Here is my power blood pressure reduction list. Each of these has potential to lower blood pressure 2 to 5 points. The idea here is that although each one might have a small effect, combinations of 7 or more of these may allow for substantial reductions in blood pressure. I tried to include only items for which at least one scientific study found solid evidence of an improvement. My latest entry is the discovery that grapes not only protect against heart disease (in same way as wine) but that they probably lower blood pressure too.

1. Use Resperate....
2. Get your salt down below 500 mg per day. Watch out, bread has 100 mg per slice, some cheese can have 400 or more per slice, canned goods can very a lot.
3. Have a daily walk of at least 30 minutes.
4. Increase Potassium ( more banana, potatoes, fruits ) - suggest at least 2 bananas a day, and least 1 potato, and at least one other fruit ( apple, or orange). (Vegetables are even more important than fruit from nutrition point of view).
5. Reduce to healthy body weight through better eating, more exercise, and smaller portions.
6. 15 minutes of interval training per day ( 1 minute on -- 1 minute off)
7. Adopt 1 hour active cycle followed by 1 hour more resting cycle, the combination kicks down blood pressure, exercise increases thermal burn, and releases blood pressure lowering hormones.
8. Add a celery stick per day to your diet.
9. Have one portion of mushroom per day.( four small button mushrooms).
10. Cinnamon ( works by stabilizing sugars, lowering insulin resistance, which lowers salt retention which lowers blood pressure).
11.Tai Chi ( 15 minutes a day). Surprising good workout .... doesn't have to be professional lessons or anything ....
12. Small piece of dark chocolate per day and/or other cocoa-rich foods
13. 2 cups of tea a day ( green tea is best but most kinds including some herbals work well).
14. Broccoli (cooked or raw) and other power green foods ( beet greens, spinach, etc.)
15. 1/2 hour relaxing hot bath once a week, relaxing warm shower twice a week.
16. Sex. (30 minutes a day -- either alone but ideally with an amazing faithful partner). Or a good back massage and rub down also does wonders - power of touch -- give someone a hug today.
17. Swimming (water pressure gives the entire body a cardio vascular workout. 1 hour a week or ideally if you an manage it 1 hour a day)
18. 10 minutes of weight training every second day.
19. Borsh Soup ( beet soup). Most home made soups with vegetables such as tomatoes and beets release a flood of chemicals that help lower blood pressure). Have one bowl of soup everyday.
20. Get adequate sleep. ( 1 hour before midnight worth 2 hours after, an hour nap during the day when you feel tired is worth 2 hours at night).
21. Garlic and Onions ( great stuff and it works). Put it your soup and sandwiches.
22. Stop smoking ( if you smoke).
23. Practice EFT ( Emotional Freedom Techniques).
24. Laugh (read 10 jokes a day, and watch 30 minutes of comedy of some sort).
25. Smile at everybody, smile internally, call up friends, enjoy life.
26. Acupuncture combined with electronic stimulation ... ( One method I haven't tried... but EFT is acupuncture like in some regards).
27. Occasional high nitrate foods like wieners ( once a week).
28. Have you mother breast feed you as an infant!
29. Slow breathing exercises combined with yoga and other relaxation techniques -- don't underestimate some of the power of Yoga.
30. Omega-3 Fatty Acids -- particular some kinds of nuts and fish (person should have four or five nuts every day).
31. A small aspirin before you go to bed (50mg ) -- one week on - one week off.
32. Statins can lower blood pressure as side effect. (If your under 65 years old, and particularly if you池e a male, statins appear to be miracle drug. Not that I like drugs of any kind, but a low dose <25mg per day may be good benefit. Talk to your doctor.)
33. Sesame oil ( Another one I haven't tried but results sound impressive).
34. Vitamin D ( One can overdose on vitamin D so one has to be careful. In northern climate such as Canada most people can take 1000 mg per day with no trouble during the winter. If you can manage it -- 30 minutes of sun tanning, early morning or late afternoon, also lets your body convert cholesterol to vitamin D. I致e started to add this to my summer routine without regular monthly blood tests hard to know if it works.).
35. Replace regular fat calories with Olive Oil. (Mediterranean diet) Canola oil will also work.
36. Get a pet (cat or dog). Studies have shown that it works. Particularly for lonely, elderly people. I wonder if the effect isn稚 that one needs to take the dog for a walk, or whatever, it gets us moving. The effect could be that simple.
37. Have a portion of Oats (or other soluable fiber) each day. (I recommend one week on and one week off on this one? Oats all the time could be hard on one.)
38. Increase calcium intake from natural sources including dairy product intake and green vegetables. Diastolic blood pressure was negatively and significantly associated with total calcium intake from dairy products. So if your bottom end number is high -- add a 150 ml of yogart to your daily diet. ( Cheese while supplying calcium may be high in fat and salt -- so need to be careful there, same with whole milk.) http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/38/3/457
