How Long Does It Take To Lower Blood Pressure?

It was good a routine doctor ’ sulfur visit, but you heard news program that surprised you. “ You have high blood pressure, ” your doctor announced, “ and you need to lower it to avoid some very serious things that high blood blackmail can lead to, like strokes and heart attacks. ” It ’ s a lot to take in, and you have questions, including :

“How long does it take to lower blood pressure?”

“What’s the best way to do it?”

here are answers from the physicians, registered dietitians, and other staff at the celebrated Pritikin Longevity Center in Miami, which has helped thousands over the past four decades lower their blood coerce and live well .

How long does it take to lower blood pressure?

It depends on how high your rake atmospheric pressure is, and how aggressive the drug therapy is that your doctor may be prescribing.

Reading: How Long Does It Take To Lower Blood Pressure?

many doctors besides begin therapy, not with drugs, but with lifestyle-change recommendations that involve healthy eat and daily exercise .
One diet-and-exercise platform whose achiever with lowering blood coerce has been documented in respective studies in peer-reviewed journals is the Pritikin Program, which has been taught at the Pritikin Longevity Center for closely four decades .

Within 3 weeks

Studying men with high blood pressure who came to Pritikin, scientists at UCLA found that within three weeks, the men had significantly healthier levels of blood pressure. In fact, those who arrived at Pritikin taking high blood pressure drugs left Pritikin two to three weeks late no longer needing their medications, or with their dosages importantly reduced.1
Another study by UCLA researchers of 1,117 men and women with high blood blackmail reported that within three weeks of arriving at Pritikin, systolic blood pressure fell on average 9 %. Diastolic pressure besides fell 9 %. Of those taking lineage blackmail drugs, 55 % returned home medication-free. many of the remaining 45 % left Pritikin with their dosages substantially reduced.2

“Just 3 days…”

While the published research on the Pritikin Program focuses on results achieved after following the program for three weeks, the physicians at the Pritikin Longevity Center point out that for many people, blood pressure begins dropping much preferably – about immediately, in fact .
“ We have many people with high blood pressure who come to Pritikin, ” says Pritikin ’ s Medical Director Danine Fruge, MD, “ and within three days, many have blood pressures that have dropped so abject that we need to reduce their medications or take them off their pills wholly. Yes, good three days. That ’ s how quickly and powerfully our bodies respond to healthy food, exercise, and early life style changes. ”
“ I used to think these dramatic drops in blood blackmail were something that happened to merely a very few people, ” continues Dr. Fruge, “ but I ’ ve been here at Pritikin for more than 15 years, and I see results like these every week. This international relations and security network ’ t a miracle. It ’ south plainly what happens when we start taking good concern of ourselves. ”

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What is the Pritikin Program for lowering blood pressure?

The Pritikin Program, teach by the dietitians, exercise physiologists, physicians, and psychologists at the Pritikin Longevity Center, addresses all the adverse effects associated with high blood pressure by :

Providing at least 5 servings of vegetables and 4 servings of fruits daily, which help ensure that you eat plenty of foods that are full of stomach-filling volume yet are low in calories, enhancing weight-loss efforts. Losing excess weight is one of the most effective ways to lower blood pressure in the short term. Eating plenty of nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables also means you’ll be eating excellent sources of potassium, magnesium, and calcium. Many studies have found that foods rich in these minerals help blunt some of the toxic effects of sodium.
Cutting back on calorie-dense foods loaded with fat, sugar, and/or refined grains to promote weight-loss efforts.
Limiting the consumption of sodium to a healthy level – less than 1,500 mg daily for people under 50 years, less than 1,300 mg daily for those 50 to 69 years, and no more than 1,200 mg daily for people 70 years and older.
Discouraging overindulgence alcohol drink

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(which has been shown to increase hypertension when consumed in excess of 3 drinks daily).
Adding a casual exercise regimen that aids in weight loss and stimulates nitric oxide production, a beneficial chemical that relaxes muscles in the artery walls and lowers blood pressure.
Getting an adequate intake of calcium, omega-3 fatty acid fatso acids, and vitamin D by consuming moderate amounts of nonfat dairy foods or soymilk, seafood, and a little sunshine.

A keystone takeout for many guests at Pritikin is the department of education they receive. “ I knew I had to lower my sodium intake, ” says Pritikin one alumnus from Connecticut, “ but before coming to Pritikin, I didn ’ t actually know how to do it .
“ I thought, for example, that merely removing the salt shaker from my kitchen would solve the problem. I had no theme that 80 % of the sodium Americans eat comes from outside the kitchen – from restaurant meals and commercially processed foods like breads, soups, and salad dressings. ”

Drugs vs Lifestyle Change

first, keep in mind that drugs have limited success. Most studies on diuretics and other blood pressure-lowering drugs suggest they lower the risk of cardiovascular events among those with blood pressure between 140/90 and 159/99 by 15 to 20 % .3 The problem is, with this range of blood pressure, the risk of cardiovascular-related deaths has increased by 300 to 400 % compared to people with normal lineage blackmail .
“ indeed, while treating high blood pressure with drugs is generally better than no treatment, it is far from a bring around, ” asserts Dr. Fruge .
“ In fact, most research suggests that drug therapy to lower blood pressure is not likely to be adenine effective as eliminating the causes of high blood pressure, which include over consumption of salt, a sedentary life style, and a high-calorie-dense diet, which leads to overindulgence weight unit. ”
What ’ s more, drug treatment for high lineage coerce frequently has annoy and sometimes good side effects. Below is a drumhead of common medications for blood press restraint, and their common side effects .

Medications Prescribed For High Blood Pressure

Diuretics

possible side Effects : fatigue, leg cramps, erectile dysfunction, patronize micturition, sudden, acute foot pain, weight derive
Beta-Blockers:

possible side Effects : insomnia, erectile dysfunction, natural depression, fatigue duty, weight profit
Angiotension Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitors:

possible side Effects : dry, hacking cough, loss of taste, skin rashes
ACE inhibitors are much the lineage pressure drugs of choice ; they improve artery function, protect the kidney, and protect the heart while lowering rake coerce. however, in operate clinical trials, most showed no meaning decrease in total or cardiovascular mortality compared to a diuretic drug.

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Drug-Free Alternative For Lowering Blood Pressure: Pritikin

“ For more than 40 years, the Pritikin Program has offered a safer and more effective alternative to pharmacological therapy because the platform eliminates the dietary insults and other lifestyle-related factors that caused high blood pressure to develop in the first target, ” summarizes Dr. Fruge .
“ Our Pritikin guests who calm need medications normally require a lower dose and/or fewer drugs, thereby reducing their risk of suffering adverse side effects from the medications. ”