How to Lower High Blood Pressure Naturally
High blood pressure may not be due to what you think. Many times it can be managed by lifestyle changes and medication can be avoided. Just like a diagnoses of Type II Diabetes that can be managed by avoiding sugar, high blood pressure can be managed naturally as well. You first need to learn why someone would start having high blood pressure. What goes wrong in the body to start reacting with high blood pressure? It can be four things: toxic blood, a need for heart support, need to drink more water or better stress management or a combination of those four things. The cause of toxic blood is toxins. We assess the body for toxins by muscle testing for heavy metals, heavy chemicals, immune challenges and food intolerances. The major toxins we deal with include but are not limited to aluminum, mercury, lead, plastic, chlorine, asbestos, fungi, mold, parasites, viruses, bad bacteria and food you are eating that the body is having trouble breaking down and digesting.
BPAs are chemicals that are used to create a lot of plastic products and more. These have recently come under fire due to a large number of unwanted side effects that have been exposed in studies. Among the most intense of these is the fact that they may lead to higher blood pressure! While society catches up and moves over to BPA-free products, you can do your part by making the switch early. Avoid plastic bottles and not only will you be helping your heart – you’ll also be helping the planet! If you want to know if plastic or BPA toxicity is part of your high blood pressure or circulatory concerns get muscle tested.
Toxins including plastic, heavy metals, chlorine and bad gut flora can irritate your intestines so much that the intestinal lining becomes porous and leaky gut can form allowing undigested food and toxins to leave the intestines and enter the bloodstream, causing the blood to become toxic. Besides causing high blood pressure leaky gut can also cause bloating, thyroid conditions, fatigue, joint pain, headaches, skin issues like rosacea and acne, digestive problems and weight gain.
If left un-repaired, leaky gut can lead to more severe health issues like inflammatory bowel disease, IBS, arthritis, eczema, psoriasis, depression, anxiety, migraine headaches, muscle pain and chronic fatigue. According to the Journal of Diabetes, there is a strong body of evidence pointing to leaky gut syndrome as a major cause of autoimmune diseases, including type 1 diabetes. Besides causing high blood pressure, another problem with leaky gut is that it can cause malabsorption of vital minerals and nutrients, including zinc, iron and vitamin B12.
To heal leaky gut there are 4 steps:
REMOVE foods and factors that damage the gut
REPLACE with healing foods
REPAIR with specific supplements
REBALANCE with probiotics
We use Nutrition Response Testing at Healing Arts to get biofeedback from the body to know exactly what needs to be done for you in each of the 4 steps. No 4-Step plan to heal leaky gut is the same. Everyone needs different supplements and to remove different foods from their diet while they are healing the gut. The same goes for circulation support. If your blood pressure is not due to toxins but due to lack of vitamins or minerals we can figure that out as well using the muscle testing. Common whole food supplements that are used include omega-3s, hawthorn, vitamin E, and minerals to calm the nervous system down.
We also use water to help high blood pressure. It’s so simple to drink water yet Did you know that over a third of the population is in a state of chronic dehydration? To overcome the issue, make sure that you drink water regularly. A person should drink at least 2 to 3 liters (64 to 96 ounces) of water each day. This improves blood pressure by helping to dilute the blood .Water is also a natural detoxifying agent and one of the most common and simplest blood purifiers. It flushes out toxins from our body and helps our organs to function properly.
Water aids the flow of minerals and vitamins and also helps in purification of blood by flushing toxins out through urination. To give your water an extra purifying boost try alkaline water. Alkaline water is water with a high pH. pH is a scale 0-14 to show how acidic (low ph) or alkaline (high pH) something is. Water generally has a pH of 7. Your saliva should also have the same pH of 7, like water. There are pH strips you can buy to test your saliva but to test correctly it has to be at least 2 hours after eating.
Acidic substances have a pH of below 7.0, down to zero. The pH of vinegar is around pH 3, lemon juice around pH 2, and battery acid around pH 1.
