tick them
off as you go!
After quitting Benefits
for…
• It only takes around three days for the
physical addiction to subside. The rest is
psychological.
• Avoid alcohol and caffeine while you’re
giving up. It makes it much easier. Also
avoid places and people associated
with cigarettes. Hang out in places that
don’t allow smoking, like malls and movie
theatres.
• Get your loved ones to give you positive
support and encouragement.
• After one month, use the money you
would have spent on cigarettes to buy
yourself a reward.
54
20 Minutes
Blood pressure decreases;
pulse rate drops; temperature
of hands and feet increases
8 Hours
Carbon monoxide levels
in blood return to normal;
oxygen increases to normal
24 Hours
Chance of a heart attack
decreases
48 Hours
Nerve endings begin
regrowth; taste and smell
improves
2 Weeks-
3 Months All nicotine withdrawal is
gone; circulation improves;
walking becomes easier; lung
function increases
1-9 Months
Significant improvements in
coughing, sinus congestion,
fatigue, and shortness of breath
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Four: Stop Smoking
55
1 Year
Risk of coronary disease is
halved
2 Years
Smoking relapse rate drops
sharply
5 Years
Stroke risk is reduced to
that of someone who never
smoked
10 Years
Risk of lung cancer drops to
one half of that of continuing
smokers; risk of cancer of the
mouth, throat, esophagus,
bladder, pancreas and kidneys
is reduced; risk of ulcers
decreases
15 Years
Risk of coronary heart disease
returns to that of someone
who has never smoked; risk
of death returns to normal.
Yay!
It only takes around three days for
the physical addiction to subside.
The rest is psychological.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Five: Fight Fat
In overweight people, losing just a
few pounds can help lower your blood
pressure. Losing 10% of your bodyweight
can even reduce it to a normal level.
Your heart will be healthier and your whole
body will work better. All that extra adipose
tissue means lots of extra distance that the
blood must be pumped.
Imperial BMI Formula
BMI = (weight in pounds * 703)
height in inches2
(kg/m2
Metric BMI Formula
The metric BMI formula accepts weight
measurements in kilograms & height
measurements in either cm’s or meters.
1 meter = 100cms
meters² = meters * meters
Metric BMI Formula
BMI = (weight in kilograms)
(kg/m2 height in meters2
So how do you tell if you’re
overweight?
The BMI (Body Mass Index) is one very
basic way of calculating this. It’s pretty
straightforward. Use the following formula
(I’ve given you both Imperial and Metric
formulas).
Eg: If 160cm height, multiply 160 by 60 then divide
by weight in kgs ie 58 kgs = 22.65
Calculate BMI & Find Weight Status
Table: BMI Weight Status Categories
Imperial BMI Formula
The imperial BMI formula accepts weight
measurements in pounds & height
measurements in either inches or feet.
1 foot = 12 inches
inches² = inches * inches
56
Below 18.5
18.5 - 24.9
25 - 29.9
30 & Above
Underweight
Normal
Overweight
Obese
Once you have calculated your BMI
use the table above to find your
weight status.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Five: Fight Fat
If you fall into the overweight or obese
categories, it’s extremely important that you
lose weight.
Once you start losing weight, your
energy increases, making it easier to
get moving around and losing even
more.
Losing one to two pounds per week
is the recommended rate.
Any faster than this and you’re much more
likely to gain it back. The slower you lose it,
the slower it comes back on. There’s also
less difference between the foods you’re
eating while you’re losing weight, and the
foods you will want to be eating long-term
to maintain it so the risk of gaining it back is
reduced.
Following any kind of extreme or fad diet is
not sustainable, so it’s best to stick to the
fundamentals we know to be effective for
long-term weight loss. Here are some tips to
follow:
• There is a saying that fat loss is 80%
nutrition. This isn’t based on any kind of
scientific fact, but is certainly true that
nutrition plays a vital role. If you don’t
have the right diet in place, you can do as
much exercise as is humanly possible and
still not achieve your weight-loss goals.
• Follow the nutrition advice in the diet
section above, such as choosing
the right fats, shunning refined carbs
57
and processed foods, eating lots of
vegetables and fruit, and limiting sugar.
• Controlling blood sugar is really important
and will help you lose fat. This means
taking in protein, carbohydrates and
healthy fats spread evenly throughout the
day (every two to three hours) and not
over-eating. Choosing low-GI foods and
eating six small, nutritious meals a day
will help you do this. Just make sure they
are small, and keep your calories slightly
below maintenance, as at the end of the
day, this is the only way to lose weight.
•
However, remember that your goal
is to eat as much as you can while
still losing weight, only keeping your
calorie intake just below what you’re
using.
If you’re losing weight at 1-2 pounds
per week, don’t eat any less than this.
Otherwise, not only will you lose weight
too quickly to begin with (ending up with
