The use of natural nutrients and herbal remedies can be an effective and safe complementary approach to help lower blood pressure when included as part of your overall prevention and management program. Although taking an herbal remedy, vitamin, or other natural supplement won’t cure your high blood pressure, it may help reduce or even eliminate your need for harsh blood pressure medications, with their side effects, especially if you have adopted other lifestyle changes like those discussed in this book.
Naturally, you should always discuss your desire to use natural supplements with your health-care providers and ask them or other knowledgeable professionals to help you choose those that would be best for your needs. Many natural supplements for managing high blood pressure are also beneficial for related conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, so you may want to choose supplements that can offer you the most advantages overall. Whatever you do, never start a supplement program without first consulting your doctor.
Why? Your doctor cannot accurately and effectively monitor your progress in lowering your blood pressure if he or she does not know all the substances you are taking that can have an impact on your pressure. This is true in all cases, and especially if you have other medical problems for which you are being treated. Nutrients and herbal remedies are not benign substances: they can have a significant and beneficial effect on your health. After all, that’s why you take them, right?
If you have a doctor who resists or flat out refuses to discuss or consider supplements or other complementary approaches, you have several choices. One, you can look for another doctor who is open to complementary medicine. Fortunately, it is getting much easier to find such physicians, as more and more doctors integrate alternative treatments into their practices. Hopefully he or she will be part of your insurance plan if you have health insurance. Two, you can go outside of your insurance plan and consult another doctor. Or three, you can give up the battle. However, many patients find they can find satisfaction using either of the first two choices.
That said; let’s take a look at the nutritional and herbal supplements that have been shown to have a positive impact on blood pressure. It’s important to remember that just because a supplement is natural does not mean it is entirely safe. Nutritional and herbal supplements can have potent effects, and so respect their powers. Use them as directed by a knowledgeable professional, and make sure all your health-care providers (including any outside of your insurance plan) are aware of ail the treatments you are using to lower your blood pressure or for any other health condition, because nutritional and herbal supplements can interact with each other, as they can with medications as well.
