2900: How to Manage Hypertension or High Blood Pressure Without Prescription Medication

[00:00:00] It's another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily and I'm Dr. Neal, your host of the show. Welcome back to another special Friday edition of Optimal Health Daily where I answer your health questions related to fitness, diet and nutrition, and more. You send in the questions and I answer them for you. Now, if you want to send in an audio question, come by oldpodcast.com slash ask. Or,

[00:00:25] you can call in your question by dialing 1-61-ILOVE-OHD. And I'm also taking email questions. You can send those in directly to health at oldpodcast.com. Now, once a month, usually during the first Q&A episode of the month, I mention a bit about my background and credentials so you can better understand where my perspectives come from. And given this is the first Q&A of

[00:00:51] the month, it's time. Now, I've always been obsessed with Batman, but I wasn't always interested in the things I talk about on this podcast. I didn't really care about nutrition, exercise, or health and wellness. But being diagnosed with a chronic disease at the age of 19 definitely changed my life's purpose. I started getting very interested in nutrition, exercise, health, and wellness. So it was at that time I decided to focus my attention on helping others. I didn't want anyone

[00:01:20] else to experience a chronic disease diagnosis like I did, especially at such a young age. So in order to do that, I wanted to make sure I had some credibility. This is not meant to be a humble brag, but instead, make sure I have your trust. I received both my master's and doctoral degrees in public health. And to make sure I covered all of my bases, I also became a registered dietitian nutritionist, a certified health education specialist, and a certified exercise physiologist

[00:01:47] through the American College of Sports Medicine. I've been teaching in higher education for a long time now, and I'm currently faculty within the California State University system. I published many peer-reviewed studies. I presented at national and international conferences and have been interviewed by over 70 different media outlets for my expertise on basically all the things I talk about on this podcast. So again, I share this with you because when I provide my commentary after each episode

[00:02:15] and answer the questions you send in like today, I hope you feel as though it's coming from a place of truth. My only intention is to help you feel your best. All right, finally, let's hear today's question and start optimizing your life. Today's question came via email. Karen writes, what is the best way to manage hypertension without all the pills? Thank you for taking the time to send in

[00:02:43] your question, Karen. I want to quickly mention that this question is relevant to everyone, no matter how old or healthy you are. This is because sadly, as we age, our blood pressure tends to increase. Now, there are a number of reasons why this happens. We tend to become more sedentary as we get older, for example. Our diets aren't as varied. We often gain weight. Stress levels may also go up and so on.

[00:03:10] All of these things increase blood pressure. But let's say someone is superhuman and does everything right as they get older. They don't gain any weight. They actually increase their exercise. They continue to eat a nutritious and balanced diet and so on. Even under these optimal conditions, their blood pressure will likely still go up. How? This is because as we age, our arteries,

[00:03:36] those oh-so-important blood vessels that carry blood and nutrients to all of our organs, just don't function as well as they should. Arteries should normally be smooth and clean on the inside to allow blood to flow easily through. And at the same time, they should be elastic, meaning when blood is rushing through them, this puts a bit of pressure on the inside of the artery, forcing it to expand and bulge out. But they are built to handle this.

[00:04:03] So the artery should be able to snap back under this kind of pressure. Think of a brand new rubber band. But as we age, just like an old rubber band, the arteries lose some of that elasticity. The lining of the arteries become damaged and they start to develop plaque, which makes it more difficult for blood to flow through them. All of this means that the heart has to send more blood

[00:04:27] with more force with each beat. And as a result, our blood pressure goes up. So how do we know whether we actually have high blood pressure? The American Heart Association says you have high blood pressure, sometimes referred to as hypertension, which means the same thing, when either of the following conditions are met. The top number, or your systolic blood pressure, is between 130 and 139.

