Here are the top five blood pressure hacks to help bring your numbers down quickly. Hack number five is a surprising one.
1. Magnesium and Potassium
Greens and fruit rich in magnesium and potassium help open up blood vessels and lower blood pressure.
2. Meditate
Meditation reduces adrenaline, which helps relax your heartbeat and ease pressure on the cardiovascular system.
3. Cut Salt Intake or Fast
Reducing salt intake — or fasting — lowers blood pressure by reducing overall blood volume.
4. Dark Greens or Beet Juice
These provide nitric oxide, which opens up blood vessels and helps lower blood pressure.
5. Breathe Through Your Nose
This is the surprising one. Breathing through your nose activates nitric oxide synthase, an enzyme that stimulates nitric oxide production, helping to lower blood pressure. (For more on this mechanism, see our earlier post on humming and nasal breathing.)
For a full list of 21 foods and 10 supplements that can help control blood pressure, download the free eBook Health Secrets at peacediet.org.
About Dr. Terry Shintani, MD, JD, MPH
Dr. Terry Shintani is a Harvard-trained physician and nutritionist, named a Living Treasure of Hawai’i and recipient of the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Award for Excellence. He is the creator of the Peace Diet and the landmark Waianae Diet — published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and cited over 137 times — and the author of 16 books on natural health and nutrition, drawing on more than 35 years of clinical practice in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Learn more about Dr. Shintani’s work and recognition: NLM Native Voices
Sources:
- NIH/NHLBI — Lowering Blood Pressure Naturally
- NIH/PubMed — Meditation and Blood Pressure: A Meta-Analysis
- NIH/PubMed — Nasal Nitric Oxide and Cardiovascular Function