One of the first and absolutely the most effective home remedies is to reduce or eliminate stress.

Just taking off 10% of your weight can significantly lower BP. Reducing your daily salt consumption may help. Most things will take some time. The only thing that may work right away is medication. Exercise and good eating habits and no smoking!
Good luck! I was once on BP meds but lost weight and quit smoking. Now my BP is normal and I'm no longer on meds.

A blood pressure test is NOT one you want to cram for. If you or a loved one's blood pressure is high, it's better to have it identified and properly treated than to do some quick fix that will temporarily bring it down. What happens after that? it will shoot right up, afterwards.

The ONLY things that are going to work are longterm solutions: prescribed blood pressure medication, and/or lifestyle changes that include revising your diet and adding appropriate exercise. Any changes you make to address your blood pressure issues will need to be ongoing, NOT something you do for a few days before having your pressure taken. AND blood pressure tends to creep up as we age--so even if you do get it down a bit, do keep having it monitored.

I personally strongly recommend letting your dr. prescribe medication, if he feels it's appropriate. I've been taking BP med for over 40 years, with no ill effects and with the great result that my blood pressure is completely controlled. I'm in my 60's now. My mother's ancesters ALL suffered strokes at a very early age--my grandmother died at age 52 from one. My mother and aunt were diagnosed and treated with meds for high bp--and both lived into their late 80's. I expect to do the same.

There's nothing wrong, IMO, with taking medication for something you need them for. Especially when they can be the difference between life and death.

Weight loss, exercise and serious reduction in sodium consumption.

Ashli, here is a site I look at often. Nothing wrong with trying a home remedy to see if it works before going on a prescription drug. Let us know if you find something that works!

Here is a link that might be useful: Blood pressure cures

I've had high BP since I was in my 30s, was never overweight, never smoked. I've been on meds for it all this time, and I'm grateful to have them.

I'd rather have the professionals evaluate it and make recommendations to take care of it than risk a stroke while fooling around trying to control it at home.

There's nothing wrong with taking the medications.

garlic

cut out ALL salt

see your doc

I've also had high bp since my thirties. Losing weight helped and then they found a tumor in my adrenal gland...all was well for five years and then they found a tumor in my kidney..so far so good. I'm gettin' too old to die young

Are you still smoking? (per google previous postings) and why do you not want to go to the Dr. to get checked out to make sure that is it.

Exercise, even if you just walk around the block. You don't have to power walk, walk 5 miles, just walk. Do it every day. You want help asap? Go for a walk RIGHT NOW!
LOL! Really!

As others have said, don't fear BP meds. They can be very helpful and may save your life. Be smart, see a doctor. You can do all the home remedies mentioned above and take BP drugs--it's that important to keep it under control. And use a home monitor to keep track of what is going on.

Just a note about salt--it is generlly recommended, of course, that anyone with high BP eliminate all sodium.

However, the fact is only 10-15 percent of the population is salt-sensitive. The rest can eat it WITHOUT having it detrimentally affect their blood pressure. It's just easier for the medical community to tell everyone to cut it out, rather than go to the trouble to determine who needs to, who doesn't have to. I eliminated as much sodium as possible (you can never get rid of it all--it even occurs naturally in vegetables) for years after my diagnosis. Got tired of eating bland foods and started using salt again--and it made NO DIFFERENCE WHATSOEVER in my readings. Mind you, there are other health conditions where salt is a definitely no-no.

Note--I'm NOT advocating going against your dr's recommendations, just that you may want to ask some extra questions. And just letting you know, so you're not shocked if eliminating salt from your diet doesn't seem to have any effect on your BP readings--that just means you're in the majority of the population.

Thank you all for responding....
I've just been a plain coward when it comes to
seeing a doctor. Makes me jittery to think about it.
Lydia, thanks for the web site...I'm on my way to read it now.

Exercise always helps ... : )

A lot depends on how high your blood pressure is. They've revised acceptable blood pressure upward in the later years too. You can do a lot by something as simple as deep breathing, empty your mind or go to a "happy spot". Close your eyes and relax. I've dropped my pressure a lot doing that simple little technique. It eliminates stress. Plus controlling stress as mentioned. Learn to accept that you can't control certain things and worrying about things you can't control does nothing to help you. Accept it and move on.

Diet isn't just salt. Eating a "better" diet can help some people.

Occasionally meds are needed but I believe they're needed far less than many people want to believe. Again, the level of your blood pressure might not be as bad as you think. Some people are natural pill-poppers and doctors accommodate the poppers. When you realize that more people die from prescription drugs than do from car accidents, it says something IMO.

Hope you relax a bit. Take in more oxygen. You'll note recommendations to exercise and the like? What does that get you to do? Breathe in more oxygen.

