Hypertension, or high blood pressure, occurs when the force at which blood flows against the artery walls as blood pumps away from the heart is high. Typically, an individual is considered to have hypertension when his/her systolic blood pressure (the pressure when the heart is beating) is regularly above 140, or his/her diastolic blood pressure (the pressure when the heart is resting) is regularly above 90. When there is no apparent cause of high blood pressure, it is called essential hypertension. Secondary hypertension occurs when a specific condition, habit or factor is the cause. Some of these include a high salt diet, excessive alcohol use, diabetes, obesity, anxiety and certain medications.
Below you will find alternative and natural treatment options including those from a Chinese Medicine perspective for hypertension.