High Blood Pressure: Complementary Treatments

IN THIS ARTICLE

 Learn to Manage Your Stress

 Biofeedback
 Acupuncture
 Supplements and Herbs
It's no secret that exercise and a healthy diet are among the key ways to lower
your blood pressure. But maybe you want to do more than that, and you're
thinking about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Turns out, you
have good reason to.
In recent years, more and more studies show that some CAM treatments can lower
your blood pressure. They're most helpful when used along with traditional
medicine.
Keep in mind that for the most part, CAM treatments haven't had been as well
studied as other types of treatment. So always check with your doctor before
starting one to make sure it's safe for you.

Learn to Manage Your Stress

Stress kicks off a process in your body that makes your heart beat faster and raises
your blood pressure. Now and then, that's OK, but a lot of stress over time can be
a problem.
Research shows that calming techniques like these can lower your blood pressure:
Qi gong. This method, based on traditional Chinese medicine, combines slow
movement, breathing, and meditation. It doesn't work as well at lowering your
blood pressure as drugs or other types of physical activity, but it can still be
helpful.

Slow breathing exercises. When you take slow, controlled breaths, you send
calming signals to your nervous system, which can help with high blood pressure.
Meditation. Transcendental meditation (TM), where you sit quietly and repeat a
given phrase to yourself, can have a modest effect on lowering blood pressure.
Other types of meditation may help, too, but most of the research has focused on
TM.
Tai chi. It's a slow, gentle form of exercise that comes from traditional Chinese
medicine. Recent studies show that it could work as well as some high blood
pressure meds or more intense exercise.
Yoga . It can be helpful for high blood pressure. Check with your doctor before
you start. If you already have high blood pressure, you're pregnant, or you have
conditions like glaucoma and sciatica, you may want to avoid or change certain
poses.
Hypnosis. Some therapists use hypnosis, also called hypnotherapy, to help people
manage stress and anxiety. When you get hypnosis, you tend to be calmer and
more relaxed.
Some small studies show that it may also be helpful to lower your overall blood
pressure, but more research is needed.

Biofeedback
You can get biofeedback treatment for a range of issues, from pain to high blood
pressure. It usually involves getting sensors connected to your body. These
sensors give you information to help you make small changes, like relaxing your
muscles, to help improve certain health conditions.

Acupuncture
Evidence for acupuncture has been mixed. Some studies show it works, but
others don't.

Supplements and Herbs

More research is needed to figure out the benefits of supplements to manage
high blood pressure. It's always best to make changes to what you eat rather than
rely on dietary supplements that are in the form of pills. For instance, you may
want to add fatty fish to your diet, such as salmon or tuna, which are high in
omega-3s.
Also consider eating fiber that's found in plant foods such as oatmeal, veggies,
or whole grains. Or you can get folic acid that's found in green, leafy vegetables.