A whopping 16 million Americans still have out-of-control blood pressure, even with BP medication. The true approach to lowering blood pressure isn’t what most people think. Try this simple step and get triple the benefits, all without resorting to pills.
Story at a Glance
- Nearly half of American adults have high blood pressure (hypertension), which increases your risk for stroke, heart failure, sexual dysfunction, vision loss, heart attack, kidney disease, and kidney failure.
- Elevated insulin and leptin levels are typically the cause of hypertension, so implementing strategies to normalize these levels is the first step to resolving hypertension. In addition to checking your blood pressure, check your fasting insulin level. A healthy level to strive for is about 2 μU/mL or 3 μU/mL.
- To address high blood pressure, be sure to swap out processed foods for whole foods. Also, consider going organic. Foods notorious for causing blood pressure to rise that should be avoided include processed foods, most grains, partially hydrogenated oils (synthetic trans fats), and seed oils (aka vegetable oils) such as corn, canola, soy, and safflower oils.
- Keep an eye on your sodium-to-potassium and omega-3-to-omega-6 ratios. Also, optimize your vitamin D level, ideally through regular sun exposure.
- Exercise regularly, making sure you include isometric (static contraction) exercises such as wall squats and planking, and learn how to effectively address day-to-day stress. One effective stress management tool is the Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT).
High blood pressure increases your risk for a number of serious health problems, including stroke, heart failure, sexual dysfunction, vision loss, heart attack, kidney disease, and kidney failure.2