Alkaline substances have a pH up to 14. Baking soda’s pH is between pH 8 and 9, and green leafy vegetables are alkaline, ranging pH 8-12.
Lymph fluid should be more than 7.0 pH so it is alkaline. The more acidic your body is the slower the lymph will flow through the body. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2603912/) and unfortunately our bodies tend to run acidic. That’s why we need to make sure we add more greens to our diet or start each morning with Healing Arts Apple Cider Vinegar Tonic with baking soda in it in order to become more alkaline despite the vinegar that is in the tonic.
The pH of blood is an indication of acidity or alkalinity in the body. It is an important indicator of good health. The normal pH is essential for the optimal activity of the body so it is balanced by different physiological processes. The normal blood pH of a healthy person ranges from 7.35 to 7.45. It is a very narrow range and the body does everything it can to try to keep it in that range. There are various factors that regulate blood pH. The pH of blood depends on CO2, and electrolyte balances. The two main organs that regulate blood pH are:
Lungs- They are in the gaseous exchange and remove CO2. The brain regulates breathing process so the brain and the lungs maintain blood pH by regulating the speed and intensity of breathing.
Kidney- They maintain pH balance through excretion. They remove the excess acid or bases present in the blood.
So, our body maintains pH balance through respiration, excretion and other metabolic activities. Any change in blood pH, i.e acidosis or alkalosis is due to impaired function of these organs.
Too high or too low pH is an indication of some organ dysfunction. Acidosis or alkalosis is mostly due to impaired functioning of lungs or kidneys. Any change in the blood pH may be due to various diseases such as diabetes, poisoning, infection, heart, lung or kidney diseases.
Hence, normal pH of blood is vital for normal body functioning. High or low pH is not a disease in itself but a sign something else in the body is off. With the right nutrition and lifestyle the body can reach a homeostasis pH level.
The average person is too acidic either due to their diet, lifestyle or stress or a combination of all three. So an easy way to balance your pH is to drink alkaline water. There are wonderful machines that make your water alkaline. Essentia is a bottled water that is alkaline but comes in plastic. The most cost effective way to drink alkaline water without buying a machine is Alkaline drops called Alkalife. Even if you have the machine this is the best way to travel and still have alkaline water.
Because electrolytes help balance pH levels you may want to add electrolyte packets to your daily regiment or a homeopathic remedy we use in the office called Rehydration. Even better is to get muscle tested to see which one your body likes best. We also use trace mineral drops and cell salts to help with balancing pH.
High blood pressure is because of too much pressure on the circulation system. If the high blood pressure is due to stress then it is literally too much pressure on yourself and on your circulation system. Stress plays a huge part in high blood pressure. Cortisol is the primary stress hormone that when it is released not only increases blood pressure but also increases your heart rate, blood sugar, enhances your brain’s use of glucose and increases the availability of cells to repair tissue. If stress continues for too long and the body can’t keep up with making the cortisol that the stressed body is asking for inflammation will occur and high blood pressure will continue. Studies have shown that Increases in long-term cortisol levels create a breakdown of lymphatic vessels which you don’t want because lymphatic vessels carry lymph fluid that if not pumping well can increase the body’s water retention which can lead to even more pressure on the circulatory system. So one way to help with high blood pressure is to do lymphatic drainage therapy by a licensed massage therapist at our wellness center. The amount of sessions recommended depends on how high the blood pressure is and whether you are already on medication or not.
Stress management is needed to help with and prevent high blood pressure. Even if you are already on medication and your blood pressure is managed I highly suggest better stress management to help lower your medication or get off medication all together. Managing stress is very often overlooked on a person’s healing journey. There are so many ways to lower stress that usually I just ask a patient to pick one and incorporate it in daily. A little bit every day is important to manage the body’s stress response. To do it before you have a stress response is important so that when stress does hit the response is not as intense. Stress management can include exercise, journaling, talking to a good friend or therapist, mindfulness, visualizations or meditation. Research has shown that meditation reduces inflammation and Mindfulness modulates cortisol response in stressful situations. Mindfulness skills are observing, describing, acting with awareness, and accepting without judgment.
