Posts Tagged ‘lower high blood pressure’

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Emotional Stress and Its Toll on the Body

Friday, July 31st, 2009

I’ve written before about stress, both good and bad and its effects on one’s health. Stress, by definition, is the state of emotional, physical or mental tension or suspense as a reaction to a force (stressor) on the body or mind.

It’s obvious to anyone who knows me, how in tune I am with knowing what stressors can do to both the body and mind. This is because the mind and body while performing separate functions need each other in order to adequately function. A problem with one affects the other and a cycle of negative effects begins.

Emotional stress is sneaky. It can quietly damage your body and mind in severe ways oftentimes, without you even knowing it.

Picture yourself walking down the road and a car careens out of control and speeds towards your direction. In an instant, hormones like adrenaline and cortisal are released in order to give your muscles a sudden burst of energy to get out of the way of the car and save your life.

More than that, though, blood is diverted away from other parts of the body (like the stomach for digestion) to your large muscles, allowing for more strength and speed. Heart rate and breathing increase dramatically in order to accommodate the sudden need for “fight or flight.”

The body does this by design and most of the time we are grateful for its lifesaving skills. Other times though the stressor could be an angry co-worker yelling at you. For some, it’s the driver that cuts you off in traffic.

Even though the stressor is emotional and your mind tells you your life isn’t in danger, the physical manifestations are the same as those mentioned when dealing with an out of control car coming your way.

Even this would be an acceptable body response to a given emotional stressor at any one time. The problem is when these stressors or the mind’s perceived stressors are chronic.

Over time, the “fight or flight” response which leads to neither fighting nor fleeing builds up in our minds and bodies. Physically, side effects include: headache, back pain, TMJ (temporomandibular joint pain due to bruxing or repeated grinding of the teeth), heart palpitations, stomach pain and/or ulcers muscle, joint and even bone degeneration.

In conjunction with the above physical symptoms, chronic stress can lead to emotional and psychological problems as well. Anxiety, anger and depression can be the result.

And here begins the cycle. If you are feeling the above emotions (oftentimes in conjunction, we just say we’re “on edge” and it’s understood), you aren’t likely to exercise to remove the muscle tension and so it just builds up creating larger problems.

Additionally, feeling depressed angry or anxious leads to sleep and eating disorders which can lead to obesity, snoring, sleep apnea, self medicating through alcohol or drugs…you get the picture. Long term, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other life threatening diseases are the result.

Obviously, to remove the stressor is the key to not enduring a particular stressful event, however, reality often gets in the way. Continued stress over a major project at work, unpaid bills or other chronic events is most of the time just a part of life.

What’s important is to deal with the negative emotions as they arise. If you can’t, then it’s time to consider talking to a professional. If you aren’t sure what is making you stressed, I also recommend some sort of breathing and exercise program designed to relax both the mind and body.

My programs have proven to thousands of my clients that they can help relieve stress and increase health. If emotional stress is the culprit, any of my programs can help you (especially the Natural Blood Pressure Program). They can be located on the right hand side of my natural health blog page.

El331002

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Menopause – What Health Issues Accompany this Life Change?

Monday, June 29th, 2009

Every day we are reminded that we are getting older. Whether it’s your doctor suddenly ordering tests after the age of 35 that you had deemed for, “old people” or your body itself suddenly not acting the way it did just a couple of years ago.

It’s a fact of life that we all age and it should be accepted. What I believe shouldn’t be accepted is that there is nothing to be done about it and we should get used to being in pain or discomfort.

One common theme I consistently see when reading client feedback about my program concerns menopause. This is the time in a woman’s life when her menstrual cycle ends.

While at one time in our history, this did mark the beginning of the end of the lifecycle of women, this is no longer true today. With advancements in diet, medicine and technology, women now spend over a third of their life in the post-menopausal stage.

Common health ailments actually tend to start in the perimenopausal stage which can last between 5-10 years before menopause (defined by not having a menstrual cycle in over a year).

During this time and into menopause, women typically experience the following symptoms at least temporarily: Hormone changes affecting mood, hot flashes, fatigue, headache, and anxiety and depression, although women in this age group are no more likely to suffer long term depression than young adult women.

For some, though, other more serious medical conditions can arise. Migraine headache is one example of typical menopausal symptoms gone awry.

Studies have shown that migraines can start during the perimenopausal phase and are usually worse if the sufferer has experienced migraines in the past. Taking hormone replacements like estrogen has proven to be a migraine trigger.

Vertigo is another disorder reported in some perimenopausal and menopausal women. Sudden dizziness or feeling like you or objects in the room are spinning when they are in fact not.

