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Keys to Strengthening Your Immune System

Keys to Strengthening Your Immune System

Three girlfriends in white T-shorts jump having waved hands
Three girlfriends in white T-shorts jump having waved hands

We are bombarded daily with all sorts of microbes that can cause illness. Interestingly, if we are exposed to a wide range of these microbes as children, studies have shown that we will have a lower risk of asthma and allergies as well as a stronger immune system. There are a number of factors that influence the health of our immune system, including diet, stress, exercise and aging. Following are some strategies you can use to help strengthen your immune system.

Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables – These are high in the vitamins, minerals and trace elements you need to help keep you healthy, particularly those high in vitamin C (red bell peppers, strawberries, broccoli, citrus fruits) and zinc (nuts, seeds, wheat germ).

Reduce stress – Chronic stress has been shown to inhibit the production of interleukins and cytokines, which are responsible for stimulating the action of white blood cells. Chronic stress also causes the stress hormone cortisol to be continually released into the bloodstream, which in the long term suppresses the production of pathogen-fighting T cells and antibodies.

Get out in the sun – Insufficient vitamin D has been linked to greater susceptibility to infection. Approximately one out of three Americans is deficient in vitamin D. Try to get out in the sun in the summer months wearing minimal clothing and no sunscreen for 5 to 10 minutes two or three times a week between the hours of 10 am and 3 pm. This will provide you with sufficient vitamin D without increasing your risk of skin cancer. You can also take a supplement in the winter months or if you live in a place without much sun.

Get sufficient sleep – Sleep deprivation increases inflammation and inhibits the immune response. One study found that people who habitually slept less than seven hours each night were nearly three times more likely to catch a cold than people who slept eight hours or more.

Exercise – Moderate exercise has been shown to decrease stress and boost the immune system. Thirty minutes of moderate exercise each day, such as a brisk walk, raises the body’s levels of leukocytes, which are cells that help guard against infection.

Eat probiotics – Perhaps even more important than antibiotics in the fight against infection are probiotics, beneficial bacteria that live in the gut and upper respiratory tract. They boost the immune system by encouraging the production of certain T cells. You can find probiotics in yogurt, sauerkraut and kimchi, or you can take a probiotic supplement.

Avoid sugar – Even 100 grams of sugar, the equivalent of a 24-oz soda, depresses your immune system by reducing the ability of white blood cells to combat bacteria. This effect can last for a few hours after sugar ingestion, so if you are trying to stay healthy, keep away from the sweets!

“The Mood Food Connection” Part 1: Emotional Eating

“The Mood Food Connection” Part 1: Emotional Eating

worried-man-eating-pastry-200-300What do you call it when your feelings affect what, when and how you eat? In healthcare circles, we refer to this very common phenomenon as “emotional eating.” Over time, it can become a very destructive pattern that leads to poor nutrition and unhealthy weight gain. If you suspect that you may be prone to emotional eating, the key is to recognize the kinds of circumstances that trigger it and then to use a handful of mindfulness strategies to change your behavior in ways that protect your health.

What Causes Emotional Eating?

Studies have shown that many different feelings can trigger emotional eating—anxiety, loneliness, sadness, boredom and anger, to name a few. While these types of negative emotions can sometimes be triggered by traumatic life events such as the loss of a job, a divorce or a death in the family, they can also be a response to exhaustion or the pressures of daily life. It is also true that many people will over-indulge when they’re celebrating, especially in social settings. This is hardly surprising—after all, we learn early in life to associate food with special occasions like birthdays and holidays.

When we eat for reasons like these (that is, for reasons other than being hungry), we usually do so without thinking very much about it. At its best, emotional eating can be a “food fling”—an occasional indulgence. But at its worst, emotional eating can become a mindless, automatic activity that we use regularly for coping, distraction and avoidance. Food can become both a reward when things are going well and a consolation when they’re not. This is the kind of pattern to look out for.

