LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE PROTOCOL

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Contents

INTRODUCTION Error! Bookmark not defined.

How to reduce high blood pressure? 3

HERBAL MEDICINES Error! Bookmark not defined.

Ginger Error! Bookmark not defined.

Cardamom Error! Bookmark not defined.

Garlic Error! Bookmark not defined.

CONCLUSION Error! Bookmark not defined.

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INTRODUCTION

We have heard people using the term ‘silent killer’ to refer to high blood pressure, and that is for a good reason — hypertension, or high blood pressure, often has no symptoms, but is a major risk for heart disease and stroke.

Hypertension remains the leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease and mortality, despite major progress in our understanding of its mechanisms, in prevention, in the development of antihypertensive drugs, and in approaches to treatment.

Your blood pressure depends on how much blood your heart is pumping, and how much resistance there is to blood flow in your arteries. The narrower your arteries, the higher your blood pressure.

What is normal blood pressure? Normal blood pressure means your systolic pressure is less than 120, or your diastolic pressure is less than 80, that would be 120/80 mm Hg.

If your numbers are above normal but under 130/80 mm Hg, you fall into the category of elevated blood pressure. This means that you are at risk for developing high blood pressure or prehypertension. This means your systolic pressure is between 120-139 or your diastolic pressure is between 80-89. That would be, for example, 130/89 mm Hg.

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If your number is higher than this, it means that you have developed either Stage 1 or Stage 2 high blood pressure. Stage 1 high blood pressure means your systolic pressure is between 140-159, or your diastolic pressure is between 90-99. Stage 2 high blood pressure means your systolic pressure is 160, or higher or your diastolic pressure is 100 or higher. People with diabetes should keep their blood pressure below 130/80.

How to reduce high blood pressure?

Blood pressure elevation is ignored by a large number of subjects in many countries, with the consequence that high blood pressure is not diagnosed and goes untreated.

Large studies, and among these particularly ‘VALUE’1 have demonstrated the risk associated with even minor delays in initiating treatment. Consequently, many guidelines recommend that diagnosis and starting treatment of hypertension should be carried out without undue delay.

If you suspect you have high blood pressure, do not make any delays and visit your doctor as soon as possible and start a treatment. Your doctor will likely take two to three blood pressure readings each at three or more separate appointments before diagnosing you with high blood pressure.

1 Julius S , Kjeldsen SE , Weber M et al. For the VALUE trial group. Outcomes in hypertensive patients at high cardiovascular risk treated with regimens based on valsartan or amlodipine: The VALUE randomized trial. Lancet 363 , 2022 – 2031 (2004).

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This is because blood pressure normally varies throughout the day, and it may be elevated during visits to the doctor. Your blood pressure generally should be measured in both arms to determine if there is a difference. It is important to use an appropriate-sized arm cuff.

Your doctor may ask you to record your blood pressure at home to provide additional information and confirm if you have high blood pressure.

If diagnosed with high blood pressure, you will be prescribed the medication as your regular treatment. Additionally, lifestyle changes can significantly reduce your numbers and achieve long-term results.

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Those include:

● Exercise ● Losing weight ● Cutting sugar and refined carbohydrates ● Stop smoking ● Eating more potassium and less sodium ● Stop drinking alcohol ● Reduce stress

It is of great importance to relieve stress with daily meditation or deep breathing sessions. Stress hormones constrict your blood vessels and can lead to temporary spikes in blood pressure.

Stress is an unavoidable part of life, but that does not mean you should ignore it. Too much untreated stress can cause potentially serious physical and mental health problems.

In addition, over time, stress can trigger unhealthy habits that put your cardiovascular health at risk. These might include overeating, poor sleep, and misusing drugs and alcohol.

As you can see, all of these things are closely related. For all these reasons, reducing stress should be a priority if you are looking to lower your blood pressure. The good news is that in many cases, stress is manageable.

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Living right is important; we all know that. If we have or develop a positive attitude toward taking a change of our living habits affects our state of health significantly.

