10 ways to control high blood pressure without medication

10 ways to control high blood pressure without medication

1. Lose extra pounds and watch your waistline

Blood pressure often increases as weight increases. Losing just 10 pounds can help reduce your blood pressure. In general, the more weight you lose, the lower your blood pressure. Losing weight also makes any blood pressure medications you're taking more effective. You and your doctor can determine your target weight and the best way to achieve it.

Besides shedding pounds, you should also keep an eye on your waistline. Carrying too much weight around your waist can put you at greater risk of high blood pressure. In general:

§         Men are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 40 inches (102 centimeters,                or cm).

§         Women are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 35 inches (88 cm).

§         Asian men are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 36 inches (90 cm).

§         Asian women are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 32 inches (80 cm).

2. Exercise regularly

Regular physical activity — at least 30 to 60 minutes most days of the week — can lower your blood pressure by 4 to 9 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). And it doesn't take long to see a difference. If you haven't been active, increasing your exercise level can lower your blood pressure within just a few weeks.

If you have prehypertension (systolic pressure between 120 and 139 or diastolic pressure between 80 and 89), exercise can help you avoid developing full-blown hypertension. If you already have hypertension, regular physical activity can bring your blood pressure down to safer levels.

Talk to your doctor about developing an exercise program. Your doctor can help determine whether you need any exercise restrictions. Even moderate activity for 10 minutes at a time, such as walking and light strength training, can help.

But avoid being a "weekend warrior." Trying to squeeze all your exercise in on the weekends to make up for weekday inactivity isn't a good strategy. Those sudden bursts of activity could actually be risky.

3. Eat a healthy diet

Eating a diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products and skimps on saturated fat and cholesterol can lower your blood pressure by up to 14 mm Hg. This eating plan is known as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet.

It isn't easy to change your eating habits, but with these tips, you can adopt a healthy diet:

§         Keep a food diary. Writing down what you eat, even for just a week, can shed surprising light on your true eating habits. Monitor what you eat, how much, when and why.

§         Consider boosting potassium. Potassium can lessen the effects of sodium on blood pressure. The best source of potassium is food, such as fruits and vegetables, rather than supplements. Talk to your doctor about the potassium level that's best for you.

§         Be a smart shopper. Make a shopping list before heading to the supermarket to avoid picking up junk food. Read food labels when you shop, and stick to your healthy-eating plan when you're dining out, too.

§         Cut yourself some slack. Although the DASH diet is a lifelong eating guide, it doesn't mean you have to cut out all of the foods you love. It's OK to treat yourself occasionally to foods you wouldn't find on a DASH diet menu, like a candy bar or mashed potatoes with gravy.

4. Reduce sodium in your diet

Even a small reduction in the sodium in your diet can reduce blood pressure by 2 to 8 mm Hg. Most healthy adults need only between 1,500 and 2,400 milligrams (mg) of sodium a day. But if you have high blood pressure, aim for less than 1,500 mg of sodium a day.

To decrease sodium in your diet, consider these tips:

§         Track how much salt is in your diet. Keep a food diary to estimate how much sodium is in what you eat and drink each day.

§         Read food labels. If possible, choose low-sodium alternatives of the foods and beverages you normally buy.

§         Eat fewer processed foods. Potato chips, frozen dinners, bacon and processed lunch meats are high in sodium.

§         Don't add salt. Just 1 level teaspoon of salt has 2,300 mg of sodium. Use herbs or spices, rather than salt, to add more flavor to your foods.

§         Ease into it. If you don't feel like you can drastically reduce the sodium in your diet suddenly, cut back gradually. Your palate will adjust over time.

5. Limit the amount of alcohol you drink

Alcohol can be both good and bad for your health. In small amounts, it can potentially lower your blood pressure by 2 to 4 mm Hg. But that protective effect is lost if you drink too much alcohol — generally more than one drink a day for women and more than two a day for men. Also, if you don't normally drink alcohol, you shouldn't start drinking as a way to lower your blood pressure. There's more potential harm than benefit to drinking alcohol.

If you drink more than moderate amounts of it, alcohol can actually raise blood pressure by several points. It can also reduce the effectiveness of high blood pressure medications.