Occasionally, women suffer from a combination of these two conditions known as migraine associated vertigo (MAV). This is dizziness which accompanies the migraine.

Another health concern for women at this stage in life is weight gain. While yes, our metabolism and physical activity tend to decline as we age, studies have shown that it is during menopause that many women gain weight when they never did before.

Given that weight gain can affect one’s health in so many ways, this is important. Overweight people tend to have more fat in the throat and neck area which compresses the airways and can lead to snoring and sleep apnea. Left untreated, this can lead to an enlarged heart, high blood pressure and other heart diseases which one is already at risk for if she is overweight.

Smoking and drinking to excess are two other bad habits that tend to increase during menopause. These on their own can lead to heart disease and stroke, let alone when combined with weight gain.

No matter what the reason if you find yourself suffering from headache or migraine headache, vertigo, MAV, weight gain, snoring, mild sleep apnea or high blood pressure, I highly encourage you to try one or more of my all natural programs. You can find links to each of them on the right hand side of my blog.
EL331002

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Posted in Genera Natural Health, High Blood Pressure, Migraine / Headaches, Snoring / Sleep Apnea, Vertigo / Dizziness, Weight Loss | No Comments »

High Blood Pressure and Dizziness – Are they Related?

Monday, June 1st, 2009

“Whoa, that was strange!” This was the comment recently from a friend who was standing in line for a movie with me recently. Always interested in “strangeness” I asked my friend to expand on that statement. “I just had that dizzy feeling again like when you stand up to quickly from a seated or lying position.”

The fact that this dizzy feeling was happening “again” indicated a pattern to me so we began to discuss this symptom. I knew my friend had been diagnosed with high blood pressure a few months back and through our discussion, I learned that this is also when the dizzy spells started happening.

This is not so surprising, as one of the symptoms of chronic high blood pressure is dizziness, in addition to headache, blurred vision and fatigue. My friend, however, had none of these symptoms before a routine physical indicated a high blood pressure reading and more tests were ordered.

Additionally, much research on dizziness and blood pressure indicates that low blood pressure is generally the culprit. When the blood pressure drops, dizziness is a common side effect.

How low blood pressure drops is of less importance than the fact that the blood pressure is dropping at patterned intervals and so the side effect is important because it could be denoting a serious medical problem.

The important thing to take note of is what your blood pressure readings are when you experience the dizziness whether low or elevated. Purchasing an ambulatory cuff will help with that.

It also occurred to me that my friend’s dizziness could also stem from vertigo (the sensation that objects and people around you are moving when they are not or that you are moving when you are not). Vertigo, quite simply, means dizziness.

There are several causes of vertigo including trauma to the head but the most common is Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, or BPPV. This is an inner ear disorder which can suddenly cause dizziness when the head is moved in a certain position.

The fact that my friend’s dizziness started immediately after being prescribed high blood pressure medicine was of concern to me. In fact, his doctor didn’t mention anything about dizziness as a side effect.

His first cause for concern was when he picked up the prescription and noticed no fewer than 4 warning stickers on the bottle indicating severe side effects, the least of which was dizziness.

His doctor at first shrugged off the link but after 4 months and no other causality, he eventually prescribed a different medication. This helped to alleviate certain other high blood pressure symptoms but it wasn’t until my friend tried my High Blood Pressure program that the underlying causes were treated.

Almost immediately, my friend was feeling better and within just a few weeks he was able to go back to his doctor and begin to wean himself off of the medication. My program is all natural and easy to follow, but the most important fact is that it works! I highly recommend it if you suffer from either high blood pressure or low blood pressure. And if you suffer from dizziness or vertigo, my Vertigo and Dizziness program will help you.

EL331002

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Posted in High Blood Pressure, Migraine / Headaches | No Comments »

Snoring and High Blood Pressure – Can One Cause the Other?

Monday, April 27th, 2009

Most all of us have at one point in our lives, snored. Usually it’s a spouse or partner who let’s us know (mostly because he or she didn’t get good rest because of the snoring). This is an annoying habit but it could be more than that.

Occasional snoring that isn’t loud usually isn’t of concern and can generally be corrected by having the person snoring roll onto his or her side.

When the snoring is very loud, and one snores every night, there is likely cause for concern.

This type of snoring is likely indicative of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is one of the most common forms of sleep disorders. Sufferers actually stop or “pause” their breathing when sleeping, up to two or three breaths.

When the person eventually does take a breath, a loud snore is heard. More than just aggravating to whomever is lying next to you, chemicals which are released to control breathing get interrupted.