The Warning Signs

Awareness is the first step. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to help determine whether you’re an emotional eater:

  1. Do you often eat when you’re not actually hungry?
  2. Do you think specifically about what you’re going to eat and whether it’s good for you before you eat it?
  3. Do you find yourself especially attracted to sugary, fatty or salty snacks?
  4. Do you often eat without actually tasting the food or forget that you’ve eaten?
  5. Do you often feel guilt or regret after eating between meals?

Now What?

If you suspect that you’re an emotional eater, there are several do-it-yourself behavioral interventions that you can use to break the pattern. In general, these are designed to promote mindfulness, reduce the damage caused by emotional eating or help build new habits.

  1. Record your emotions and read to yourself what you’ve written before you visit the refrigerator or open the pantry door.
  2. Make a list of the things in your life that are stressing you out and write down what you can do to address them productively or to think about them differently instead of using food to distract yourself or avoid unpleasant thoughts and feelings.
  3. Wait 15 minutes whenever you feel the urge to eat between meals so that there is time for the impulse to pass and for you to understand what’s triggering it.
  4. Create a healthy snack dish containing cut up vegetables and fruit and keep it where you can get to it during the day. At the same time, make sure that your go-to unhealthy snacks are either stored in inconvenient, hard-to-reach places or aren’t in the house at all.
  5. Substitute a walk around the block, 10 push-ups, 25 sit-ups or 50 jumping jacks for a trip to the refrigerator.
  6. Schedule occasional “snacking date nights ” to give yourself permission to enjoy the foods you love—deliberately and in moderation.
  7. Find new hobbies to help fight boredom in your downtime.

The Comfort Food Trap

When we eat emotionally, we also tend to reach for so-called “comfort foods” that usually contain large amounts of sugar, fat or salt. So it’s a nutritional double-whammy: we’re eating when we’re not really hungry AND we’re also eating calorie-dense foods that aren’t very good for us.

It turns out there are a number of physiological reasons why many of us crave things like chocolate and macaroni and cheese when we’re down. Over the past few years, scientists have found that particular types of food can indeed have a very real influence on our state of mind through mechanisms such as brain chemistry and blood sugar levels. In part two of the Mood Food Connection, we’ll explain in more detail how the foods we eat can affect the way we feel.

If you’re interested in learning more about healthy weight management techniques that help you feel and perform at your best, call or visit our office today! We’re here to help!

The Benefits of Calcium

The Benefits of Calcium

milk-bottles-200-300Just about everyone has heard about the importance of calcium in maintaining strong bones and teeth. In fact, 99 percent of the calcium in our body is stored in our bones. However, the remaining one percent that is located in our blood and cells is just as important. It is necessary to maintain many of the body’s vital functions, and if you do not get adequate calcium from your diet to keep the required amount in your blood, the mineral will be taken from your bones to meet the need.

Heart rhythm, muscle contraction, wound healing, blood clotting and transmission of messages between nerves and between cells are some of the important things that calcium facilitates. In addition to helping prevent osteoporosis, calcium may also reduce the risk of colon cancer, lower high blood pressure, reduce symptoms of PMS (bloating, food cravings, pain and mood swings) by 50 percent, and protect against breast cancer.

The recommended daily intake of calcium for different groups is as follows:

Infants 0-6 months: 210 mg/day

Infants 7-12 months: 270 mg/day

Children 1-3 years: 700 mg/day

Children 4-8 years: 1,000 mg/day

Adolescents 9-18 years: 1,300 mg/day

Adults 19-50 years: 1,000 mg/day

Adults 51+ years: 1,200 mg/day

Most signs of calcium deficiency do not appear until it has become a serious problem. Increased bone fractures are the most common sign. Severe calcium deficiency can cause tingling or numbness of the fingers, an abnormal heart rhythm and convulsions. However, these cases are rare. Most people are able to meet their daily calcium requirement through their diet, but supplementation may be recommended for some people. Those who drink large amounts of caffeinated beverages, soda or alcohol, and postmenopausal women may benefit from calcium supplements.