a “soft”-type look as you lose muscle
mass alongside fat), but you will probably
plateau as your metabolism slows down.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Five: Fight Fat
If you’re not losing weight, reduce your
calorie intake only slightly.
•
Make sure you eat breakfast. It will
jump-start your metabolism for the
day.
Oats are a great breakfast – if you find
them too bland, add small amounts
of things like fresh berries; dried fruit;
cinnamon; chopped nuts; or a sprinkle of
some other kind of yummy muesli mixed
in to taste. Just make sure oats are the
main ingredient!
• Why is it so important to drink water to
aid in fat loss? Well, the liver plays an
essential part in converting stored fat
into energy. It also helps out the kidneys
when they can’t do their job properly –
and water is essential for the kidneys to
be productive. So if the liver is helping
out the kidneys, it can’t do its own job
as efficiently. Try and drink eight glasses
a day – this is beneficial for both weight
loss and blood pressure reduction (if you
have your mineral balance right, your
body won’t retain the fluid and raise blood
pressure).
• Do a combination of cardio and strength
training (also called resistance training)
for effective weight loss. Strength training
increases muscle, which boosts your
resting metabolism, meaning you’re
burning fat even when you aren’t
exercising. Do strength training on
alternate days.
58
• Cardio is great for weight loss, but is not
a magical method where the more you
do, the more fat you’ll burn. The key is
to increase the intensity of your cardio
workouts, not the time. Interval training
is particularly effective (alternating lower
levels of intensity with high levels of
intensity). Start with a realistic amount of
cardio and add 5 minutes each day (or
change to intervals) if you aren’t losing fat.
• If you fall off the wagon, don’t give up
altogether. Just start the next meal fresh
and keep going.
• Just don’t have any weight-gain-friendly
food in the house. It’s much easier not to
eat it if it isn’t there.
• Base your fat loss on the fundamentals,
for example, consume less calories than
you use; make healthy, sensible eating
choices; and be constantly monitoring
your food intake (small snacks that you
“sneak” in all add up!). The downside of
this is there is no magic quick fix – the
upside is that anyone can achieve their
goals if they put their mind to it!
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Six: Embrace Exercise
Whether you’re overweight or not,
exercise will help reduce your blood
pressure, no matter how high it is (and
will help prevent it before it happens).
• The breathing and sweating you do during
exercise act like natural diuretics, helping
you get rid if excess water and salt.
It’s really important that you
incorporate physical activity into your
weekly routine if you don’t already.
A review of over 20 physical activity/
hypertension studies showed that systolic
blood pressure is lowered about 11mmHg
and diastolic by 8mmHg with regular
exercise – these results can be seen after
just a few weeks of training. This is similar
to the changes seen after treatment with a
traditional blood pressure-lowering drug,
and can reduce stroke and heart attack
rates by 25%!
So, exercise alone can be the difference
between being placed on drugs, and not
needing any medication.
The best part is, exercise is free, makes
you feel great, helps you lose body fat, and
reduces your risk of other diseases. Drugs
do none of these things!
Exercise lowers blood pressure in
lots of ways:
• Physical activity leads to fat loss, which
lowers blood pressure.
• If you’re exercising regularly, your resting
level of adrenaline is reduced, which
lowers your heart rate and blood pressure.
This is similar to using a beta-blocker, but
much better for you! Instead of becoming
less fit (beta-blockers can reduce aerobic
fitness by up to 10%!) you’ll become more
fit – and you’ll also sleep better instead of
worse. You also don’t get the blood sugar
and cholesterol abnormalities that can
occur with beta-blockers – instead, your
levels improve.
Insulin, the hormone that controls your
body’s blood sugar levels, is produced
in excess amounts to do the same job in
people with insulin resistance.
This extra insulin causes the kidneys
to hold onto extra salt stores.
Exercise reduces insulin levels, which in
turn lowers blood pressure.
59
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Six: Embrace Exercise
• Exercise strengthens the heart, so it
requires less effort to pump blood,
expending less pressure on your arteries.
• Exercise increases blood vessel health,
keeps arteries supple, and reduces
arterial plaque.
• If you’re overweight you’ll probably be
cautioned not to jog, as the extra weight
is damaging to the knees and ankles.
You’re better off with something lowimpact, such as swimming, walking, or
the cross-trainer.
• Exercise also helps relieve stress.
Some tips on exercise:
• If you’re overweight, consult a healthcare
practitioner before starting any kind of
exercise program.
They’ll be encouraging, but will let you
know how gently to start off and what
your limits are.