This leads to oxygen levels dropping severely and adrenaline and other hormones being released. It is these hormones which can lead to high blood pressure, or hypertension. Left untreated, high blood pressure can cause heart attack, stroke, kidney failure and even blindness.

If you are overweight, you are more likely to suffer from snoring and sleep apnea. This is compounded if you smoke, drink alcohol or consume large meals at night.

OK, so snoring and sleep apnea could be causing your hypertension. What about the reverse? Could your high blood pressure be causing your snoring?

Studies have shown that those with cardiovascular issues tend to also suffer from water retention. This can occur in the legs, lungs and throat tissues.

This in turn, can circle back again and cause or inflame sleep disorders such as snoring or sleep apnea.

If you or someone you love consistently snores or suffers from sleep apnea, I recommend my Stop Snoring program. It’s all natural and proven to be effective. If you feel your high blood pressure or weight is causing the issue, I also recommend both my High Blood Pressure Program and my Weight Loss Breeze program.

EL331002

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White Coat Syndrome – Is my Doctor Causing my High Blood Pressure?

Monday, March 16th, 2009

A client recently wrote to me telling me that her husband’s blood pressure is always measured as high when he goes to his doctor but when he measures it at home, it’s of a normal reading.

She wanted to know if this could be caused by her husband being nervous about seeing her doctor (even though he could not recall feeling nervous so it would have had to have been at an unconscious level) and if so, can this be as dangerous as chronic high blood pressure.

High blood pressure only when you see your doctor? How ironic! What my client describes, however, is a phenomenon known as white coat syndrome, or white coat hypertension.

White coat syndrome is a situation where a person’s blood pressure is raised when in a doctor’s office (and sometimes in an office setting) but normal in his or her home life. Studies suggest this condition affects between 10% – 20 % of the population.

Diagnosing this is tricky, though, as one tends to measure one’s blood pressure only when at the doctor. Experts suggest purchasing a blood pressure monitor which one wears for a twenty four hour period and blood pressure is measured at different intervals.

Also keep in mind that errors occasionally occur when measuring blood pressure at the doctor’s office. The most commonly reported error is medical personnel using a blood pressure cuff that is too small – this commonly leads to an inaccurately high reading.

Is white coat syndrome dangerous to one’s overall health? Experts place the risk much lower than with chronic high blood pressure but somewhat higher than normal.

It’s important to recognize how often your blood pressure spikes and for how long it remains high. If you experience this condition only at the doctor’s office, it’s likely not going to be a concern. If, however, you experience high blood pressure only at work but for eight or more hours a day, this could lead to chronic high blood pressure.

What commonly happens is that patients will “self-diagnose” and decide themselves that they are suffering not from hypertension, but from white coat syndrome.

This is common because almost no one WANTS to have a disease. It’s easier to just dismiss the condition. Or, as many of my clients have told me, they absolutely dread having to take medications – all of which can have serious side effects.

I encourage you to see your doctor and determine together whether or not you have white coat syndrome. Regardless of whether or not this is the case or you do indeed have hypertension, I highly recommend my High Blood Pressure program. It’s all natural, no medication and most importantly, it works … and no office visit needed :-)

EL331002

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Noise Pollution – More than Just an Annoyance

Monday, March 9th, 2009

One thing that makes me good at my profession is my passion (or curse, at times) for knowledge and learning. I’ll start with an idea and then go from there – research, interviews, research, testing, research, research, research.

My friends and family have lovingly referred to me as “Mr. Fix It” (or “Mr. Know-it-all” when they don’t like my conclusions) due to my need to take a problem and find a solution – all naturally if possible.

One friend likes to play a game with me where she will “nutshell” a problem and ask me to find the cause with very little to go on. For example, she recently told me that her friend who lives by an airport suffers from high blood pressure.

I am then to tell her why this is so. I must also assume that since she has given no information about her friend’s health history, age, and lifestyle choices (alcohol, cigarettes, etc.) that these have been checked out and are not a major contributing factor.

As the title of this article has exposed, airports are noisy. So? Why would this be important? In order to answer that I applied my research techniques and found an amazing amount of information on noise pollution and its effects on one’s health.

Noise pollution, also known as environmental noise is unwanted or unpleasant noise created by both people and animals and machines.

When noise is at 45 decibels, we are unable to sleep. When it reaches 85 decibels, hearing begins to become damaged, causing tinnitus (ringing in the ear) and hearing loss. At 120 decibels, ear pain can be felt.

Sometimes the noise is simply annoying, for example, loud people, barking dog or loud stereo system registering at a decibel level low enough not to cause damage but to still produce symptoms such as irritability, or frustration.

