Hypertension, another word for high blood pressure, can lead to grave physical problems such as heart attack and stroke. Some people have high blood pressure for a very long time without being aware of it, because there are no symptoms. But lack of symptoms doesn’t mean that damage isn’t being done.

Blood pressure concerns the amount of blood in your arteries and the effort the heart must put out to pump it. The more blood pumped and the more resistance to blood flow because of narrow arteries, the higher the blood pressure.

When you know you have high blood pressure, a doctor can teach you how to control it. And the test for high blood pressure is very simple.

Traditional medicine prescribes drugs to control hypertension. The drugs result in unwanted side effects, so more drugs are prescribed to control the side effects – it becomes a vicious circle. Beta-blockers, diuretics and calcium channel blockers are most usually prescribed for hypertension, but these are classes of drugs and there are hundreds of brand names and sizes of doses.

Nutrition plays a major role in maintaining normal blood pressure. Various supplements – actually a triad of three supplements – have been recommended by a leading cardiologist. A combination of coenzyme Q-10, L carnitine and D-ribose have been found to bring the blood pressure down. There are other natural alternative herbal supplements which have been shown to lower the blood pressure in many studies.

A sensible diet that does not load up on refined carbohydrates and sugar will also help lower blood pressure. Fortunately such a diet will also reduce weight, and extra pounds can be a cause of high blood pressure.

Just a walk around the block will make blood pressure go down. So is that a result of less stress or exercise? Both. A regular exercise program is necessary for a natural therapy for lowering blood pressure.

There’s no need to resort to drugs and their side effects for a normal blood pressure. You can work with a nutritionist and doctor and use a combination of diet, supplements and exercise and get a better result.