Q. I've been having problems with high blood pressure for quite a while, especially since I became a truck driver five years ago. I guess the connection is I sit and don't get enough exercise.
I went off my blood pressure medicine about two months ago and it's really been a challenge to keep my diastolic pressure in the 80s. I've exercised, lost weight and cut down on the beers I drink to a few each week. I still need a little help in keeping the blood pressure down.
You wrote about chocolate to help high blood pressure. Are there other natural remedies? Would meditation help?
A. Congratulations on losing weight! That plus exercise often helps lower blood pressure.
Surprisingly, there is evidence that a little dark chocolate can help with blood pressure control. Too much chocolate, of course, will make managing weight more difficult.
Magnesium supplements and beet juice are a couple of other unexpected natural remedies for hypertension. Meditation may also help, especially accompanied by slow deliberate breathing. If natural approaches don’t work, drugs are necessary. We are sending you our Guide to Blood Pressure Treatment for more information on natural approaches and the pros and cons of various anti-hypertensive medications.
