No-Pill Ways To Reduce Blood Pressure
By Michael Roizen, M.D., and Mehmet Oz, M.D.

You thought you were ready to roll … until you’re standing in front of the room and realize that the thing you felt rolling around by your feet on the plane was the thumb drive with your presentation on it.

Of course your blood pressure is going to go up. It even will when someone gets crazy in traffic or when you think you’ve lost your credit card. That’s what your body is designed to do when there’s stress: Run away. But that’s not always an option today (you can’t very well run away from the podium or the traffic jam). So try these YOU Docs strategies for helping you stress less and stay healthier:

1. Lose it. We mean weight. The more body fat you pack, the more trouble your body will have getting your blood pressure down after stress.

2. Work it. Build some muscle. Your blood pressure returns to normal more quickly after a stressful event if your blood vessels are toned. And the stress of building muscle (that’s good stress) through physical activity tones your blood vessels.

3. Leave it behind. When college students recalled an injustice that had been done to them, their blood pressure went up. And it stayed elevated longer in those who couldn’t muster up any forgiveness for what happened. Forgiveness is a simple way to make yourself seriously healthier without a prescription.

Published by Henry Sapiecha 7th Sept 2009