Senior Health

1/24/2023 | By Howard LeWine, M.D.

While medications can be useful in maintaining a healthy blood pressure, there are also ways to reduce blood pressure naturally, in addition to diet and exercise.

Q: I already take two different blood pressure medicines, but my top number is still too high. I would like to bring it down without taking an additional drug. What can I do?

A: You may need to ramp up healthy habits to maximize their blood pressure lowering effects. Start by eating a plant-based diet that’s low in salt; aim for less than 2,400 milligrams (mg) of salt per day. You should also be getting at least seven hours of sleep per night, limiting alcohol, avoiding smoking, and maintaining a healthy weight. Sometimes losing just 5 or 10 pounds can make a meaningful difference in blood pressure for people who are overweight.

And if you’re not exercising much, it’s time to start. Exercise boosts cardiovascular health in many ways. And a small, randomized trial published in JAMA Cardiology suggests that aerobic exercise (the kind that gets your heart and lungs pumping) may be another effective treatment for tough to control hypertension.

In the study, people who walked, cycled, or both — for 40 minutes, three times per week, for 12 weeks — lowered their blood pressure by seven points in the top (systolic) number of their blood pressure measurement, and five points in the bottom (diastolic) number of the measurement, compared with people who didn’t exercise.

You may be taking an over-the-counter product or supplement that is raising your blood pressure. Bring your doctor a list of all the medications you are taking, or bring a bag with all the medication bottles. Include over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, and supplements. The list, or bag, of medicines can help your doctor identify if any are contributing.

there are also ways to reduce blood pressure naturally,

For example, taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) can raise blood pressure. So can decongestants (such as phenylephrine found in many cold medicines). For example: Alternative medications or physical therapy to relieve arthritis pain can decrease or eliminate the need for NSAIDs.

Or the doctor may see that your medicines can be streamlined: fewer pills in total or fewer pills you need to take more than once a day.

If these strategies don’t reduce your blood pressure, your doctor may feel it’s necessary to prescribe more pills. But don’t despair. No matter what you are taking now, your doctor should be able to make affordable changes in your blood pressure medications to bring down your numbers.

Howard LeWine, M.D., is an internist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. For additional consumer health information, please visit www.health.harvard.edu.

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Read more articles about senior health like: Decongestants May Do More Harm Than Good

Howard LeWine, M.D.

Howard LeWine, M.D., is an internist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. For additional consumer health information, please visit www.health.harvard.edu.