Taking too much calcium can also cause problems, so don’t take any more than is appropriate for your age group. Excess calcium intake (most often by taking too many supplements) has been implicated in a higher risk of kidney stones, heart attack, stroke and hardening of the arteries.

Calcium is best absorbed when taken with a meal, along with vitamin D. Magnesium is also necessary for the proper integration of calcium into the bones, but it should be taken separately from when you take your calcium, as it (and iron) can interfere with calcium absorption. So take any magnesium and iron supplements at the opposite end of the day from when you take your calcium.

Foods highest in calcium include dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt, and dark green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, Swiss chard, mustard greens and bok choy. Other good sources of calcium are sardines, oysters, broccoli, almonds, Brussels sprouts and seaweed.

 

The Latest on Eggs

The Latest on Eggs

??????????????Eggs: they’re tasty and nutritious, but for a long time now they’ve been considered a contributor to high cholesterol and heart disease. Recent studies are starting to challenge this assumption, giving egg-lovers reason to celebrate.

Cholesterol and Your Food

Dieticians and doctors have longed warned their patients against eating foods high in cholesterol, including shrimp and eggs. However, new advice from the scientific advisory panel for the 2015 version of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are putting forward a different view. At the committee’s 2014 meeting, it was decided that cholesterol was no longer considered a “nutrient of concern for overconsumption.”

Part of this change in attitude comes from a better understanding of how the cholesterol in food impacts the cholesterol in the bloodstream. While many dieters have a negative view of cholesterol, in reality this type of fat is crucial for building cell membranes, protecting nerve fibers, producing oxygen, and absorbing nutrients. It’s such an important substance that the body creates it on its own in quantities that far outweigh the amount consumed through food.

New Attitudes Towards Eggs

This new understanding of dietary cholesterol’s impact on health adds more backing to a change in attitude towards eggs. For decades consumers have been told that eggs’ high levels of cholesterol make them dangerous for those at risk of heart disease. However, studies conducted in 1999 and 2006 show that eating one egg a day does not cause healthy individuals to have a higher risk of heart disease. Eggs are high in a number of important nutrients, including vitamins B12 and D, folate, and riboflavin, and also offer a concentrated, balanced protein “package” without requiring too many calories.

Cholesterol and Heart Disease

Much of the concern over cholesterol stems from its association with heart disease. So-called “bad” cholesterol can lead to plaque build-up on artery walls, which increases a person’s risk of heart attack and stroke. Other dietary substances, such as trans-fat and saturated fat, cause similar types of damage. However, their role in heart disease risk is often greater than cholesterol, making them a more pressing issue for anyone making changes in their diet.

Keeping Up with Changes in Nutritional Science

Changes in dietary guidelines can make it difficult to create a healthy lifestyle for yourself and your family. While it might seem as though researchers and clinicians are “flip-flopping” on what foods they recommend, these kinds of changes come about as a result of new science and a gradually improving understanding of how food and our bodies interact. It can be frustrating to keep up with the newest nutritional science and to try to translate it into a healthier menu for ourselves and our families. However, having a qualified chiropractor on your side can help you take advantage of the most reliable science. Chiropractic care treats each patient as a whole, and dietary choices are an important part of their overall approach to health and wellness. Your chiropractor can work with you to help you decide which foods (perhaps including eggs) will be most healthful for you and your family

Understanding Inflammation

Understanding Inflammation

asian girlYour body employs a number of powerful biological responses to keep you alive and healthy. Some of these responses can be triggered without much notice, but others are difficult to ignore. One of these more obvious responses is inflammation. Inflammation has an important role to play in the body’s ability to heal, but in some situations it can become problematic. Read on to understand more about this important function.

What is Inflammation?