• Similarly, consult with your doctor before
starting an exercise program even if you
aren’t overweight but you have high
blood pressure.
If your resting blood pressure is
higher than normal, strenuous
exercise could make it rise to
levels that are unsafe.
Generally speaking, your systolic blood
pressure shouldn’t go above 180 – the
risk of dangerous events, like a heart
attack, rapidly rises once your systolic
pressure goes over 200.
60
• Of the two types of exercise (cardio
and strength training), cardio is more
helpful for lowering blood pressure. While
strength training is important for raising
your metabolic rate, increasing your
muscle mass and helping with weight
loss, cardio (as you can probably tell from
the name) is more directly related to your
heart and blood vessels.
• Cardio involves an elevated heart rate
for a sustained period. Your maximum
heart rate is defined as 220 minus your
age, and you should be aiming for your
heart rate to be between 50 and 85% of
that during cardio exercise. Aim for thirty
minutes of aerobic (cardio) exercise four
to five days of the week. You don’t have
to knock yourself out – just a brisk walk
will do.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Six: Embrace Exercise
• Remember that short bursts of cardio
help, too. Studies show that four tenminute “snacks” of walking can be as
beneficial as 40 minutes. Just make sure
it’s brisk so you can elevate your heart
rate as much as you can within that ten
minutes. Try taking the stairs instead of
the elevator, and going for a walk on your
lunch break. Get off the bus a few stops
early, and then take a quick turn around
the block after dinner – and you’re done!
• Once your exercise stops challenging
you, it isn’t necessary to spend longer
doing it. Just increase the intensity, for
example add more hills into your walk or
bike ride, or up the level on your treadmill
or cross-trainer.
• Exercise doesn’t have to be all
treadmills and rowing machines.
Vary your routine and include things
like yoga, gardening, boxing or table
tennis. Vacuum vigorously with the
music up – whatever gets your body
moving and you breaking a sweat is
good.
• The most important goal is the
development of these habits that
will stay with you for a lifetime.
You need to stop your blood
pressure creeping back up and
it’s important to stay at a healthy
weight, too.
• Try exercising with someone. The
time goes faster, it’s more fun and
you can motivate each other.
61
Weight cycling (repeatedly going up
and down) can elevate your blood
pressure in the long term.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Seven: Stress Less
It can be hard to get your head around
directly relating emotions to physical
health – but they are more intertwined
than you think!
Basically, no amount of healthy eating,
exercise, or supplements can undo the
damage that chronic stress can wreak on
your body.
In fact, these emotions often arise for a
reason and serve important functions when
they do. But the physiological damage
comes from experiencing them on a
continuous, chronic basis. Yet that’s what
many of us are going through in today’s
world.
When you’re stressed, your sympathetic
nervous system increases, and stimulates
the production of blood pressure-increasing
hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol,
which inhibit the production of nitric oxide
(a vasodilator).
Stress invariably involves heart
functions – your heart rate accelerates
and this vascular vigor drives higher
blood pressure.
Negative emotions have certain effects on
the heart – things like anger, guilt, sadness
and fear all increase this vascular alertness.
Experiences such as conflict cause blood
pressure to rise, and it often doesn’t return
to its normal state for a long time.
Positive emotions, however, such as
strength, happiness, and creativity all also
activate the heart, but actually energize
cardiovascular health. Obviously, you can’t
completely avoid negative emotions such as
tension or frustration.
62
Stress also affects your blood pressure
levels indirectly, for example, it may cause
you to drink more alcohol; overeat “comfort
food” such as sugar; or exhaust you so you
don’t have the motivation to exercise or
cook fresh, healthy food.
Do what you can to minimize negative stress
in your life. Some ideas include:
• Don’t procrastinate – get your time
management under control. Having things
hanging over you that you’re putting off is
a chronic stressor that’s often worse then
the task itself.
• Get plenty of sleep – even if you have a
lot to do, it’s all going to be a lot harder
and more stress-inducing if you’re feeling
frazzled.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Seven: Stress Less
• Plant a garden – studies have shown that
gardening is an effective stress-reliever.
It’s rhythmic enough to be calming but
enjoyable and rewarding enough to
produce satisfaction.
• Don’t ignore aromatherapy. Aromatic
bath and massage oils have been shown
to temporarily relieve hypertension. Try
five drops each of lemon and lavender
essential oils in a warm bath.
It can help you become more aware of
your feelings and help address certain
issues. Be really honest with yourself.
