Do you have high blood pressure? So many Americans are dealing with high blood pressure and they're looking for natural solutions. I'm Dr. Mark Stengler, a naturopathic medical doctor practicing for over 30 years. In this video, I'm going to go over some of the best natural treatments for high blood pressure and also give you an understanding what is really occurring in the body in terms of high blood pressure. Now, your body has ways to control blood pressure. There's many different systems that are integrated to help you deal with blood pressure and so we can treat the root causes of blood pressure by working on these systems which become overbalanced. First, let's talk about being overweight or obese because that's an issue that has to be addressed for blood pressure control. And we know the research has shown that about 78% of hypertension, the typical type of hypertension called essential hypertension in men and 65% in women is due to obesity. So, in addition to the heart having to work harder, the blood vessels are under greater stress. Moreover, you have increased body fat which elevates blood pressure because of these mechanisms that are going on. In addition, when you have excess body fat, that's a major contributor to insulin resistance, cardiometabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes, all of which with the spiking in insulin, the insulin resistance, and the inflammation that occurs elevate blood pressure. So, dramatic weight loss often results in a substantial reduction in blood pressure. So, this is why it's critical if you have high blood pressure, probably your main focus needs to be on reducing your weight and there's many different ways you can do that. Now, beyond that, there are a lot of good studies on the types of diets that can help manage hypertension. One of the most well-studied dietary strategies is to reduce sodium intake while increasing potassium-rich foods and that combination really works well. And this includes what's known as the DASH diet which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Diet. This diet focuses on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fish, poultry, beans, nuts, and seeds as well as vegetable oils while restricting foods high in saturated fats such as full-fat dairy products. The DASH diet also limits sweets and sugar-sweetened beverages. The target amount of potassium from food is 4,700 mg daily and 1,500 mg daily of sodium. The other diet to consider is the Mediterranean diet which has also been shown to help regulate blood pressure. And so you can see with the standard American diet, the amount of potassium tends to be way too low and certainly sodium levels are three to four times too high. Now, let's talk about exercise which is also critical for those with high blood pressure. Both aerobic and resistance exercise can reduce blood pressure. A general recommendation is to do moderate-intensity aerobic exercise for at least 30 minutes at least three days per week or resistance exercise for two to three days per week. Exercise reduces blood pressure through several mechanisms including a reduction in your heart output, decreased nervous system activity, reduced blood vessel resistance, and other mechanisms. Some people have constant nervous stimulation that causes hypertension. Stress reduction techniques are important for naturally lowering blood pressure. There are many stress reduction techniques that can be helpful. Now, research has shown that older adults who frequently prayed or studied the Bible daily or more often had lower blood pressure. Another way to reduce blood pressure is to use devices that monitor slow, deep breathing. So again, find a stress reduction technique that works well for you and be consistent with it. Things that relax the nervous system that go beyond exercise and proper sleep are very important for many people in regulating their blood pressure. Also, you want to identify and treat toxin levels that can lead to high blood pressure such as lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury have been studied. And there's different chelation treatments that can be done with supplements such as glutathione, supporting the liver with supplements like milk thistle, N-acetylcysteine, alpha-lipoic acid, using chelating agents such as EDTA, and fiber supplementation. There's also prescription chelating agents and intravenous chelating agents which your integrative doctor can use if you need a more aggressive protocol. Now, let's get into the nutritional supplements which can help lower blood pressure. The enzyme nattokinase can lower blood pressure at a daily dose of 2,000 fibrinolytic units per day or FU units. Also, aged garlic extract have been shown in several studies to lower blood pressure. A typical dose is 1,200 mg daily. Hibiscus can lower blood pressure at doses higher than 1 g per day. Also, consider the supplement Pycnogenol, an extract from pine bark. And that's been shown in studies to reduce blood pressure at doses of 100 to 200 mg daily. Often, I use the supplement or the herbal extract hawthorn. And that's been shown in a meta-analysis of six studies to reduce systolic blood pressure by almost seven points millimeters per mercury at a daily dose of 250 to 1,200 mg daily. Also, I highly recommend CoQ10 at doses about 200 mg a day. That has been shown in 26 studies to reduce systolic blood pressure by about five points. And lastly, calcium and magnesium have been shown to reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Typical doses are calcium 500 mg, magnesium 250 to 400 mg daily. So, really with high blood pressure, you want to address the weight, address the insulin resistance, address the ongoing stress which can be elevating your blood pressure, make sure you don't have those toxins, especially the toxic metals which can be causing dysfunction in your blood vessels, and take the more well-studied supplements to lower your blood pressure. If you're on medication, make sure that you're being monitored by your doctor, that your blood pressure's being regulated properly if using medications and supplements. And whatever you're doing, make sure you're monitoring your blood pressure on a fairly regular basis so you can make sure what you're doing is working. Well, I hope you found that video helpful. You can look for other videos on blood pressure, cardiovascular health, and all the common conditions on my YouTube channel. If you're looking for high-quality nutritional supplements, see my website drstengler.com. Well, it was good being with you and I'll see you soon.
