Remedies for High Blood Pressure
What is high blood pressure?
The present cut off for hypertension in pregnancy is 140 / 90. During pregnancy, it is normal for blood pressure to vary widely. The top number (140) measures the pressures against the arteries when the heart is pumping. The bottom number (90) measures the vessel pressure when the heart is at rest. Blood pressure taken 2 consecutive times, 6 hours apart, over 140/90 in the first half of pregnancy, is considered mild hypertension.
Reasons for high blood pressure:
Anxiety – emotional or physical stress can cause high blood pressure called labial pressure.
It can vary from one appointment to the next… or from one hour to the next. (check at home).
Having twins – extra blood volume increases a higher blood pressure
Technical errors (blood pressure taken incorrectly or with the wrong size cuff)
Lack of salt – in an otherwise well nourishing mother. This also can cause swelling.
Inadequate calcium, magnesium, or vitamin B6 intake.
Inadequate dietary or fluid intake.
Lack of exercise, particularly in women-of-size.
Serious medical conditions that cause high blood pressure.
What can happen if I have high blood pressure?
High blood pressure appears for unknown cause and commonly appears with age.
Over 170 systolic and 110 is considered severe hypertension. This presents a mean average of 130 and can cause acute vascular damage.
Woman whose blood pressure fails to fall in early pregnancy do less well. This appears to correlate with longstanding hypertension. Complications in pregnancy such as a baby growing too small for gestational age are more likely, as well as low birth weight babies. (under 6 pounds).
British studies show that hypertensive woman with no complicating factors who are undrugged with hypertension medication and on an unrestricted (no salt) diet grow big healthy placentas and babies. These woman do not become high risk when they maintain and adequate diet.
What can I do to bring my high blood pressure down?
To declare high blood pressure benign, a woman must eat and salt her food sufficiently wth adequate absorbtion and drink to thirst, along with no underlying medical problem present. If so, let’s just relax and work at keeping blood pressure under 140 /90.
Learn what makes you relax. Take time to settle down inside your heart and mind. What makes you relax? Start with good deep breaths and learn to lean on the Lord in prayer without worrying. Do you have ways to reduce anxiety and stress? Ask those around you what they notice makes you happy and relaxed.
Do you have a nap time or bed time routine? (Take a bath, cup of herbal tea, light reading material, back rub or massage).
Strong spices: especially mustard, black and white pepper, ginger, and nutmeg should be avoided.
A number of foods and herbs help to reduce simple hypertension.
Watermelon and buckwheat
Raw garlic, parlesy, and onions in large quantities. Garlic oil capsules, 2 to 10 daily, have worked for some women.
Cucumber – ˝ cup of fresh juice or a whole fresh one daily. Over-ripe, yellowish cucumbers are the most effective.
Juice of half of a fresh lemon or lime plus 2 tsp. cream of tarter in a half cup of water, once daily for 3 days. This can be repeated once after a rest of 2 days.
Hops tea (1 tsp to 1 cup boiling cup of water, steeped 20 minutes). Can be safely and effectively used nightly during the last 4 months of pregnancy. (Contains hormones that might effect pregnancy during the first 5 months.)
Passion flower (2 – 4 capsules daily, or 15 drops of tincture 3 times daily; must be taken for several weeks to obtain the best results.)
Skullcap infusion (1 oz. to 1 quart boiling water; cover steep 4 – 6 hours) 1 to 2 cups daily. Builds and strengthens the nervous system)
Hawthorne berries work cumulatively to strengthen the heart and is said to help ameliorate and prevent congenital heart defects. (1 oz. crushed dry berries in 2 cups cold water steeped overnight, brought quickly to a boil, strained and sipped, 1 cup daily. Tincture dosage is 15 drops 2 to 3 times daily.)
Fenugreek seed infusion (1 oz. to 1 pint boiling water, steep ˝ hour.) Start with ˝ cup daily.
Vitamin supplements containing magnesium, calcium, and potassium in a balanced formula.
Moderate exercise can be very beneficial. Apart from providing relaxation and sparing calories, bed rest is useless, although widely recommended.
As always, be sure fluid intake is adequate throughout the day: recommended and 8 oz. glass of clear fluid every 2 to 3 hours or so.
Danger signs. Contact your midwife.
Severe, unrelenting headache
Blurred vision or spots
These are very real symptoms of pressure and vessel constriction in the brain and often precede convulsions.
Metabolic toxemia is dangerous to mom and baby and needs to be addressed immediately.
Herbal Program for Pregnancy Induced Hypertension
Nutrition
Protein intake 100 grams or more daily - (if getting 100 already may still want to add a protein shake daily)
Regular quality salt intake (earth salt, celtic sea salt, soy sauce)
Minimum of 64 oz water daily in addition to teas below
Flax seed oil 1 Tablespoon daily
Foods that help are buckwheat, onions, garlic, parsley, cucumber (overripe best-eat one daily) and watermelon
Vitamins
Vitamin E 500 I.U.s taken at a meal containing fat
Potassium 1 extra banana or a 95mg tablet daily
Calcium 1000-1200mg with 500-600mg Magnesium daily
Herbal Tinctures, teas and capsules
Skullcap tea two cups a day
Hawthorne capsules 1 at each meal
Valerian 1 or 2 capsules at bedtime daily
Garlic capsules 500mg daily
Alternate these two tinctures Relaxer Tonic one day Liver Tonic the next
Relaxer tonic containing- Hops, Passion Flower, Hawthorne and Lemon Balm
Liver and Kidney tonic containing-Milk thistle, dandelion, marshmallow, and chamomile
(If you can’t find these tonics, then do tea infusions) Make a big sludge of teas. in 1 qt of water and drink throughout the day. Tinctures are best if you can find them.
Relaxation sessions
2 - 20 minute sessions a day
IF ALL ELSE FAILS
Add to the rest of the directions above
500mg capsules of bee pollen 3 x daily
Coenzyme Q10 50mg 2 x a daily
On days when you go to see caregiver for a BP check make a giant cup of skullcap tea (nervine relaxer) and drink it right up until you get in for the BP check.