§         Track your drinking patterns. Along with your food diary, keep an alcohol diary to track your true drinking patterns. One drink equals 12 ounces (355 milliliters, or mL) of beer, 5 ounces of wine (148 mL) or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor (45 mL). If you're drinking more than the suggested amounts, cut back.

§         Consider tapering off. If you're a heavy drinker, suddenly eliminating all alcohol can actually trigger severe high blood pressure for several days. So when you stop drinking, do it with the supervision of your doctor or taper off slowly, over one to two weeks.

§         Don't binge. Binge drinking — having four or more drinks in a row — can cause large and sudden increases in blood pressure, in addition to other health problems.

6. Avoid tobacco products and secondhand smoke

On top of all the other dangers of smoking, the nicotine in tobacco products can raise your blood pressure by 10 mm Hg or more for up to an hour after you smoke. Smoking throughout the day means your blood pressure may remain constantly high.

You should also avoid secondhand smoke. Inhaling smoke from others also puts you at risk of health problems, including high blood pressure and heart disease.

7. Cut back on caffeine

The role caffeine plays in blood pressure is still debatable. Drinking caffeinated beverages can temporarily cause a spike in your blood pressure, but it's unclear whether the effect is temporary or long lasting.

To see if caffeine raises your blood pressure, check your pressure within 30 minutes of drinking a cup of coffee or another caffeinated beverage you regularly drink. If your blood pressure increases by five to 10 points, you may be sensitive to the blood pressure raising effects of caffeine.

Regardless of your sensitivity to caffeine's effects, doctors recommend you drink no more than 200 milligrams a day — about the amount in two cups of coffee.

8. Reduce your stress

Stress or anxiety can temporarily increase blood pressure. Take some time to think about what causes you to feel stressed, such as work, family, finances or illness. Once you know what's causing your stress, consider how you can eliminate or reduce stress.

If you can't eliminate all of your stressors, you can at least cope with them in a healthier way. Take breaks for deep-breathing exercises. Get a massage or take up yoga or meditation. If self-help doesn't work, seek out a professional for counseling.

9. Monitor your blood pressure at home and make regular doctor's appointments

If you have high blood pressure, you may need to monitor your blood pressure at home. Learning to self-monitor your blood pressure with an upper arm monitor can help motivate you. Talk to your doctor about home monitoring before getting started.

Regular visits to your doctor are also likely to become a part of your normal routine. These visits will help keep tabs on your blood pressure.

§         Have a primary care doctor. People who don't have a primary care doctor find it harder to control their blood pressure. If you can, visit the same health care facility or professional for all of your health care needs.

§         Visit your doctor regularly. If your blood pressure isn't well controlled, or if you have other medical problems, you might need to visit your doctor every month to review your treatment and make adjustments. If your blood pressure is under control, you might need to visit your doctor only every six to 12 months, depending on other conditions you might have.

10. Get support from family and friends

Supportive family and friends can help improve your health. They may encourage you to take care of yourself, drive you to the doctor's office or embark on an exercise program with you to keep your blood pressure low. Talk to your family and friends about the dangers of high blood pressure.

If you find you need support beyond your family and friends, consider joining a support group. This may put you in touch with people who can give you an emotional or morale boost and who can offer practical tips to cope with your condition.

14 Ways to Keep Your Mind Sharp

14 Ways to Keep Your Mind Sharp


Just because AARP is knocking on your door doesn't mean your mind has to slow down. A study in The New England Journal of Medicine found that seniors who participated in brain-stimulating activities more than once a week over a 20-year interval reduced their risk of dementia by a whopping 63 percent. "If you fix your brain for longevity, your body will follow in kind," says Gary Small, MD, director of the UCLA Center on Aging. Push your brain to stimulating new heights with the exercises that follow.

1.Cross-train your brain

Cross-training simply means doing exercises that alternately work the left (verbal memory and logic) and right (visual memory) sides of the brain, thereby boosting mental agility over time. For a fun cognitive workout, go to our sister site, ellegirl.com, where you can play games like Chinese Checkers, Cubic Rubic and Puzzle Quest for free in the Games section. Or, if you're tech-phobic, test your skill sets with some good old-fashioned crossword puzzles, Sudoku, or by challenging friends to a Scrabble match.

