High Blood Pressure, also known as Hypertension, affects one-third 1/3 of all adults in the United States. Not only is high blood pressure prevalent, but less than half of those diagnosed with it have it under control (1).
When diagnosed with high blood pressure, many resort to taking medications in order to lower it. Although blood pressure medications are effective, they do come with side effects ranging from headaches, fatigue to even death. But did you know there are other ways to help lower your blood pressure without relying on a pill? Here are 5 natural, easy and effective methods:
1. Reduce Your Stress.
We live in very stressful times. Between work, family demands as well as the ever changing world–stress is inevitable. Although we can’t always change our environment, what we can change is the way we handle it.
Practicing stress relieving techniques such as meditation, taking a walk, reading a book or catching up with a friend are great ways to help reduce stress. Listening to music daily has been shown to reduce systolic blood pressure (2).
2. Eat Less Processed Foods.
Most of the excess salt in your diet comes from processed foods, such as microwave meals or restaurant food, not your salt shaker at home. Popular high salt foods include deli meats, pizza, chips, canned soups and other packaged snacks.
So instead of focusing on cutting out salt, focus on consuming whole natural foods. This includes eating mostly low starch vegetables, free range meats, and healthy fats. Always read the ingredients on food packaging too. If you can’t pronounce most of the ingredients, you probably shouldn’t eat it!
3. Limit Alcohol and Sugar Consumption.
We know alcohol and sugar are not great for us, but how do they contribute to one’s high blood pressure? On a molecular level, alcohol and sugar are nearly identical. So what does that mean? It means they are processed the same in the body. Where this processing takes places is mainly in the liver. When we consume too much alcohol or sugar, it gets stored in the liver as fat deposits. Eventually, this excess fat can build up and change the function of the liver. Depending on the extent of build up, it can affect the blood vessels of the liver and thus create high blood pressure.
Limiting alcohol and sugar consumption will help prevent excess fat build up and keep the liver functioning optimally. A well functioning liver will help maintain normal blood pressure levels.
5. Get More Physically Active.
You don’t need to become an Olympic athlete to lower your blood pressure. Simply walking 20-30 minutes daily is enough exercise to help lower blood pressure. Consistency with exercise is much more important than intensity. So find an exercise or types of exercises you enjoy whether it’s biking, weight lifting or even walking your dog.
6. Try NUCCA Chiropractic!
In 2007, the Journal of Human Hypertension published a studying showing definitely that patients undergoing NUCCA chiropractic care had significantly lower blood pressure. In fact, the lower blood pressure from care was equivalent to taking TWO blood pressure medications (3).
How can the top bone in your spine affect your blood pressure? Well this top bone, otherwise known as the atlas bone (C1) has a close relationship to your brain and brainstem. When the atlas (C1) is out of alignment, it can affect the nervous system and alter the functions of many body system including blood pressure. To learn more on this study, click here.
To learn more on how we can help, call us today at 720-826-4200 or book online to schedule a free consultation.
- Colin A. Craft, MD. “5 Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure.” Penn Medicine, Penn Medicine Health Blogs, 6 Jan. 2020, www.pennmedicine.org/updates/blogs/health-and-wellness/2020/january/lower-blood-pressure-naturally.
- Kühlmann, Anne Y. R., et al. “Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Music Interventions in Hypertension Treatment: a Quest for Answers.” BMC Cardiovascular Disorders, BioMed Central, 19 Apr. 2016, bmccardiovascdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12872-016-0244-0.
- Bakris G;Dickholtz M;Meyer PM;Kravitz G;Avery E;Miller M;Brown J;Woodfield C;Bell B; “Atlas Vertebra Realignment and Achievement of Arterial Pressure Goal in Hypertensive Patients: a Pilot Study.” Journal of Human Hypertension, U.S. National Library of Medicine, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17252032/.