Commons sources of noise include cars, trains, airplanes, factory machinery and construction machinery.

Even when exposed short term to loud noise, people can experience high blood pressure, lack of sleep, indigestion, confusion and forgetfulness.

If exposure becomes chronic (i.e., working or living near high noise areas such as an airport), the effects can be devastating to one’s health. These effects include: heart disease, ulcers, permanent hearing loss and can even lead to mental illness.

While the U.S. does have laws governing noise pollution, they vary from state to state, city to city, with some having no laws at all because many still view the problem as a nuisance and not a health issue.

The best solution of course is to avoid the source of the noise but when that’s not possible for say working in or living near high noise areas, take steps to mitigate the risk of damage by following proper hearing safety protocols at work and insulating ones home to noise as much as possible.

While I can’t offer these tools, I can offer my program for regulating blood pressure with my High Blood Pressure program. This program includes exercises which reverse the stress caused by the high noise - therefore lowering your blood pressure even if you have to stay around the noise.

EL331002

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Stress – Can it be Good for You?

Friday, March 6th, 2009

Practically everyone over the age of 30 who has seen a doctor knows what stress can do to the body. It can trigger high blood pressure which can, over time, contribute to several health issues. So then, what does the term “good stress” imply?

Let’s start with a definition of stress. No problem, right? Wrong. Even though every one of us has experienced stress, the condition itself is subjective and difficult to pin down. Everyone experiences stress in different ways so how do we define it if it’s different for everyone?

The term “stress” was first used in the 1930s by the endocrinologist Hans Selye to identify physiological responses in test subjects. He defined stress as a “nonspecific response of the body to a demand.”

He then broadened the term to humans. Stress referred to the reaction of the individual to the “stressor,” or threat, whether real or perceived in dealing with challenges of everyday life.

Today, we use the term as a catch-all to point out a non-specific problem - “I’m stressed out!”

During a stressful situation, one’s brain releases stress hormones which trigger a series of responses which cause blood-sugar levels rise, allowing glucose to be redirected to the muscles for fighting or fleeing dangerous situations (fight or flight response), the heartbeat speeds up and blood pressure increases. Blood is redirected from the stomach to the extremities to keep up with the demand for energy.

This worked well for humans historically but today we rarely need to physically flee or fight a dangerous situation. Overall, today’s stressors tend to be emotional. It is not realistic to think that we can “flee” conflicts at work or with family.

Stressors need not be great to cause the body to react and typically, if the stressor is small the physical response will be small but over time, when we are not able to respond and adapt to stressful situations, a physical toll on the body is the result.

This can lead to many health issues including, ulcers, diabetes, migraines, allergies, asthma, and even heart disease. But what about “good” stress?

Positive, or good stress tends to be physical (i.e., subjecting the body to an exercise workout and the result is positive for the body) but can also be mental. Some of us don’t view a deadline at work as a challenge but rather an opportunity to succeed. Others of us dread it and can expect typical stress reactions.

Fortunately, there are several natural methods of dealing with negative stress. These include: Deep breathing and relaxation exercises, physical exercise, talking with a therapist about your problems, allowing yourself to cry when you need to, and even avoiding situations where there is a pattern of stress you can’t deal with.

If high blood pressure is the result of your long term stress, I encourage you to try my all natural High Blood Pressure program. I recommend my Headache and Migraine program if headaches are the result of your stress. My programs have helped thousands help lead more stress-free healthy lives!

EL331002

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Fishing for Health - the Value of Omega Fatty Acids

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

I’m from Iceland and as a child I was made to drink the most horrible thing called lysi, which is pure fat from the liver of fish. It tasted horrible but was very beneficial for my health. Fortunately, it now comes in pill form that don’t taste at all.

Growing up, I wasn’t always told exactly how I ate and drank benefited my health – only that it did. As an adult, I became curious as to why what I eat and drink is important to my health. One of these nagging curiosities was of course, the fish fat.

What are Omega Fatty Acids? Omega fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids and considered essential fatty acids. This means that they are essential to human health but that the body can’t produce them. We must, therefore, ingest fatty acids from food.

The best source for omega fatty acids is fish (salmon, tuna, herring and sardines); however, certain fish contains toxins (such as mercury) and should be taken in quantities no more than two servings per week.

Another source for omega fatty acids is in nuts (walnuts, flaxseed, soybeans or their oils). Some foods are now being manufactured by adding the fatty acids to certain foods (margarines, certain cereals, orange juice, snack foods, and baby food and formula).