2.Try something new

Neuroscientist Daniel Amen, MD, one of the world's foremost authorities on brain imaging, notes in his book Making A Good Brain Great that the brain is like any other muscle: The more you use it, the more you can use it. In fact, according to Dr. Amen, lack of learning causes the brain's pathways to start disconnecting, so he advises that everyone take 15 minutes out of each day to learn something new. Have you always wanted to learn a foreign language? Take time to master a few words of Spanish each day. Interested in ethnic cooking? Sign up for a course at a local culinary school today

3.Get a social life

People who maintain strong connections with friends and family not only live up to 20 percent longer, but are also likelier to retain their memory, abstract thinking and language skills. Make an effort to surround yourself with people who inspire you to be creative and challenge your intellect. Try forming a book club, or take stimulating group trips to museums, lectures and poetry readings.

4.Hit the sheets

A UCLA study found that decreased estrogen in women is associated with lessened brain activity and poor memory. Engaging in sexual activity at least once a week enhances estrogen levels, thereby improving overall brain function.

5.Take a whiff

Japanese researchers have discovered that certain scents can actually make you more productive. In fact, several corporations in Japan now employ aromatherapy as a brain stimulant for their employees. Try sniffing lemon oil for a morning pick-me-up, peppermint oil to ward off drowsiness and lavender oil to keep those mental wheels turning throughout the day.

6.Eat right to stay bright

Foods that are rich in antioxidants—such as berries, dark leafy greens, grapes, carrots, beets and tomatoes—have been proven to keep your brain in peak working order by preventing cholesterol from lining your arteries and slowing blood flow to the brain. Now there's mounting evidence that omega-3 fatty acids are also essential to good brain health. Says nutrition expert Lona Sandon, MEd, RD, American Dietetic Association spokeswoman and assistant professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, "You should aim for two 6-oz servings of fatty fish, like salmon and light tuna, per week, as well as add walnuts and flaxseed oil to your eating plan to boost omega-3s."

7. Get to stepping

Engaging in regular exercise keeps not only your body but your mind on the move. "The research on the mental health benefits of exercise is incredibly clear: A daily cardiovascular exercise program helps you feel more lively and alert, and reduces symptoms of stress and anxiety," explains Laurie B. Mintz, PhD, associate professor of educational, school and counseling psychology at the University of Missouri in Columbia. But when it comes to the brain, not all exercise is created equal. In a study conducted by the University of Illinois, results showed that aerobic exercise increased brain volume and white matter (which aids connectivity between brain cells) more than stretching and toning exercises.

8.Change your tack

              

Forcing yourself to use your nondominant hand expands brain circuits that are connected to that hand, leading to increased mental agility. If you're a lefty, try using your right hand to brush your teeth or stir a pot of food. If you’re a righty, use your left hand to wipe down a counter or jot down quick notes. You can also try walking backwards; it's known to help stimulate the brain and, according to some evidence, can actually help it grow in size

9.Get unplugged

Try putting yourself out of touch with the world for at least two hours a day. A study commissioned by Hewlett-Packard found that e-mail and phone call interruptions lead to a loss of concentration and problem-solving skills, causing IQ scores to drop by an average of 10 points.

10.Chew gum

It may sound wacky, but according to a new study conducted by the University of Northumbria, chewing gum has a positive effect on thinking, memory and other cognitive functions. Andrew Scholey, PhD, of the university's Human Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, attributes this effect to a mild increase in heart rate, which results in increased delivery of oxygen and glucose to the brain, and thereby improves cognition.

11.Chang your tack

Forcing yourself to use your nondominant hand expands brain circuits that are connected to that hand, leading to increased mental agility. If you're a lefty, try using your righted

12.Get unplugged

Try putting yourself out of touch with the world for at least two hours a day. A study commissioned by Hewlett-Packard found that e-mail and phone call interruptions lead to a loss of concentratioDrink a spot of tea


13.Drink a spot of tea

Instead of coffee, sip more tea. Peppermint is a proven brain stimulator that promotes concentration, while green and black teas help prevent memory loss. Lemon balm, a member of the mint family, also helps with retrieving information that is stored in the brain.

14.Have a ball

Practice throwing and catching a ball with a partner. Once you master that, move on to juggling. These types of sensory-guided movements fine-tune the brain's visual, tactile and hand-eye-coordination responses.