I fully understand the fear of doctors. I've had the panic attacks and more. The blood pressure usually rings bells when I walk in but after some breathing, self assurance and relaxation techniques, they're usually quite surprised at the drop when they check it again.

You might also consider biofeedback. I know some people who say it's great. Essentially you work on relaxing and watch the monitors to see what works for you. I never tried it but as I said, I know some people who say it was great in developing a relaxation technique and stay away from the pill pushers.

Don't be afraid to see your doctor about it. If you need help controlling your BP, be glad that you have it...a lot of people don't have access to care.

If your doctor says it is high, she might recommend getting a home monitor and watching it daily at home. Your pressure may go down when you relax for a bit, but that may not last more than a few minutes...it changes constantly throughout the day.

I'm not a pill popper at all, but I've learned over the last 30-something years that no matter what I do, my BP is not controlled by anything that I do at home. When I've been taken off BP meds in the past, my BP has always gone back up as soon as I'm off the medications.

Some people can control it without medications, but many cannot. It's best to know what's going on with your BP so you can find a way to control it.

Your doctor is your friend. :)

If you follow the latest research, a low sodium diet is contradicted for many people. The best thing to do would be to see your health care provider for advice.

Tons of produce, whole wheat, avoid meat, dairy and processed foods. Works for me.

Lots of good advice and I agree with Azzalea about the salt.....I have high BP that is controlled with a water pill...I also have heart problems and need other meds for that....
My dear late mother had very, very high BP and if they brought it down, it made her ill...She was also a nurse and knew how high her pressure could be without being dangerous....When she was about 75 she got a bad case of the flu and was taken to the ER and right away, they gave her a shot to bring the BP down and she in turn had a stroke....So, there are people that have high BP and it's their makeup while others it's dangerous...
It is best to be checked and rechecked...Alot of time, people will have that "white coat syndrom" and it will spike the BP.....

Be very careful about lowering your sodium intake.
I have fluctuating blood pressure, and it will go high under stress. Plus, I'm about 30 lbs overweight.

Last year, I was admitted to a local ER, having trouble breathing. My BP was very high, and I was barely conscious.
DH gave DRs the names of my physicians, especially my cardiologist(all who have in their files the fact that I have a problem with low sodium).

They ignored me and DH, never called my own Drs, Diagnosed me with congestive heart failure, and almost killed me - trying all sorts of drugs to "control" my BP.

BTW - The real, eventual diagnosis, was a lung disease called Sarcoidosis - not heart failure.

Ashli, if this is a sudden onset of high blood pressure problems, then you are going to have to go see a Doctor. If it's an ongoing problem you still need to see a Physician to determine what the underlying problem might be.

My oldest child had to have surgery to correct an aortic valve when he was 17, he started having really high blood pressure when he turned 11 and it took that long to find the problem, but he would have died without this surgery so I'm very grateful for seeing a doctor who knew what to do. My point is that we would never have known about this without the doctor's help.

I'm not trying to scare you but you have to know that if your blood pressure gets up too high you could have a stroke or worse, and you don't want to have to deal with that so just try not to panic and go see a doctor. Take a list of questions you might have with you and ask him about all of your concerns including if you might be a candidate for holistic treatment. You never know unless you ask.

SunnyDJ, you are entirely right that RAPIDLY bringing down the blood pressure of someone with high or very high blood pressure is a mistake and can cause a stroke. Their body has become accustomed to needing that high or very high blood pressure to perfuse vital organs. However, that does not mean that it's ok to have high or very high blood pressure. End organ damage as a result WILL occur. What it means is that blood pressure needs to be SLOWLY brought down, and that takes judicious use of medications, frequently taking and recording of blood pressure readings, and time and patience. There is no such thing as having high blood pressure that is not dangerous.

I'm sorry that your late mother had a stroke. Unfortunately, if someone comes into an ER with a BP of 200/100 (or whatever is normal high for them) it will be treated and brought down to "normal". That normal may not be right for that person, though.

A few years ago my DH was admitted to the hospital because his bp was dangerously high. It had to be brought down very slowly and was monitored daily at home and weekly with his doctor. Thank goodness for the BP meds because he is now in the normal range.

If you are looking for a quick home remedy fix, there isn't one. BP isn't something to fool around with, it's called the silent killer for a reason. My advice is to see your doctor who will determine the best plan of action. With the help of BP meds and a healthy diet and exercise, over time you may be able to decrease the meds or possibly eliminate them all together.

Take care!

My blood pressure was high, and had high colesterol. I am 52 and 1 1/2 yrs. ago I had a stroke. Trust me you do not want that to happen.
Please go to your Doctor.

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