• If you’re stressed at work, take a little
time off. A couple of three-day weekends
in a row can work wonders. And if you’re
worried about work building up – well,
you’re going to be even less useful if your
health worsens and you can’t work at all.
Time off can clear your head so you’ll be
able to work more efficiently, anyway.
•
Laughter has several stressreducing benefits.
It reduces stress hormones such as
cortisol and adrenaline, allows physical
and emotional release, and gives you
both perspective and distraction.
• Studies have shown that sex and stress
go hand in hand – while feeling stressed
can lead to a low libido, it’s also a great
stress reliever and mood enhancer.
• Get a hobby – take up a non-tech,
creative hobby such as art, or learning an
instrument.
• Keep a journal – make sure you write
about your thoughts and feelings
regarding stressful events, almost like you
would with a therapist.
63
Sometimes, we can’t avoid stress. But we
can work on the ways we react to it – and it
is your reaction, after all, that’s causing the
physiological responses that do the damage
to your heart and arteries.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Seven: Stress Less
Transcendental Meditation
Biofeedback
While any kind of meditation can be effective
for easing stress, transcendental meditation
has had over 600 studies conducted on it
to determine its effect on lowering blood
pressure. It’s thought that the biochemical
changes it triggers can balance the body
and activate its self-repair mechanisms,
which have been proven to be effective
in easing stress and improving a range
of risk factors for heart disease, such as
hypertension.
Biofeedback is based on the idea (confirmed
by scientific studies) that you have the
potential to influence many of the automatic,
involuntary functions of your body (such as
heart rate or blood pressure) in a mind-overmatter-type way.
One 1995 study, reported in the journal
“Hypertension”, showed that TM reduced
systolic BP by more than 10 points and
systolic by more than six in older African
American people with high blood pressure.
Transcendental meditation involves the
repetition of a word or phrase (mantra)
while seated in a comfortable position with
eyes closed, and is usually practiced for 20
minutes, twice a day. It’s not difficult to learn,
but should initially be taught by a qualified
instructor to get the full benefits.
64
Falling into the “mind-body therapy”
category of alternative medicine,
biofeedback measures and displays your
body’s performance to help you increase
awareness and control of your own
physiology. Hypertension (particularly stressinduced) is a very good example of exactly
the type of condition that biofeedback works
best for – and clinical trials have shown it to
be effective.
A professor at the University of Nevada
says her studies have shown that blood
pressure can be reduced by up to 10
points simply by thinking about it.
So how does biofeedback relate to stress
and high blood pressure? Well, biofeedback
is shown to be most effective in people who
have conditions that are brought about or
exacerbated by stress, like hypertension so
often is.
So one way your blood pressure is lowered
through biofeedback therapy might be
through relaxation techniques and mental
exercises that have a direct effect on your
body’s physical responses.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Seven: Stress Less
Generally in a biofeedback session, sensitive
electrodes are attached to the skin which
feed information into a monitoring box that
flashes, or beeps, or displays the responses
on a grid.
• Sweat gland activity
(skin conductance biofeedback)
As the biofeedback therapist takes you
through certain relaxation exercises, your
physical responses can be monitored.
Through trial and error, you figure out which
are the most effective, much like having
a “sixth sense” inside your body. As you
consciously try and slow down the flashes
or beeps, you are training yourself and your
body.
Clinical trials have shown worthwhile
reductions in blood pressure from
combining stress management
biofeedback with the manipulation
of these physiological symptoms
(particularly EMG and temperature
biofeedback).
To assess your hypertension, the therapist
will conduct a psycho-physiological
profile that monitors your breathing, skin
temperature, heart rhythm, muscle activity
and skin conductance during resting,
mild stressor and recovery conditions.
This will enable them to put together and
individualized program to correct the
physiological changes that are associated
with high blood pressure, such as:
• Brain electrical activity
(EEG biofeedback)
• Skeletal muscle activity (EMG
biofeedback)
• Timing between heartbeats
(heart rate variability biofeedback)
• Breathing patterns (respiratory
biofeedback)
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• Blood flow through small arteries
(temperature biofeedback)
One study showed that using this
combination, 65% of patients were able
to discontinue their medication and 24%
reduced theirs by half.
It showed that people whose blood
pressure increases under stress were
the ones who found the treatment the
most effective.
