Don’t Gamble With Your Blood Pressure

Most modern diseases and conditions have one thing in common—they are predominantly an indictment of our diet and lifestyle. Hypertension (HT) is certainly no exception to that rule. Five million Canadian adults have high blood pressure, representing 19% of the adult population. ⁽¹⁾ A further 20% of Canadian adults have pre-hypertension. ⁽¹⁾

Of Canadians with high blood pressure: ⁽¹⁾

• 83% are aware of their condition (80% for men and 87% for women)
• 17% are unaware of their condition (20% for men and 14% for women)
• 80% have it treated (77% for men and 83% for women)
• 66% have it treated and under control (67% for men and 65% for women)

HT is extremely dangerous—literally a ticking and unpredictable time bomb. It is known as an insidious “silent killer,” because there are often no symptoms until severe organ damage, frank neuro-degeneration, or sudden death occurs. You may notice nothing while your body is taking exception to its ill effects. In addition, HT can:

Pretty amazing for something that isn’t even a disease, but a symptom of our body’s dysfunction. The great news is that most people with HT have a mild to moderate form, and this is where simple changes in diet and lifestyle can save lives safely and gently.

Don’t Take the Pressure

Blood pressure is the force exerted against your arterial walls as blood is being pumped through your circulatory system. The walls expand as the contracting heart pushes blood between them, and then return to their normal state. When you get your blood pressure taken, the top number shows your systolic pressure—the pressure experienced when arterial walls are stretched. The bottom, or diastolic, number shows the pressure between heart beats. The top number is always larger. Normal systolic pressure is now defined as below 120, and diastolic pressure as below 80 mm Hg. Pre-hypertension has been recently classified with readings over 120/80 up to 139/89, to highlight the fact that arterial damage starts earlier than previously thought. Stage 1 (of 2) HT indicates blood pressure of 140–159/90–99.

I recommend a natural approach for most people with Pre- and Stage 1 HT, or over 80% of cases. Yes, even prehypertensive blood pressures should be taken seriously, because your health risk rises as your blood pressure elevates.

Diet to Reduce High Blood Pressure

A balanced relationship of potassium to sodium is essential to your good health. When the ratio is good, your nerves and muscles fire well, and your body’s fluid and delicate acid/alkaline environment is maintained. When you have too much sodium, and potassium is deficient, your body tone falters, your muscles weaken, and reflexes are impaired. You should be eating more potassium than sodium, and if you’re making good food choices and eating less packaged food, that’s a cinch.

High levels of potassium are found in most all vegetables and fruits, especially green leafy vegetables, bananas, soy products, millet, legumes, potatoes with skin, cantaloupe, orange, and pineapple, plus turkey, halibut, and salmon. When you eat foods with a favourable potassium/sodium ratio, excess sodium is naturally excreted by your kidneys, with water (edema) following, and your body functioning is improved. Eating naturally sweet potassium-rich foods can reduce the strong sugar or alcohol cravings caused by heavy salt consumption, and further reduce salt cravings.

These foods include Sucanat (granulated cane juice), rice syrup, amazake, figs, yams, raisins, and fruit juice concentrate. Thankfully, so many people with HT respond beautifully to natural medicine, and to improvements in diet and lifestyle, that drugs are rarely needed.  

References

1. http://www.heartandstroke.on.ca/site/c.pvI3IeNWJwE/b.3581729/k.359A/Statistics.htm#riskfactors