39. Oils and foods that contain linoleic acid include safflower oil (78%), poppy seed oil (70%), walnut oil, grass fed cow milk, olive oil, palm oil, sunflower oil, soybean, lard, coconut oil, egg yolks (16%), spirulina, peanut oil, okra, rice bran oil, wheat germ oil, grape seed oil, macadamia oil, pistachio oil, sesame oil. Studies have shown that foods that contain Linoleic acid reduce blood pressure.
http://www.springerlink.com/content/j71412r15122686h/
http://hyper.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/31/2/615
good sources are oils made from
* Safflower
* Sunflower
* Corn
* Soya
* Evening primrose
* Pumpkin
* Wheatgerm.
Conjugated Linoleic Acid
A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study, published in the December 2000 issue of the Journal of Nutrition found that CLA reduces fat and preserves muscle tissue. According to the research project manager, an average reduction of six pounds of body fat was found in the group that took CLA, compared to a placebo group.
Apparently Pasture-grazed cows had 500% more CLA in their milk than those fed silage.
Oleic acid is related compond found in olive oil and many plants that have linoleic acid. Oleic acid also lowers BP but not as much as linoleic acid.
http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/abstract/137/2/384 this study didn稚 find a reduction in BP but did find a reduction in parameters that measure heart disease.
Oleic acid makes up 55-80% of olive oil - one reasons olive oil is good for you.
Human body can produce all but two of the fatty acids it needs. These two, linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linolenic acid (LNA), are widely distributed in plant oils. In addition, fish oils contain the longer-chain omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Since they cannot be made in the body from other substrates and must be supplied in food, they are called essential fatty acids. Mammals lack the ability to introduce double bonds in fatty acids beyond carbon 9 and 10.Hence linoleic acid and linoleinic acid are essential fatty acids for humans. In the body, essential fatty acids are primarily used to produce hormone-like substances that regulate a wide range of functions, including blood pressure, blood clotting, blood lipid levels, the immune response, and the inflammation response to injury infection.
http://www.3dchem.com/molecules.asp?ID=384
40. Peanut butter, Peanuts : http://www.peanut-institute.org/111705_PR.html
As a snack twice a week, some peanuts are excellent. Go with unsalted or little salted. Peanut butter is actually excellent food source .. monounsaturated fat. Hunger satisfying.
41. Improve your cholesterol levels and ratios. This isn稚 a quick blood pressure fix by any means. But the evidence seems to point that over several years of better cholesterol levels and ratios that blood pressures gradually improve. That means lower LDL and higher HDL, and lower overall cholesterol. The ratio of cholesterol/HDL is probably the most important. Current numbers say aim for 3.5 to 1. Number above 5.0 to 1 are definitely too high. When you read this list you see that many of the points are also previously on the list as items to lower BP. Salt has been somewhat controversial is it the salt itself or that salty foods are often unhealthy for other reasons. For example cheese has high salt, and often high fat. Many highly processed foods have high salt, and low nutrition. So, salt reduction itself, may not be as important as the nutrition improvement.
There is a theory that excess salt damages over time the cardiovascular system.
* Oatmeal lowers your LDL without lowering your HDL.
* Fish is a good source of omega 3 fatty acids, lowers LDL, raises HDL, and lowers triglycerides.
* Nuts are high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, lower LDL.
* Soy has been shown to lower LDL.
* Fiber lowers your cholesterol. It can be found in kidney beans, green peas, broccoli, apples, brown rice, and whole grain breads.
* Antioxidants in foods, such as vitamins A, C, and E, lower the chances of LDL building up in your arteries. You can get your antioxidant vitamins in foods such as strawberries, oranges, oils and margarines, and melons.
* Use whole grain flour instead of white flour.
* Buy lean meats, like turkey or chicken, instead of red meat, and trim all the fat from it before cooking.
* Cook with vegetable oil, which is high in polyunsaturated fats, and olive and canola oils, which are high in monounsaturated fats.
* Instead of frying, boil, broil, bake, roast, poach, or steam meats, and drain off all fat before eating.
* Reduce your salt intake by using herbs to flavor your meals, and avoiding salty snack foods, pickles, cured meats, and cheeses.
http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/l....html?ic=506016
42. Short brisk walks of 10 minutes, or longer 40 minute walk.
http://walking.about.com/od/hearthealth/a/...rtension906.htm
43.Wine small amounts of wine daily appear to have protective effect from adverse health events, even if they don稚 lower blood pressure. http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blo...-pressure-risks
44. Listen to Mozart http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...0917?hub=Health
45. Eat dark grapes. Researchers from the Universite Louis Pasteur de Strasbourg in France examined the effect of concord grape juice on the endothelial cells of pigs. The data suggest that the polyphenols found in certain types of grapes cause these cells to produce nitric oxide, which helps maintain healthy blood pressure and blood vessel function.