It isn’t recommended as a main technique
however, more as a complement to other
treatments.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Seven: Stress Less
Specialists who offer biofeedback training
range from doctors to nurses to dentists
to psychiatrists. www.aapb.org is the
American membership website for
professionals and you should be able to
find a qualified practitioner in your area if
you’re interested in this method.
Autogenic Training
This is another therapy used for stress
reduction and relaxation developed by
German scientist Johannes Schultz in 1932.
It involves a series of exercises in which you
can learn to control your blood pressure
as well as breathing, heart rate, and skin
temperature.
have to practice for a few minutes several
times a day. The learning moves at a slow,
steady pace, usually taking 4-6 months to
master all six exercises.
It’s similar to hypnosis and biofeedback
in that it forges a distinct communication
pathway between the mind and body – and
you are, after all, the best person to control
what’s happening inside yourself!
Once you’ve mastered the exercises,
you should be able to make your
heart rate and blood pressure almost
impervious to the effects of emotional
pressure.
It teaches your body to respond to verbal
commands – while you’re sitting or lying
down in one of six different postures, the
practitioner will repeat sets of visualizations
or goals that you concentrate on which “tell”
your body to control breathing, heart rate
etc. Many of the techniques mirror yoga and
meditation.
Under stress, the parasympathetic branch
of your nervous system (that lowers blood
pressure) becomes dominated by the
sympathetic branch (the fight or flight
response the increases blood pressure).
Autogenic training balances the two.
After you learn the technique, you can use
it yourself whenever you need or want relief
from the symptoms of stress. To learn it, you
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Unless you practice regularly, autogenic
training isn’t likely to have an effect – but if
you’re committed to mastering it, it works
and is a very effective and measurable way
of controlling chronic stress.
Because it’s simple and doesn’t require
any special equipment, it’s becoming quite
popular, especially with people who have
fast-paced, high-stress careers.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Seven: Stress Less
Autogenic training is becoming more
widely accepted in the Western world
as it’s similar to a form of meditation,
but guided by physical and mental
goals rather than spiritual.
It’s also good for people who can’t, or won’t
be hypnotized – it has been found that the
creation of certain internal reactions during
meditative relaxation can be just as effective
as those created under a hypnotic trance.
You can learn autogenic training without
a practitioner but this isn’t recommended
if you’re looking to correct a medical
condition such as hypertension. Look for an
experienced instructor who can supervise
and monitor your blood pressure.
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Cognitive Therapy
If you’re severely stressed, you may want to
try cognitive therapy, which also deals with
the premise that it’s not the events in our
lives that cause us stress, but the way we
react to them.
A cognitive therapist would work with
you to correct habitual negative thought
patterns that you might have about a
number of different situations. Once you
have mastered the techniques, you should
be able to manipulate your habitual thoughts
and reactions to turn potentially stressful
experiences into positive or calm ones.
Some people experience results in as little
as three to four weeks.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Eight: Beneficial Breathing
It may sound far-fetched, but research
has found that by doing breathing
exercises on a daily basis, it’s possible
to lower your blood pressure.
This sounds at first like it might be a stressreduction technique (and it certainly is
calming) however it also produces chemical
interactions that directly lower blood
pressure – and keep it down.
By breathing deeply, your body becomes
more efficient at breaking down salt – the
kidneys are the main organs involved in
eliminating salt, and breathing deeply helps
them to work properly.
They also tend to hold their breath, which
diverts blood to the brain to increase
alertness, which knocks the blood’s
chemical balance off. This more acidic blood
makes the kidneys less efficient at getting
rid of the sodium. So inhibitory breathing
actually delays salt excretion enough to raise
blood pressure.
This would also shed light on another reason
why exercise lowers high blood pressure,
and a sedentary lifestyle contributes to it.
When you’re not moving around much,
you tend to breathe more shallowly,
and you’ll be taking deep breaths when
exercising.
Another reason that shallow breathing
contributes to blood pressure is that
when you start to breathe in before you‘ve
expelled all of your previous breath, the
transfer of oxygen to your blood and the
carbon dioxide from your blood to the air is
greatly reduced.
People with high blood pressure are
