Robert Kowalski, author of "The Blood Pressure Cure," said that in order to lower your blood pressure without drugs, you should first know your blood pressure.
"What I really recommend is a home blood pressure monitor. It's no more expensive than bathroom scales," he said.
Kowalski said he has five secret weapons.
The first is a tomato extract called lycomato, a product made by several different brands.
Kowalski said that in two separate studies, "(Patients) took one pill (of lycomato) a day and it brought their blood pressure down eight to 11 points."
Kowalski said the next step is to have a nightly cup of cocoa -- not the mixes, but real cocoa filled with polyphenols -- and the darker the cocoa the better. He said to make it with skim milk and a little sweetener.
"What it does is relax the lining of the arteries called the endothelium, making it more flexible and pliable so that the blood can more easily flow through," he said.
The third step in the process is to take arginine, an amino acid. Kowalski said it's a precursor to nitric oxide.
"The nitric oxide again causes the lining of the artery to expand and relax," he said.
Kowalski said that because arginine is metabolized rapidly, he recommends a sustained release formula.
But a warning comes with arginine. In Kowalski's book, he warned about a Johns Hopkins study of arginine and heart attack patients.
"There were six deaths in the arginine group and no deaths in the placebo group. So, my recommendation would be not to use this until more studies show that it is safe," said Dr. Charles Cummings, a Baltimore cardiologist from Mid-Atlantic Cardiovascular.
The fourth step on Kowalsi's list includes taking MegaNatural BP grape seed extract. The extract is sold under a number of brand names. Kowalski's book cited studies that showed an eight- to 11-point drop in blood pressure.
No. 5 on Kowalski's list was pycnogenol, an antioxidant made from pine trees. He said it's another nitric oxide producer.
"Here's my little trick. (It's kind of like a) salt substitute. Instead of being sodium chloride, it's potassium chloride," he said.
Kowalski said people need more potassium to balance the sodium. He said if people don't like the taste of pycnogenol sprinkled on food, try cooking with it.
"You won't taste it, and at every meal it becomes high in potassium to blunt the sodium," he said.
Cummings said Kowalski made some very good points in his book.
"It is true that by adopting some of the changes he suggests, we can reduce our medications significantly. But the idea that someone who's been on blood pressure pills for a long time can get off them is completely is unrealistic," he said.
Kowalski said people with high blood pressure should at least know about the medications they are taking, but don't frown about them. He said that sends a message to the brain.
"The body perceives it as something is wrong. Cortisol and norepenephrine are released, causing the blood pressure and heart rate to go up," Kowalski said.
Kowalski had another tip for those with high blood pressure.
"Find a way every day just to be nice to yourself. It helps you reduce your blood pressure, and it's better than taking a pill," he said.
Kowalski also recommended deep breathing for two to three minutes, three or four times a day. He said it's another way to help bring your blood pressure down.
Good book to read Before you take the doc's drugs!
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