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Hypertension ' or high blood pressure ' is a big problem for many people. Millions of people in the United States alone have been diagnosed with high blood pressure.

You are the only one that can take charge of your life and change your current lifestyle to do something to improve that blood pressure problem.

Increasing the consumption of plant foods into your diet is very important in lowering blood pressure. A good vegetarian diet contains less saturated fat and refined carbohydrates, and more potassium, complex carbohydrates, fibre, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C and essential fatty acids.

Some supplements that are good for lowering blood pressure are fish oil supplements or flaxseed oil which are both rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

Measuring Blood Pressure:

There are two numbers taken into account when blood pressure is measured. The highest number is the systolic which measures the pressure inside the arteries when the heart beats. The lower number is the diastolic which measures the pressure in the arteries when the heart is at rest between beats.

Hypertension is ranked in stages with the first stage being Prehypertension. The measurements in this range are Systolic ' 120 to 139 and Diastolic ' 80 to 89.

Stage 1 is the next stage with measurements being Systolic ' 140 to 159 and Diastolic ' 90 to 99.

Stage 2 is the highest stage of hypertension with measurements being Systolic greater than 160 and Diastolic greater than 100.

Some natural remedies for hypertension are:

1- Raw garlic. Have garlic in salads and also use it in cooking. Garlic supplements are good to take on a daily basis, one after breakfast and one after dinner.

2- Eat apples. Apples have pectin with can help to lower blood pressure so try to eat two apples a day.

3- Papaya is very good if you eat it first thing in the morning every day and then do not eat anything for two hours after.

4- Eggs and meat will cause blood pressure to rise more than any other food. Avoid meat, tea and coffee, sugar and fried food.

5- Cucumbers are rich in potassium, phosphorus and calcium. They're also a good diuretic and calming agent. To help bring down blood pressure, try eating a cucumber every day. If you have a juicer, drink ' cup of fresh cucumber juice. You can also include some carrots and parsley, which is another good diuretic.

6- Cayenne pepper is very good for stabilizing blood pressure.

7- Drink watermelon seeds. Crush or blend two teaspoons of dried watermelon seeds and then put them in a cup of boiled water. Leave them for one hour and then strain them. Drink the watermelon seed tea half an hour before each meal. This can also improve kidney function so you may also be using the bathroom a bit more than usual.

8- Raspberry leaf tea can also help to reduce blood pressure. You can have this tea hot or cold. Combine 1 ounce of raspberry leaves to 2 cups of boiling water and simmer for 20 minutes. Drink 1 cup a day.

The last natural remedy...

Laugh! Studies have shown that five to ten minutes of laughter first thing in the morning is a great way to improve blood pressure levels.