When your body undergoes an injury or encounters an infection or irritant, it uses inflammation to aid in the healing process. The body releases chemical substances into the tissue around the injury or infection, which allows blood more access to the problematic area. The skin around the inflamed area often grows red and might feel warm to the touch. Inflammation can also cause pain as the released chemicals stimulate nerve endings and make the area more sensitive. This sensitivity prompts you to give the injured area plenty of rest, helping to improve the body’s ability to heal.

Inflammation Gone Awry

In the short term, inflammation provides a valuable service. However, inflammation can become chronic, meaning that it can last for months or even years. Chronic inflammation can occur if the body’s natural systems fail to address the root cause of the inflammatory response, or if the immune response mistakenly starts to attack healthy tissue. This type of inflammation plays a role in a variety of chronic conditions, such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and ulcerative colitis. Inflammation can also interfere with your life by causing congestion, fatigue, high blood pressure, allergies, and weight gain.

While everyone experiences inflammation from time to time in response to injury or irritation, some lifestyle factors can make you more prone to unnecessary inflammation. A study conducted by the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia found that sleep deprivation raises the body’s levels of inflammatory markers, substances in the blood that show that inflammation is present. People who are overweight and obese also tend to show higher levels of these markers. However, a study from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington, found that postmenopausal women who were overweight or obese showed a measurable decrease in inflammation markers when they lost 5% of their body weight.

Keeping Inflammation Under Control

If you believe you are suffering from uncontrolled inflammation, check in with your primary care provider to rule out any life-threatening conditions. Then, schedule a time to talk with your chiropractor. A 2010 study by the University of Quebec at Montreal found evidence that chiropractic manipulation can cause inflammation markers to normalize. A chiropractor can also make lifestyle suggestions to help make sure your diet, exercise and sleep levels support a healthy inflammation response.

Inflammation is a very good thing in the right circumstances, but it can cause many problems in the wrong ones. There are solutions, however, so there is no need to keep living with painful chronic inflammation.

Superfoods: Science or Marketing?

Superfoods: Science or Marketing?

Yogurt with granola and blueberries.There is no medical definition for a “superfood”. Food manufacturers are eager to use the word to promote sales of their products that contain traces of supposed superfoods such as blueberries, pomegranates and chocolate. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a superfood as “a nutrient-rich food considered to be especially beneficial for health and well-being.” However, there are no set criteria about what makes a food nutrient-rich. Most superfoods are high in antioxidants and phytonutrients relative to other foods. However, if you were to eat only one of these superfoods to the exclusion of all else, you would be seriously deficient in many of the nutrients your body needs in order to stay healthy. So what exactly is the science behind the idea of superfoods?

While we would like to believe that if we eat certain foods we can stave off illness and keep aging at bay, the truth is that it’s not so easy. Although there is no doubt that a diet consisting primarily of fruits and vegetables is one of the keys to healthy longevity, it is also what you don’t eat and do that is important. For instance, if you eat a breakfast of blueberries and pomegranates in a bowl of oatmeal, along with a cup of green tea, that does not mean that your health will improve overall if for lunch you have a bucket of fried chicken, French fries and a 64-ounce Coke, followed by a cigarette.

The majority of scientific studies indicating that there may be some positive health effects associated with the nutrients contained in certain foods were conducted in a laboratory. In general, high levels of nutrients are used in these studies—usually far more than what can be consumed in a normal diet. For instance, the compound resveratrol that studies have shown to be heart-healthy and to guard against prostate cancer is found in grape skins only in very small amounts. So although “the French paradox” (why the French have low rates of heart disease despite a rich diet) is often partially attributed to the regular consumption of red wine, in fact, you would have to drink 40 liters of wine a day to get the same amount that was shown to benefit the health of mice in these studies.

