The use of standard holistic therapy for stubborn high blood pressure is a "hit or miss" proposition at best. Many folks spend months or years taking calcium, magnesium, potassium, garlic, CoQ10, carnitine, and handfuls of other supplements only to find that they still have dangerously high blood pressure as soon as they reduce their prescription drugs.
Others eat a low-fat diet and avoid salt like the plague, only to make the same discovery. Still others do everything possible nutritionally and are still disappointed. The ones that use the kinds of products I recommend get the best results; yet, there are still those among these people who are continually disappointed. These are indeed stubborn cases. And in such cases, nutrition alone will not get the job done.
The Basics
Let's face it, unless you are willing to go through the basics, you will not be free of high blood pressure drugs. While these drugs reduce your blood pressure numbers, remember one thing: Even though the numbers are reduced, you still have high blood pressure, and the drugs do nothing to eliminate the cause of the problem.
The basics include:
In all cases, if possible, get an evaluation from a competent holistic practitioner for specific individual imbalances and deficiencies. Every person suffering from hypertension is different. Nonetheless, the basics comprise a core of the only kind of nutrition that really gets the job done. Once you start on a program of the basics, follow through for at least four to six months before you present back to your doctor to begin an experimental weaning-from-drugs program.
Getting off hypertension drugs is wisely done only with your doctor's help. A sharp doctor will begin with small reductions in medication while monitoring your blood pressure. Remember that when you reduce medication in small amounts, you can experience a rebound effect with your blood pressure. That means that it may jump up quickly for a short period of time. Be sure that your monitoring program takes this into account. As your pressure stays normal with medication reduction, further reduction takes place until you reach your goal of no medication at all (or at least the minimum necessary to maintain proper pressure). Remember: In almost all cases, given the proper amount of time and use of the basics including the right supplements, most patients can do wonderfully well with very little or no medication (unless there's an irreversible problem such as severe hardening of the arteries).
The Stubborn Cases
So let's say that you've followed this "basics" program for a year or more and your blood pressure has stayed pathologically high. You can safely assume at that time that yours is indeed one of those truly stubborn cases. In this event, usually one of four variables is causing this phenomenon; if this is you, you can typically eliminate three of the four variables at the same time.
The first of these three variables is reactions to food allergies. The second is the need for kidney support. The third is what is known as a case of chronic hypertonia.
Food Allergies
In the case of food allergies, use the elimination diet to determine and eliminate food allergies. Many have found their blood pressure lower dramatically after cutting out foods they're having problems with.
Kidney Support
If kidney support is called for, we recommend three Renafood tablets (from Standard Process Labs) daily. If you have had a diagnosis of kidney problems or disease, see a holistic doctor to determine the precise kidney products that are good for you. Renatrophin is a kidney protomorphogen therapy product. If you doubt the efficiency of protomorphogen therapy, see "Oral Tolerance Therapy (Protomorphogens)," Health Alert, Vol. 12, No. 12.
Hypertonia
Perhaps the most overlooked stubborn cause of high blood pressure is a case of hypertonia. This is when your body is being stymied by a cascade of effects caused by chronic tension within your breathing, nervous, and circulatory structures. The cure for hypertonia is usually as simple as several months of deep breathing exercises. And don't pooh-pooh this idea! Deep breathing exercises performed properly will drastically alter your entire body's physiology.
What does that mean? It means the entire chemistry of your blood - oxygenation, nervous function, muscle actions, digestion - simply everything will change. The changes that occur following these exercises is the elimination of hypertonia, which is the old fashioned term for chronic, long-term physical and emotional tension and stress.
The most common symptoms of hypertonia besides high blood pressure are head pressure, numbness, dizziness, memory problems, (even bordering on amnesia), chronic fatigue, heart palpitations, chest pressure, nervous irritability, sexual impotence, constipation, and more. The single most indicative symptom is head pressure, usually accompanied by headache and dizziness.
In fact, those suffering from hypertonia are generally being suffocated a little at a time! And this is a powerful cause of sickness and disease. This also explains why so many people for so many centuries have felt great after practicing yoga. After all, yoga has its emphasis in breathing and the resolution of hypertonia.
Deep Breathing Exercise
First of all, understand that deep breathing is a science. You can't just go in a corner and pant for a few minutes each day. Here's what to do: First, lie down on a couch or bed. It works best if your are naked, since bras and other constructive clothing can impede proper breathing.
The first stage of deep breathing is the abdominal breath. Breathe in through your nose and expand your abdomen until it arches upward and outward. At this point you have lowered your diaphragm and completely aerated the lower lobes of your lungs. When this part of the breath has ended, breathe in further and expand your chest. This opens the second stage of a deep breath and aerates the upper or super lobes of your lungs. Do this slowly and gradually, until the full expansion of your lungs is achieved.
Be patient; this isn't easy. Take your time and practice this technique three times daily for five minutes. It is best to begin by lying down, but as you progress, you can do this exercise sitting or standing. Be sure there is plenty of fresh air. And each time you breathe in this manner, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. In fact, the exhaling is a means to measure your success. Here's how:
When you get some practice under your belt, exhale while sounding or humming the letter "U". You will know you are getting good when you can exhale humming "U" for 20 seconds. Sounds easy? You will be surprised by the challenge when you begin! Nonetheless, stick with it and you will eventually become successful. After several months of being successful at deep breathing, you will have begun to resolve hypertonia, one of the most dramatic causes of stubborn high blood pressure.
The Final Factor
In some cases, problems with structures of the body that are interfering with nerve function can cause or contribute to hypertonia and/or high blood pressure. If you have exhausted all the other possibilities discussed here, it is time to get to a good chiropractor. A locked-up spine or neck will definitely contribute to elevated blood pressure. And sometimes, a chiropractor or osteopath is the only person who can further the normalization of these structures, releasing nerve interference and allowing for normalized blood vessel tone.
Any one or all of the factors discussed in this article may pertain to you. And it is a very rare individual who will still have uncontrolled hypertension after following the protocols listed in this article. So have at it! You need not just continue taking powerful drugs that have a list of side effects as long as your arm and do nothing about the cause of the high blood pressure. Use holistic therapies.
