Alternative doctors seek to address the underlying cause of hypertension and correct it. Weight loss reduces the risk for hypertension. They are compatible with the possibilities that magnesium and fiber as well as a diet richer in fruits and vegetables may reduce blood pressure levels. If a person is overweight, or only a little overweight, it is suggested he or she lose weight. Losing 2 pounds can cause a 1 to 2 point drop in blood pressure.
Strenuous exercise can lower blood pressure even more.
Several basic concepts are often ignored despite being relevant to the treatment of hypertensive patients and associated cardiovascular disease. Although people often consider hypertension as a disease, it is not itself a disease but, rather, one warning manifestation of a disease. Unfortunately, the cumulative experience of over two decades of worldwide clinical trials indicates that getting rid of only one aspect of hypertensive disease, the elevated blood pressure, reduces only part of the cardiovascular risk associated with hypertension. Thus, the disease we call hypertension is not just a blood pressure reduction or numbers game. We must consider the treatment of associated disease to treat hypertension successfully.