The positive results of studies performed in test tubes on a few human cells and studies performed on mice do not necessarily translate into health benefits for the wider population. The effect of a single nutrient on human health is difficult to pinpoint, as we all eat a combination of foods. Some nutritional benefits may only occur in the presence of other nutrients in the same food, or even in a different food eaten at the same time. Iron absorption, for example, is boosted when a food rich in vitamin C is eaten at the same time.

The best nutritional advice someone can follow if they’re interested in maintaining good health is to eat a wide range of whole foods, and (even more importantly) to avoid foods that are bad for you such as processed foods and hydrogenated oils. As the European Food Information Council advises, “A diet based on a variety of nutritious foods, including plenty of fruits and vegetables, remains the best way to ensure a balanced nutrient intake for optimal health.”

Unrealistic Expectations for Gluten-Free Diets?

Unrealistic Expectations for Gluten-Free Diets?

breadIt is official: the gluten-free diet is the latest “magic bullet” weight-loss craze. Seeing shelf after shelf filled with gluten-free foods in grocery stores is becoming the new norm, which is great news for the relatively small number of people who truly suffer from gluten-intolerance (aka celiac disease). But gluten-free has become something much larger—the nation’s newest weight-loss love affair. However, evidence suggests that a gluten-free diet by itself is largely useless if you’re trying to lose weight. So, this begs the question—do Americans now have unrealistic expectations when it comes to living gluten-free?

In a word, yes. According to the Wall Street Journal, about a third of the American populace is avoiding gluten, a protein that is responsible for the elastic texture of dough that is often found in grains such as wheat. While about 1% of the population suffers from celiac disease, sales of foods labelled “gluten-free” have exploded and are now worth an estimated $23 billion per year. Many people take up this diet with expectations of losing weight—but they may find themselves disappointed.

As US Newsreports, “But there’s no hard evidence that a gluten-free diet is appropriate for weight loss or is any more effective at whittling waistlines than other diet plans. Most experts recommend it only for those with celiac disease or gluten intolerance, says David Katz, founding director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center.”

However, the article goes on to say, “Still, cutting out gluten can lead to weight loss, since the plan forces dieters to shun high-calorie refined carbohydrates. ‘Tell anyone to cut down on bread and pasta, and they’re likely going to drop calories and lose weight,’ Politi [Elisabetta Politi, nutrition director at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center in Durham, N.C]says. But gluten-free is no weight-loss panacea, either. ‘If you’re going down the grocery aisle grabbing gluten-free cookies and pasta and bread, you probably won’t be as successful.’ A gluten-free brownie is still a brownie. Often, these products are packed with saturated fat, cholesterol, and sugar to improve taste.”

Not only are many gluten-free products packed with unhealthful ingredients, they are often more expensive than their gluten-containing counterparts—sometimes much more. This puts the gluten-free diet in the same category as other expensive fad diets that have given false hope to their followers. Instead, nutritionists agree, it is far better to live on a low-sugar diet that’s packed with fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, and low-fat dairy.

As WebMD puts it, “Gluten itself doesn’t offer special nutritional benefits. But the many whole grains that contain gluten do. They’re rich in an array of vitamins and minerals, such as B vitamins and iron, as well as fiber. Studies show that whole grain foods, as part of a healthy diet, may help lower risk of heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and some forms of cancer. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that half of all carbohydrates in the diet come from whole grain products.”

So unless you suffer from celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, you may consider saving your money and lowering your expectations for gluten-free. It’s been said before and it’ll be said again: there is no magic weight-loss bullet—at least not yet—and if you truly want to live a healthy lifestyle, proper diet and exercise is still the best way to go.

 

Superfoods: Science or Marketing?

Superfoods: Science or Marketing?

Breakfast Cereal 3There is no medical definition for a “superfood”. Food manufacturers are eager to use the word to promote sales of their products that contain traces of supposed superfoods such as blueberries, pomegranates and chocolate. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a superfood as “a nutrient-rich food considered to be especially beneficial for health and well-being.” However, there are no set criteria about what makes a food nutrient-rich. Most superfoods are high in antioxidants and phytonutrients relative to other foods. However, if you were to eat only one of these superfoods to the exclusion of all else, you would be seriously deficient in many of the nutrients your body needs in order to stay healthy. So what exactly is the science behind the idea of superfoods?

