盘点10个日常生活中有效降血压的办法(下)

more Garlic in your Diet.

3.多吃大蒜

Anecdotally we all know that a Mediterranean diet is healthy for us. Mediterranean diets are high in products like olive oil and garlic.

相传地中海式饮食十分健康，里面放有大量橄榄油和大蒜。

As a result many medical studies have tried to establish whether or not garlic can play a role in reducing blood pressure.

因此很多医学专家努力研究大蒜到底有没有降血压的功效。

Meta-analysis of these studies has shown that it does seem to have some effect in reducing blood pressure.

分析结果发现，大蒜确实能够降血压。

The trials showed that garlic supplements, when taken once a day over a period of months, can lower high blood pressure when compared with the results of people taking placebo pills.

试验中，一组人每天服用含大蒜食物，另一组服用安慰剂，几个月后，发现服用大蒜组血压确实有所降低。

What the research has not done is compare the effectiveness of garlic compared with traditional medications nor has there been research into whether the supplements are effective long term or what dosage gives the optimum results.

不过，试验并未对比调查大蒜与传统药物的有效性，也未深入研究大蒜补充物是否长期有效或多大剂量效果最佳。

While we would not advise you to bin your prescription and start popping garlic supplements instead it would certainly not harm your health if you were to go to the chemists to buy some garlic supplements and/or use more garlic in your in your diet.

虽然我们不会建议你把医生的处方搁置一旁，用大蒜补充物代替，但是让医生给你开一些大蒜补充物，或者平日饮食多吃大蒜，对你的身体绝对没有坏处！

on Lavender

2.吃薰衣草

You know lavender – that beautiful purple plant that, if you are lucky enough to live in the right area brings heavenly aromas (and beautiful butterflies) to your garden.

薰衣草，花呈紫色，极为漂亮，若住所旁边有一片薰衣草，在花园里就能闻到令人沉醉的香气，甚至能吸引美丽的蝴蝶。

If you have lavender you will know exactly how delicate the smell is and how much pleasure it can bring. It turns out, however, that lavender is more than just ornamental.

见到薰衣草，你就会知道薰衣草的香气能够使人愉悦。不过，薰衣草可不仅仅只是香气迷人啊！

Originally grown for its scent and use in perfumes Lavender has been used for centuries to help people relax, balance their moods and to cure insomnia.

几百年来，薰衣草因其香味儿多用于香水，能够让人放松，舒缓心情，以治疗失眠。

European medicine women and monks from Roman times onwards were aware of the benefits lavender could bring.

自罗马时代起，欧洲的女巫医和僧侣就已经对薰衣草的好处有所了解。

Lavender plants were strewn amongst the floor rushes in bedrooms to help people sleep and lavender was used as a herb in cooking and as an ingredient in teas and tisanes.

他们把薰衣草撒在地板上助眠，还将薰衣草用于饮食、药茶之中。

More recently studies have been undertaken to try to place our understanding of the potential benefits of lavender on a scientific footing.

近来，人们对薰衣草进行了多项研究，以图从科学上证明薰衣草确实益处颇多。

One study gave people lavender oil to smell and recorded their responses both unconscious (such as blood pressure, heart rate etc) and their conscious responses such as their mood. The effect of lavender on the brain was also recorded through the use of EEGs.

一项研究给试验者提供薰衣草精油，并记录他们的潜意识（血压、心率等）和意识反应（心情等），同时用EEGs记录薰衣草对大脑的影响。

Compared with the placebo oil (sweet almond) the test subjects reported that they felt happier and more relaxed when they sniffed lavender oil. Recordings also showed a drop in blood pressure and heart rate readings.

试验者表示，相比使用安慰剂（甜杏仁）而言，使用薰衣草时更为开心、放松，而且记录显示血压和心率也较低。

We are not suggesting that you replace all the fragrances you wear and in your home and car with lavender (you will get sick of the smell) but you might benefit from carrying a bottle of Lavender essential oil with you to dab on a handkerchief or tissue to sniff at times when you are feeling particularly stressed.

当然，你也不用把家里和车上的所有香料换成薰衣草（那样你肯定会厌烦的），但是你可以随身带一瓶薰衣草精油，感觉紧张的时候擦在手帕或纸巾上闻一闻，会让你放松下来。

You might also want to research recipes that use lavender and perhaps drink a cup of lavender tea at bedtime every day (lavender mixes particularly well with green tea).

此外，还可以把薰衣草纳入日常饮食，或每天睡前喝一杯薰衣草茶（薰衣草和绿茶配在一起味道极好）。

If you enjoy massage you should also consider switching to a lavender based massage oil.

若是喜欢按摩，还可以用薰衣草按摩油。

Smoking

1.戒烟

This one should be a a no-brainer; however almost 20% of people between 45-64 smoke and 9% over 65 are still smoking.

戒烟一事，众所周知，百利而无一害，然而45岁至64岁的人群中，仍有20%的人还在吸烟，65岁以上的老人中，吸烟人数也占到9%。

Any guesses why the percentage is cut in half after age 65? I bet it's not because those people finally got the courage to quit. Nope. They dead. Drop the cancer sticks.

有人好奇为什么65岁以上吸烟的人数少了一半？肯定不是他们终于鼓起勇气戒烟了。真相是：他们死掉了！所以，赶快戒烟吧！

Not only are they proven to give you cancer but smoking raises your blood pressure and heart rate, narrows your arteries and hardens their walls, and makes your blood more likely to clot.

吸烟不仅会导致癌症，还会使血压和心率升高，使动脉变细，动脉壁增厚，更容易发生血栓。

It stresses your heart and sets you up for a heart attack or stroke.

心脏压力增大，会增加心脏病或中风的风险。

So there you have it – our top 10 natural ways to reduce your blood pressure without resorting to medication.

以上就是我们总结的“自然降压10法”，无需借助药物。

Of course if your doctor has prescribed tablets you should continue to take them and to attend your regular blood pressure monitoring sessions. They are important for your health!

当然，若是医生给你开了药，还是不要放弃治疗，继续吃药、定期监测血压为好。