Why should I care if I have Hypertension?
Hypertension or elevated blood pressure is a phenomenon that indicates the heart may be working harder than necessary. They can be brought on by high-stress environments and often occur alongside coronary heart disease and kidney disease. Two of the most common types of medications I see prescribed to patients are those which lower cholesterol and high blood pressure. These patients turn to naturopathy often with a range of complaints and it’s my goal to provide alternative approaches to reducing hypertension such as those below.
[box] Did you know there is one blood type that generally has higher blood pressures and cholesterol than the others? Keep reading to learn more.[/box]
How does hypertension affect me?
When hypertension occurs alongside kidney or heart disease, the heart has to work harder in order to pump blood, which causes an increase in blood pressure. When this happens over a period of time, increased damage to the heart and vessels may occur, and may leave them ill suited to deal with the increased blood pressure. In order to pump harder and to relieve stress on the blood vessels, the body increases the size of the heart. When this occurs over a long period of time, the stress causes the heart to become weaker which can cause serious consequences.
What can I do to lower my blood pressure?
- Follow a Genotype/blood type specific diet. I have seen time and time again blood pressures go down with diet alone. Believe it or not, diet plays an enormous role in your health.
- Herbs, Vitamins, and Minerals. Certain herbs and vitamins can help lower blood pressure such as Magnesium, Hawthorne and Tauren. Genoma Cardia is thought to be a good heart tonic supplement. Please be advised that that herbs which lower blood pressure may be toxic at certain doses – schedule an appointment for a personalized healthcare plan.
- Exercise. Exercise helps strengthen the heart, reduce stress, and increase vitality. Walking 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week can add 3 years to your life.
Detoxification. I usually recommend doing a detox in the fall and the spring. Also make sure to drink enough water and have regular bowel movements daily. - Increase Vitality. This is what helps get us up in the morning and gives us that twinkle in our eye. In short, do what you love i.e. fishing, reading, etc.
[box type=”info”] Please always speak to your doctor before starting any medical treatment. It is especially important in regards to blood pressure. Never start or stop a heart pressure treatment protocol without speaking to your naturopathic or allopathic physician. If you are interested in learning more about Blood Pressure or Cholesterol Control Please make an appointment with Dr. Brody at the Center of Excellence by calling Barbara at 203-366-0526.[/box]
[box] If you are a Blood Type O, you naturally have higher blood pressure than any other type. This has to do with a lack of a complete blood type antigen (AB(H)) on your cells. In essence there is less stuff on the red blood cells in those with Type O blood, which make it harder to pump blood throughout the body so an increase in pressure is needed. Blood Type O’s also have higher amounts of cholesterol generally. If you follow your Swami diet you will be able to control this. [/box]
