Q. I have lost weight and am watching my diet, but my blood pressure and cholesterol are still too high. I really would prefer not to start taking a statin or blood pressure pill. I’ve seen some of your suggestions for dealing with common health conditions naturally. Do you have a book that addresses these approaches?
A. Losing weight often helps with blood pressure, but may not be enough. There are foods such as beets, chocolate, eggplant, garlic and turmeric that can have beneficial effects on blood pressure. The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet works as well as many drugs.
Our brand-new book, Recipes and Remedies, offers details on using food to control blood pressure, lower cholesterol and alleviate many other common conditions. It is available at Amazon.com or www.peoplespharmacy.com.
Foods that lower cholesterol include cinnamon, oatmeal, fish, nuts and vinegar. Nearly all of these can also help with blood sugar control.
