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In this Article:
What is High Blood Pressure
What are the risks and causes of High Blood Pressure
How can I improve my treatment outcomes with the addition of supplements
Other lifestyle factors to consider
According to the National institute of health, about 30 to 50 percent of high blood pressure risk and eventual cause is related to genetics (1). This is a high percentage but there are interventions in the form of supplements and diet, that you can take before and even after the onset of such a diagnosis which can tonify and even repair the cascade of events that threw off your cardiovascular health. There are two types of high blood pressure, or hypertension. Primary and secondary. Secondary is caused by another medical condition or by taking certain medications and can be improved if the underlying condition is treated. Although primary hypertension cannot be completely reversed, that doesn't mean everyone with this kind of high blood pressure needs to take medication. Some people can keep their blood pressure within a healthy range with lifestyle changes.
Blood pressure is measured in units called millimeters of mercury (mmHg). The top number, systolic, is the pressure when the heart pumps. The bottom number, diastolic, is the pressure between heart beats. Blood pressure is considered high when it is greater than 130/80. Up until the 140’s a person is still in the low level of high.
What causes high blood pressure?
The development of hypertension is usually a dynamic, meaning having more than one contributing factor. Blood pressure is controlled by feed back loops and it is autonomic, meaning done automatically in response to those feed back loops. Pressure changes can fluctuate normally in response to hydration, allergic reactions, excess salt, stress, and trauma or blood loss to name a few. More chronic and sustained changes in blood pressure occur more often from factors that diminish the responsiveness of the feed back loops or negatively effect regulating processes from a mechanical perspective. These are factors such as the flexibility of the vascular walls, hardening of the arteries, blocks in the flow such as cholesterol deposits, decreased efficiency of the arterial walls to effectively exchange the intermediate minerals and gases, stress which effects the autonomic nervous system, and viscosity of the blood.
Risk factors vary and, as mentioned, about 50% of that risk is genetic. Other factors include poor diet, stress, aging, hormonal changes, not exercising enough, weight gain, environmental toxins, other toxic factors, inflammation, dehydration, and micro-mineral imbalance.
What can I do to improve Blood Pressure outcomes?
We have oversalted, over sugared, over processed, and overexposed ourselves to wear and tear that eventually shows up as red flags like this. What we should do instead of just putting a Band-Aid over it is to take that squeak as a warning sign that systems need repair and attention. It is time for a tune up. A 60,000-mile lube oil and filter. Changing out fluids and putting good stuff back in.
When you give your body the necessary building blocks and remove the bad actors, it often can repair itself and find balance again. With blood pressure this means restoring tenacity to the vascular system, repairing hardened arteries, cleaning out the arteries, restoring the viscosity to the blood, repairing vessel walls to improve regulating factors such as mineral and gas exchange, and nourishing the autonomic nervous system.
We need to consider what set us off track to begin with, and give our body the building blocks to try and correct some of those underlying factors. Because if we just put a Band-aid on it, then those factors have still have not been addressed and will continue to cause decline in the body.
Of course, many of us have heard of the dash diet. This is a diet specifically for assisting in controlling blood pressure. If you have not heard of it, you can access it here: DASH DIET (2). We also know that getting into better cardiovascular health includes exercise. But what else can we do? There are specific supplements that we can take in medicinal doses to aid in repairing factors that have become out of balance. For example, Vascular health is in large part determined by its tenacity, or flexibility of the vessel walls. Bioflavonoids are an essential part of maintaining that tenacity. Atherosclerosis happens when we have a high ratio of bad cholesterol and not enough antioxidants circulating in the blood. Antioxidants aid in preventing the LDL’s from entering the cell wall and becoming stuck there, causing the atherosclerosis and impediments in vascular flow. The endothelium, or cellular walls of the vessels are responsible for the exchange of Nitric oxide and microminerals. There are specific supplements that aid in the repairing of the arterial walls as well as the glycocalyx. Super greens are high in micro minerals which can balance Ph levels and aid in restoring Calcium, magnesium, and potassium balance.
Ultimately, the decision to take medication or not is only answered with a conversation between you and your healthcare practitioner. There are a few important factors to weigh. How high is your blood pressure, how long has it been consistently high, and what are your risk factors. Even if you reach the decision to take medication, taking corrective measures in the form of diet, supplements and lifestyle changes is undeniably an important part of your healing journey and to improve outcomes. We may not be able to change genetic factors, but we can work on repairing systems to push the need for medication down the road, decrease our dose, or even eliminate our need all together.
Other lifestyle changes to consider:
Maintain a healthy weight or lose weight if needed, get enough sleep, limit your alcohol intake, use salt substitutes like spices, garlic, and herbs instead, quit smoking, reduce stress, track your blood pressure at home and get regular checkups with your doctor, consume extra potassium. You can get potassium from foods like bananas, dried fruit, milk, yogurt, lentils, kidney beans, potatoes, tomatoes, and spinach.
Dr. Robin Persinger DACM 9/11/2024
*This article is not meant to diagnose or treat illness. Please contact me for a telehealth appointment or consultation to review your case and the possibility of putting together a treatment plan for you.
*Access link to my dispensary for 10% off of high quality name brand supplements
*Additional articles and resources are available on my website- Invibewell.com
Dr. Robin Persinger DACM
3200 4th Ave. Suite 205
San Diego, California 92103
Invibewell.com 619.417.1503
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