While we would like to believe that if we eat certain foods we can stave off illness and keep aging at bay, the truth is that it’s not so easy. Although there is no doubt that a diet consisting primarily of fruits and vegetables is one of the keys to healthy longevity, it is also what you don’t eat and do that is important. For instance, if you eat a breakfast of blueberries and pomegranates in a bowl of oatmeal, along with a cup of green tea, that does not mean that your health will improve overall if for lunch you have a bucket of fried chicken, French fries and a 64-ounce Coke, followed by a cigarette.

The majority of scientific studies indicating that there may be some positive health effects associated with the nutrients contained in certain foods were conducted in a laboratory. In general, high levels of nutrients are used in these studies—usually far more than what can be consumed in a normal diet. For instance, the compound resveratrol that studies have shown to be heart-healthy and to guard against prostate cancer is found in grape skins only in very small amounts. So although “the French paradox” (why the French have low rates of heart disease despite a rich diet) is often partially attributed to the regular consumption of red wine, in fact, you would have to drink 40 liters of wine a day to get the same amount that was shown to benefit the health of mice in these studies.

The positive results of studies performed in test tubes on a few human cells and studies performed on mice do not necessarily translate into health benefits for the wider population. The effect of a single nutrient on human health is difficult to pinpoint, as we all eat a combination of foods. Some nutritional benefits may only occur in the presence of other nutrients in the same food, or even in a different food eaten at the same time. Iron absorption, for example, is boosted when a food rich in vitamin C is eaten at the same time.

The best nutritional advice someone can follow if they’re interested in maintaining good health is to eat a wide range of whole foods, and (even more importantly) to avoid foods that are bad for you such as processed foods and hydrogenated oils. As the European Food Information Council advises, “A diet based on a variety of nutritious foods, including plenty of fruits and vegetables, remains the best way to ensure a balanced nutrient intake for optimal health.”

 

Food as Medicine: Close-Up on Cumin

Food as Medicine: Close-Up on Cumin

??????????????????If “having a pedigree” is an important factor for you when you’re considering the nutritional or medicinal value of food, it’s difficult to find a food with a longer history than cumin. Cumin (also known as comino, cuminum cyminum, cuminum odorum, jeeraka, svetajiraka, and zira) is an herb whose medicinal qualities are mentioned in the Bible (both Old and New Testaments). Cumin was also part of the medical tradition in ancient Egypt, in India (cumin is a staple of Ayurvedic medicine), in the Muslim world, and in ancient Greece.

Although cumin is commonly used in the preparation of foods from each of these areas, it has also been promoted for its medicinal uses—to treat digestive problems, diarrhea, colic, bloating (cumin is a mild diuretic), to reduce inflammation, and even as an aphrodisiac. In terms of modern research, cumin has been found to have strong antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, and a study in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology found that cumin seeds help to regulate blood sugar levels, and thus may be of use not only as an antidiabetic (to prevent diabetes) but to treat those who already have the disease. Similar studies in Nutrition Research found that cumin not only helped to reduce hypoglycemia, but also to reduce body weight.

Cumin is also a known carminative, meaning that it has the ability to reduce the formation of gas and thus improve digestion. This is why it is common in Ayurvedic medicine, where it is both prescribed as a remedy for gas and used in cooking to reduce the flatulence caused by bean-based dishes. Cumin does have some analgesic (pain relieving) qualities, and is used as a tea in some cultures to treat headaches and other minor pains. Some have even recommended the combination of pureed bananas and cumin as a treatment for insomnia.

