Lower blood pressure

and Christina Trappe

Martina Feichter studied biology with an elective subject pharmacy in Innsbruck and also immersed herself in the world of medicinal plants. From there it was not far to other medical topics that still captivate her to this day. She trained as a journalist at the Axel Springer Academy in Hamburg and has been working for since 2007 - first as an editor and since 2012 as a freelance writer.

More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.

It is not only with medication that high blood pressure can be lowered. General measures such as regular exercise, the right diet and reducing excess weight can also reduce high blood pressure values. Here you can read all the important answers to the question "What can be done against high blood pressure - apart from drug treatment?"

ICD codes for this disease: ICD codes are internationally recognized codes for medical diagnoses. They can be found, for example, in doctor's letters or on certificates of incapacity for work. O14I10I11O13I15I13

What to do with high blood pressure

If you want to reduce high blood pressure, a change in lifestyle is inevitable: This includes a balanced diet with little salt and alcohol, regular exercise, reducing excess weight and avoiding nicotine. In addition, many patients are interested in alternative healing methods and home remedies that can help them naturally lower high blood pressure. Under certain circumstances, everything together can work so well that the patient does not need any antihypertensive drugs or can reduce their dose. But be careful: the medication dose should only be changed by a doctor, never on your own!

Lowering Blood Pressure: The Right Diet

Most people in developed countries have too fatty, too salty and unbalanced diets. The result of these nutritional errors are, among other things, obesity, high blood lipid levels and high blood pressure. This combination of three can have serious consequences for the heart and blood vessels, such as heart attacks, strokes and diabetes mellitus. The good news, however, is that if you change your diet and other lifestyle habits when you have high blood pressure, you can have a positive influence on the course of the disease and prevent possible secondary diseases.

High blood pressure: diet like the Mediterranean

There are a number of basic tips that can be used to manage high blood pressure with the help of a healthy diet. Many of them include the so-called DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension). This form of nutrition, compiled by American researchers, is mainly based on a Mediterranean lifestyle with lots of fruit, vegetables and healthy fats.

• If possible, eat fruit or vegetables with every meal, preferably fresh and natural. Freshly squeezed juices, frozen and dried fruit and vegetables can also be a useful addition to the menu.
• Dietary fiber is important for the whole organism: Whole grain bread, cereal flakes and brown rice keep the blood sugar level constant and provide many valuable nutrients.
• Eat less animal fat and saturated fat. These can be found in sausages, butter and margarine, for example. Use vegetable oils such as rapeseed oil or olive oil more often.
• Switch from high-fat cheese and other dairy products to low-fat alternatives like cottage cheese, low-fat curd cheese, or low-fat yogurt.

High blood pressure & salt

Salt consumption plays an important role in the development of high blood pressure: the table salt (sodium chloride) binds water in the body and provides more fluid in the cardiovascular system - this increases the pressure in the blood vessels.

High blood pressure patients should therefore consume a maximum of five to six grams of table salt per day. This corresponds to a daily amount of 2 to 2.4 grams of sodium. This salt reduction is achieved by avoiding very salty products, fast food and ready-made products (pizza, french fries, chips, crackers, etc.). Many types of sausage and cheese, smoked and pickled foods (especially canned fish) and ready-made sauces also contain plenty of salt. Therefore, only eat small amounts of it!

Also, try to cook yourself as much as possible. When seasoning, it is better to use fresh herbs and spices than table salt. Attention: Stock cubes and powder also consist largely of salt!

High blood pressure & alcohol

A healthy diet for high blood pressure is not just about eating right; The choice of your drinks is also important. Alcohol plays a decisive, albeit ambiguous, role in cardiovascular diseases and high blood pressure. It has been found that the occasional glass of wine can have a protective effect on the heart. But this only applies to small amounts of alcohol.

That is why the German Hypertension League recommends: Healthy men should drink less than 20 to 30 grams of alcohol a day. That corresponds to about half a liter of beer or a quarter of a liter of wine with an average alcohol content. Healthy women should consume less than 10 to 20 grams of alcohol a day.

There is also research that shows that these amounts are already too high. According to the Federal Center for Health Education (BzgA), 24 grams of alcohol per day are considered safe for healthy men. In healthy women, this limit is around 12 grams of alcohol per day.

