Specific Holistic Self-Care Activities to Deal with the Problems of High Blood Pressure - Essay Example

Meditation is an important holistic therapy to deal with high blood pressure since it deals with stress management. Meditation is done in a relaxed mode and in this way the body uses less oxygen approximately 20% lower than when a person is active. Sitting while meditating is therefore, more effective and the minimized need for oxygen enables the heart to make fewer beats and the blood pressure lowers. Meditation also ensures controlled breathing through gentle activities like yoga, and Tai Chi lowering stress levels (Pelletier, 2010).

Herbal therapy (an ayurvedic treatment) is the use of herbs and detoxification methods such as panchakarma which are given based on the age and severity of the disease. The herbal therapies that are most common include Rauwolfia serpentine (snakeroot), Panax notoginseng, shankapushpi (convolvulus pluricaulis), Stephania tetrandra (tetrandrine), and even crataegus species (called hawthorn). These therapies have not been fully studied and therefore, it is necessary to consult with a physician before undertaking them to avoid potential risks involved in these herbs.

In most cases, these herbs are used together with high blood pressure medications to lower the effects of high blood pressure (Bhagwan & Dash, 2002). Regular physical exercise is an important holistic activity to positively impacts the effects of high blood pressure. The exercise done does not necessarily need to be strenuous but it is crucial in raising the heart rate. However, for a person who is overweight or obese, it is mandatory to try and lose this weight even though walking or simple running activities.

In essence, daily regular exercises are good to observe enough blood circulation and in particular lymph or extracellular fluids. When an individual is constantly inactive, this situation leads to lymphatic stagnation and therefore, the body does not efficiently remove toxins, or carry nutrients, water, and oxygen as it is expected. This makes the condition of high blood pressure worse and it can be solved by including simple regular exercises daily (Pelletier, 2010). Other holistic activities include reducing alcohol intake and cutting down on smoking.

Too much consumption of alcohol or engaging in smoking increases high blood pressure because these toxins strain organs like the heart, liver, brain as well as pancreas which are directly related to blood flow in the body. It is evident that smoking particularly destroys the heart as well as the arteries causing the heart rate to rise because of the tension in the blood vessels and this leads to high blood pressure. Additionally, it is important to add on the water intake as a way of removing toxins in the body and therefore, lowering blood pressure.

If the body lacks water, it tries to use the limited resource in the body leading to vascular constriction and the body fluids thickening. However, the water consumed should not have chlorine, fluorine, and any other noxious substances. It is also important to eliminate or reduce caffeine intake, get enough sleep, and rest to avoid getting high blood pressure (Regenerative nutrition, n.d). Therefore, Holistic health is a type of healing that deals with the entire body that involves the body, mind, and spirit.

The holistic practices described above (proper diet, exercise, sleep, rest, spiritual connection, and stress management) ensure that a person's entire being is evaluated for complete nourishment. For instance, treating high blood pressure through a proper diet and exercise ensures that the physical body is nourished and sustained. The concept of stress management on its part ensures that the mind is healed so that the person can have a clear bearing on how to take care of the body. On the other hand, divine connection through meditation during high blood pressure treatment ensures the spiritual part of the body is sustained. In this respect, this holistic approach to high blood pressure includes prevention, rehabilitation, and healing (Pelletier, 2010).