notorious for shallow breathing, although it’s
not clear which comes first – a chicken-oregg scenario where one causes the other.
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As shallow breathing deprives
your body of oxygen, your heart
compensates by pumping more blood,
which produces higher blood pressure.
We tend to get quite lazy and habitual in our
breathing, and although it’s an involuntary
action, not than a voluntary one, we can
control the volume of our breath.
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Eight: Beneficial Breathing
By practicing these exercises consistently
every day, you’ll not only be breathing deeply
but you’re also training your body to do so
even when you’re not thinking about it.
1) Breathe in deeply and quickly using your chest and diaphragm.
Take a full breath of air.
2) Breathe out in a slower, more relaxed way, taking twice as long to
breathe out as in. Don’t force the air out but dispel as much air out
of your lungs as possible. Get as much of the old carbon dioxide
out as possible.
3) If you breathe too fast while doing this, the excess oxygen will cause
hyperventilation – but if you breathe too slowly, your heart rate will
increase its pulse rate and blood pressure. Keep to a fairly steady
rate.
4) Do this for at least 15 minutes per day, and also whenever you
remember throughout the day. Over time your breathing pattern
should automatically change to a deeper one. If you like, you can
buy guided breathing devices such as the one mentioned in the
next section to help with these exercises.
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© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Nine: What Else Can I Do?
• Look for an alternative to oral
contraceptives, as they can dramatically
increase blood pressure.
• Two new studies from McMaster
University in Ontario, Canada, have
shown that performing isometric handgrip
exercises can reduce systolic blood
pressure and improve arterial flexibility.
• A study from the Ehime University School
of Medicine in Japan has shown that
sleeping facedown can actually slightly
but significantly lower blood pressure!
• T’ai Chi, a slow, relaxed series of balance
and flexibility movements that originated in
China, has been shown to reduce blood
pressure in older adults nearly as much as
moderate-intensity aerobic exercise.
One study showed a 7mmHg decrease
in systolic blood pressure after just six
weeks, and 8.4mmHg after three months.
Diastolic pressure falls by an average of
3.2mmHg.
It’s shown to decrease adrenaline and
cortisol production, and people also
report more energy, better breathing
capacity, and less back- and neck-aches,
depression, tension and anxiety.
• You can purchase blood pressurelowering devices such as the Resperate
(a guided breathing device), or the Zona
Plus (a handheld device that guides you
through an isometric therapy session).
Both devices are quick, requiring less than
15 minutes a day, and are easy to use.
Anecdotal evidence says they work
very well, and suggest that the Zona
works best for people with resistant
hypertension, while the Resperate is
particularly effective if you think your high
blood pressure results largely from stress.
• There’s extensive literature from Asia and
Russia that shows acupuncture to have
an excellent effect on lowering blood
pressure.
By using needles to stimulate nerves
that reach into the cells in your brain
that control blood pressure, the cells
“quiet down” and your blood vessels
relax.
Scientific studies are still being completed,
but anecdotal evidence suggests that
acupuncture alone can be more effective
than medication alone.
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© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Step Nine: What Else Can I Do?
• Consider the possibility you may have
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). It could
be contributing to your hypertension, as
people with OSA have a blood vessel
impairment that causes blood pressure
elevation. An estimated 15 million
Americans – three quarters of them men
– suffer from OSA, but only 10% have
been diagnosed and treated. About one
half of people with OSA have primary
hypertension, and about one half of
people with primary hypertension have
OSA!
If you have loud snoring at night,
broken sleep, and spend your days
feeling groggy, ask your healthcare
practitioner if you might be suffering
from sleep apnea.
• Over 25 years of research has proven
that having an affectionate dog will help
reduce hypertension. Not only do they
ease stress and anxiety, but you’ll have
more motivation to go for a walk every
day.
People with sleep apnea stop
breathing dozens or even hundreds
of times in the night when their
airway collapses.
Things like diabetes, hypertension and
high cholesterol contribute to endothelial
damage, which leads to further elevated
blood pressure and vessel damage.
OSA also damages the endothelium,
having a similar effect as it heightens your
“fight or flight” response, elevating your
cortisol production.
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© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Break it Down!
Your Summary Checklist