While it is suggested that the best way to get omega fatty acids is through diet, even experts agree that it’s difficult to tell how much is enough, although many recommend 3 grams per week. Talk to your doctor or nutritionist to know exactly how much you should be getting in your diet.

If you aren’t getting enough fatty acids in your diet, there are fish oil supplements available on the market. Studies have shown that they have proven beneficial results; however, they are not regulated so you should research individual brands first.

Now that we know where to get the omega fatty acids, why do we want to take them? Research has shown that developing babies need these fatty acids in order for proper neurological development to take place.

Studies have shown that omega fatty acids can reduce cardiovascular events (death, heart attacks, strokes), can also slow the progression of atherosclerosis, lower triglycerides, and can lower blood pressure.

There have been other reported benefits in the areas of rheumatoid arthritis, depression and anxiety disorders. Recent research shows promise even in cancer treatments, specifically, breast cancer, prostate and colon cancer.

As always, I recommend a well balanced, nutritious diet for your overall health. But if weight control or weight loss is your goal, my Weight Loss Breeze Program has had amazing results. It is all natural, and does not include special dietary restrictions.

EL331001

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Work Stress and Your Health

Monday, January 12th, 2009

I grew up on a farm with lots of animals. One thing I always liked about animals was that they never lie. They’re always 100% authentic. If they’re angry, they act angry. If they’re sad (like the mother that has lost her lamb), they scream at the top of their lungs.

They never act differently from what they feel - like we humans often do.

You know what else I’ve noticed? Most animals don’t have those stress related conditions that humans have. They very seldom have high blood pressure, have heart attacks or strokes. If they do it’s because they’re surrounded by humans that put too many demands on them.

So I’m left to ponder some of the things we as humans do to ourselves to create so many physical problems.

One thing that people mention to me often is work stress. “I sit in front of a computer all day and I feel horribly fatigued at the end of the day.” Or “I’m sure my blood pressure problems are job related.”

There are occupational hazards in the most common places, like your cubicle or office. It’s estimated that over 1 million people are absent from their jobs DAILY due to stress related issues.

There are entire conferences, numerous books and corporate training programs devoted to just this problem.

How do we combat this?

Quit your job?

That might work in the short term, but most people cannot survive financially without it.

Most stress management tips people actually know, and just forget or at least forget when they need them the most.

Sometimes we have to say ‘no’ or at least ‘not yet.’

Some personalities are inclined to take on more and more work, favors, and coverage for others who “really need a break.” If this is you, ask yourself, how much is too much?

What happens if I politely (but firmly) turn down this particular request?

Or, ask for help when you need it. Some people just can’t get past the idea that this denotes weakness or incompetence. But remember, people are asking you for help too…including your boss and co-workers.

Take a time out. Walk slowly and without purpose. Don’t worry about walking “to get somewhere and fast.” It doesn’t have to take long – but get away from the environment for a few minutes every hour or two if possible.

As always, watch your diet. Try to eat sensibly and stay away from the over processed foods that do nothing to help the body.

Use good posture. Slouching catches up with the back and the rest of the body in painful ways.

Practice deep breathing. The body needs this oxygen. This can be done anywhere and can become a great habit after awhile.

Give your fingers a break too. Stop typing – and stretch your fingers for a few seconds. Breathe in deeply, and imagine the stress leaving your body through your finger tips as you exhale.

Feeling better already?

And finally, leave work at work. Trust me, it’ll be there tomorrow and nothing productive will come from reliving the entire work day on your drive home. Meditate to some peaceful music instead.

And if you need some help with this or other physical problems, I offer several all natural programs that have helped thousands of others.

Currently available are: The High Blood Pressure Program, Migraine and Headache Relief Program, Fibromyalgia Program, Stop Snoring Program, Weight Loss Breeze and the Dizziness and Vertigo Program.

EL331001

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Posted in Fibromyalgia, High Blood Pressure, Migraine / Headaches, Sleep Disorders, Snoring / Sleep Apnea, Vertigo / Dizziness, Weight Loss | No Comments »

Technique to Control High Blood Pressure

Thursday, October 18th, 2007

"How can your program help me in controlling my blood pressure?"

This is the most common question that I’m consistently asked through emails by people who suffer from hypertension and have been on allopathic medications for long, but have failed to control their blood pressure.

The sheer frequency of the above question has convinced me that it is best that I answer the question on this blog. And this is exactly what I intend to do today.

Most of us understand that genes, bad eating habits, and poor lifestyle choices are the factors responsible for hypertension. We often forget to include another factor that plays a very big role in the development of high blood pressure. This other factor is emotions and thinking patterns.

(more…)

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