Hypertension is sometimes referred to as a “silent killer” and feared by many. According to the 2017 American Heart Association guidelines, when blood pressure is measured during a calm, non-agitated state and reads high more than three times within two consecutive weeks, a person is considered to be suffering from high blood pressure (hypertension).
Once diagnosed, simply lowering blood pressure is not the only goal. At least as important is finding the cause. When the cause is resolved, the “silent killer” instead becomes your “assistant” to alert you to your health condition.
There are several causes of high blood pressure. Anger, nervousness, fear, stiff shoulders, and cold weather all contribute.
1. Ways to solve hypertension due to an angry or tense environment
Some people are more irritable than others – even while watching TV, their emotions can flare up, causing outward manifestations of anger such as a red face, a bulging neck and a short temper. This phenomenon occurs when the sympathetic nerves become hyperactive, causing the peripheral blood vessels to constrict. In this condition, the blood fails to deliver oxygen directly to all parts of the body, resulting in high blood pressure.
I once had a patient in her fifties who was slightly obese and whose blood pressure was constantly around 200. After trying six different types of antihypertensive drugs from Western medicine without any effect, she came to me for treatment. After treatments, her blood pressure dropped to 140 or 150. She was so happy that she told people everywhere, “Dr. Hu cured my blood pressure problem.”
I then said to her, “Your high blood pressure was not cured by me, but by yourself.” How? “The medicine I have prescribed for you is a medicine to calm emotions. So you are also adjusting your emotions, and you are getting happier every day. Once you’ve reached the ‘don’t get mad, feel good’ state, the high blood pressure will go away on its own.”
2 teas to calm emotions and lower blood pressure
The following two types of tea can help calm your emotions and achieve a calm and happy mood.
Chrysanthemum tea
Put 10 pieces of chrysanthemum in a mug and put them with hot water. Be it the yellow, white or wild chrysanthemums, they are all good. Drink the tea once the chrysanthemums are completely soaked and expanded and emit a fragrance. To make the drink more attractive and increase the desire to drink more, add a little liquorice or wolfberry.
Liquorice jujube decoction
This was one of the remedies for the patient mentioned above.
In a pot of 1500 cc (about 3.2 pints) of water, boil four clubs (about 0.52 oz) of liquorice, 1 tael (about 1.33 oz) of wheat and 12 red dates and reduce to 1000 cc (about 2. 1 pint) remains. Drink daily as a tea.
Note: It is best to choose “floating wheat”, that is, wheat that has been stored for a longer period of time.
Exercise daily to increase the happiness index
Exercise will soften the blood vessels, and once the peripheral blood vessels expand, blood can flow through them efficiently, simultaneously flushing out the cholesterol in the blood vessels. Once blood flow in the major blood vessels becomes normal, blood pressure will drop. In addition, during exercise, the brain produces hormones called endorphins, the so-called “happy hormones,” which make people feel happier and lower blood pressure naturally.
How do people who are busy at home and at work find time to exercise? The benefits of exercising every day can be accumulated. For example, if you travel to work by bus, get off one stop earlier and walk the rest of the distance. Or if you go to lunch, walk up and down a flight of stairs for five or six minutes. When the working day is over and take a walk after dinner. This way you’ll have accumulated about 30 minutes of exercise at the end of the day – and the more ways you can find, the better.
You can also “ground” negative energy in the body by wearing soft cloth shoes, socks only, or going barefoot and walking on grass or dirt. In this way, in addition to getting some exercise, the blood supply in the brain is also increased. With enough oxygen, blood pressure drops naturally.
2. Tap 3 acupoints to relieve hypertension with stiff neck
Having a stiff neck and shoulders is another condition that can contribute to hypertension.
For example, many office workers spend their days in front of a computer screen in a turtleneck position and have to sit still for many hours at a time. When they get home, they go back to lying on the couch – not moving – or bending their head towards their phone, further adding to their stiff neck and shoulders, which in turn can lead to high blood pressure.
I have another patient who went to a hospital for examination and each time his blood pressure was measured at almost 200. He always felt uncomfortable after taking all the blood pressure lowering drugs prescribed by the doctor, whether they lower cholesterol or dilate blood vessels. Later I helped him stretch his carotid artery, and his high blood pressure problem went away.
There is an acupoint for neck and shoulder stiffness, the Chize (LU 5) acupoint. Every day, gently press the Chize point on the left and right hands for 3 to 5 minutes and shake and move the neck as you press. In this way, the blood flow in the neck will improve and the blood in the carotid artery will flow to the brain. When the blood supply is sufficient, the blood pressure will drop naturally.
In addition to Chize, two other points can improve blood circulation. One is Zusanli (ST 36) and the other is Sanyinjiao (SP 6).
In addition, people who cannot press accurately on the acupuncture points can also use the method of tapping. By hitting the upper part of the acupoint and also tapping the lower part, they can sometimes hit the exact location of the acupoint, and the effect is also very good.
Note: Pregnant women should not massage or tap the Sanyinjiao point.
3. Cold type hypertension – Keep the body warm
Cold weather can also cause blood pressure to rise.
In order to maintain heat in the body, during cold seasons, the blood vessels around the body will shrink, that is, they will become thinner and smaller. This reduces the body’s blood flow and much of the blood remains in the large blood vessels, keeping blood pressure high.
What must we do? Wear warm layers of clothing and drink hot drinks. This will help the narrowed blood vessels to regain their normal width, the blood will then be sent evenly to all other blood vessels and the blood pressure will drop without the use of antihypertensive drugs.