"Other" Approaches to Hypertension

It may seem strange that a column devoted to avoiding and treating musculoskeletal injuries would kick-off with a subject like hypertension. I am fascinated by hypertension (and diabetes) because they have become endemic to our society. Let's face it, while a quad strain may be a bummer because you can't run for a few weeks, at least it won't kill you. We are surrounded by people suffering from high blood pressure. With heart disease as this country's leading cause of death as of 2007, I hope this little bit of information will empower even a few people to take control of their life and body.

The National Institute of Health estimates ¼ of adults have high blood pressure, defined as pressure greater than 140/90mmHg. Because symptoms of high blood pressure may take decades to manifest, many of these people likely have no idea of the internal damage occurring in their bodies. For those interested in addressing high blood pressure through methods other than popping a pill every day, recent studies have found some simple and amazing methods to lower blood pressure.

There’s an old saying among dieticians and nutritionists: avoid anything white. That includes refined sugars, saturated fats, refined flour, white rice and white potatoes. Anyone who has ever washed and peeled a beet knows that beets are anything but white. The Journal of Hypertension helps to support that axiom. They found a daily serving of 500mL (that’s slightly over 2 cups) of beet juice lowered, on average, systolic pressure by 10.4mmHg and diastolic pressure by 8.1mmHg. Researchers theorize that beets’ high concentration of dietary nitrate (no, that is NOT the same evil substance that you find in hot dogs and processed meats) are responsible for the reduction in pressure. Maybe it’s time you dig that Jack LaLanne juicer out of the cabinet? To read the journal article in full, click HERE.

The DASH (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension) diet was created in conjunction with the US Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to avoid developing and to treat high blood pressure. It is a fairly simple diet, characterized by low sodium and low dietary fat intake. The DASH diet now has two versions: the standard DASH diet and the lower sodium DASH diet. Both DASH diets aim to reduce the amount of sodium in your diet, but the lower sodium DASH diet encourages an even further reduction in the amount of sodium you eat. When followed, studies have shown a decrease of diastolic pressure by up to 14mmHg. To read more, click HERE.

Even chiropractic manipulation has been shown to reduce blood pressure. The results of a clinical trial showed a high level of efficacy with a chiropractic adjustment of the upper cervical spine. Compared to the control group who received a “sham” adjustment, those who received the “real” procedure saw an average 14mmHg greater drop in systolic blood pressure, and an average 8mmHg greater drop in diastolic blood pressure. To read more about this study, click HERE.