Definition of High Blood Pressure: Holistic Treatment High Blood Pressure

What is the definition of high blood pressure? High blood pressure or hypertension means high pressure (tension) in the arteries. The arteries are the vessels that carry blood from the pumping heart to all of the tissues and organs of the body. Weeding your way through tons of information to find out the facts about high blood pressure and alternative treatments can be overwhelming.

Holistic health and high blood pressure are a natural combination. It truly takes a combination of alternative and traditional medical support to get blood pressure under control.

High blood pressure is not an issue for me, as you may have read in my page My Journey.

I deal with low blood pressure. But it is very personal to me. Both my mother and my sister suffer from high blood pressure. And my mother-in-law recently passed away do to complications associated with high blood pressure. It has reached epidemic proportions in our country and we need to take back control over our lives and take responsibility for what we can do to help our bodies find their natural balance.

Don't forget to take a look at the Blood Pressure Chart at the bottom of the page to see if your blood pressure is healthy.

The most common clinical condition encountered by health-care professionals today is hypertension. Over 50 million Americans have evidence of hypertension (high blood pressure). Doctors don’t really know for sure what causes high blood pressure, but what is known is that it is considered a lifestyle disease that is found primarily in developing countries. People who live in undeveloped countries have hardly any evidence of the disease.

The risk for a heart attack for people with high blood pressure is three times greater than that of people with normal blood pressure levels. And your risk of stroke seven times greater. This disease is called “the silent killer” because there are no immediate outward signs or pain while many organs in the body are being damaged.

It is important to know that everyone's blood pressure varies during the course of the day. It is lower when you're resting or relaxed and higher after activity. And certain medications elevate your blood pressure including common cold remedies and some decongestants among others. Caffeine is another substance that can elevate your blood pressure. Therefore you need to let your doctor know what medications if any you took prior to him/her taking your blood pressure and how many cups of coffee you had. You need an accurate reading.

There are a number of drugs that are being prescribed to control high blood pressure, and sometimes there's no other alternative than to take one of them. Therefore, it is important to consult with your physician and follow his recommended treatment. But there are many side effects to these drugs including fatigue, depression, and impotence in male patients. And the higher your blood pressure, the higher the dose you'll have possibly causing you to suffer more side effects.

The good news is that Holistic health care measures can be very helpful in controlling high blood pressure, perhaps even allowing you to reduce your medication and its side effects. I am not advocating here that you should stop taking medication that has been prescribed to control your blood pressure. But, once you consult with your doctor you might want to consider a Holistic approach to reducing it. Your doctor may decide to lower your medication initially and monitor your progress to see if a different approach works for you.

Holistically speaking, there are several things that are widely recommended to begin reducing your blood pressure:

1. Change your diet and reduce your weight if you are overweight.

2. Consider a vegetarian or semi-vegetarian diet. Vegetarians show very little signs of hypertension. You don’t have to become a vegetarian, but adding more vegetables and complex carbohydrates to your diet as well as reducing your sodium intake will help reduce your blood pressure. And recent research indicates that eating more celery is beneficial in controlling hypertension. Keep in mind, though that celery can be toxic in great quantities.

3. Add fiber to your diet. A high fiber diet promotes healthy blood pressure.

4. Reduce or eliminate your alcohol intake.

5. Lower your fat intake.

6. Start an exercise program. Even half an hour of exercise can significantly impact your hypertension.

7. Add meditation or yoga to your daily routine.

8. Get a massage. Theraputic massage can provide an important component to overall well-being by promoting better sleep, improving concentration, and reducing anxiety.

9. Consider pet therapy. A study at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, showed that pet owners had significantly lower blood pressure when they were greeting their pet than when they were reading neutral text.

10. Consider Naturopathy as a way of life. Naturopathy focuses on the body's ability to heal itself. Naturopathy relies on a variety of techniques founded in ancient Indian, Chinese and Greek medicine. These include relaxation therapy, counseling and psychotherapy,herbal medicine, nutrition counseling, physical therapy and homeopathy.

11. Do not smoke.

Other alternatives:

Treating hypertension by Acupuncture has also proven to be effective and its effect is relatively mild, there is no discomfort when the elevated blood pressure is lowered and no side effects will appear when a patient is treated for a long time.

Biofeedback is another method that may help reduce mild blood pressure and/or allow the reduction of medications in some patients, while having no adverse effects. Because Biofeedback therapy is time and technician-intensive, it is important to be able to predict which patients are most likely to lower his/her blood pressure using these technique. Additionally, along with relaxation techniques,Biofeedback can help in the treatment of headaches, muscle tension, and other conditions exacerbated by stress.

If you want to learn more about Biofeedback read my article Biofeedback the Path to Healing

Hypnosis is one of the oldest forms of treating people dating back to ancient Egypt. It has long been recognized as an effective method for changing unwanted habits and behaviors, the possibilities are virtually endless. Research has shown that comparing Hypnosis with Biofeedback or a combination of both there was a significant reduction in blood pressure at the end of four weeks of treatment.

The report by the American Heart Association “People with high blood pressure may want to medicate and meditate” showed that the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique significantly lowered blood pressure in older African American men and women (August 5, 1996). And two studies out of the Maharashi University of Management found that TM programs significantly lowered blood pressure in older black and white persons after only three months

As you can see, there are several options that you can explore to Holistically control hypertension. In other words, hypertension is a disease that can be treated and you have the potential to increase your opportunities to control it by using some of the means listed above.

Blood Pressure Chart

Alternative medicine; Hypertension:http://alternative-medicine-and-health.com

The treatment of Hypertension by acupuncturehttp://www.gfmer.ch

Holistic Heart Library:Hypertensionhttp://www.holistichearthealth.com/

Biofeedback and Hypertension:http://www4.nau.edu/eaw/health/future.asp

Biofeedbackhttp://www.bio-medical.com/

Research:The Effects of Hypnosishttp://www.counselorsassociated.com

Transcendental Meditationhttp://www.tm.org/research/home.html

Students of Transcendental Meditation Live Longer, One Study Findshttp://www.swedish.org

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