Blood Pressure Management
An introduction to blood pressure:
Most of us are aware that our blood pressure is one measure of our physical health and that there is such a thing as too high and too low. We also know that there are two numbers to consider and that 120/80 is considered a good reading. But many of us are pretty in the dark beyond this cursory information. Since blood pressure is something we hear a lot about and is often measured at doctor appointments, let’s explore this topic a bit more.
What is blood pressure, and what do the two numbers mean?
Blood pressure is a measurement of how much force the blood flowing through your body pushes on the walls of your arteries. Too much pressure and you are at risk of damaging your heart and blood vessels which increases your risk of “springing a leak” and bleeding internally or damaging delicate structures such as those found in your eyes and kidneys or over-stretching your heart muscle so it cannot pump effectively (5). Too little pressure, and you have a hard time getting blood where it needs to go - like all the way up to your brain. This is why when your blood pressure drops quickly - such as when you “go into shock” - you get woozy and may faint. It’s much easier to pump blood to your brain when gravity is no longer an issue.
The top number in a blood pressure reading is called the Systolic measure. This number relates to how hard your heart is beating to move blood around your body. Many things can increase this number such as stress, caffeine consumption, heart disease, diabetes, and kidney issues, just to name a few. The bottom number is called the Diastolic measure and this is a measure of the health of your arteries. This can increase due to kidney issues, hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), hormonal issues such as thyroid disease, and other conditions.
From this introduction, I think you can see that high blood pressure (hypertension) is more of a symptom of a larger issue rather than an unrelated disease to manage on its own. When blood pressure is too high for too long, we do want to lower it to prevent more damage to your body, but if all we do is take blood pressure lowering medications, we haven’t really addressed the cause and you will need to keep adding on medications.
The reality of this issue is apparent when we look at the sheer number of blood pressure medications available: 11 different drug classes all with multiple different drug options! (4) Obviously high blood pressure itself is difficult to manage when we look at it in isolation.
A hypertensive emergency (systolic BP of 180 or higher and/or diastolic BP of 110 or higher) is something that needs to be treated right away and the ER is the best place for this as they have access to IV drugs that can quickly and effectively lower your blood pressure in the short-term.
Consequences of Long-Term High Blood Pressure
Why are those two numbers so important? There are many reasons. Outside a hypertensive emergency as described above, we focus on long-term effects of all this pressure on your heart, blood vessels, and organs. These include but are not limited to:
Kidney failure
Loss of vision
Stroke
Heart attacks
Heart failure
Memory issues including dementia
Erectile dysfunction
So, where do we begin with natural medicine?
With any medicine, the first step in treating high blood pressure is looking for its cause and treating this. This is where the medical interview and, if indicated, additional testing comes in. When no specific cause can be found for high blood pressure, it is given the diagnostic name of essential hypertension. For example, if someone’s high blood pressure was due to high thyroid hormone, simply prescribing an agent to lower the blood pressure without addressing their thyroid would lead to damage of the heart and other organs.
Once we have ruled out other pressing health issues, we can address the health of the cardiovascular system in a more general way. Below I have outlined a few first-line treatments to consider:
Hawthorn:
Hawthorn berry, leaf, and flower extracts have been shown to help lower blood pressure with marked effect on the diastolic measure. The lovely thing about Hawthorne is it will support the cardiovascular system in a way that lowers blood pressure that is too high and will also boost blood pressure that is too low making it a good treatment for chronic low blood pressure too. (3).
One of the reasons many people, myself included, turn to plant-based medicines rather than pharmaceuticals is because they have beneficial effects on multiple conditions and body systems. Pharmaceuticals exert a strong but very narrow effect and have a higher list of side effects. Hawthorn contains many different molecules that are helpful in cardiovascular health and strengthening to the heart muscle itself.
