If you've been wondering how to lower high blood pressure naturally, then you've arrived at the right hub. We'll cover a variety of approaches to controlling your high blood pressure without having to turn to medications, either over-the-counter or prescription.

In fact, you may not even know this, but the first treatment choice most physicians recommend for controlling your high blood pressure is usually a change in lifestyle. We'll cover exactly how to do this here, as well as a number of other ways to start lowering your blood pressure without turning your life upside down.

So get ready to be enlightened.

Okay, the truth of the matter is this: there are foods that can help raise your blood pressure and there are foods that can help lower your blood pressure. 

Want to take a guess?

Well, eating foods low in in saturated fats, in fat, and in cholesterol can lower blood pressure.  This is according to the National Institute for Health, though I'm sure you were already aware of it. So ... here's what they recommend.  A balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and low fat dairy products.

Nothing surprising there.

But are you doing it?

Would you prefer to be taking medication?

Well, a change in your eating habits will often have the same result as taking medication. However, it's much cheaper and it will generally lead to weight loss (which, by the way, also helps to reduce your blood pressure).

Your physician will likely ask you to reduce your sodium intake as well. While the average American should consume not more than 2,400 mg of sodium a day (about 6 grams of salt), your phsycian will likely ask you to keep it at 1.5 grams or less. Too much salt can cause more fluid to be retained in the blood vessels, which causes the heart work harder, which can increase blood pressure. So check the sodium levels on the foods you eat, especially processed foods.

Excessive alcohol consumption not only harms the liver and brain over time, it can harm your heart. This is the whole point of controlling your high blood pressure, to protect your heart. So, the good news is that you don't have to stop drinking. The bad news is that you have to moderate your drinking. One drink a day for the ladies, two drinks for the gentlemen. You can reduce your blood pressure by as much as 5-10 mmHg simply by reducing your alcohol intake.

Here's where it gets tricky. You want to eat potassium-rich foods because potassium works with sodium to help regulate your blood pressure. In fact, studies have shown that those who consume more potassium have lower blood pressure. However, as with anything, you don't want to overdo it. And you certainly don't want to eat more sodium because you're eating more potassium. You can find an abundance of potassium in cantaloupe, bananas, watermelon, oranges and orange juice, as well as potatoes, spinach, and zucchini.

The bottom line is this: a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and low fat dairy products is your best bet in helping to lower your blood pressure.

Okay, you knew this was coming. Yes, it's true ... losing weight is an excellent way to lower your blood pressure. Of course, if you aren't carrying around any extra pounds, then this won't help. But most of us are carrying extra weight and by shedding those pounds we can do our heart, our blood vessels and our blood pressure a big favor.

In fact, losing weight may be all you need to do to regain control over your blood pressure. Research has shown that losing as little as 10 pounds can lower the blood pressure of an overweight person with hypertension (which is just another term for high blood pressure).

How's that for great news?

Of course, the hard part is actually losing the weight. And you've heard the basic answer when doctor's are asked how to lose weight, it's "eat less, exercise more." I wish I could tell you differently, but I can't. I can, however, offer a few suggestions that might make the process less daunting.

One of the biggest mistakes when pursuing permanent weight loss is skipping meals. In fact, the best approach is to eat six, small healthy meals throughout the day. Three of these meals should be snacks, around 100-150 calories. The other three should be slightly bigger meals that include healthy proteins, carbohydrates and limited fat. By regularly eating throughout the day, you’ll keep your metabolism functioning at its peak. For the ladies ... around 1,200 calories a day. For the gentlemen, around 1,500 calories.

Make it a point to drink plenty of water. Often when you feel hungry, it’s actually your body trying to tell you it’s thirsty. By keeping a bottle of water with you and making a point to take constant sips throughout the day, you’ll keep hydrated, feel better, and eliminate this common cause of food cravings.

If there are certain snack foods that you really enjoy, don’t try to completely cut them out. You’ll only overindulge in them when you can’t control the urge to have them later. Plan these snacks into your day, and make them snacks you enjoy once in a while and in moderation.

On the exercising end of things ... you don't have to start running marathons. You need to do some form of aerobic exercise for twenty minutes, three times a week. It can be walking, running, dancing, playing basketball ... anything that gets your heart rate up.

It takes effort to lose weight, there's no denying it. But the effort is worth it if it keeps you off blood pressure medications.

All right, we're getting out there now. Electro-acupuncture.

Actually, it's still early on this one. Though the results from an Irvine University of California study does appear to indicate that electro-acupuncture can significantly lower blood pressure. And if we were all rats, there would be no doubt. But we aren't, so here's what happened ...

By inducing low electric stimulation at the front of the rats' legs, their blood pressure dropped an average of forty percent. This was after their blood pressure had been artifically increased. So the process does raise some questions. In addition, I don't know about you, but when you start sticking needles in me, I suspect my blood pressure would rise instead of drop. But it's hard to argue with the results.

It's also worth noting that the drop in blood pressure wasn't permanent. It lasted for up to an hour in most cases.

In conclusion, the researchers noted: "There are many methods of practicing acupuncture, possibly even as many variations in techniques as there are acupuncturists, with subtle or great differences between individual practices. The data in this study provide a greater understanding of several of these different therapeutic techniques used in clinical acupuncture to treat conditions associated with reflex sympathoexcitation and BP elevation."

Current ongoing study is now being conducted with human subjects.

Wouldn't you love to be one of those?