There is a lot of interest in alternative treatments for high blood pressure nowadays. This is understandable, since most regular medicines for high blood pressure have undesirable side effects. These side effects often include sleepiness, impaired judgment (sometimes leading to serious accidents), nausea and allergic reactions. Most alternative medicines for high blood pressure offer relief from the problem without these unwanted effects. Most of us will not experience symptoms that suggest we have high blood pressure. Properly known as hypertension, the problem manifests itself quite unnoticed at first. Stress can lead to hypertension, but stress, anxiety and tension are not the same as high blood pressure. A doctor will diagnose hypertension when the patient's systolic blood pressure crosses 240 mmHg. Simultaneously, diastolic blood pressure may go above 120 mmHg. If both these finding occur at the same time, there is no room for doubt.
Patients with high blood pressure must modify their lifestyles. Those who are overweight need to start exercising regularly. They must also eliminate excess salt from their diets and include plenty of fruit, nuts and green vegetables. If they live stressful lives, they need to eliminate the stress-inducing factors. Doing this can sometimes include moving out of an overly noisy neighborhood and switching to a less demanding job. Additionally, the patient will probably have to take certain antihypertensive medication. It is possible to live a full and functional life with high blood pressure without using pharmacological medicines. For instance, many patients have found considerable relief by using hawthorn. Studies have shown that a majority of patients with type 2 diabetes using hawthorn for around 16 weeks displayed a reduction in their mean diastolic blood pressure.
Folic acid intake is also useful because this element from the vitamin B group lowers elevated homocysteine levels. Many doctors also recommend adopting a diet rich in calcium, potassium and magnesium. In addition, patients with high blood pressure experience significant relief by practicing yoga, biofeedback and other non-medical stress-reducing therapies. Ayurveda, an ancient system of herbal medicine from India, has many alternative treatments for high blood pressure, and so does traditional Chinese herbal medication.
Self-treatment of high blood pressure with alternative medicine is popular but can be dangerous if done ignorantly. Alternative medicines and herbal medication are not always safe to use by amateurs. To illustrate this point - there are certain herbal compounds that patients of high blood pressure must avoid strictly. These include licorice, Ephedra, Asian Ginseng and essential oil of Rosemary.
