Blood pressure is a marker of vascular, or blood vessel, health and function. It is important to control your blood pressure, as long-term elevated blood pressure may lead to significant health problems including heart disease and stroke. Various dietary supplements have long been used to help control blood pressure, but supplements should always be used judiciously and under the supervision of a skilled health care professional.
Blood Pressure Problems
In most cases, blood pressure problems cause no warning signs. You may not know you have high blood pressure, or hypertension, until you visit your family doctor for a routine physical or check-up. Over time, high blood pressure may cause your heart to increase in size and beat less efficiently. Risk factors associated with high blood pressure include insufficient physical activity, being overweight, eating too much salt, drinking too much alcohol and having a family history of this condition.
Blook Pressure Controlling Supplements
Dietary supplements, including herbal and non-herbal supplements, are a time-tested approach to the management of high blood pressure. Not all supplements, however, have been subjected to rigorous clinical studies to examine their efficacy. According to Joseph Pizzorno, a naturopathic physician and author of "The Clinician's Handbook of Natural Medicine," some of the most helpful blood pressure controlling supplements may be vitamin C, vitamin E, magnesium, garlic, hawthorn, flaxseed oil and high-potency multiple vitamins and minerals.
Featured Dietary Supplement
Magnesium is required by every organ in your body, including your heart, kidneys and muscles. Nutrition researcher Phyllis A. Balch, author of "Prescription for Nutritional Healing," believes that magnesium deficiency may be one of the leading causes of cardiovascular conditions such as high blood pressure, sudden cardiac arrest and fatal cardiac arrhythmias. This mineral may also be helpful in treating asthma, diabetes, depression, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome and fibromyalgia.
Disclaimer
Because blood pressure can lead to serious health problems over time, you should discuss the most effective treatment options with your health care practitioner. Before using dietary supplements to help lower your blood pressure, understand the risks, side effects and potential drug interactions that may occur with their use.
References
- British Heart Foundation: Blood Pressure
- Australian Heart Foundation: Blood Pressure
- "The Clinician's Handbook of Natural Medicine"; Joseph E. Pizzorno, Jr., N.D.; 2002
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Magnesium; Steven D. Ehrlich, NMD
- "Prescription for Nutritional Healing"; Phyllis A. Balch, CNC; 2010
