Lorrie,

I went in for my yearly physical and the doctor said my blood pressure was too high. I  have always been healthy and active, eat a veg diet, 'only' carried extra ten pounds or so, but do have family history of high blood pressure. The doctor said that I would need to go on medication. I  asked if there weren't some way to avoid that. She said that if I were to lose the extra weight, I might be able to avoid meds, and gave me three months to try it. I started doing a daily relaxation response meditation, as the health encyclopedia suggested as a tool for lowering blood pressure. It worked. I also lost the weight, more as a benefit of the meditation than a conscious diet plan, as I'd always eaten well, just had gotten into the habit of mindlessly stuffing my face.

About a month ago, I donated blood , and the nurse asked if my pressure was always so low : )..it's usually around 110/70 now.. down from about 120/90.

Babs, If I had dried blueberries or cranberries around, I would just eat them. I can't buy goodies like that for baking or anything else unless they're getting put to use right away. I once bought several pounds of almonds on sale around Thanksgiving, for Christmas baking, stashed them on the bottom of the chest freezer.......they were long gone before the holidays.

 You can get the dried cranberry in capsule form, the blueberry too, I think. DH carries those when out of the country. Babs

instead of blueberry, you can use bilberry, which is the same thing. Here you can get bilberry tablets not usually blueberry.

I have seen both the cranberry and billberry supplements, but assumed that cranberry was just for UTI's. It would be smart to have either/both of those around, with 'bug' season on the way.

I'm researching and I have an appointment next month that I will be asking a lot of questions to my Doctor.  If there is a way to bring this down without adding man made  chemicals...I'd like to explore it!

Lorrie, I read a report not long ago that claimed that grape juice made from concord grapes lowers blood pressure for up to 6 hours after drinking it. It seems to me to point to a nutritional deficiency. Also, celery is supposed to lower blood pressure. I have problems with it, too, so I'm always on the alert for help. I found an herbal remedy, in capsule form at Grandmas-herbs.com and it has helped. If you do wind up taking a prescription medicine, be aware that it can cause nutritional deficiencies.

For some people, a form of meditation has been shown to help, but just willing yourself to relax and breathe deeply will lower it almost instantaneously. The trick is to keep it low all the time. There's a device that teaches you deep breathing and has a good track record of lowering blood pressure, called "Resperate." I haven't talked myself into springing for the $300 price tag yet, but it's cheaper in the long run if it really works.

 

Pat:

If you do wind up taking a prescription medicine, be aware that it can cause nutritional deficiencies.

I haven't heard this...   I'm on 2 but they are working (sometimes getting the bp low enough that I feel dizzy at times, which isn't alarming my doc). I'm too high strung to just sit and breath (unless I'm watching tv or something).    

Luvd_Lioness:

I'm too high strung to just sit and breath (unless I'm watching tv or something).  

That's a really good reason to try to relax by paying attention to your breathing. I might sound like Dr. Weil, but the breathing thing does work.

There are four different drugs prescribed for high blood pressure, so it depends on which ones you're taking as to what nutritional problems you may need to be aware of.

The main thing about high blood pressure is that it's a symptom, not a disease. Most of the time it can be treated naturally, with weight loss, exercise and relaxation methods. I'm not dissing your doctor, but feeling dizzy is not a symptom you should be having once you've adjusted to your medication.  

It would be worth the price of a special gadget  if it kept  blood pressure low...lot of scary health implications to high blood pressure. 

We already had a home blood  pressure  monitor when I was diagnosed because H's blood pressure  is borderline high, so I'm able to monitor my pressure regularly. My pressure is now consistently low. I consider myself to be extremely fortunate , no , downright blessed , to have been able to avoid medication...( and  I am a lousy meditator. : )

chamomile:

It would be worth the price of a special gadget  if it kept  blood pressure low...lot of scary health implications to high blood pressure. 

Yes, it would. Being a cheapskate, I keep thinking I can learn this on my own, without having to pay for the gadget. LOL I'll probably give up and do it soon now.  

Well...I've been taking bp meds for a year.  Captipril (?spelling?) and Hydrochlorithyzine or zide ...anyway.  Kept forgetting to take the 2nd dose so they switched me to Enalipril...which is once a day.  It's low dose (both) but I just don't like taking meds like this.  sooooo I started researching.  I'm watching my diet and have lost a few pounds.  I'm encorporating more movement into my days.  I will have to look into meditation, too.  Can't hurt!

Pat...I'd read about celery.  Cinnimon and ginger are good, too...lower cholesterol.  I'll try concord grape juice.  YUM!

 I know I need to hydrate myself more ... that's another story...hehehe

 Thanks all and keep the folk remedies coming!!

Lorrie