As we can see, lifestyle and medications are very important in keeping your health at a higher level. However, there are also other ways you can use and implement in your daily life and benefit from it greatly.

In this book, we will present you with a number of easy-to-apply supplements that you can include in your daily diet, but you can also use them as ‘instant regulators’ of high blood pressure, and start gaining control of your blood pressure.

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On the other hand, if your blood pressure is already normal and you are anxious to keep it that way, the information we will present to you, will definitely be useful.

Lower high blood pressure with ginger

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Zingiber officinale or ginger belongs to the Zingiberaceae family, and is closely related to turmeric, cardamom and galangal. The rhizome (underground part of the stem) is the part commonly used as a spice. It is often called ginger root, or simply ginger. Ginger is a flowering plant that originated from China.

Ginger has a very long history of use in various forms of traditional/alternative medicine. It has been used to help digestion, reduce nausea and help fight the flu and common cold, high blood pressure, to name a few. Ginger can be used fresh, dried, powdered, or as an oil or juice, and is sometimes added to processed foods and cosmetics. It is a very common ingredient in recipes. The chemical compounds found in Ginger root may help reduce hypertension, or high blood pressure. What is so good about ginger is that it helps lowering blood pressure instantly! In many studies it has been shown

9 to improve blood circulation, and relax the muscles surrounding blood vessels, lowering blood pressure.

How to use it? The best and most simple way is to make a fresh ginger tea.

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Here’s how to do it:

1. Thinly slice your fresh ginger. You do not need to peel it first, but do rinse it and scrub off any visible dirt. Plan on using about a one-inch piece of ginger per cup of tea. 2. In a saucepan, combine the ginger with fresh water (use one cup of water per serving).

3. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. 4. Simmer for five minutes (or up to 10 minutes, if you want extra-strong tea).

5. Pour the tea through a fine sieve to catch all of the ginger. If desired, serve your tea with a thin round of lemon or orange for some complementary acidity. You might also appreciate a light drizzle of honey or maple syrup, which will temper the fiery ginger flavor.

What you can also do is add some cinnamon to it because cinnamon is a spice that has been proven to be effective in bringing blood pressure down.

You can also include more cinnamon in your diet by sprinkling it on your breakfast cereal, oatmeal, and even in your coffee. At dinner, cinnamon enhances the flavor of stir-fries, curries, and stews.

Including these two supplements into your daily diet can greatly contribute to your health.

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Lower High Blood Pressure with Cardamom

Elettaria cardamomum or cardamom is another herbal medicine that comes from India and is often used in Middle Eastern and Asian cuisine. It is a pungent spice that is native to South Asia.

In Indian recipes, whole cardamom pods are used in preparing basmati rice and various curries. In Middle Eastern recipes, ground cardamom spices certain desserts.

There are two main types of cardamom: black cardamom and green cardamom, and there is also white cardamom which is a bleached version of green cardamom.

Green cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) is known as true cardamom. This is the most common variety you will see sold in the spice aisle of the supermarket.

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Cardamom is one such spice, which is probably under-appreciated for its role in keeping blood pressure levels under check. There has been some research into the effects of cardamom consumption on the blood pressure levels of hypertension patients.

One particular study, published in the Indian Journal Of Biochemistry and Biophysics, found that daily consumption of cardamom in a dose of 1.5 gms twice in a day, led to a decrease in the systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressure in Stage-1 hypertensive patients, who were observed for a period of three months.

Also, a small study of 20 people investigating the health effects of cardamom found that participants with high blood pressure saw significant instant reductions in their blood pressure readings by consuming cardamom.

In another study where researchers gave 83 people with type 2 diabetes green cardamom, they all saw health benefits, including improved hemoglobin A1c and insulin levels, after ten weeks.

How to use it? Make a fresh cardamom tea. Cardamom tea is an herbal tea made from infusing the seeds or cardamom pods in hot water. Cardamom tea can be brewed as a hot tea or allowed to cool and enjoyed as an iced tea. All you need is: ● 2 cups water ● 4 cardamom pods

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Bring water to a boil in a tea kettle or in a small saucepan on the stove. 1. Add in the cardamom pods and turn the heat down to low. 2. Let the tea steep for 5 to 8 minutes. Drinking cardamom tea may also help maintain a healthy weight and improve weight loss results.

