| High blood pressure kills over 43,000 | | | | qi, massage, relaxation music, and prayerful |
| Americans annually, and contributes to more | | | | meditation. |
| than 227,000 other fatalities every year, | | | | |
| making it the third most deadly disease. A | | | | 6. Cut back on alcohol to less than 1-2 |
| quarter of all Americans suffer from high | | | | drinks a day. This is not only good for |
| blood pressure symptoms today, and roughly | | | | relieving stress, but also as a high blood |
| one in four of these receive high blood | | | | pressure treatment. |
| pressure treatment in some form. That still | | | | |
| means that tens of millions of Americans need | | | | 7. Quit Smoking. |
| high blood pressure treatment but don't get | | | | |
| it. With patients responding to high blood | | | | 8. Make sure you get enough rest, and if you |
| pressure treatment in 90 to 95% of all cases, | | | | suffer from insomnia, actively address this |
| these tens of millions are really missing | | | | problem with the help of your doctor. |
| out! | | | | |
| | | | 9. Take time you need to prioritize, |
| 10 Step Stress-Relief and High Blood Pressure | | | | anticipate life changes and make decisions. |
| Treatment( Plan | | | | Pace yourself in general. |
| | | | |
| Daily habits, as well as constantly reacting | | | | 10. Be kind and patient with yourself. |
| to situations that are stressful, is a direct | | | | |
| cause of hypertension. In the U.S., there is | | | | One controversial inclusion in the 10-step |
| increasing attention on proactive anti-stress | | | | plan above is no. 7: "quit smoking." Many |
| techniques as a treatment for high blood | | | | smokers condition themselves to use |
| pressure symptoms( So, how can we de-stress | | | | cigarettes when they are stressed, since |
| and lower blood pressure? One way is to | | | | nicotine relieves the stress response for a |
| follow a 10 Step Stress-Relief and High Blood | | | | few minutes. To suggest quitting smoking as a |
| Pressure Treatment Plan: | | | | means of stress relief would seem crazy! |
| | | | However, since the stress response returns |
| 1. Accept the fact that life includes a | | | | when the nicotine wears off, smokers must |
| certain amount of stress and always will, and | | | | reach for another cigarette under the |
| that it is your response to stress that you | | | | mistaken notion that they are actually |
| can learn to control, not always your | | | | dealing with the problem, rather than |
| circumstances. | | | | compounding it. Smoking also leads to high |
| | | | cholesterol, a major cause of hypertension, |
| 2. Accept the fact that if your blood | | | | and certainly not something desirable in a |
| pressure goes up under stress, you may need | | | | high blood pressure treatment plan! This |
| to simplify your life by identifying sources | | | | vicious circle can only be broken through |
| of stress that you can avoid. | | | | taking active measures to quit smoking. Once |
| | | | free of the addiction, people who suffer from |
| 3. Daily aerobic walking is proven to reduce | | | | high blood pressure symptoms will then be |
| the negative effects of stress. It also | | | | able to find alternative, long-lasting, and |
| controls weight, another factor in high blood | | | | much healthier ways to de-stress. |
| pressure treatment( | | | | |
| | | | You might not know when your blood pressure |
| 4. Address anxiety by prescription or natural | | | | shoots up, unless you monitor it regularly. |
| medicine, such as vitamin nutritional | | | | But you can learn to recognize when things |
| supplements. | | | | are getting too stressful, and use simple |
| | | | techniques to address the stress response. In |
| 5. Address stress response by learning and | | | | this way, you will be addressing your high |
| practicing breathing techniques, yoga, tai | | | | blood pressure too. |