DO YOU RECALL YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE: HERE ARE HERBS THAT REGULATE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE?

Those with both parents suffering from high blood pressure, have 60-80% possibility that one or two of their children might inherit or have the tendency to develop high blood pressure.This is backed by the recent news on Pfizer, the pharmaceutical company. On the 17th May, World Hypertension Day was observed around the globe to raise awareness of hypertension among people. Apart from raising awareness, the day also educates people about the health issues caused due to hypertension such as kidney failure, stroke and heart attack.

Pfizer recalls its blood pressure drug called Accupril (Quinapril HCL) over recent findings, that too much exposure to this drug may increase the cancer risk in people taking this drug.

It is strongly recommended that you speak to your doctor to help you switch away from any medication with the word ending with pril because it may contain similar active ingredients as found in the Pfizer drug Accupril. 

According to the United Nations, the condition affects over 1.28 billion adults worldwide.  A lot of people are being misdiagnosed or labelled with hypertension because of inaccurate measurement of blood pressure reading. Some nurses or nursing aides consistently measure blood pressure inaccurately, thereby misguiding doctors to prescribe anti-hypertensive drugs to patient who have no apparent cause to the condition in the first place.

Here are some poor blood pressure measurement techniques which transforms a patient with normal blood pressure into a high blood pressure patient.

1. Not allowing the patient to rest for a minimal 25 minutes (as against the international   recommendation of 3-5mins of resting) may increase the blood pressure by 10-35mmHg.

2. Not allowing the patient to rest his or her back on the chair or sit comfortably may increase their blood pressure reading to by about 6.5mmHg

3. Taking their blood pressure when the patient’s bladder is filled with urine, can increase your blood pressure by 10mmHg

4. Using a cuff too small for the patient’s arm may increase blood pressure reading by 2-10mmHg

5. Not supporting the arm on which the blood pressure is being measured may increase blood pressure by about 10mmHg

There is a saying that “an informed patient is an asset to his doctor” it is important you know your own baseline blood pressure measurement. Now this is critical to diagnosis, whether your hypertension is secondary hypertension caused by underlying disease such as diabetes or high cholesterol diets.

Also, high intake of salt and seasoning containing sodium or potassium chloride(which is another language for salt) may increase your risk to hypertension.   

Another type of hypertension, called essential hypertension is very common among age demographic 30 and above, in both male and female. Essential hypertension has no apparent cause, but it is usually linked to the person state of mind. Now mental attitudes, i.e. negative attitudes to life, envy anxiety, excessive worrying makes you prone to getting essential hypertension.

How can you use herbs to prevent and manage essential hypertension high blood pressure? without getting prescribed high blood pressure drugs. One effective herb for hypertension is called Sandpaper leaf or Ficus Asperifolia. Either fresh or dried tea leaves can do the job.  

Another everyday herb is the hibiscus flower again super easy to brew. Just a cup full of the dried flower to 500ml of water to get the full recipe and dosage.

This treatment will work best for blood pressure range of 135/70mmHg or 140/90mmHg.  A blood pressure of 150/90mmHg or 150/100mmHg is considered severely high and needs further treatment including diet and other lifestyle excess modification.

Many African nations use different plant medicines for  treatment. If one doesn’t work, they use another plant medicine which doesn’t have any SIDE EFFECTS. “To prevent and reduce the prevalence of hypertension, we must not over look our traditional African medicinal plants especially the bitter alkaline herbs that have been in use for centuries before modern medicine.” If you have any questions, please shoot an email or comment in the comment section.