Some good points with a few exceptions

2. Get your salt down below 500 mg per day.
The scientific evidence I have seen against salt is not all that strong. There is a much better case in support of widespread magnesium deficiency which you do not even mention. Studies of food intake have shown that most people do not even get the RDA minimum which some suggest is too low. And if you are deficient in Mg in the presence of adequate calcium stores increasing calcium intake can exacerbate a Mg deficiency. Only about 1% of the total body Mg is in the blood. So serum MG levels are not indicative of Mg status. One of the main reasons Mg status has been and continues to be ignored is that there is not simple inexpensive test to determine it.

The following link has some good basic information on Magnesium http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium.asp
I also suggest 'The Magnesium Solution to High Blood Pressure' by Jay S. Cohen, MD

4. Increase Potassium
Studies have shown that if Mg is deficient (in negative balance) potassium will not help lower BP.

32. Statins can lower blood pressure as side effect. (If your under 65 years old, and particularly if you池e a male, statins appear to be miracle drug. Not that I like drugs of any kind, but a low dose <25mg per day may be good benefit. Talk to your doctor.)
Maybe. But statins can have some nasty side effects.

38. Increase calcium intake from natural sources including dairy product.
See comments on MG

39. Oils and foods that contain linoleic acid include safflower oil (78%), poppy seed oil (70%), walnut oil, grass fed cow milk, olive oil, palm oil, sunflower oil, soybean, lard, coconut oil, egg yolks (16%), spirulina, peanut oil, okra, rice bran oil, wheat germ oil, grape seed oil, macadamia oil, pistachio oil, sesame oil. Studies have shown that foods that contain Linoleic acid reduce blood pressure.
good sources are oils made from
* Safflower
* Sunflower
* Corn
* Soya
* Evening primrose
* Pumpkin
* Wheatgerm.
Until I start seeing assays of the various oil fractions on commercial vegetable oil labels I will avoid them like the plague. PUFAs (2 or more double bonds) are highly unstable. They oxidize easily to degrade into poisonous byproducts when exposed to light, heat and oxygen. There is a high correlation with cancer and the consumption of vegetable oils. And while it has been and still is posited (guessed) that saturated fat clogs arteries a study published in the Lancet in 1994 found no traces of saturated fat. Instead, one of the biggest components of clogs was oxidized fragments of linoleic acid. Further studies of arterial clogs have confirmed this.

Apparently Pasture-grazed cows had 500% more CLA in their milk than those fed silage.
Here, I agree completely.

Human body can produce all but two of the fatty acids it needs. These two, linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linolenic acid (LNA), are widely distributed in plant oils.
And they are the essential fatty acids.

In addition, fish oils contain the longer-chain omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Since they cannot be made in the body from other substrates and must be supplied in food, they are called essential fatty acids.
Not true. About 3-5% of LNA is converted to EPA and DHA in the body.

The ratio of cholesterol/HDL is probably the most important.
In terms of cholesterol, for what it's worth, yes. Some (myself included) only think LDL is important if you hold pharmaceutical stocks in your portfolio in companies that market statins.
The triglyceride to HDL ratio is a better marker of CV risk.

Salt has been somewhat controversial is it the salt itself or that salty foods are often unhealthy for other reasons. For example cheese has high salt, and often high fat. Many highly processed foods have high salt, and low nutrition. So, salt reduction itself, may not be as important as the nutrition improvement.
Magnesium is the issue here.

* Buy lean meats, like turkey or chicken, instead of red meat, and trim all the fat from it before cooking.
Why? I suggest you read 'Good Calories, Bad Calories' by Gary Taubes or 'What it it's all been a big fat lie'.

* Cook with vegetable oil, which is high in polyunsaturated fats, and olive and canola oils, which are high in monounsaturated fats.
Both of which will produce oxidized (read; toxic) fats. Not a good idea. Lard or Coconut oil is at least safe.

You did not mention reducing insulin levels by reducing carbohydrate intake. No requirement for carbohydrate in human nutrition has ever been established. Nor, is a requirement ever likely to be established.

thanks for the comments .... there are many factors ... and one man or woman food may be another man's poison.

Do you have a study link on BP and reducing carbohydrate intake?
What is CLA?

The reason I am trying the Resperate system is that my diastolic BP is typically a normal 80 but my systolic BP is between 140 and 148. The condition I have is called 'isolated systolic hypertension'. I will post more on this later.

The important issue is that the diastolic BP is the static pressure that the blood vessels are under most of the time. In using the Resperate system I have discovered that due to an obstruction in my left nostril and years of hyperstress that I went through before I retired I was breathing quite fast and very shallow with an exhalation phase much shorter than my inhalation phase. I'm speculating that the extended period of high stress reprogrammed my autonomic respiratory responses. Within 3 sessions I am seeing significant improvement with the Resperate system and am breathing better all around.