> Hey All! Does anyone have any suggestions for finding info on natural
> methods for keeping hign blood pressure under control?
>
> Thanks! PEACE
You might want to look into the work of Dr. Dean Ornish, of the
University of California-San Francisco Medical School. The studies
can be found through PubMed at nih.gov.
Dr. Ornish uses a combination of a very low fat diet, moderate
exercise, and stress reduction (primarily relaxation and meditation
techniques) to treat heart disease and other illnesses.
He runs good double-blind studies that have been verified by other
researchers--something that most "natural" practitioners don't do.
His results are considerably better than the surgery and drugs
approach. The drawback to his approach is that it requires much more
involvement from the patient and the patient's family; surgery and
drugs are a much more passive approach and most doctors who use that
approach don't recommend lifestyle changes.
If the person who has high blood pressure is willing to make the
lifestyle changes, the Ornish approach might be appropriate. One of
the "side effects" is that many people who have gone through the
Ornish program under medical supervision report that they feel the
best they've ever felt in their lives. While this is clearly a
subjective evaluation, it's at least an indicator that it's a lot
less traumatic than the alternatives.