Mindfulness changes gene expression which takes me to a topic written by Bruce Lipton called Biology of Belief where are thoughts do have an affect on what genes our cells produce. One of the things that works for me the moment I start feeling stress and to actually change the physiological reaction is take three deep breaths. In the moment, that is enough to stop the stress hormones from flying through your body and wreaking havoc. The stress response in your body will be weakens because breath turns on the parasympathetic nervous system which is the part of the nervous system that is in charge of rest and digest. When you turn on the parasympathetic nervous system you turn down the sympathetic nervous system which is the fight or flight mode. So with breathing you can get the body out of the fight or flight mode.
I have also developed a circulation drink that can help your high blood pressure. The circulation drink has cayenne in it. Adding cayenne to your diet will help promote blood circulation due to its active ingredient called capsaicin. Capsaicin has been found to balance blood flow as well as strengthen arteries and capillaries. You can try consuming it in various dishes or this medicinal drink:
Circulation Drink
One-1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper powder
Two tablespoons of organic apple cider vinegar
One tablespoon of blackstrap molasses in one cup of water or more.
Drinking this mixture twice a day will help your high blood pressure. Pregnant women, however, should avoid cayenne. ACV helps circulation by preventing vein stagnation and leg cramps due to its anti-inflammatory effect. Blackstrap molasses is used for it’s mineral content to lower blood pressure. The potassium in it lessens the effects of sodium – a huge contributor to hypertension, thus blackstrap molasses is beneficial for people suffering from high blood pressure. Also, the magnesium and calcium in it help reduce both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. If you are on high blood pressure medication and your blood pressure still isn’t regulated then definitely try this circulation drink.
Teas that can help with high blood pressure are believe it or not black tea, and one of my favorites, butterfly pea tea. Cat’s claw, fennel, hibiscus, raspberry leaf and rooibos can also help lower high blood pressure.
If you are already on high blood pressure medication you can try these lifestyle changes to lower your high blood pressure naturally and also lower your medication. I have seen many people no longer need their high blood pressure medication after implementing lifestyle changes and are on a good nutrition program for 3 months or more.
How to Soothe PMS
You may think that PMS symptoms subside with age. Unfortunately, cramps, headaches, and other premenstrual pain can get worse into your mid-30s and 40s. While many of us have accepted these symptoms as “normal,” they’re anything but normal. Your symptoms could also be the result of something more serious. It’s not healthy to be in pain every month or to experience mood swings, fatigue, irritability, or even acne regularly.
There are reasons you might experience hormone imbalance in your 30s and beyond, and it has nothing to do with PMS. What a lot of people do not know is that chronic stress, nutrient deficiencies, and environmental toxins all contribute to hormone imbalance. That's where we can really help. With the muscle testing that we do we can identify those toxins, figure out what nutrients your body is missing and design a nutrition program just for you. One of the main toxins we find in women suffering from hormonal issues is plastic.
It’s great that the government recognizes BPA as a toxin that not only interferes with women’s hormones and fertility but also causes cancer among other health issues. But BPA is not the only toxin in plastic and I don’t know how long it will take for the government to recognize it. So we want to stay away from plastic whenever possible. No plastic forks, spoons, straws. If you love straws then you can buy stainless steel straws off Amazon. No plastic water bottles. I use a glass one called a flaska that I absolutely love. You can use stainless steel water bottles too. Do your best to avoid ziplock bags, saran wrap, tupperware. To store leftovers, I use pyrex, glass containers with rubber tops and I just don’t let the food touch the rubber. But if you buy a bag of frozen peas it is what it is, nothing you can do about it. I always suggest to my patients to just do the best they can. They will not be able to get rid of plastic 100%.
