Blood pressure, by its simplest definition is a reflection of how hard your heart is pumping. High blood pressure is consistently higher than it should be whether you are relaxed or stressed. Many people have lowered their blood pressure and been able to stop their medications or to considerably lower the amounts of medication by making some lifestyle changes.

Studies have shown that diet, exercise, and other factors can affect blood pressure in positive ways. We will focus on the potential health benefits which can lower blood pressure for those who are interested in improving their health or the health of someone that they love.

Things that can be done to lower blood pressure are:

1.) Improved diet - Eating more fruits and vegetables & focusing on certain foods that have proven to lower blood pressure can make a major difference in blood pressure. The list of foods is growing that can help with blood pressure - celery*; garlic; fatty fish like mackerel (or taking omega-3 fish oils); fruits; vegetables; olive oil; calcium, potassium, and magnesium supplements; or foods rich in those minerals.

*{2 stalks of celery every day for a week caused Minh Le's (62 yrs.old) blood pressure to drop from a high 158/96 to a normal 118/82. Taken from "Food - Your Miracle Medicine" by Jean Carper}

2.) Reduced sodium intake - You should eat no more than 5 grams of sodium in a day, if you have high blood pressure, which is 5,000 mgs. The closer to natural that you eat, the less sodium the food contains. A lot of foods contain sodium naturally, and if you've never paid attention to the amounts of sodium in the foods that you eat, you'll be surprised by the amounts of sodium that you're eating in processed foods. It will take paying attention to everything that you put into your mouth because practically everything that is processed has some sodium in it, even some sweets and boxed cereals.

3.) Stop cigarette smoking - Hypertension is common among cigarette smokers because it causes the heart to work harder and raise blood pressure. Nicotine increases the heart's need for oxygen and the carbon monoxide in the smoke lessens the blood's ability to deliver oxygen.

4.) Increased exercise - 15 to 20 minutes after physical exercise both numbers in the blood pressure reading drop and even more so when a person has high blood pressure.

5.) Reduced sugar intake - Refined sugar contributes to sodium retention which in turn, raises blood pressure.

6.) Reduced alcohol intake - The more you drink, the higher the blood pressure goes.

7.) Increased deep breathing - Some practitioners of Chinese medicine recommend deep breathing. Practice breathing in through the nose and exhaling slowly for 10 seconds, for a few minutes, 4 or 5 times a day which lowers pressure, increases relaxation, and heightens immune defenses.

Over 50% of the diseases & ailments that people are hospitalized for are preventable or can be cured by a change in diet. My people perish for a lack of knowledge (Hos. 4:6a)- we need to seek the truth from 'The Great Physician' who is 'The Way, The Truth, and The Life' (John 14:6).