Everything that goes beyond that is harmful to the organism in the long run. This is especially true for people who already suffer from high blood pressure and other previous illnesses. Alcohol is anything but an antihypertensive agent: Anyone who regularly consumes more than 30 grams of alcohol doubles their risk of developing hypertension. If you have hypertension, your health is additionally burdened by increased alcohol consumption. For people with severe high blood pressure, it can make sense to completely avoid alcohol.

High blood pressure & coffee

After a large cup of coffee or an energy drink containing caffeine, the blood pressure rises measurably for a short time. This is especially true if you normally do not or only rarely consume caffeine. In people who drink coffee regularly, the short-term increase in blood pressure is less or even absent. To be on the safe side, experts recommend avoiding caffeine (also in the form of black tea) shortly before taking a blood pressure measurement.

When it comes to the long-term effects of caffeine, different studies have come to very different conclusions. Some even certify that regular coffee consumption has a protective effect on the cardiovascular system, while others have hardly noticed any effect on blood pressure. Therefore, there is no general coffee ban for people with high blood pressure. However, experts recommend moderate consumption to patients, i.e. no more than about two to three cups a day.

In individual cases, the doctor can also make a different recommendation. If, for example, hypertensive patients also have gastritis or cardiac arrhythmias, it can make sense to avoid caffeine altogether. Therefore, ask your doctor which caffeine consumption he thinks is advisable in your case.

Lower blood pressure: reduce excess weight

Obesity and high blood pressure are closely related. To assess whether your body weight is in the green area, just looking at the scales is not necessarily meaningful. Experts usually use the so-called body mass index (BMI) to evaluate weight. This can be easily calculated using the following formula:

BMI = body weight (kg) / height (m) 2

If the value is more than 25 kg / m2, the person is overweight. Values ​​over 30 even result in obesity (adiposity).

If you are overweight or even obese and want to lower your high blood pressure, you should definitely try to lose a few pounds. Discuss with your doctor the best way to reduce your weight and still eat healthily. The nutrition tips mentioned above are a good guide! In addition, regular exercise will help lower your high blood pressure and improve your health.

Lose pounds and reduce waist size

When it comes to weight loss, it is not only important that you weigh fewer pounds, but also that your waistline is reduced. A large waist circumference speaks for a lot of abdominal fat - that is, fat deposits around the internal organs. These are even more dangerous than fat deposits on the hips and thighs: Belly fat produces signal substances that can ultimately increase the risk of various diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Therefore, the waist circumference for men should be less than 102 centimeters and for women less than 88 centimeters.

Lowering blood pressure: exercise and sport

Regular exercise and exercise have been shown to lower high blood pressure. For example, moderate endurance training for 30 to 45 minutes five days a week can lower resting blood pressure by up to 10 mmHg. This effect sets in after a few weeks of training.

Which sport is most suitable for you depends, among other things, on your age, your state of health and the severity of your high blood pressure. It is also important that you enjoy the sport you have chosen. Only then will you likely remain motivated in the long term. In general, light endurance sports such as Nordic walking, jogging, cycling or swimming are recommended. On the other hand, sports with a rapidly changing heart rate such as tennis are less suitable. Also refrain from weight training that involves pressurized breathing and blood pressure spikes (such as lifting weights).

A doctor or sports therapist can advise you on planning your exercise program. He can also suggest a suitable training intensity. The training should challenge you, but not overwhelm you - this is very important!

Some people find it difficult to motivate themselves to exercise and sport on their own. If that applies to you too, consider joining a sports group or club, or setting up a regular workout with a friend.

Make sure you move more in everyday life. For example, use the stairs instead of the elevator and take a bike instead of the car or bus. Such small exercise units are effective if they last for at least ten minutes.

Lower blood pressure: quit smoking

Smoking has many harmful effects on health. Among other things, it constricts blood vessels and increases blood pressure. It also promotes arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and the associated secondary diseases such as stroke and heart attack.

So giving up cigarettes and the like is beneficial for everyone. However, it is particularly advisable to quit smoking for hypertensive patients: those who stop smoking can lower their high blood pressure. This also reduces the cardiovascular risk enormously! Patients can get help with quitting smoking from their doctor.

If you can't do without nicotine completely, you should at least smoke less. This may not have the desired antihypertensive effect. But the heart, lungs, vessels & Co. are still grateful for every "not smoked" cigarette!

