Overview
High blood pressure is one of the most common diseases on earth. Being prevalent, however, does not undermine the destructive damage that this disease can cause.
Fortunately, sticking to a healthy diet, exercising more, and taking your medications on time should keep your blood pressure under control.
In this article, we will share with you 3 ways to lower your blood pressure and the risk of some debilitating complications.
3 ways to lower your blood pressure
Exercise more
Doing cardiovascular training will adapt your heart and blood vessels to high tensions. In the long run, you will have a low resting heart rate, which is a major contributor to blood pressure. A high heartbeat increases your blood pressure.
Strength training may also help with your condition.
Eat the following foods
Bananas
Similar to all potassium-rich foods, bananas are a great source to control blood pressure; however, patients should not overdo it with this fruit, as it may lead to digestive problems.
Spinach
Known for its multiple health benefits, spinach was shown to reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure, with an unclear underlying mechanism.
When researchers dug deeper, they found out that spinach is full of nitrate, which induces vasodilatation of blood vessels.
In fact, there is an entire class of antihypertensive drugs made from nitrate.
Cabbage
In a 2014 paper published by the Journal of Human Hypertension, cabbage and other vegetables improved blood pressure recordings in many patients.
These veggies were served cooked and raw, and the results were similar.
Celery
Celery is known for its many health benefits, including the reduction of blood pressure, LDL levels, and oxidative stress.
One study concluded that “celery leaf extract with its blood pressure and lipid-lowering effects, can be considered as an antihypertensive agent in chronic treatment of elevated systolic blood pressure.”
Garlic
Garlic has been used since ancient times to control symptoms of dizziness and headaches caused by high blood pressure.
Supplementing hypertensive patients with garlic in clinical settings has also led to improved symptoms of high blood pressure.
Visit your doctor
As your doctor has probably told you, it is best to keep a journal or a phone app where you input your daily blood pressure readings. Doing this every day will help your doctor analyze whether you are responding well to medications or not.
Relying on a single reading to judge the effectiveness of your treatment can be misleading. For instance, your blood pressure may be normal on Friday but very high for the rest of the week.
Make sure to share the numbers you registered with your doctor to see whether you need a therapeutic adjustment.
Takeaway message
High blood pressure leads to many complications that affect the heart, brain, kidneys, eyes, and more. Learning how to control this disease can make the difference between life and death.
We hope that this article managed to highlight the most effective ways to control your blood pressure without always relying on medications.
We hope that this article helped improve your understanding of GMO foods and the health concerns that come with them. Click “Sports Doctor” for more information and Follow us on Facebook.
Here’s to your health!
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Dr. Kevin Crawford