If you suffer from hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure, your doctor may recommend a drug or supplement, along with certain lifestyle changes, to assist you in treating your hypertension. However, with so many treatment options available, many of which are advertized as a new “miracle cure” for hypertension, which are the safest and most effective?
Researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center have been conducting ongoing clinical studies in hopes of answering that exact question. To date, they have determined that certain non-drug treatments are indeed effective, while others may provide no benefit or even worsen the condition of your blood pressure levels or other aspects of your health. Additional treatments, currently under evaluation, require more research before their effects can be fully understood.
Suffering from Hypertension? Try These Techniques and Approaches
For individuals that are suffering, at varying degrees of severity, from hypertension, there are several options available to consider. This being said, it is important to take the time to thoroughly consider the various options, consult your medical physician, and make an informed decision. Below are a variety of common approaches used to combat hypertension:
Improving Your Lifestyle
When a patient is found to have hypertension, their doctor typically begins by suggesting a battery of healthy lifestyle modifications designed to reduce blood pressure levels. The most common non-drug recommendations typically include dietary modifications, increased levels of aerobic exercise, and a reduction in alcohol consumption.
According to Dr. Kevin Woolf, a cardiologist who helped lead the studies published in the Journal of Clinical Hypertension, dietary modifications are the best way of treating hypertension without using drugs or supplements.
He said that the DASH diet, a low-sodium dietary regimen that stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, was found to be highly effective after extensive study. The DASH diet encourages minimizing sodium intake while increasing the consumption of low-fat dairy, vegetables, fruits and whole grains.
Supplements can Help
The aforementioned studies also examined the efficacy of several different dietary supplements, including those with primary ingredients such as soy protein, fish oil, vitamin D, calcium and garlic. The study concluded that supplements with coenzyme Q10 and/or potassium resulted in the most drastic effects when it came to lowering an individual’s blood pressure.
The researchers were quick to point out that both coenzyme Q10 and potassium required more research before their effects could be quantified more precisely, though both were superior to a placebo in treating hypertension. Woolf said that there’s little current evidence supporting the effectiveness of the other aforementioned supplements, but that their consumption wouldn’t result in any negative health consequences.
Be Wary of Herbal Supplements to Treat Hypertension
Unfortunately, Woolf’s research also concluded that a variety of all-natural herbal supplements commonly advertised for their efficacy in treating hypertension may be virtually useless, even potentially harmful. After studying forskolin, mistletoe and hawthorne, the researchers found no links between those herbs and high blood pressure. Woolf said that some herbs, such as mistletoe, could be dangerous when ingested in high concentrations.
Worse yet were certain supplements such as licorice, ephedra and St. Johns Wort. Despite being available over-the-counter and advertised as effective in the battle against hypertension, researchers said that these supplements actually increased blood pressure.
New Devices May Offer Help
New medical devices including the Symplicity catheter and the Rheos device have recently been brought to market as effective ways of treating high blood pressure. Both devices are surgically implanted into the body, and lower blood pressure by stimulating nerves. Other devices are simpler: the Zona Plus is little more than hand grips designed to be squeezed by hypertension patients, while a device known as the RESPeRATE uses a respiration sensor and headphones to help users slow their breathing rate and subsequently drop their blood pressure.
Woolf said that it’s too early to tell whether the Symplicity and Rheos devices provide any benefits, though both are currently undergoing clinical trials. He noted that the efficacy of the other two devices has yet to be confirmed as well, though using either shouldn’t result in any negative health effects.
Listen to Your Doctor
Dr. Ralph Sacco, the American Heart Association’s former president and current University of Miami Miller School of Medicine neurology chairman, said that lifestyle modifications involving diet and exercise are indeed effective ways of treating high blood pressure.
However, he said that those wishing to forgo the use of hypertension drugs entirely would probably need to combine several different lifestyle modifications in order to achieve the desired effects. For example, a patient might simultaneously start an exercise routine, reduce sodium in their diet, and begin a potassium supplement regimen.
Sacco stressed that prescription drugs may be a necessity for patients with severe hypertension, even when several lifestyle changes are undertaken. On the other hand, he said that taking blood pressure medication does not give you a free pass to neglect diet, exercise, and other important aspects of your health, as doing so could effectively prevent the prescription meds from achieving their intended effect.
Ultimately, the researchers agreed that it’s best to follow the advice of your doctor as closely as possible when it comes to treating high blood pressure.
How to Treat Hypertension: The Bottom Line
If you’re suffering from high blood pressure, there’s good news: medical researchers are actively investigating ways to combat hypertension, and the latest studies show that a variety of lifestyle modifications related to diet and exercise can provide welcome assistance to standard prescription pill regimens.
Certain natural supplements such as potassium and coenzyme Q10 can help as well, though many herbal supplements may do more harm than good. New anti-hypertension medical devices are being introduced steadily as well, though more research is required before their role in treating high blood pressure is fully understood.
