Report: Blood pressure surge 'alarming'

By Martin Johnston

5:30 AM Monday Apr 15, 2013

Fatal heart attacks likely to rise when linked with risks such as the obesity epidemic, warn researchers.

EXPAND

Compared with a 2002 Auckland study, average pressure had increased in most age/sex categories. Photo / Duncan Brown

The average blood pressure of New Zealanders in middle life appears to have increased, an "alarming" finding that could contribute to a predicted rise in the heart attack death rate after a 40-year-long reduction.

Hypertension - abnormally high blood pressure - increases the risk of stroke, heart failure and heart-artery disease. It can also eventually damage the kidneys and eyes. High blood pressure can be caused by obesity, high intake of salt or alcohol, and lack of physical activity.

.......

In 2008/9 Mew Zealand adults ate 9g a day, unchanged from a decade earlier and well above the recommended maximum intake of 5.8g.

Under pressure

31 per cent of adults have abnormally high blood pressure
15 per cent report taking drugs to reduce blood pressure
35-54 year-old NZ Europeans and others - average blood pressure up since 2002
35-74 year-old Maori - average blood pressure up since 2002

Source: Otago University and 2008/9 Adult Nutrition Survey

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10877548
_____________________________

Gary:

Elevated calcium = arteriosclerosis

Rising blood pressures is a concern.  However; medicating the problem and excessively restricting salt is not the solution and may actually cause a further reduction in health due to the many subtle side effects of medications.  Low salt may lead to confusion, fatigue, water retention and even osteoporosis.

Yes, there is far too much refined salt in the modern diet and this must be reduced.  The best way to reduce this is to avoid processed foods and fast foods as much as possible and replace these with good home cooking.

Replace refined salt with pink Himalayan salt

Compare the label of ingredients of pink salt with the list of elements on the hair tissue chart to the upper right and you will see a remarkable similarity:  They are almost the same!  Remarkable!  The salt of the Primordial Ocean (Himalayan) is very close to the mienral salts found in a healthy human cell - more or less.  I have discovered that pink salt appears to "normalise" blood pressure when used to replace refined salt.

Arteriosclerosis may be the most important driver of increasing blood pressure

This is the process of our gradually turning to stone: starting with the deposition of calcium in the arterial walls.  As the arteries calcify, they become increasingly inflexible, raising both systolic and diastolic blood pressures.

Have a look at the hair analysis chart above and you will note elevated calcium levels.  Low calcium, relative to magnesium is the pattern we look for that is indicative of the process of arteriosclerosis.  This pattern is present in about 80% of all hair tissue mineral analyses that I do, including children (early starters in the development of cardiovascular disease).

Incidentally, high calcium relative to potassium is the pattern that indicates a tendency for extreme fatigue and even depression.

Simply put: The problem of high blood pressure boils down to these:

• Too much refined salt that has replaced the pink salt that has been used for thousands of years.
• Too much calcium in the diet.
• Not enough magnesium, other trace nutrients and nutritional cofactors.

Of course there are several other factors not to be ignored, such as being overweight, stress, smoking and lack of exercise; but the ones above are almost completely ignored.  Silly, really, because they do improve health!

More reading:

http://blog.garymoller.com/2011/08/more-about-reversing-arteriosclerosis.html (follow the links please).

http://blog.garymoller.com/2010/08/study-finds-link-between-calcium.html

http://blog.garymoller.com/2012/01/inconvenient-truth-about-osteoporosis.html

http://blog.garymoller.com/2006/10/blood-pressure-how-low-is-too-low_13.html

http://blog.garymoller.com/2013/04/atrial-premature-beats-nothing-to-be.html

About this website 

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.

More about Reversing Cardiovascular Disease Risk and Quality of Life

Far from being anti-doctor, I am all for them - with some reservations about specific treatments, as you would gather when reading my articles.  Anyway, I went to see my Dr, a long time acquaintance who completed the same University of Otago sports medicine course I went through.  It was several years since I last saw him - That was for a gashed forearm following an "unplanned dismount" off my bicycle!

It was time for a cardiovascular health check to see how the blood tests, etc matched with my Hair Tissue Mineral Analyses and general good health.

Please read what follows in conjunction with this article about reversing cardiovascular disease.  

I suggest that you read it first then come back to this one 

(there is a link back to here at the end of the the article).

My doctor is very good at telling me where I am while not necessarily the best at telling me how I got there.  So, where am I right now health-wise?

I now have records of blood cholesterol, blood sugar, body composition and blood pressure stretching back as far as 25 years.

During those years up until 5 years ago:

• Blood pressure gradually crept upwards to about 130/90 and sometimes higher despite an increasingly low salt diet.
• Cholesterol trended to unhealthy ratios despite an increasingly low cholesterol diet.
• Muscle declined and fatness increased to about 16-17%.
• And, of course, my general well-being and athletic performance did a steady dive!

Over the last five years I have progressively resorted to:

• Liberally salting my food with Himalayan Salt.
• I am currently eating up to six eggs every day (We have a friend with free range chickens), I eat the fat on meat, use butter and drink full cream milk daily (All in relative moderation and combined with physical activity).
• I use dietary supplements daily as per the guidance from repeated Hair Tissue Mineral Analyses.

