Monday, January 29, 2018

More thoughts on Blood Pressure


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.

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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