Relaxation continued

As I test it, I become more and more convinced of the value of controlled breathing exercises. I would love to hear if anyone out there has worked with this technique and would like to share their experiences with us.
I am in the process of putting together a music CD which will help with controlling your breathing pace. Watch this space!

The following article is reprinted with permission.

If your nurse or doctor measures your blood pressure at 140/90 then you suffer from hypertension. Many adults and even some children have high blood pressure. It is very important to get proper treatment to control your high blood pressure. diet for high blood pressure patients has to be healthy since along with medications and exercises a balanced diet can equally help in keeping your blood pressure under control.

Following a diet for high blood pressure also reduces or prevents clogged arteries, increases in cholesterol, cancer and also reduces weight. The ideal diet for high blood pressure patients should include low fat or fat free products and should definitely exclude animal fats, red meat, sugary products, and sweets. Surveys show that high potassium and low sodium content in fruits and vegetables help in regulating the blood pressure level.

The diet for high blood pressure is best when it doesn't contain high amount of salt or sodium. Many people might think salt-less food might be flavorless. To add flavor to the diet for high blood pressure you can add spices to the food instead of salt.

There are certain tips for your diet for high blood pressure that you can follow such as, rinse canned food in order to rinse off sodium. Instead, buy frozen salt free vegetables, which don't contain much salt or sodium and restrict your intake of cured meat, ham bacon, pickles, olives, mustard, ketchup, and Soy sauce in your diet for high blood pressure.

It is obvious that diet affects blood pressure level. Therefore, it is very important that you maintain a proper, healthy, and balanced diet for high blood pressure.

The most important thing that you should avoid in your diet for high blood pressure is salt. Intake of salt for hypertension patients can be harmful as it just accentuates the problem. You can lower your blood pressure to a great extent if you cut down salt consumption in your diet for high blood pressure. You should not have more than 6 grams of salt per day. You must cut down on pizza, frozen diners, canned food, broths, canned soups and salad dressings since these have high sodium content in them. If you are non-vegetarian then make sure you are including fresh poultry, fish, and lean meat in your diet.

In order to avoid salt in your diet you must avoid junk food as well. If there is a mineral imbalance in your diet then it might have an adverse effect on your health condition. Maintaining a healthy diet can work wonders. It can help you to reduce your blood pressure within a period of two weeks.

If you are suffering from high blood pressure you should consult your primary care physician for advice prior to making any changes to your diet.

About The Author:
paul Johnson. Sign up for a free high blood pressure Newsletter at http://www.natural-blood-pressure-reduction.com or for more articles click here http://www.natural-blood-pressure-reduction.com/diet.html.

Relaxation Technique

The more I discover about High Blood Pressure as a condition, the more I realise that it has to be controlled by a combination of strategies. In the majority of cases, certainly in the upper bands of Hypertension, medication alone is unlikely to control it, nor diet or exercise in isolation.
I have been experimenting with some relaxation exercises, involving breathing at a steady pace of about 9-10 breaths per minute whilst listening to gentle music. Whilst there is a definite improvement in BP readings immediately after this, I am not sure yet if there is any long-term benefit. However, even temporary reductions are worthwhile if they are taking some pressure off the body. I guess that prayer, meditation, yoga etc would have similar beneficial effects.
I would be very interested in other people's experiences.

Blood Pressure Monitors

When I was re-diagnosed as still having very high blood pressure, my doctor recommended me to buy a home BP monitor. I have found this to be a very useful tool in monitoring my progress. They are not for everyone, particularly if you are going to get paranoid and start taking your BP every 5 minutes! BP varies throughout the day and it is a good idea to take morning and evening reads. A good monitor will have a memory of, perhaps, the last 30 readings so you can chart how you are doing.
I have also found it useful after exercise (I go cycling) to check my pulse rate and recovery rate. However, a word of caution here - do not start a regime of vigorous exercise without first consulting your doctor. You could do more harm than good!
There are a number of different monitors available on the market but I have found the best value can be obtained online. For example, Boots have a range of home monitors starting at under £30 here .

Coping

High Blood Pressure is known as "The Silent Killer", because, in many cases, people are totally unaware that they are suffering from it until it is too late. Often, there are no symptoms to show and the first that they know is when they have a stroke or a heart attack (sadly, sometimes leading to death).
I guess it is a shock for any of us to be diagnosed with Hypertension but I also reckon that, in many ways, we are the lucky ones! Don't do what I did the first time I found out that I had very High Blood Pressure. Because the medication I was first put on didn't agree with me and caused side effects, I buried my head in the sand, stopped taking any medication and hoped it would go away! Of course, it didn't!
This blog and the book I am in the process of writing are designed to help people cope with the news and get on with living.
I would appreciate comments and feedback on the kind of questions that you have about this condition to help me to help you better.

Welcome

Welcome to my new informational site for sufferers of hypertension (High Blood Pressure). As a sufferer myself, I will be adding information from a personal point of view. I am not a doctor, clinician or anything but I hope you are going to find the information useful.