Mine is pretty mild, and I am starting to believe it has been triggered by some external ****.

I do the med free route. However, I am hardcore spiritualist who practiced yoga for years and I have quite strong support system. And I am not the most stable person in the world.

So it depends, I think. Yes, you can control BP without meds, I believe, but it is about getting used to the wide range of emotions. Here is one PC blog that talks of this route. And maybe sometimes you are not in place to do that, given the external circumstances and so on.

If you are not having huge side effects and are stable, then maybe the medical approach may be right for you.

If you are however, worried about the long term effects, you may try to look out of alternatives. Maybe try to find a reasonable naturopath or shaman/alternative healer and try to carefully discover options? Just be careful, as there is lot of scam among them. But I have some great experiences with shamans/alternative healers.