Homeopathy for high blood pressure?

One of the most common questions about high blood pressure is whether blood pressure can be lowered with so-called "natural" remedies. People often feel reluctant to take the medications prescribed by their doctor because they see them as chemical and unnaturalespecially since they may not feel any symptoms. At the same time, people understand that chronically elevated blood pressure readings are harmful to health and start looking for alternatives. The most helpful optionmaking lasting lifestyle changesoften fails because it's hard to overcome your own lack of motivation. A major change in diet and the idea of actually exercising more is simply not easy for many. In the search for simple ways to get blood pressure under control, people eventually come across homeopathic remedies. These are usually available without a prescription at the pharmacy. And whats supposed to help against hypertension seems easy to tryand even side-effect free, if you believe what's often written.

But does homeopathy really help?

What exactly is homeopathy?

{Fehler für :template{template="{-%-9/%/}" param1="{-%-10/%/}" param2=" Homöopathie"}The basic principle of homeopathy is "Similia similibus curentur," which means "like cures like." That means a substance that can cause symptoms similar to those the patient describes is highly diluted and shaken to give the body information about what to fight or which self-healing processes should be activated. For example, Nux Vomeca, the "Brechnuss" (used for nausea), is used in this way. The potency system uses D- and C-potencies. For a remedy with potency D1, the so-called mother tincture is diluted 1:10 and given ten vigorous shakes (succussions). For D2, one tenth of that solution is again diluted 1:10 and given 20 shakes, and so on. C-potencies are diluted at a 1:100 ratio and shaken in steps of 100. By about potency D8, no pharmacologically active substance can be detected anymore.

But that alone doesn't fully capture the basic idea of homeopathy. You have to move away from conventional medical thinking that simply gives drug Y for disease X. In homeopathy, the person is seen and treated holistically, not just the symptoms. To be successful you need an experienced homeopath and a patient willing to engage with the process. So one person with high blood pressure might be given homeopathic remedy A because of their symptoms and personality, while the same remedy would be considered wrong for another patient with different symptoms or personality. According to homeopathic thinking, the effect is therefore generated less by the remedy itself and more by the attention the patient receives from the practitioner.

Homeopathic remedies are usually given as drops or globules. Globules are small sugar pellets that have been sprayed with the appropriately diluted and shaken solution corresponding to the chosen potency.

Opinions on the effectiveness of homeopathy vary widely. Some people believe in it, others do not.

Science, however, is clear: where there is nothing, nothing can have an effect. Various studies in which neither participants nor doctors knew who received a homeopathic remedy and who received a placebo (so-called double-blind studies) found no effect from homeopathic remedies.

From a conventional medical point of view, homeopathy at best produces a placebo effect.

For high blood pressure it is therefore more dangerous than helpful to throw away medications prescribed by your doctor and instead buy globules or drops found on the internet. Even experienced homeopaths do not dare to directly replace prescribed medications with homeopathic remedies. They usually start treating an existing high blood pressure in parallel with conventional therapy. Based on the patient's symptoms and overall picture, they select a suitable homeopathic remedy. The patient then takes this remedy in addition to their prescribed medications. If blood pressure decreaseswhich is not expected overnight but may take several weeks or monthsthe doctor's prescription can possibly be adjusted.

Besides single remedies, there are also various combination remedies on the market that claim to lower blood pressure. These contain several homeopathic substances in a fixed formula.

Keeping the homeopathic approach outlined above in mind, it's easy to see why these combination remedies are unlikely to help. If taken without the empathetic homeopath, only the placebo effect remains. In a way, they contradict the holistic approach of the treatment method.

Some of the combination remedies advertised as lowering blood pressure contain homeopathic substances at pharmacologically active dosages. That simply means they include active ingredients that can also be found in doctor-prescribed medications, but in untested combinations. Unlike conventional drugs, these homeopathic products are not tested in clinical studies. The result can be side effects or interactions with other medications.

So be cautious about the supposedly side-effect-free nature of homeopathic remedies. As mentioned above, beyond a certain potency no active substance can be detected. Conversely, this means that in lower potencies and especially in the so-called mother tinctures, pharmacologically active ingredients can be present. These affect the body in the usual pharmacological way. Strictly speaking, this is more phytotherapyherbal medicinethan homeopathy. Therefore, self-treatment with homeopathic remedieswhether single or combination productsis not recommended. Even though the sugar pellets or drops in most potencies contain no detectable active substance, taking them should be discussed with your treating physician.

Conclusion

There is no scientific evidence that homeopathic remedies work beyond a placebo effect. The real effect comes from a good homeopath who takes time with the patient. Especially with high blood pressure there can be psychological causessuch as unresolved stress. Still, some products can contain pharmacologically active substances. Trying things on your ownespecially without consulting your doctoris therefore not advisable.

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Conclusion

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