How do you raise low blood pressure naturally?

High blood pressure is a hot topic but one does not hear overly much about low blood pressure. Some people do suffer low blood pressure and in general unless it is severe and associated with a specific illness such as heart complaints, it will remain untreated as it is not considered life-threatening. Low blood-pressure can be as a result of shock or injury or severe acute illness. It can be associated with low blood-sugar as occurs in people with diabetes. It also is associated with burn-out or adrenal-insufficiency. This state can arise in a person who has been 'stressed out' over a long period of time.  However, many people with untreated low blood pressure will have vague symptoms of unease and it may help to know that there are simple natural solutions which are effective and will help you manage it, radically improving how you feel on a day-to-day basis.

What are the signs and symptoms from low blood-pressure?

* Feeling generally fatigued, drained and washed out

* Sudden light-headedness and dizziness when rising from bed, getting up from a chair or any sudden movement - this is called "postural hypotension".  This can be in the morning time or after a sleep or rest.

* Or ongoing dizziness and lightheadedness

* Feeling close to fainting or actually fainting

* Anxiety or nausea and weakness in the body

* Clammy coldness

Do make sure to consult your G.P. if you have any of these symptoms but have not had it checked it out. Alternatively, you may want to consult your alternative healthcare practitioner to have this addressed.

What can you do?

1. If you have eliminated all salt from your diet and drink a large amount of water every day, you may find that your blood pressure drops. I always recommend that people improve their general level of hydration these days by drinking water, but am aware that many people are drinking too much water. ( They do this to improve their skin, suppress appetite and because they live in air-conditioned, centrally heated atmospheres which dry one out. But if done in excess, it can cause harm. Also, many people's diets are too low in food that has high water-content such as fruit). If your water/salt levels unbalance within the body, your blood pressure will drop. Increase the amount of salt you imbibe and reduce marginally the amount of water you drink (the latter refers to people who are drinking in excess of 1-1.5 litres of wtater a day). It is better if the salt is natural sea-salt, or salt crystals (for example, Maldon Salt. Herbamare is also a good brand.) rather than the refined table-salt you find in supermarkets. To this end, taking the Cell Salt of Nat-mur 6x will help sort out the imbalance and make a difference to your blood pressure.

2. I recommend you take Mistletoe (in supplement or tincture form) , the Latin name of which is Viscum Album, for a number of weeks to raise the B.P. You can also acquire it in 'x' potency in the form of tablets or pills from a homeopathic dispensary. It is very effective.

3. Take Ginseng and/or Liquorice Root combined with Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid) to support the Adrenal Glands.Take these in a situation where you are contstantly running on adrenaline and pushing yourself to the limit.

4. Keep a careful watch over your blood sugars. This means do not  eat only 3xdaily but eat a small amount of protein  or complex carbohydrate (wholegrain only) or even a piece of fruit every couple of hours. You may need to eat 6-7 times a day to prevent a drop in your blood sugar. This will improve your Adrenal Gland function which will improve your blood pressure.

5. Take only gentle or moderate exercise with slower movements. Do not do any vigorous or high-impact exercise such as aerobics or jogging.

6. Avoid taking very hot baths and showers and extremes of temperature.

7. If your blood -pressure is very low, you may need to actually increase the intake of caffeine by drinking some coffee and tea which act as diuretics and lower the amout of fluid your body is carrying. I rarely recommend this however, as it is not a particularly healthy approach. Only a short-term approach. (This does not apply if you already are taking daily cups of tea or coffee).

8. Many people who have just undergone surgery, experience a huge and sudden drop in blood-pressure. This is because they may become over-hydrated from the application of a saline drip. It tends to heppen in people with a history of naturally low-blood pressure. In this situation, take the homeopathic remedy of Nat-mur 30c: 2-3 times over a period of about 12 hours. Nat-mur may also be taken by people who are not in this situation, but who do exsperience a sudden drop. Nat-mur is also indicated if the drop in blood pressure is due to emotional upset.

9. Find a way to de-stress. Just to BE, and not to do. Remember, you are a human be-ing not a human do-ing! Relaxation, moments of inner peace and contentment - these are the stuff of true presence, being and wellness. Try to turn inward and become quiet. Experience silence or you may want to just laugh! If you have been 'under pressure', get support and help. Take care of yourself - try not to live constantly  in 'crisis'. If you feel you have no control over circumstances, I understand, but remember there is help and loving kindness to avail of. Just Ask.

"The great omission in ...life is solitude, that zone of time and space, free from outside pressures, which is the incinerator of the spirit"   Marya Mannes