You can also add cardamom to your breakfast bowl or oats or any other healthy breakfast cereal. Just a pinch of cardamom can add both flavour and boost the health factor of your breakfast cereal bowl.

You may also add it to a number of hot beverages, including black tea, green tea or just add a pinch of it to warm water and sip on it, to reap its benefits. You may sprinkle some fresh cardamom powder on warm salads.

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You can find green cardamom sold as ground cardamom and whole cardamom pods in the spice section of the grocery store. Black cardamom is best found at an international specialty grocer, and you will find green cardamom there generally at a much better price than the usual supermarket.

Note: People with allergic reactions to any of the cardamom plants should avoid drinking this tea.

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Lower high blood pressure with garlic

Allium sativum or garlic is an herb that is grown around the world. Garlic has been used throughout the ages it was considered to play a great role in the prevention and treatment of disease. There are many records that evidence the potential benefits of garlic, and one of the earliest documented examples of plants employed for the treatment of disease and maintenance of health.

Garlic was in use at the beginning of recorded history and was found in Egyptian pyramids and ancient Greek temples. There are also references to garlic in all major holy books. Ancient medical texts from Egypt, Greece, Rome, China and India — each prescribed medical applications for garlic. In many cultures, garlic was administered to provide strength and increase work capacity for laborers.

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Hippocrates, the revered physician, who is also widely regarded as the father of Medicine, made garlic a part of his therapeutic armamentarium, advocating its use for pulmonary complaints, as a cleansing or purgative agent, and for abdominal growths, particularly uterine.

Today, garlic is widely used, both as a Medicine and in the kitchen. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), garlic seems to be able to reduce blood pressure by stimulating the production of nitric oxide, a compound that plays a key role in the widening of your blood vessels.

The analysis published in The Journal of Nutrition in 2016, showed that garlic supplements have the potential to lower blood pressure in hypertensive individuals, to regulate slightly elevated cholesterol concentrations, and to stimulate the immune system. Garlic supplements are highly tolerated and may be considered as a complementary treatment option for hypertension.

How to use it? A medical review notes that chopping or crushing fresh garlic cloves releases more allicin than using the cloves whole. However, chopped or crushed garlic can lose its allicin levels quickly. For maximum benefit, you will want to use fresh garlic as soon as possible.

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You can eat the chopped pieces of garlic alone, or you can put it in a glass of yogurt. The combination of these two will have even a better effect on lowering your blood pressure because yogurt is associated with lowering blood pressure and the risk of cardiovascular disease.

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Green Garlic Smoothie

● 1 cup baby spinach ● 1 medium zucchini, chopped ● ¼ cup parsley leaves ● 2 cloves garlic, peeled ● 2 cups water

Blend all the ingredients together

Lower high blood pressure with dark chocolate

A standard bar of dark chocolate with 70 percent to 85 percent cacao contains about 600 calories and 24 grams of sugar. The amount of cocoa solids in dark chocolate is important because it can be an indicator of the

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Research suggests consuming more dietary flavonoids is linked to a lower risk of coronary heart disease. Most dark chocolate is high in flavonoids, particularly a subtype called flavanols that is associated with a lower risk of heart disease. Some studies suggest chocolate or cocoa consumption is associated with a lower risk of insulin resistance and high blood pressure in adults. Satisfy a chocolate craving with this rich and creamy chocolate chia smoothie, perfect for breakfast, snack, or even a healthy dessert!

Cinnamon flecked chia pudding is layered with a thick peanut butter and a chocolate smoothie that is naturally sweetened with bananas.

Although it feels like a rich and decadent treat, it is packed with anti- inflammatory ingredients that also help lower blood sugar, like chia seeds, cinnamon, and cocoa powder. The recipe is diabetes friendly.