Investigate underlying medical conditions
that could be causing secondary
hypertension

Keep a food journal so you can
objectively see where you’re making
improvements and where you could be
making more; and so you are staying
liable for any unhealthy food you’re
“sneaking” in

Monitor your blood pressure at home
three times a day, and record its progress
in the provided chart

Cut back on alcohol – record your intake
in a chart or diary

Make one or two changes at a time so
the program isn’t overwhelming

Quit smoking – tick off the benefits you’re
receiving as time goes on

Start by correcting your mineral
imbalance and starting your
supplementation program. Reduce
common salt intake, increase potassium
and magnesium. Increase vitamins and
herbal remedies.

Reduce stress – investigate meditation
and other therapies

Start losing weight if you’re overweight

Practice breathing exercises for 15
minutes a day

Add in other methods, such as
acupuncture or T’ai Chi

Start a regular daily 30-minute brisk walk
and think of other ways you can work
vigorous activity into your day

Adjust your diet – eat more fresh food
and ban processed food; avoid sugar
and white flour; choose low-GI carbs; eat
more fruit and vegetables; eat more fish;
choose the right fats; get plenty of fiber
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© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com
Blood Pressure Record Chart
Name:
_______________________________________________________________________
Date and time
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Systolic
blood pressure
Diastolic
blood pressure
Comments
© 2009 blood-pressure-report.com