Lower blood pressure with medicinal plants

There are various home remedies for high blood pressure that can be used in addition to conventional medical treatment. For example, many plants are said to have antihypertensive or dehydrating effects - partly proven, partly without clear evidence of their effectiveness. This includes medicinal herbs as well as some foods and spices. Examples of useful helpers in monitoring blood pressure are:

• garlic
• Wild garlic
• Green tea
• Soybeans
• Beetroot
• Hawthorn
• Arnica flowers
• mistletoe
• Olive leaves
• Hibiscus flowers
• Rauwolfia root
• valerian
• Melissa leaves
• Lavender flowers

You can buy these plants partly dried, as a pressed juice or as an essential oil. Many of them are suitable for preparation as tea, but also as a bath additive (do not bathe too warm!). A pharmacist or experienced therapist can advise you on the selection and use of suitable medicinal plants for high blood pressure.

Here is an example of a tea mixture that can be used to naturally lower high blood pressure: Mix 25 grams of the following medicinal plants (from the pharmacy) together: mistletoe, hawthorn leaves and blossoms, birch leaves and lemon balm leaves. The brewing time is five to ten minutes. Drink one cup each morning and evening.

Warning: Rauwolfia root (Indian snake root) with the main active ingredient reserpine has long been an important remedy for high blood pressure. However, the medicinal plant can have considerable side effects, for example a slowdown in the heartbeat, gastrointestinal disorders and depressive moods with a risk of suicide. The rauwolfia root, its extracts and reserpine are therefore no longer used as a single preparation (monotherapy) for high blood pressure. Only reserpine is used in low doses and in combination with other antihypertensive agents. All preparations and alkaloids from the medicinal plant require a prescription. This also applies to certain homeopathic preparations (see below).

Lowering blood pressure: homeopathy

Some people use homeopathy for high blood pressure. Various means are used here, for example:

• Aconitum D6: for a sudden rise in blood pressure, palpitations and feelings of anxiety
• Arnica 6X: for ringing in the ears, dizziness, irregular and rather weak pulse, palpitations after every effort and frequent nosebleeds
• Aurum D6: for a red face, restlessness, melancholy and violent palpitations
• Crataegus D6: in older people with dizziness, heart restlessness and possibly chest tightness (angina pectoris)
• Rauwolfia D6: for high blood pressure with a feeling of heat

In addition, the homeopathic medicines Nux vomica, Phosphor and Lachesis are used to treat the constitution of high blood pressure patients. The current symptoms and diseases (such as high blood pressure) should not be treated, but the so-called constitutional type of a person should be positively influenced. The types of the three homeopathic remedies mentioned should suit hypertensive patients well.

When choosing and dosing homeopathic remedies for high blood pressure, it is recommended that you consult an experienced homeopath. This is especially true for the use of Rauwolfia: All homeopathic preparations up to and including potency D3 require a prescription. Lower potencies are available without a prescription, but should only be used on the advice of an experienced therapist!

The concept of homeopathy and its specific effectiveness are controversial in science and not clearly proven by studies.

More tips and home remedies for high blood pressure

Stress causes blood pressure levels to skyrocket. This is particularly unfavorable if you already have high blood pressure. However, stressful situations cannot always be avoided. Therefore, one should learn strategies to cope better with stress. For example, try to take stressful situations that you cannot change as they are. Take your time to deal with possible solution strategies instead of being stubborn about them or being senselessly upset about them.

Some people also benefit from special relaxation techniques such as yoga, autogenic training, progressive muscle relaxation according to Jacobsen or Qi Gong. They calm the sympathetic nervous system, which causes the vessels to widen. With regular use, this can lower high blood pressure.

Cold blood applications have a beneficial influence on the circulation of high blood pressure patients (and other people). For example, try alternating foot baths, knee and thigh casts or arm casts. They stimulate the circulation and can help regulate blood pressure in the long term. A visit to the sauna and massages are also recommended.

Conclusion: lower blood pressure without medication

Whether sports training, diets, saunas, medicinal plants, homeopathy or other alternative healing methods: Discuss all measures and applications with your doctor first. He can give you valuable tips or even warn you about certain things. For example, going to the sauna and cold showers may not be advisable in the case of very severe or poorly controllable high blood pressure.

All of the measures mentioned can - if used correctly - lower high blood pressure. In doing so, they support any treatment with antihypertensive drugs that may be necessary.

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