Lower blood pressure without meds
Dear Dr. Roach: What are some natural ways to reduce blood pressure?
JW
Answer: There are nondrug ways of reducing blood pressure that are often overlooked.
Not every person with high blood pressure is salt-sensitive, but overall, reducing salt can make a significant improvement in high blood pressure — an average of 5 points systolic and 3 points diastolic from moderate salt restriction. Other dietary changes proven to improve high blood pressure include high potassium foods, such as fruits; a more plant-based diet with more vegetables and legumes and less meat; and higher calcium and magnesium in the diet.
Alcohol can have an extremely large harmful effect on blood pressure in many people. Smoking also raises blood pressure, and quitting has many health benefits beyond the drop in blood pressure. Regular moderate-intensity exercise (40 minutes three or four times weekly) similarly improves blood pressure.
Finally, some types of meditation have been shown to help lower blood pressure. Even slow, deep breathing techniques can lower blood pressure in the short term.
Dear Dr. Roach: My husband, his brother and their mother all have had dangerous blood clots that have traveled to their lungs with no prior warning. My concern is for my 26-year-old daughter, who is currently on hormonal birth control.
She has tested negative for Factor V. I have read that there are other ways besides Factor V that involve hereditary blood clotting. My husband’s doctor has said that testing him for Factor V would not be reliable because he is currently on blood thinners.
Shouldn’t the cause of my husband’s blood clots be investigated more?
Answer: That degree of family history is concerning enough that I would certainly recommend a visit with a hematologist.
Both a family history of blood clotting and oral contraceptives containing estrogen are risks for developing blood clots for your daughter.
I would consider a different form of birth control, such as an IUD, in a woman with a family history like hers.