The Illusion of Fixing Blood Pressure
It’s not unusual for people to think that when we are prescribed medication, it is correcting a problem within the body.
Blood pressure medication is a great example of this. I can’t tell you how many clients have told me they believe they no longer have a blood pressure issue because they are being medicated for it.
Blood Pressure Medications may be a temporary life raft for extremely high blood pressure, but by no means is it the fix.
As a matter of fact, the longer you stay on blood pressure meds without addressing the underlying causes, the more likely confounding issues will arise, as well as associated side effects from the medications.
Getting caught on this merry-go-round almost always leads to the addition of more medications to address the confounders and the side effects, which, guess what? This leads to more confounders and side effects.
If that sounds like a merry-go-round that you don’t want to ride, let’s then look at some of the common causes of elevated blood pressure that should be the first considerations for restoring health, not the last:
Dehydration:
By living in a chronically dehydrated state, blood thickens, which causes the heart to have to pump harder to move blood throughout the body. Dehydration is not just caused by not drinking enough water; it can be caused by not drinking water properly or even drinking too much water, which flushes minerals and electrolytes (critical for water absorption) out of the body.
Check out our articles here on the importance of hydration: (NTA articles)
Consuming Too Many Carbohydrates:
Did you know your body has no physiological need for carbohydrates whatsoever? The body also has a very narrow window of tolerance for all forms of sugar before they begin to cause dysregulation.
Most people know what refined sugar looks like and where it can be found, but most do not realize many foods essentially turn to sugar in the body, such as bread, pasta, rice, potato, cereals/grains, oatmeal, and starchy vegetables. Most also do not know that excess fruit overloads the liver with fructose, which is hard for the body to metabolize.
A regular diet predominantly made up of carbohydrates can lead to hyperinsulinemia (excess insulin), which leads to inflammation and AGE’s - advanced glycation end products, all of which lead to stiffening of blood vessels and atherosclerotic plaque build-up up which contributes to elevated blood pressure.
Hidden Food Sensitivities
Food sensitivity can lead to chronic inflammation and physiological stress to the body. This alone can lead to excess histamine, chronic inflammation, and blood sugar dysregulation that can again lead to the stiffening of blood vessels, thus altering blood pressure.
What about Salt?
Mineral salts are critical for healthy function within the body, so why are we taught that salt should be avoided when we have blood pressure issues?
What we really should have been told is that the high levels of sodium found in refined foods are the big contributor towards elevated blood pressure, not the small amounts you may be adding to your meals.
These resources might help both you and your doctor to better understand the importance of salt to our physiology.
James DiNicolantonio: (The Salt Fix Review) Benefits of Salt on Improving Blood Pressure & Health
The Salt Fix: Why the Experts Got It All Wrong--and How Eating More Might Save Your Life
So in summary, yes, sometimes we need a life jacket.
High blood pressure increases the risk of stroke, so in the short term, medication might be a critical first step.
However, the implications of long-term medications without addressing underlying driving mechanisms, such as diet, inflammation, and sources of stress, can ultimately set the scene for further health complications.
If your health professional does not know where to start, this article might help.
If not, our practitioner directory can be found here.
Article by Leanne Scott, NTA AU/NZ Program Director & Lead Instructor, FNTP