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Foods to Lower Your Blood Pressure
And more ways to lower blood pressure naturally
Yasmine S. Ali, MD
March 20, 2024
Hello again and happy March!
March is National Sleep Awareness Month, and since so many struggle with getting enough sleep on a regular basis—and given how important adequate sleep is to heart and whole-body health—we’ll be taking a look at techniques to promote better sleep in each issue of Speak for the Heart this month.
This issue also focuses on natural ways to lower blood pressure. Did you know that over 1 billion people worldwide have high blood pressure? It is truly an epidemic, although we rarely think of it that way.
While there are several genetic and anatomic causes of high blood pressure (hypertension), there are many lifestyle factors that contribute to high blood pressure as well. See below for some ways to change that.
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To your health,
Yasmine S. Ali, MD
Weekly Heart-Health News: The Highlights
My Take:
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is truly a worldwide epidemic. Over 1 billion people around the world have high blood pressure.
While there are many causes for high blood pressure, some of them genetic or anatomical, several of the causes are related to lifestyle choices—such as not eating a healthy, balanced diet and not getting enough physical activity (movement) every day.
The above article shares 17 foods that can help prevent and even lower high blood pressure—how many can you incorporate in your diet?
My Take:
It’s important to be clear from the outset: if your blood pressure is high enough, you will likely need medication(s) to bring it under control and to lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney and other organ damage. But even if you require medication, putting these lifestyle changes in place will help lower your blood pressure—which can lead to less need for medication in the future.
I have personally had patients, for example, who were able to come off their blood pressure meds eventually, after losing excess weight, quitting smoking, managing stress, and more. However, you should always consult with your own personal physician on this.
These healthy lifestyle changes can also help you prevent the onset of high blood pressure in the first place, and they are healthy habits that will benefit your entire body and whole health as well.
My Take:
The DASH diet was developed many years ago by the American Heart Association specifically to combat high blood pressure. This article gives a good rundown of the key elements of that diet, as does this one:
My Take:
March is National Sleep Awareness Month, and here is another article highlighting the link between sleep quality and heart health. It gives a great overview of the interconnectedness between sleep and the cardiovascular system, and highlights some of the lifestyle habits that lead to poor sleep—and some of them might surprise you!
There are also some good tips here for improving your own sleep!
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