My husband has high blood pressure and been prescribed Crestor & Micardis. But, due to high costs, we are unable to afford his medications. What are YOUR food suggestions? Everyone always say "diet and exercise" and we know that. My husband does not have a problem with his weight. He's 38 years old, 165lbs., 5'7" tall. He's still muscular (somewhat) due to years of body building. His siblings (all under 45 years old) & parents are all under medication for high blood pressure & high cholesterol.

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So you don’t want to use medication to solve your high blood pressure problems. As long as your doctor agrees, you can try to follow an alternative course of action – a natural cure for hypertension.

You will have already heard and hopefully be following the usual advice. You will have started the new diet, eating healthier low fat, low salt foods. You will have started on the new exercise program. But have you considered changing how you breathe?

We all breathe – we do it subconsciously and most people have never learnt how to breathe. But like everything else, there is a right way and a wrong way to breathe. Breathing correctly for a few minutes every day can help to reduce your blood pressure. Obviously for people with hypertension, deep breathing on its own isn’t going to work but combined with your new exercise and diet regime it should help.

Most people breathe rapidly and this can lead to an increase in blood pressure. When you are stressed, you take rapid, shallow breaths. When you are relaxed, the opposite happens when we breathe more slowly and deeply. In order to relax, try breathing in through your nose with one hand on your tummy and the other on your chest. The hand on your tummy will move out whilst the hand on your chest should stay still. Keep breathing through your nose gently and calmly and feel all of the days stress and tensions drain away. Try and practice this exercise on a regular basis.

Doctors aren’t too sure why deep breathing regulates and lowers your blood pressure but they are sure that it works more often than not. So why not try it? What have you got to lose apart from a few points on the blood pressure monitor which is almost always a good thing.

You can train yourself to slow down your breathing or you can utilize a device which is currently only available online. This is a little machine about the size of a paperback, looks like a walkman and is battery operated. It has been designed to analyse your breathing rate and pattern. Can you achieve results without this device – of course. RESPeRate only makes life a little easier as it reminds you to do the breathing exercises and helps makes sure that you are doing them correctly. So if you can afford the $300 price tag then go to www.high-blood-pressure-help.com to read more. The device has been given approval by the Food and Drug Administration and there are certainly glowing recommendations on the website.

Deep breathing is not a substitute for medication, diet or exercise but another addition to your new wellbeing program. Assuming you aren’t inhaling petrol fumes or other pollutants, there are no adverse side effects and it is free. Sometimes we forget that it is the simple things in life which are often the best. More exercise, more home cooked food, more fruit and vegetables and now more deep breathing are the secrets to a long and happy life. That is how you lower your high blood pressure without medication.

Laughter is one of the best home remedies to lower blood pressure.   It works by reducing your stress levels.

How often do we hear that laughter is the best medicine especially for reducing stress and hypertension?    Studies have shown that too much stress can cause high blood pressure.  Being stressed causes the body to release adrenaline which in turn speeds up the heart.  This process is often described as the bodies “fight or flight” mode. Fairly useful in past generations when the cave men were dealing with roaming wild animals – not as useful these days when sitting in a major traffic jam stressing as we are late to collect the kids from school again!

We all need some stress in our lives otherwise we would never achieve anything.   But, chronic stress can lead to anxiety, depression and a wide range of other problems. In order to relieve stress, some people resort to smoking or drinking to excess.  None of these are useful when treating high blood pressure.

One of the best ways to reduce stress is to laugh – it is very hard to remain angry with the world if you are laughing or even smiling.  A study was carried out at the University of  Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore into laughter as a “cure”.  The volunteers were divided into two groups – one watched the comedy “There’s something about Mary” and the second group watched “Saving Private Ryan” – a tear jerker based on the Second World War.  The researchers wanted to measure the rate of blood flow through the brachial artery.  The dilation of this artery accurately indicates the blood flow to and from the heart.  Medics use this artery a lot in research as studies have shown that improving arterial dilation helps lower blood pressure.  The results of the study showed that the group watching the comedy had significantly better dilation compared to those watching the sad movie.

But who needs studies to know that laughing is good for you?  Think about how you feel yourself when you have just laughed at something your child has done?  Think of those times when you are trying to correct a child for doing something naughty whilst at the same time trying desperately hard to keep a straight face as you want to laugh out loud. How difficult is it to stay annoyed?

Every day more and more products, gimmicks and “treatments” are released in order to reduce stress levels.  Perhaps they should put monthly subscriptions to comedy channels on prescription at your local medical centre?

Why not try it for yourself – maybe a laugh a day can reduce your blood pressure levels even slightly.  If it doesn’t work at least you will have enjoyed a more pleasant existence.  Hey it’s free and imagine how much nicer the world would be if people smiled more.  Maybe you can prove that laughter is the best natural cure for high blood pressure?