● ½ cup unsweetened almond milk ● 2 tablespoons chia seeds ● ½ teaspoon cinnamon ● 1 ½ medium frozen bananas, cut into chunks ● 1 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk ● 2 tablespoons cocoa powder ● 2 tablespoons peanut butter powder

Whisk together almond milk, chia seeds, and cinnamon. Let sit for at least 10 minutes for the chia seeds to swell and absorb the liquid.

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Combine the banana, almond milk, cocoa powder, and peanut butter powder in a blender. Puree until well combined.

Divide the chia pudding between two glasses. Top with the smoothie and serve immediately.

Lower high blood pressure with flax seeds

Flaxseeds are high in potassium. Hundred grams of flaxseeds contain 813 mg of potassium. Potassium helps negate the ill-effects of sodium. Potassium acts as a vasodilator and eliminates extra sodium through urine. Flaxseeds are also enriched with omega-3 fatty acids and fiber which is again crucial to

21 support heart health. It is said that fibre helps protect the layer of cells lining the blood vessels, which helps keep blood pressure levels in check.

Eating flax seeds regularly has been linked with lowered blood pressure. Several natural compounds in the seeds may contribute to this effect, so grind some up and add them to your next smoothie. Get the benefit of lowered blood pressure along with fiber and omega-3 fatty acids.

How to use it? You can put it into smoothies. Here are some easy recipes:

1. Spinach flax seed smoothie ● 1 cup liquid ● 2 tbsp flaxseed ● 1 peeled lemon, whole ● 1/4 cup cashew pieces ● 1 cup spinach ● 1/2 cup frozen strawberries

2. Banana flax seed smoothie

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● 1/2 frozen banana, peeled and cut into chunks ● 1 cup frozen strawberries ● 2 tbsp flax seed meal ● 1 cup low-fat vanilla soy milk ● Add all ingredients to list

1. Strawberry banana flax seed smoothie

● 2 bananas ● 1 cup frozen strawberries ● 4 tablespoons flax seeds1 cup almond milk ● 3 almonds

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Lower high blood pressure with these drinks

Researchers say hibiscus tea has anthocyanins and other antioxidants that may help blood vessels resist damage that can cause them to narrow. Many herbal tea blends contain hibiscus, which brews up bright red and delivers a tart flavor. According to the study authors, you have to drink quite a bit: they recommend three cups a day. To get the full benefits, steep for six minutes before sipping it hot or cold.

Loaded with potassium and other heart-healthy nutrients, pomegranate juice has three times the antioxidant activity of green tea or red wine. It is no surprise, then, that a 2017 review of clinically sound studies found that regularly drinking pomegranate juice can significantly reduce blood pressure. In one of the studies, drinking

24 pomegranate juice improved systolic blood pressure regardless of how many weeks participants drank it.

The most popular vinegar in the natural health community is the apple cider vinegar. There are a plethora of benefits that this nature's elixir encompasses in it. Loaded with potassium, it pushes out excess sodium and toxins from the body. The presence of rennin enzymes causes the blood pressure to reduce. You could mix apple cider vinegar with some honey in a glass of water and drink it in the morning.

Lemon water makes the blood vessels soft and flexible, further lowering blood pressure. A glassful of lemon water every morning can help regulate blood pressure levels. Starting the day with a glass of lemon water can do wonders to your overall health and fitness.

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Lowering blood pressure with berries

Berries are full of more than just juicy flavor. They are also packed with polyphenols, natural plant compounds that are good for your heart.

One small study had middle-aged people eat berries for eight weeks. Participants experienced improvements in different markers of heart health, including blood pressure.

Another study assigned people with high blood pressure to a low-polyphenol diet or a high-polyphenol diet containing berries, chocolate, fruits and vegetables. Those consuming berries and polyphenol-rich foods experienced improved markers of heart disease risk.

Bottomline: Berries are rich in polyphenols, which can help lower blood pressure and the overall risk of heart disease. Lower high blood pressure with leafy greens

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Potassium helps your kidneys get rid of more sodium through your urine. This in turn lowers your blood pressure.

