The goal of this series of articles and the goal of the Health Restoration 101 programs are to help you maximize your chances of living a longer, healthier life. Our programs are simple, comprehensive, well documented and easy to follow. “It’s not magic, but it can change your life.”

Carolyn Guilford, CNC So, you are taking medication to control high blood pressure, and you dearly want to find a way to better health, and to end your dependence on drugs. What to do? This a question I received recently. In talking to the caller, and asking some important questions about her overall condition,

I discovered that she knew that some of her habits were counter productive. She knew that eating sweets; cakes, pies, donuts, sugar coated cereal and many other sugar habits developed of the years, including ice cream at bedtime was the worst possible thing to do. “But, I take my medication every day, just like the doctor says.” Upon further questioning I discovered she, in the beginning was pre-hypertensive, like so many clients, and the doctor told her then to moderate the sweets ( cut down ), exercise more, and drink more water. Instead, her sweets cravings escalated and was later put on meds and now more than one for HBP, and as the meds increased so did the sugar in her diet increase.

I asked about other eating habits, such as the frequency of eating meat, packaged foods: instant potato dishes, frozen dinners, canned soups and the like. Well, my conclusion is that she knew that the choices she was making were not good, but had put off making changes because she wanted to enjoy her food.

If you have High Blood Pressure: Cut down of the sugar intake. Learn to enjoy the natural sweets – fruits. Sugar sweetened desserts once per week is sufficient. Read package labels – to avoid high sodium products, laboratory produced hydrogenated fats, artificial sweeteners, and chemical additives.

Reduce the red meats – for the toxic substances and chemicals fed to the animals. Increase the amount of water in the diet. Make an effort to eat calories, not drink them. And eat more fresh leafy greens, beans and peas, fruits, and the 100% whole grains. High Blood Pressure, hypertension, is a serious cardiovascular disease that can lead to stroke, heart disease and kidney failure. This disease is all too common in adults, and growing swiftly in older children and young adults, contributing to over 7.1 million deaths per year in the U S alone.

Although most people seem to be unaware, like diabetes, it can be controlled. Ideally, I’d like every one to become aware of the foods that cause high blood pressure. Hypertension is generally diagnosed during regular checkups. In most cases, the physician will prescribe medications while also informing the patient of lifestyle changes that will prevent future complications.

These lifestyle changes are very simple and will make a significant difference to get blood pressure under control. Research indicates that the key elements of prevention are weight modification, lowering the sodium intake, increasing physical activity and mindful alcohol consumption. I love to see clients become proactive in fighting this ‘silent killer’.

If you have been diagnosed with hypertension, you should be treated by a doctor and continue to take your medication. As the heart strengthens and blood pressure normalizes, your doctor will happily wean you off the drugs.

One of the most ignored facts about high blood pressure is that the complications often occur simply because of poor food choices. If you are ready to save your own life by creating a healthy lifestyle, call or write: Carolyn Guilford, at Health Restoration 101 P.O. Box 2814, Savannah, GA 31402 912) 236-8987