Hello, everyone! We're looking forward
to another delicious edition of Pathfinder Produce this Thursday, February 1,
at the Village Commons. Come on down
between 1 and 5 p.m. and check out all the great deals and wonderfully fresh
fruits and veggies!
February is American Heart
Month. I would like to give a BIGGG
shout out to the Otsego Academy students – Dr. John, Peter and Laura – who will
be taking part in the second annual Indoor Heart Walk on Saturday, February 10,
at the FoxCare Center in Oneonta, in partnership with Bassett Healthcare
Network and the Greater Utica American Heart Association. This is a great opportunity to help support
the activities of the AHA, which has provided grants in support our Hoop House
growing programs. If you'd like to sponsor
the team, please go to their team page at this link.
The February 10 FoxCare walk
features a three mile walk, plus ZUMBA and yoga classes, exotic animals from
the Utica Zoo, hands-only CPR training, free healthy heart checks, and lots
more. To sign up to attend, visit https://www.bassett.org/ heartwalk. Children 16 and under are free, and onsite
registration starts at 9 a.m.
***
Recently,
a family member had to have a not-too-serious health procedure. He’s not one to
go to the doctor often, but he became concerned when his blood pressure would
go up as he went to his appointments. I
don't think this is uncommon, but it is important for people to track their
numbers (see
my past blog post on blood pressure).
As
a result, our family has been doing some research on how to manage our blood
pressures better: We bought an inexpensive BP cuff so we can see what our
readings are. I've found that if I spend some time getting a neck massage with
the Shiatsu gizmo I got for Christmas, I can lower my readings. (Ocean
visualization and foot massages are other lowering techniques!)
So, just what are blood pressure readings
telling us? According to Wikipedia,
blood pressure “is the pressure of circulating blood on the walls of large
arteries….” It is expressed in terms of
the systolic pressure, the maximum pressure during one heartbeat, over
diastolic pressure, the minimum pressure between two heartbeats. Healthy BP measurements range between 90-119
systolic over 60-79 diastolic, based on the recently updated chart from AHA.
If
your BP is typically elevated, medical professionals will prescribe
pharmaceuticals to help. But there are steps we can all take to keep our
numbers lower. First, cut back on your
stress! Don’t watch the news or take
part in activities that make you feel anxious.
Try to work off stress by going out for a walk, bike ride or other
sustained exercise. Also, focus on
eating a diet that emphasizes lots of healthy fruits and veggies.
Next,
lots of salt and sodium is a big no-no!
When there’s extra sodium in your bloodstream, it pulls water into your
blood vessels, increasing the total volume of blood inside your arteries and
veins. With more blood flowing, your blood pressure increases. Eventually, high blood pressure can stretch
out or weaken blood vessel walls and can contribute to harmful plaque
accumulations. The added pressure also makes hearts work harder to pump blood
through the body. However, with that said, it's important to stay fully hydrated:
Water helps your blood remain at the proper
viscosity and prevents your heart from pumping harder than it should.
In
our research, we also found some alternative practices that may help. Before
starting any of these, you should talk
to your doctor to determine if these are sound ideas given your overall
health and current prescriptions:
·
Ginger Root,
Tumeric and Black Pepper Tea: A good
friend of ours suggested this – he drinks a strong tea made with fresh gratings
of ginger and tumeric roots each day. Ginger is an
anti-inflammatory and natural blood thinner; tumeric
is another anti-inflammatory that offers anti-clotting properties. The black
pepper helps with absorption of the tumeric. Apparently, these ingredients help
by dilating blood vessels, making blood flow easier, and fighting bad
cholesterol.
·
Magnesium
supplements: If you are magnesium deficient,
your BP can be elevated, and you may display other symptoms: difficulty
sleeping, muscle cramps, anxiety issues, headaches, etc. According to an article on the Naturalife
website, if you tend to crave chocolate (go with the dark if you must succumb),
that can be a sign of a magnesium deficiency.
You can get more magnesium either through a multivitamin, or by eating
spinach, Swiss chard or other fresh
foods.
According to a
2003 Journal of Nutrition study, magnesium is an essential element that is crucial to
hundreds of physiologic processes; about half of adults are
deficient (National Center for
Biotechnology Information, US Government, 2012). Deficiencies may be linked
to cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, and headaches.
So, as we enter February, American Heart Month, think
about things you can do to improve your own health, and think about ways you
can make others aware of how important healthy hearts are!
Until next time, eat and be well!
Lori
