Certain foods can curb high blood pressure

Dear Pharmacist: Are there any natural remedies I can take for high blood pressure? I do take medicine, but I want to get off because it makes me cough. Can you help? -T.L., Dallas

Promise to remain supervised by your physician before going off your medicine -- you may need to wean off it first, as quitting a drug too soon can be hazardous to your health. High blood pressure is one of those things I consider a symptom rather than a disease itself. It is "silent," meaning that there are few obvious signs you have it until a big event (a heart attack, for example). As blood pressure rises, you may get headaches in the back of the head, which may feel worse in the morning upon rising. You may also experience dizziness, blurred vision, ringing in the ears, fatigue, nosebleeds or the urge to urinate at night.

So what are your options? Losing weight by exercising will help. A better diet is a must. Because hypertension is a risk factor for heart attack and stroke, physicians take quick action and prescribe medications to lower blood pressure:

ACE inhibitors: Lisinopril, benazepril and enalapril are popular ones. These medications block your ACE enzyme. Natural foods and supplements that do the same in a gentler way include garlic, seaweed, pycnogenol, omega 3 fatty acids, egg yolks, zinc and hawthorn berries.

Calcium channel blockers: Verapamil, amlodipine and nifedipine. Medications in this category cause relaxation of the blood vessels. Natural options are omega 3 fatty acids, calcium, magnesium, vitamin E, vitamin C, hawthorn berries, NAC and lipoic acid. You should also eat celery.

Diuretics: Blockbusters like furosemide and hydrochlorothiazide, these medications cause you to urinate more, which reduces the amount of fluid in your blood vessels. When you reduce the squeeze in those tiny cramped vessels, pressure goes down. Natural, gentle "water pills" include vitamin C, potassium, vitamin B6, hawthorn berry, taurine and CoQ10. Celery, too!

Certain foods and supplements are direct vasodilators, meaning they open up the blood vessels, thus relieving some pressure. These include taurine, potassium, omega 3 fatty acids, and -- you guessed it -- celery! Even four stalks a week could help, more if you like it. Juice it, dip it in hummus or sunflower butter, and if you just can't eat it, then consider taking celery seed extract supplements. Compounds in celery like "3-n-butylphthalide" are known to reduce blood pressure. In China, this compound (extracted from celery seed) is sold as a drug to reduce beta amylase-induced neuronal apoptosis, which confers protection for people with stroke, dementia and traumatic brain injury.

The final piece of the anti-hypertensive puzzle is the beautiful beet. Solid research shows that beets, and beetroot juice, can help with blood pressure and cholesterol. Drink about a cup a day. I juice a beet quite often myself. Consider massage to control cortisol. And yoga, it's another fun, non-pharmacological way to reduce blood pressure and stress hormones. Plus, it makes you more flexible and strengthens your spine.