Blood Pressure management is not limited to anti-hypertensive medications. You have options. When a patient has elevated blood pressure, I do not merely strive to treat the numbers. I also look to address the cause. Why does this person have high blood pressure?

Many factors are involved in blood pressure regulation including kidney, liver, and thyroid function, adrenals and stress management, heart health and circulation, and digestive wellness and diet. You have the ability to decrease your blood pressure and thus your risk of stroke and heart disease by making very simple yet significant changes in diet and lifestyle.

1. Food as Medicine: Eat a diet high in fiber and good fats, rich in vegetables, nuts and seeds. Research shows that eating 4 stalks of celery per day or 8 tsp of celery juice 3x per day can decrease blood pressure! Avoid all processed foods for they are high in salt. Load up on foods high in potassium including avocado, apricots, cantaloupe, papaya and figs. Protect your blood vessels with eating plenty of garlic, onions, turmeric, cayenne, berries and wild-caught fish. Nourish your kidneys by drinking plenty of water- half your weight in ounces each day!

2. Remove the obstacles: Quit smoking now! Naturopathic medicine offers many tools to help you through the process. Avoid caffeine for it puts great stress on your adrenals and kidneys. Alcohol only in moderation as to decrease taxation on the liver.

3. Exercise: You must move your body! Even walking 30 minutes a day can make significant improvements in cardiovascular health. Blood pressure is a sign of how hard your heart has to work to pump blood throughout your body. The heart is the most important muscle in the body, keep it in shape.

4. Stress Management: Emotional stress can aboslutely increase blood pressure. When we experience stress, the body goes into a state of sympathetic dominance, a "fight or flight" reaction. Chronic stress takes a physical toll on the adrenal glands which in turn affects the rest of the body, inluding the cardiovascular system. Address your stress by practicing deep breathing, talk therapy, journaling, yoga, etc. Some herbs that are helpful for stress response include: valerian, hops, avena (oat), passiflora, kava, and scutellaria.

5. Supplementation: Everyone can benefit from essential fatty acids found in nuts, seeds and fish. A quality fish oil supplement protects the heart and blood vessels, lowers cholesterol, and decreases inflammation. Other supplements to consider include CoQ10, Magnesium, a B complex, garlic and hawthorne berry. Speak with Dr. Birr about supplementation in regards to your blood pressure. Remember that hypertension is not a disease, but a symptom. Every individual's case is different, and it is important to treat the whole person, not just the symptoms.

Spring time is a wonderful time of year! Flowers blooming, grasses growing, and leaves back on the trees. These lovely signs of growth are a treat to many of us, but they may also be a nemesis to others. Seasonal allergies affect 10-40% of the population, causing a sense of illness and significant frustration.

Allergies are categorized as seasonal or perennial. Seasonal allergies are associated with the arrival of trees, grass, and weeds in a typical pattern during the spring, summer, and fall. Perennial allergies affect certain individuals when exposed to dust, mold, dust mites, and animal dander but are present throughout the year.

Classic symptoms of allergies include: 
   •  Runny nose
   •  Sneezing (uncommon with common cold)
   •  Watery eyes, and itchy nose, eyes & throat
   •  Sore throat - mostly due to mouth breathing
   •  Nasal voice
   •  Allergic salute - itch nose upward causing a crease above the bridge
   •  Itchy eyes, redness, puffiness

Treatment for patients with allergies is not very successful with over-the-counter anti-allergy/anti-histamines, especially long-term. The cause of one's allergies is not soley an overproduction of histamine, but an overactive immune response to a substance. The immune system is based primarily in the gut, thus treatment needs to focus on digestive-immune health. Many patients with seasonal allergies may also experience symptoms of eczema, urticaria, or asthma indicating that they are "atopic" individuals requiring a deeper need for immune support. Adrenal health may also be a major determinant in one's immune health. Stress induces cortisol release, a hormone that suppresses the immune system. But chronic stress may lead to adrenal burn-out, wreaking havoc on the immune system.

Natural Treatments for Seasonal Allergies:
Nutrition
Reduce food allergies/sensitivities and inflammation. Talk to your ND about following an Elimination Diet or Anti-inflammatory diet in order to find out what foods may be instigating a hyper-responsive immune system. Common inflammatory foods to avoid include dairy, gluten, citrus, and non-organic produce and meats. Lowering your exposures can help immensely.

 • Vitamin C: an excellent antioxidant, prevents the secretion of histamine, supports the adrenals 
 • Quercetin: a bioflavonoid that decreases inflammation and improves immune response to allergens
 • Essential Fatty Acids in fish oil, evening primrose oil, borage oil or black currant oil decrease inflammation and strengthen immunity
 • Probiotics:  Clinical reports have suggested that dietary consumption of fermented foods, such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut help to improve immunity by repopulating healthy bacteria in the gut. Physician-grade supplementation may be necessary for therapeutic results.

Botanical Support
 • Nettles: 1 oz of dry herbs infused in 1 QT of hot water for 20 minutes. Drink 3-5 cups a day. Best to start before allergy season but effective throughout. 
 •  Elder flower - Sambucus nigra - high in flavonoids 
 • Green tea and coffee can help with the symptoms of allergies, but overuse can contribute to adrenal fatigue. 

Adrenal support
See previous post on how to support adrenal health.  

Exercise
Though exercise may seem less tempting when it is difficult to breathe, physical activity encourages lymph movement which leads to improvement in symptoms and overall well-being.
 
Environmental        
Even if your just allergic to pollen, you are likely hyper-sensitive to other particles in the air including dust and mold. Decrease other allergic triggers with the following:
  • Air filters - use the type that electrostatically takes dust out of the air.  These can be in line with the heating system.  Clean heating ducts annually.
 • Hepa vacuum cleaners
 • Change pillow case daily and sheets every 2 days (to cut down on dust mites). Wash bedclothes and sheets in hot water.
 • No wall hangings, no rugs
 • Keeping ambient humidity, 50% decreases growth of dust mites and mold.

Hydrotherapy
Nasal irrigation  - Using a neti pot twice a day, upon waking and before bed, can help relieve nasal and sinus congestion. It is important to use an isotonic saline solution with filtered water and sea salt. First find a workable container (bulb syringe, a small flowerpot, a turkey baster, or just a teacup). Then fill the container with lukwarm salt water (1 tsp salt to 2 cups filtered water). Over the sink, tilt your head forward so that you are looking down at the sink. Insert the spout into your right nostril while breathing through your mouth. turn your head to the right and let water move into the right nostril and exit the left nostril. Normally, you will feel the water as it passes through your sinuses. It is fine if some of the water drains into the mouth.  Simply spit it out and adjust the tilt of your head. Repeat the above procedure for the other nostril. To finish, expel any remaining water by quickly blowing air out both open nostrils 15 times over the sink.  Avoid the temptation to block off one nostril, as doing so may force water into the eustachian tube.

Call Dr. Alicia today to discuss how to prevent and treat your allergies efficiently so that you may fully enjoy all of spring's blessings.