Leafy greens, which are high in potassium, include:

● romaine lettuce ● arugula ● kale ● turnip greens ● collard greens ● spinach ● beet greens ● Swiss chard

Frozen vegetables hold as many nutrients as fresh vegetables, and they’re easier to store. You can also blend these veggies with bananas and nut milk for a healthy, sweet green juice.

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Quick fixes

Apple cider vinegar

Loaded with potassium it pushes out excess sodium and toxins from the body. The presence of rennin enzymes causes the blood pressure to reduce.

Mix apple cider vinegar with some honey in a glass of water and drink it.

Lemon water

It is known to make the blood vessels soft and flexible, further lowering blood pressure. Lemon water contains vitamin C, which acts as an antioxidant, removing free-radicals from the body. A glassful of lemon water every morning can help regulate blood pressure levels.

Fenugreek water

Methi or fenugreek water is high in fibre, which helps in controlling your blood pressure. Drinking fenugreek water every morning on an empty stomach may help keep your blood pressure in check.

Chia seeds infused water

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Chia seeds are said to be high in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to work as a blood thinner and may reduce blood pressure. Soak chia seeds in water for half an hour and drink the water. Repeat the process daily for a month for effective results.

Coconut water

If you are suffering from hypertension it is very important that you stay well hydrated. Make sure to drink coconut water as well as regular water. It is tasty, nutritious and helps lower and control hypertension levels. Take coconut water regularly for the best results. You can also opt to cook using coconut oil instead of regular cooking oil.

Concoction Ingredients ● Mint leaves (a bowl) ● Coriander leaves (a bowl) ● Amla (4-5 deseeded) ● Water (one cup)

Blend all of the ingredients and drink it up.

Make sure you consult your doctor before adding these drinks to your daily diet as taking medications and drinking these beverages simultaneously may significantly drop your blood pressure levels.

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CONCLUSION

Although, the real cause of hypertension remains unknown, the fact is that anyone can develop it. Symptoms are not always there; however, it can get so severe, leading to dangerous illnesses, and even death.

This is the reason why it is called ‘The silent killer’. Therefore it is very important not to make any delays and visit your doctor as soon as possible and start treatment.

High blood pressure is often a state following other illnesses like diabetes, so it is very important to check your blood pressure regularly if you have any type of diabetes, if you are overweight, or exposed to stress daily.

If diagnosed with high blood pressure, you will be prescribed the medication as your regular treatment. However, lifestyle changes can significantly reduce your numbers.

These changes include exercise, losing weight, cutting sugar and refined carbohydrates, stopping smoking, eating more potassium and less sodium, stopping drinking alcohol, and reducing stress.

On the other hand, there is a great number of herbal supplements that you can include in your daily diet, but you can also use them as ‘instant regulators’ of high blood pressure, and start gaining control of your blood pressure.

We presented you with some of the most effective like ginger, cardamom, and garlic.

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References:

1. Julius S , Kjeldsen SE , Weber M et al. For the VALUE trial group. Outcomes in hypertensive patients at high cardiovascular risk treated with regimens based on valsartan or amlodipine: The VALUE randomized trial. Lancet 363 , 2022 – 2031 (2004).

2. Moyers, S. (1996) History of garlic. Garlic in Health, History and World Cuisine :1–36 Suncoast Press St. Petersburg, FL.

3. The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 146, Issue 2, February 2016, Pages 389S–396S, https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.114.202192

4. Buendia JR, Li Y, Hu FB et al. Long-term yogurt consumption and risk of incident hypertension in adults. J Hypertens. 2018;36:1671-1679.

5. Tabassum, Nahida, and Feroz Ahmad. “Role of natural herbs in the treatment of hypertension.” Pharmacognosy reviews vol. 5,9 (2011): 30-40. doi:10.4103/0973-7847.79097

6. Kwok CS, Boekholdt SM, Lentjes MAH, et alHabitual chocolate consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease among healthy men and women Heart 2015;101:1279-1287