Today scientists theorize that one of the reasons cumin may have some curative properties is that it contains thymoquinone, a phytochemical also known as TQ that is being studied as a potential treatment for many diseases, including cancer. A 2005 study from India found that black cumin oil was effective in killing 50 out of 54 bacterial strains they tested—despite the fact that these same strains showed evidence of having developed resistance to 20 common antibiotics. In India, black cumin seed has also been proven effective in preventing withdrawal symptoms in patients with opium addiction. Research is currently underway to test the effectiveness of black cumin seed in reducing oxidative stress in the blood, lowering cholesterol, preventing and treating cancers and some forms of seizure, and treating rheumatoid arthritis.

Given all the interest in cumin and its potential health benefits, it’s reasonable to ask whether there might be risks associated with it as well. So far, there doesn’t appear to be a “down side” to adding more cumin to your diet. No serious contraindications have been noted in the medical literature, with one possible exception—you might want to check with your doctor if you are taking certain classes of anti-diabetic medications.

So not only can cumin bring an exotic taste to many of your more common recipes, it may also offer some health benefits along the way!

Natural Approaches to Lowering Blood Pressure

Natural Approaches to Lowering Blood Pressure

????????????????????????High blood pressure (hypertension) often has no visible symptoms, especially early on. The only way to determine your blood pressure is to have it measured. If you have high blood pressure, lowering it is vitally important to your long-term health and to reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease. Risk factors for high blood pressure include the following:

  • Being Overweight—If you are overweight, this will put extra pressure on your artery walls
  • Inactivity—If you don’t exercise, you increase your risk of high blood pressure
  • Stress—Increased and prolonged stress can raise blood pressure
  • Alcohol consumption—Overdoing the drinking of alcoholic beverages can increase the risk
  • Potassium—If your potassium level is too low, cells tend to compensate with more sodium, which places you at greater risk
  • Sodium—Too muchrefined sodium in your diet leads to fluid retention and higher blood pressure. Be sure to use good natural, unrefined salts.
  • Age—As you get older, your risk increases
  • Genetics—Some families have greater risk of high blood pressure than others
  • Sugar—Excessive sugar intake, especially refined sugar, can lead to diabetes, which is frequently associated with high blood pressure
  • Inflammation – inflammation can be blamed for a whole host of health complaints and should probably be the first issue addressed. All of the risk factors listed above can be related to or be affected by inflammation. Eating a diet which contains REAL foods  and that includes lots of fruits and vegetables is key in helping to reduce inflammation in the body!

While you cannot influence some of these factors (such as genetic disposition and aging), it is possible to manage most of the items on this list. Exercise is one very effective way to reduce high blood pressure. First of all, it increases your general level of activity. Second, it tends to lower your weight. And third, it helps to reduce stress because of the release of endorphins. Yoga and biofeedback have also been found to be beneficial in reducing stress. When it comes to diet and blood pressure, bananas can be a useful addition. Bananas are a rich source of potassium and can help normalize the potassium-sodium balance in your cells. Limiting the sodium content of your food is also important. Eliminate refined sugar from your diet. Relying on fruit and natural 100% fruit juices to sweeten your diet can be one of the best things you can do. Alcohol, like most everything else, should be taken in moderation. If you have too much stress in your life, realize that alcohol is a depressant and cannot help in the long run. Exercise is a much better stress reliever. A few herbs are believed to contribute to high blood pressure risk:

  • Asian Ginseng
  • Licorice
  • Rosemary essential oil
  • Ephedra

Calcium and magnesium have been found to improve blood pressure. In particular, they’re associated with improving nerve action, calming nervous tension and reducing jitters. These substances also help reducing high blood pressure or its risk:

  • Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)
  • Garlic (may interfere with other medications, so check with your doctor)
  • Hawthorn (a natural herb with no known interactions with medications)
  • Fish oil
  • Folic acid

If you have high blood pressure, be sure to consult with your doctor before following any of the above suggestions. But rest assured that there are natural ways for you to manage your blood pressure without resorting to drugs.