When I was offered an opportunity to review Blood Pressure Down: The 10-Step Plan to Lower Your Blood Pressure in 4 Weeks–Without Prescription Drugs on Self Help Daily, I jumped at the chance. I was already familiar with the author, Janet Bond Brill, PH.D., R.D., L.D.N., and had even previously written a review of another of her books: Prevent a Second Heart Attack (click the link for the review). Truth be told, after reading Prevent a Second Heart Attack, I was already looking forward to the author’s next book!
Like most people, I’m completely and utterly drawn to the idea of handling as many health problems (and potential health issues) as “naturally” as possible. Obviously this isn’t always possible – after all, many medications are life savers. I like the thought of a patient proactively working with their doctor – doing their part to bring about healing and better health.
From the Back Cover
For the 75 million Americans with hypertension, a safe, effective lifestyle plan—incorporating the DASH diet principles and much more—for lowering blood pressure naturally.
If you have high blood pressure, you’re not alone: nearly a third of adult Americans have been diagnosed with hypertension, and another quarter are well on their way. Yet a whopping 56 percent of diagnosed patients do not have it under control. The good news? Hypertension is easily treatable (and preventable), and you can take action today to bring your blood pressure down in just four weeks—without the potential dangers and side effects of prescription medications.
In Blood Pressure Down, Janet Bond Brill distills what she’s learned over decades of helping her patients lower their blood pressure into a ten-step lifestyle plan that’s manageable for anyone. You’ll:
• harness the power of blood pressure power foods like bananas, spinach, and yogurt
• start a simple regimen of exercise and stress reduction
• stay on track with checklists, meal plans, and more than fifty simple recipes
Easy, effective, safe—and delicious—Blood Pressure Down is the encouraging resource that empowers you, or your loved ones, to lower your blood pressure and live a longer, heart-healthy life.
75 million Americans, alone, have high blood pressure – the number just blows my mind. One of my daughters recently commented (kind of matter-of-fact) that just about everyone she works with has high blood pressure. The disease is almost as rampant as it is dangerous. Needless to say, if you have high blood pressure, please make sure that you’re under a doctor’s care. Read Blood Pressure Down: The 10-Step Plan to Lower Your Blood Pressure in 4 Weeks–Without Prescription Drugs, taking notes throughout the book, then take the book and your notes to your doctor. Tell him/her that you want to treat your blood pressure as naturally as possible!
Below are just a few of the things I love most about this wonderful book and just a few of the reasons I’d love to see everyone add this book to their library as soon as possible.
- I’m not the least bit “medically inclined.” My knowledge of medicines and diseases couldn’t even fill a notebook. Let’s not let this get out, but I”m not entirely certain I could fill 2 notebook pages! Yet, Janet Bond Brill makes everything beautifully clear. When I read her books, I always find myself wishing she’d taught my biology classes. She puts everything “within reach” of her readers, which is wonderful of her considering this is life and death information.
- This book presents a DOABLE action plan. You’re given 10 clear steps that you can begin implementing the very day you open the book. In reverence to the authors and publishers I work with, I never want to “give away” too much information. For one thing, it’s simply not fair to them! For another thing, however, it’s not fair to my readers because I’d never want you to miss out on a wonderfully important book because you think you’ve “gotten” all the information you need. This is why I don’t want to lay out the ten steps for you here, however, I will tell you one because it makes me smile (as in ear to ear): Eat Dark Chocolate. Each “Step” has an entire chapter devoted to it. Eat Dark Chocolate has 16 pages, itself, detailing how dark chocolate has strong beautiful roots as an ancient medicine. You learn how and why dark chocolate is so healthy and then you’re given the magic words: Eat 2 Tablespoons of Natural, Unsweetened Cocoa Powder or One or Two Squares of Dark Chocolate Every Day. Yes, Ma’am!
- Exercise – as in what qualifies and what doesn’t – is covered in great, clear detail.
- You learn the effects sleep and relaxation have on blood pressure.
- Recipes! There are quite a few delicious and healthy recipes included. Sometimes it’s hard to know which foods are healthiest – after reading Blood Pressure Down: The 10-Step Plan to Lower Your Blood Pressure in 4 Weeks–Without Prescription Drugs, you won’t have any more excuses. You’ll know for certain which foods you should throw on the table and which foods you should throw in the trash.
- You’re also given tips for slashing salt at home as well as in restaurants. Salt is very problematic for hypertension, but getting rid of it’s a lot easier than you’d think. You’ll also see where salt is showing up in foods you never would have expected.
- Label Lingo – you’ll learn what to look for on labels at the store. There is a list on pages 88-89 that I’ve written on an index card. I’ve become quite a label reader, so arming myself with healthy information makes good sense. As the author says, you’ll learn where the salt’s “hiding!”
- You’ll learn the importance of magnesium as you’re given 10 easy tips for adding magnesium to your day.
- The author takes a very confusing subject (supplements) and lays it all out in plain language. At the end of the chapter, you know exactly which supplements you should be taking.
- Last, but certainly not least (in fact, it’s my favorite thing about the book!): Blood Pressure Down: The 10-Step Plan to Lower Your Blood Pressure in 4 Weeks–Without Prescription Drugs is for ANYONE, whether you have high blood pressure now, have a family history of high blood pressure, love someone who has high blood pressure, or simply want to eat healthy as a preventive step. I, personally, do not have high blood pressure. I have, however, read this book cover to cover, memorizing the information as I went along. I feel like I am armed with information that’ll help prevent me from ever being one of the 75 million Americans with hypertension. Equally important, I have information to share with my family to keep them from developing problems with their blood pressure.
This author is all about preventing diseases, not just treating them, and I hope you will follow her advice as well. I “whole-heartedly” recommend this fantastic, potentially life-saving book.
~ Joi
[notification type=”standard”] About the Author: Janet Bond Brill, PH.D., R.D., L.D.N. is a nationally recognized expert in cardiovascular disease prevention and the author of Cholesterol Down and Prevent a Second Heart Attack. She has been a nutritionist in private practice for many years. Visit her website at www.drjanet.com. [/notification]