Caregiver Tips: Simple, Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure
Caregiver in East Grand Rapids MI
High blood pressure is one of the most common issues of aging, and something that you likely focus on controlling throughout your caregiver journey with your parents, but it is does not have to 
be something that you rely entirely on the intervention of your parents’ medical team to handle. While you should always cooperate with your parents’ doctor when it comes to medical conditions, and follow their guidelines regarding how you can help them handle these conditions, you can also empower yourself and your loved ones to take steps to control their blood pressure on your own.
There are many simple, natural ways to lower blood pressure and help keep it controlled. These are fantastic lifestyle changes that can help you to keep your blood pressure in check while also combating other health problems and supporting overall health and wellbeing. Try integrating some of these changes in your care relationship with your parents:
• Drink hibiscus tea. If your parents enjoy sipping hot tea, swap out their usual flavor for a hibiscus version. Research by Tufts University showed that drinking three cups of the tea daily made a significant change in blood pressure levels in just six weeks.
• Trim the pounds. Blood pressure is all about how hard the blood has to work to push through the veins, and if your parents have excess weight on their bodies, their blood is likely having to work even harder, increasing their blood pressure. Just a loss of 10 pounds can make a dramatic difference in blood pressure.
• Whittle the waist. Even more important than the number on the scale is the number on the measuring tape when you wrap it around your parents’ waists. Men with waist measurements that exceed 40 inches and women with waist measurements that exceed 35 inches are at far increased risk of high blood pressure than those with smaller waist measurements. Keep in mind that this can vary depending on your ethnicity, so talk to your parents’ doctor to determine what size waist is best for your parents.
• Splice in exercise. You already know the importance of physical activity for your parents’ health, but a study out of Arizona State University found that how your aging loved ones exercise can make a major impact on the effect of that exercise on their blood pressure. The study showed that those participants who took three 10-minute walks throughout their day had lower blood pressure than those who took one 30-minute walk a day.
• Enjoy some dark chocolate. Eating healthy is a critical part of staying healthy, but healthy eating does not have to mean that you never get to indulge in delicious treats, In fact, Harvard Medical School researchers showed that savoring a one ounce square of dark chocolate containing at least 50 to 70 percent cacao each day can lower blood pressure consistently. Even better than just the fact that the all participants experienced a reduction in blood pressure is that the most effect was seen in those who were already dealing with high blood pressure.
If you or someone you know needs help with caregiver services in East Grand Rapids, MI, contact Gauthier Family Home Care. We provide quality and affordable home care services in our community. Call us at (616) 258-2300 for more information.
Sources:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/in-depth/high-blood-pressure/art-20046974
http://blog.aarp.org/2014/08/29/7-ways-to-lower-your-blood-pressure-naturally/
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