Flaxseed:
Flaxseed has been shown to reduce both Systolic and Diastolic blood pressure in persons with hypertension without over-treating. (1) These effects are strongest in ground flaxseed vs flax oil or lignan extracts. (2) This again shows the gentle yet powerful effect of whole food as medicine. We often think of the oils and the lignans as the most powerful and biologically active components of flax, but the whole package works much better than the concentrated “active” constituents.
Garlic
This tasty herb also has all sorts of health benefits. Beyond being a rich source of sulphur compounds which are antimicrobial against a wide range of infections and parasites including MRSA, garlic has been shown to lower blood pressure in those with hypertension. (6) These effects are best achieved by eating raw garlic rather than powdered, encapsulated, or cooked garlic. Over time, the active components are deactivated by exposure to heat and oxygen. Fresh is best!
Exercise
Many people worry whether exercise and hypertension area a safe combination, but you can rest assured. Research shows that moderate intensity aerobic exercise of 30 minutes of more most days plus 2-3 days of resistance training weekly safely and consistently lowers high blood pressure. (7)
Moderate intensity is relative to your health. You are looking for activities that increase your heart rate and your respiration and make you break a sweat. What it takes to get to this point will change as your endurance and strength change. If you are worried about your ability to exercise, start slow and work your way up. Working with an exercise and conditioning coach is a great way to do this. If you find yourself frequently injuring yourself, you may need to work with a physical therapist for a bit to address muscle imbalances and restore better alignment.
Eat your Veggies!
Just do it! You know it’s good for your overall health. You know there are no pills that replace vegetables. You knew I was going to go there.
If you need more reasons, it’s been shown that those who eat more vegetables have better blood pressure overall. (8)
In conclusion:
People have high blood pressure for many different reasons, and there is so much more that can be done to manage it, rather than just popping a pill. While modern medicine gives lip service to the role of diet and exercise in health, we are just beginning to realize how important these two factors really are! If you want to treat or prevent blood pressure issues, start with the basics. Exercise regularly, eat your vegetables, add flaxseed and garlic to your diet, and give hawthorn a try as a tea, tincture, solid extract, or adding the berries to your diet just as you would any other fruit.
The beauty of the above recommendations is that they prevent many different diseases, treat those same diseases, and they improve your overall quality of life. Long-term, you are also protecting yourself from the consequences of high blood pressure. (5)
To our health!
References
ND, J. S. (2014, March). Flaxseed Reduces High Blood Pressure. Retrieved December 20, 2019, from https://www.naturalmedicinejournal.com/journal/2014-02/flaxseed-reduces-high-blood-pressure.
Ursoniu, S., Sahebkar, A., Andrica, F., Serban, C., & Banach, M. (2016). Effects of flaxseed supplements on blood pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled clinical trial. Clinical Nutrition, 35(3), 615–625. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2015.05.012
Wang, J., Xiong, X., & Feng, B. (2013). Effect of Crataegus Usage in Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: An Evidence-Based Approach. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2013, 1–16. doi: 10.1155/2013/149363
Types of Blood Pressure Medications. (n.d.). Retrieved December 20, 2019, from https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/changes-you-can-make-to-manage-high-blood-pressure/types-of-blood-pressure-medications.
How high blood pressure can affect your body. (2019, November 19). Retrieved December 20, 2019, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/in-depth/high-blood-pressure/art-20045868.
Xiong, X. J., Wang, P. Q., Li, S. J., Li, X. K., Zhang, Y. Q., & Wang, J. (2015, March 15). Garlic for hypertension: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Retrieved December 20, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25837272.
Sharman, J. E., La Gerche, A., & Coombes, J. S. (2015, February). Exercise and cardiovascular risk in patients with hypertension. Retrieved December 20, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25305061.
Chan, Q., Stamler, J., Brown, I. J., Daviglus, M. L., Van Horn, L., Dyer, A. R., … INTERMAP Research Group. (2014, June). Relation of raw and cooked vegetable consumption to blood pressure: the INTERMAP Study. Retrieved December 20, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4013197/.