The hormone disruptors in plastics even influence the way genes express themselves in people with reproductive disease and obesity to make it more likely that people pass the disorders onto their children. The study of how the cellular environment changes gene expression is called epigenetics. I think it’s fascinating and for this reason we want the cellular environment to be as healthy as possible from all heavy chemicals, heavy metals and junk food so that the cell can create optimal gene expression for your health. For more info on gene expression and epigenetics watch my video.
Besides plastic other toxins that have been studied that cause hormone imbalance and can lead to PCOS and other issues are:
1. Pesticides - so eat as organic as possible
2. Phthalates (THAL-ates) are chemicals in plastic that make it soft and flexible. You can also find them in: Cosmetics and personal care products, from perfume, nail polish, and hair spray to soap, shampoo, and skin moisturizers. To learn more about phthalates and how healthy your personal care products are go to ewg.org for more information. The website is from the Environmental Working Group and it rates all personal care products and cleaning products on a scale 0-10, 0 being healthiest for you and 10 being the worst for you, meaning it’s researched to cause cancer. It’s a great website with thousands of products rated so you can choose the healthiest ones and I love the research they use to determine the score they give each product.
3. Phytoestrogens: a compound in plants that acts like estrogen in the body and if we eat too many then the hormones get imbalanced because the body thinks it has too much estrogen. Foods that contain phytoestrogens include: soy and soy products, flax seeds, grapes, carrots, lentils, licorice, bourbon, olive oil, and oats.
4. Another big hormone disruptor we eat all the time is meat that contains hormones. When animals are poorly farmed they are given hormones to grow and mature faster so they can reach the butcher faster and the farmer can have a higher turn around rate. I think over the years farmers use more and more hormones with their animals is the reason why girls are hitting puberty faster. It’s also a main cause of moodiness. I think all women know what it feels like to be extra hormonal. The last thing we want are extra hormones from the meat we eat so if you eat meat then do your best to eat quality meat without added hormones.
One particularly significant natural method of treating hormones is inositol, a type of sugar found in fruits, beans, grains and nuts. The foods with the highest levels of inositol are cantaloupe and oranges. Inositol influences the insulin response and several hormones, not just sex hormones but also several hormones associated with mood and cognition. Multiple studies have shown that supplementation with inositol may not only improve insulin resistance but also decrease male hormones in the bloodstream, lower blood pressure and lower triglycerides which makes it really helpful for patients with PCOS (poly cystic ovarian syndrome).
Also inositol seems to promote ovulation, which, in turn, may support fertility. There was a study done where women who weren’t getting their period and then started supplementing with inositol, 86% got their period back whereas the control group who was taking a placebo only 6% got their period back.
Another supplement that helps is vitamin D. Between 67%–85% of women with polycystic ovary syndrome are thought to be deficient in vitamin D. Adding vitamin D to a daily routine I have observed it to improve insulin sensitivity, increase weight loss success, slow the formation of ovarian cysts, regulate periods, minimize inflammation, reduce oxidative stress, lower cholesterol, lower high triglycerides and reduce male hormones in the bloodstream.
Another thing people don't realize is that women of all ages are starting to experience the symptoms of estrogen dominance or estrogen deficiency—way before perimenopause or menopause begin. Luckily, supplementing with the right nutrients can help. That means fewer symptoms from PMS like headaches, cramping, and mood swings. I love using red raspberry leaf to not only help with PMS but it's also great for perimenopause, menoapuse, infertility and ammenorhea too! You can drink it as a tea or take it as a tincture. The leaves of raspberry plant are believed to cure infertility in both men and women. I also use red raspberry leaf tea to help regulate menstrual cycles when the cycle is too long or too short and it’s great while pregnant too because it helps tone the uterus, decrease nausea, and ease labor pains. I also use it afterwards for breast feeding mothers because it helps increase milk production.
No matter what age you are I see time and again how hormone balance also means better health long-term. It truly is that important. For more info listen to our podcasts on Fertility Help and PCOS.