Off to a good start Q: My doctor would like me to take medication to lower my blood pressure, but I got him to agree to let me try a natural approach first. I have started exercising, but I'm wondering what else can I do to avoid the blood pressure medicine? JVW: Your determination to resolve your hypertension naturally and your first positive step of undertaking an exercise program bode well for your success. It may take some "experimenting" (with the help of a physician skilled in nutritional therapies, of course) to find an approach that is tailored to you, but willingness to try and the initiative to get started are a great beginning. The first thing to consider is the underlying cause of your elevated blood pressure. Certain conditions such as diabetes or food allergies can be causes of high blood pressure. If this is the case, then dietary changes can go a long way toward bringing it down. Vegetarians often naturally have lower blood pressure, most likely due to their diet being higher in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. A vegetarian diet is also naturally higher in potassium and lower in sodium. I'm not suggesting you need to become a vegetarian, since I don't believe this is the best diet for most of us. But perhaps increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables will impart some of the same benefit to you. The "experts" used to believe that simply lowering one's sodium intake would bring down blood pressure, but this doesn't seem to be the whole story. When your potassium intake is too low and your sodium intake is too high, your blood platelets don't function properly, which can affect blood pressure. A better balance could mean lower blood pressure for many individuals. Sometimes taking more calcium can reduce blood pressure, but it's important to remember to take magnesium along with it. Magnesium can also lower blood pressure because of its ability to relax muscles including the muscles in the walls of the blood vessels. Other nutrients that can help are vitamin C, amino acids like l-tryptophan and taurine, and co-enzyme Q10. To determine the most appropriate approach or combination of approaches for you, I suggest you work closely with a natural medicine physician. For a list of such physicians in your area, you can call the American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM) at (800)532-3688 or visit their website at www.acam.org. | 
