Got High Blood Pressure? Here’s How to Bring It Down Naturally

Blood Pressure: How High Is Too High?

In November of 2017, the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology released newguidelineson high blood pressure, or hypertension, stating that the cutoff for diagnosis is now 130/80. (Previously, the cutoff was 140/90.)

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As a result of this change, millions of people with blood pressures that were previously considered normal, like 134/82, now meet the clinical definition for high blood pressure. Under the current guidelines, even a blood pressure with the top number in the 120s is considered to be “elevated,” which means it carries a higher risk forheart diseaseand death.

CATEGORYSystolic  (upper number)Diastolic (lower number)NormalLess than 120andLess than 80Elevated120 – 129andLess than 80High Blood Pressure Stage 1130 – 139or80 – 89High Blood Pressure Stage 2140 or higheror90 or higherHypertensive Crisis(consult doctor immediately)Higher than 180and/orHigher than 120

Source: American Heart Association

High blood pressure is common, affecting 116 million Americans.

Under thecurrent guidelines, 30% of men and 19% of women under age 45 have high blood pressure. If you don’t have it, you likely will sooner or later: Nearly 90% of U.S. adults develop high blood pressure during their lifetimes.

The scary part is how dangerous the condition can be over time. Often described as a “silent killer,” high blood pressure doesn’t always cause symptoms, which is why having your blood pressure checked is vital. Untreated high blood pressure can lead to heart failure,stroke,kidney disease, heart attack, and even death.

Proven Strategies for Lowering Blood Pressure Naturally

If you are diagnosed as having high blood pressure, you may not need blood pressure medications immediately. Whether you need medication depends on how high your blood pressure is, if you have other diseases (like kidney disease or diabetes), and your long-termriskfor having complications from high blood pressure.

More importantly, basiclifestylechanges can help prevent or reverse high blood pressure for many people. The most important changes to make include the following:

Lifestyle Changes Are an Effective Tool

These interventions can beeffectivedepending on the magnitude of the lifestyle change. In onestudy, 76% of participants who followed a vegan diet for one year were able to discontinue or drastically reduce their medications. However, adhering to these seemingly simple changes can be difficult.

Nevertheless, many of these “lifestyle interventions” areroutinefor traditional societies that generally have low rates of hypertension. High blood pressure is not a natural part of the human aging process. For example, populations in ruralChinaand ruralAfricado not have age-related increases in blood pressure, although this is rapidly changing as Western habits percolate globally.

Immigrantsto Western countries develop an increased risk of high blood pressure after arriving, which only continues to rise as moretimeis spent in the West. This pattern is thought to be caused by adopting a Western diet and decreasing physical activity. Changes in lifestyle can undoubtedly raise—–or lower—–your blood pressure.

Even though statistics say you will probably develop high blood pressure during your lifetime, it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way.