[00:04:52] Or the bottom number, your diastolic blood pressure, is between 80 and 89. Now, I also should mention that when you go to the doctor's office and they check your blood pressure, the blood pressure reading they give you may be inaccurate. This is because many of us get nervous when we're at our doctor's office. And when we're nervous, guess what happens to our blood pressure? It goes up. Or maybe we're there because we're sick. This will also probably increase your blood

[00:05:20] pressure. So it's always important to try and get an accurate reading. The best time and place to do this would be right after you wake up in the morning before you get out of bed. And ideally, you'd want to get at least three more readings on different days. Now let's assume that all of these protocols were followed and blood pressure readings were still high. Besides going on blood pressure lowering medications, what can we do? Here are my suggestions. One, think about changing your

[00:05:48] exercise routine. Check with your doctor first, but try and incorporate some high-intensity interval training. A number of good research studies are showing that this is relatively safe and can dramatically improve heart health and possibly lower blood pressure. At the very least, mix up your exercise routine. If you normally jog, try sprinting for a bit. If you lift weights, take a shorter rest

[00:06:12] period between sets. Two, you've heard this one before, but think about lowering your sodium or salt intakes. Salt and sodium are basically the same thing. You might be thinking, wait, wasn't salt and blood pressure just a myth? Uh, no. What we're learning is that some individuals are salt sensitive or sodium sensitive, meaning they do experience an increase in blood pressure when they consume salt. Now this doesn't

[00:06:38] happen to everyone, which is part of the reason we see conflicting evidence with some of the research findings. So how do you know if you're salt sensitive? You really don't know, unless your doctor tests it for you specifically, which can be challenging. So that's why we recommend that everyone consider reducing their salt intakes just to be safe. Three, increase your consumption of potassium-rich foods. Potassium potassium is a mineral, and it's kind of amazing in that it can help offset the damage from consuming

[00:07:07] too much salt. So if you tend to eat a lot of salty foods, it may help to consume foods that are rich in potassium. Now, if someone has a pre-existing health condition like kidney disease or a history of heart attack or stroke, they must be careful here. Too much potassium can be a problem. But for most everyone else, consuming potassium-rich foods can be very helpful. Potassium-rich foods would be things like

[00:07:33] leafy green vegetables like spinach and broccoli, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, bananas, citrus fruits, nuts, and even salmon. These are all good sources. And the added benefit, of course, is that most of these foods are high in other nutrients too, which will help our overall health. Now, there is an eating pattern called the DASH diet that's often recommended to help manage hypertension. Now, the DASH diet has

[00:08:01] nothing to do with Mrs. Dash brand products and seasonings, but it's an acronym for dietary approaches to stop hypertension. As its name suggests, this diet was originally promoted to those with hypertension. So what's this diet all about? Well, it promotes the consumption of potassium-rich foods while lowering sodium intake. So it says we should consume lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains,

[00:08:27] lean proteins, and limit the consumption of saturated and trans fats and sweets. Nuts, seeds, and beans are also recommended four to five times per week. And lastly, four, consider losing weight. Now, without knowing more specifics about you and your health history, Karen, I can't say whether your body weight is appropriate. But even a small drop in body weight, like five to ten pounds, can be enough to help drop

[00:08:54] blood pressure even by a few points. Researchers have actually found that a nice side effect of following the DASH diet is not only lowered blood pressure, but also weight loss. Now, I hope you feel empowered by all of this. Now, if it does seem like too much information and there are too many things to change. Remember, even if you incorporate just one of these tips regularly, it will make a difference.

[00:09:23] Thank you again for taking the time to send in your question, Karen. And if you want to send your question in and have it answered right here on the show and get a copy of our Optimal Living Daily Workbook for doing it, send in a question. You can email one to health at oldpodcast.com. Or, if you want your voice played on the show, come by oldpodcast.com. You can record your question

[00:09:48] right from your computer's microphone. It's really easy. You can even play back your message. You can delete your message and do retakes before sending it in. Or, you can do it the old-fashioned way and call in your question. The number is 1-61-ILOVE-OHD. That's 1-614-568-3643. All right, that'll do it for today. I hope you have a great start to your weekend and I'll see you back here tomorrow where your optimal

[00:10:17] life awaits.