What is Hypertension?
Hypertension is the more clinical name for high blood pressure, a common and often chronic health condition that can lead to heart disease and a variety of serious cardiovascular and broader health ailments. A hypertensive individual may experience no symptoms at all for years, yet the increased pressure on his or her arteries damages the heart and vascular system over time. The causes of hypertension are numerous and complicated but include fatty deposits that narrow the artery walls, obesity, smoking, stress, lack of exercise, age, and heredity.
Until hypertension becomes advanced, the symptoms of hypertension may be unnoticeable. Increased bloody noses, dizziness, or headaches could signify extreme high blood pressure, but these can be symptoms of many other conditions as well. For this reason, it is best to get your blood pressure checked annually so that you quickly recognize a change toward hypertension and take steps to prevent a hypertensive crisis.
Home Remedy Options for Hypertension Treatment
The DASH Diet is the typical dietary approach to hypertension treatment, and it has solid medical research behind it.1 There is also new interest among doctors and naturopaths in red yeast rice to lower lipid levels and reduce the risk of a hypertensive crisis.2,3,4 However, on EC there is overwhelming support for the apple cider vinegar tonic as the first hypertension remedy folks should turn to to lower their blood pressure. Cayenne pepper is another popular home remedy for hypertension treatment, but a number of other folk medicine options are discussed below and in the pages to follow.
References:
1http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/clc.4960221505/abstract
2http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18549841
3http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20102918
4http://www.diabecinn.com/files/8513/1012/3780/Review_of_the_studies_on_the_red_yeast….pdf
I was Dx with heart failure and had poorly controlled blood pressure. It ran 210/100 many days. Nothing helped. Then I turned to low carb, high fat diet to lose some weight. My bp is now in the high normal range with no meds. Slowly I lost weight and at last Dr. visit was down 22 lbs which amazed me. I believe from my experience and that of my friends that carbs somehow effect BP in ways not yet appreciated. Wanted to pass this along for others to consider.