State of the Heart: Naturally Maintaining Normal Blood Pressure

If your blood pressure deviates from the normal, your doctor may not put you on medication immediately. Doctors usually recommend several lifestyle changes to see how your body responds to them before putting you on prescription medication. Many times a few changes in your diet and lifestyle can help to naturally bring your blood pressure to a normal level. Some reasons that doctors are reluctant to put their patients on medication is because beginning blood pressure medication leads to a lifetime dependency. These days, doctors may also advise you to try blood pressure supplements, or blood pressure vitamins, as a nutritional way to support healthy blood pressure.

With the statistics on blood pressure rising higher, estimates by the CDC predict that 90 percent of middle-aged Americans will suffer from unstable blood pressure in the remaining part of their lives. Many people think they have no choice. Without exploring other possibilities, such as blood pressure supplements, they have resigned themselves to a lifetime of popping medication, and if side effects are the possibilities, then so be it is what they tell themselves. Besides blood pressure supplements, what are some of the natural methods to normalize blood pressure you should be exploring?

• Maintaining a healthy weight. One of the main factors for fluctuating blood pressure is carrying excess weight. Even a little extra padding around the middle can put undue stress on the heart and lead to fluctuating blood pressure. If you've been faltering, procrastinating or just not feeling motivated enough to do something about your weight, consider this again. The American Heart Association reported a startling statistic. Harvard research on blood pressure indicates that being overweight may the underlying factor in 50 percent of the cases for fluctuating blood pressure.

In fact, according to a recent report by the Harvard School of Public Health in April 2009, diet and lifestyle contribute to a statistically high number of deaths each year. According to the report, the top three preventable factors related to diet and lifestyle deaths were smoking, blood pressure and being overweight, in that order.

• Don't rock the salt cellar! Don't sprinkle extra salt over your meals. Avoid eating processed foods which usually contain a good amount of sodium. Extra sodium tends to add extra volume to the blood making the heart work that much harder. Look for the heart healthy symbol on products you buy. Blood pressure supplements or blood pressure vitamins that contain potassium help to support healthy sodium levels.

• Add heart healthy foods to your diet. Eat more fruits and vegetables – at least 5 to 6 cups a day. Include more garlic in your diet. Garlic is known to help support blood circulation. If you like the flavor, include more in your diet or even eat a few flakes a day. Other foods include pomegranates, sugar-free pure cocoa bars or dark chocolate and omega 3 fatty acids found in fatty fish. Some of these nutrients are also found in blood pressure supplements, or you may find it more helpful to take an omega 3 supplement separately for a higher and more beneficial dose.

• Keep yourself hydrated. Drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water a day, more in summer.

• Take a walk! A brisk walk every day can help to relieve stress and tone circulation.
• Herbs such as hawthorn leaves and NattoKinase support blood flow and circulation. Hawthorn leaves are rich in flavonoids and biochemicals that help relax blood vessels for smoother functioning of the circulatory system. Nattokinase is derived from soybeans and has been used for centuries in Japan to support heart health. Research shows suggested evidence that both these nutrients can help support healthy blood pressure and are often found in quality blood pressure supplements.

Take a nutritional blood pressure supplement that contains specific blood pressure vitamins like Vitamin D, folic acid, potassium citrate NattoKinase, hawthorn leaves and Taurine, which is an antioxidant. All of these are found in a scientifically-formulated blood pressure supplement-Blood Pressure Matrix. Such blood pressure supplements help to assist the body's natural abilities to maintain normal blood pressure. By exploring natural options you may be able to avoid lifetime blood pressure medication and its related side effects. If you are already on medication, consult with your doctor before taking nutritional blood pressure supplements like Blood Pressure Matrix.