Hypertension is such a common health problem that one out of three of you reading this has it. Uncontrolled hypertension is a serious health concern that can cause heart disease and increase your risk of having a stroke. It’s especially dangerous because it often has no warning signs or symptoms.
Many people confuse the term hypertension with being overly tense. However, hypertension simply means that you have high blood pressure. Although tension and anxiety are major contributing factors, it is for the most part not the primary reason why people have high blood pressure.
Medical books will tell you that 95 percent of the causes of hypertension is idiopathic, meaning they don’t know what’s causing it. But that’s not true! We (meaning traditional Chinese medicine practitioners) do know what the cause of hypertension is. The good news is over 85 percent of those who have hypertension can normalize their blood pressure through lifestyle modifications. Yes, I know that’s a scary thought… we are all very attached to our lifestyles, diet, and adored habits of long making. Mind set change is the easiest to say and the hardest to achieve.
Consider
It’s important to be aware that drugs that treat hypertension will not change, modify, or in any way address the underlying cause of high blood pressure. The popular high blood pressure medication does attempt to control the condition. The normal progression of this goes something like this. Your M.D. puts you on a medication… and ups it or changes it upon your annual check up. Statistics show that over half of people taking multiple medications for high blood pressure are still not able to manage their condition except by increasing meds.
What is high blood pressure?
You are generally diagnosed with pre-hypertension if your blood pressure is between 120/80 and 140/80, and anything above 140/80 is generally diagnosed as hypertension. Keep in mind that your blood pressure changes with thought, emotion and action, so if you have just walked up flight of stairs, and are nervous about seeing a M.D. your blood pressure will be up. Also, it’s important to realize that your blood pressure reading may be inaccurate if you’re getting your pressure measured with an ill-fitting blood pressure cuff. Have your medical professional take your pressure on both arms and take an average between the two.
The first number is your systolic pressure, which should typically be below 120. The second number is your diastolic pressure, which should typically be below 80. If either the systolic or diastolic number is higher than the typical 120/80, you may get a diagnosis of hypertension, or pre-hypertension.
If you’ve been diagnosed with high blood pressure, you should know that a common risk factor for high blood pressure is weight. So if you’re more then 20 lbs over your ideal weight, that is going to increase your risk for developing high blood pressure.
What causes High Blood Pressure?
For the most part, high blood pressure is related to your body producing too much insulin. As your insulin levels rise, it causes your blood pressure to increase. Insulin levels in the blood rise to break down sugers… so that is a no brainer… cut down on the sugars (and artificial), wheat products and booze.
This crucial connection between insulin resistance and hypertension is yet another example of how wide-ranging the debilitating effects of high insulin, lepton and blood glucose levels can have on your body (Here we go on the sugar witch hunt again).
You can begin to get a handle on this before getting hypertension diagnostic by taking a fasting insulin level test done by our local medical lab (there is one behind Lans on Morelos)and check your insulin levels or have it sent over to your Dr. I think it’s a good idea to learn to read the results. Usually these tests have normal ranges included in the results to give you an idea of ranges. The lab tests have written results by the lab tech, another good reason to learn the language. The level you want to strive for is about 2 or 3. If it’s 5, or over 10, you have a problem and you definitely need to lower your insulin levels to lower your risk of high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems.
Fortunately, there are a few very simple techniques that will lower your insulin levels. And if your hypertension is the direct result of an out-of-control blood sugar level, then normalizing your blood sugar levels will also bring your blood pressure readings into the healthy range.
Treat High Blood Pressure without Drugs
A vast majority of people can normalize their blood pressure by implementing a few simple techniques that address the underlying cause, namely high insulin levels.
Exercise – One of the most effective ways to lower your insulin levels is through exercise. A regular, effective exercise program consisting of aerobics, sprint-burst type exercises, and strength training, can go a long way toward reducing your insulin levels and your blood pressure. Of course exercise always helps with weight control and keeping the joints, bones and muscle tissue in wood working order.
Ideally, you’ll want someone to supervise your program and monitor your progress.
An acupuncture treatment has been proven again and again to control blood pressure, low or high.
Pascal J. Goldschmidt, MD, FACC, chief of cardiology at Duke University, agrees. “It’s not an accident that people have been doing acupuncture for so long,” he tells WebMD. The findings are “pretty clear that it’s not a placebo effect. Acupuncture seems to be having a relatively specific effect on the control of blood pressure.”
Avoid foods that boost insulin levels – Another effective method is to avoid foods that will raise your insulin, such as sugar-type foods and grains.
If you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or obesity, you’ll want to avoid foods like:
- Breads
- Pasta
- Cereal
- Potatoes
- Booze
- Desserts
- Sugar in all forms
While vitamin C may be helpful, you’ll also want to avoid eating too many fruits;
Reduce your stress – You’ll also want to take steps to reduce your mental and emotional stress, as that is a factor for most people. Yoga, yoga, yoga, meditation, tai chi, music therapy, art therapy, there is a long list these days.
Normalize your vitamin D levels – Normalizing your vitamin D levels can have a powerful effect on regulating your blood pressure. Lower Vitamin D level is also unquestionably associated with an increased risk for heart disease. Vitamin D has been shown to have a positive impact on diabetes, so it’s all linked together. Take your sun bath before 11 a.m. and after 5 in the evenings… best Vit.D….
Balance your omega-6 to omega-3 fat ratio –. The ideal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats is 1:1. Therefore, you’ll want to lower the amount of vegetable oils in your diet, and make sure you have a high quality, animal-based source of omega-3s. I personally like chia seeds and trill oil supplement.
A Warning if You have Very High Blood Pressure, or are currently on Medication for Hypertension
As most of you already know, I’m opposed to taking medications and drugs, my path being one of prevention The long term goal is to get off as many medications as possible due to the secondary effects which many times are worse then the condition for which they are being prescribed.
However, if you are on a medication, you will want to wean yourself off it under the guidance of a healthcare professional.
Additionally, it’s VITAL that you do adhere to your Med’s prescribed medication to lower your blood pressure if your blood pressure is very high while attempting a more holistic approach. Clearly make sure you’re not increasing your risk for stroke until you’re able to implement these lifestyle changes. Once the cause of your problem has been addressed, then that will allow you to slowly wean off medication.