My latest medical tests as compared to 2002/3:

• Body composition has body fat now at ~10% while muscle has increased by about 3kg.
• Blood pressure in the Dr's surgery was 100/60 (A bit low in my opinion).
• Blood sugar 5.0 (was 5.1)
• Total Cholesterol is 5.8 (was 5.3)
• Triglycerides 0.7 (was 0.9)
• HDL Cholesterol 1.49 (was 1.07)
• LDL Cholesterol 4.1 (was 3.9)
• Chol/HDL ratio 4.0 (was 5.0)

Let me explain what these figures mean:

Blood sugar, insulin and body composition

As we get older, it is usual for insulin resistance to increase.  This may show as the blood sugar levels creeping upwards. What this means is we get poor at using fats and sugars.  Insulin resistance is regarded as one of the best measures of biological ageing as compared to chronological ageing.  This process of gradual decline shows as:

• Increasingly fluctuating energy levels, 
• Reducing physical endurance,
• Food cravings,
• Gaining fat, no matter what, about the hips and waist,
• Increasing difficulty getting rid of belly and hip fat and
• Loss of muscle and loss of strength.
• Insulin resistance may lead to Type II Diabetes.

In my case, this trend of biological ageing has been reversed:

• Blood sugar is a steady 5.0 despite being older,
• I have increased muscle without a single visit to the gym,
• Body fat has dropped and is very low for age and gender and
• The time I can go on a bike without the need for sustenance has stretched from 2.5 hours to a remarkable 4+ hours.
• Muscle power has increased dramatically.

Blood Pressure

As we get older, our arteries tend to become hardened, brittle and inflexible due to oxidative damage, calcium deposits and progressive clogging with fatty plaque.  These processes are present in at least 80% of the population, beginning from a very early age and will ultimately result in diseases such as:

• Heart attack,
• Stroke,
• Impotence,
• Diseases of dementia and
• Arthritis.

This gradual process of declining circulatory health will show in the early stages as increasing blood pressure, decreasing maximum heart rate during extreme effort, decreasing physical performance, impotence, joint pain, cramping and brain fog.  The usual calculation for this if 220 beats per minute minus your age, so at 58 years, my maximum heart rate should be about 162.  The sooner the causes of this gradual decline are identified and corrected, the better your chances of success.

Here's the circulation facts for me:

• Blood pressure is now120/80 or less,
• Libido is at about where it was during my 20's,
• Maximum heart rate is an impressive 180+ beats per minute and
• I am riding "A" Grade in cyclocross racing which is just about as intense a cardiovascular sport you can get (There are "A", "B" and "C" Grades and the "A" is generously populated by some of the best in NZ). 

Cholesterol

• Total cholesterol has increased.  This is healthy because cholesterols are the building blocks for cells and hormones.  Too little cholesterol and health fails terribly.  High cholesterol is healthy - so long as your body is turning it over fast and so long as the ratios between cholesterols are "healthy". Let me explain:
• Triglyceride at 0.7 is very healthy and well below the threshold of 1.7.
• HDL Cholesterol has increased to 1.49.  HDL is the protective form of Cholesterol and is now well above the threshold for healthy (>1)
• LDL Cholesterol (the "unhealthy" one) has increased from 3.9 to 4.1; but this is offset by lower Triglycerides and higher HDL as follows:
• The Cholesterol/HDL ratio (this is the important one) has improved from 5.0 to 4.0 (4.0 or lower is considered healthy).

According to my doctor, I am now in the bottom 5% of the population, for age and gender, for cardiovascular risk.

This is despite all of the extra salt, protein and fatty cholesterol that I have been eating over the last five years.  I will qualify this by saying that I have been generally very careful about choosing fresh, natural foods, home cooking, not over-indulging and exercising.

How did I get to where I am now?

• Annual Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis.  This test has removed most of the guessing about what to eat and what supplements to take.  When repeated, it tells us where the action has been and what changes to make.  I could not have achieved what I have without this test.  (If you want my help with improving your health, you will probably need to get one of these tests completed and be prepared to repeat it annually).
• Quality and targeted supplementation.  The key to supplementation is small amounts, often and for a long time.

Small amounts, often and for a long time

• Going back to traditional foods and home cooking.  As a general rule of thumb: If it comes in a packet, has a long shelf life and needs minimal preparation, then leave it out - its not really food.  We seldom eat out and purchase raw food which is then prepared and cooked from scratch.  We grow vegetables and purchase from local farmers' markets.
• Exercise is less than what I used to do and only as and when I feel like it.  I choose to ride a bike for now because it is gentle on joints (Depending on the dismounts!).
• I am constantly seeking ways to reduce stress in my life.  This includes taking every opportunity to chill out on the balcony in natural light.  I now work from an office/clinic at home, employ nobody and we keep do not waste anything, including energy (Meaning we do not have to work long hours to pay for waste).  We take holidays at every opportunity with the theme of getting outdoors, into nature and exploring.
• I expose my body to sunlight.  We are not meant to be cave dwellers. Sunlight is actually good for you.  My skin health has surprisingly improved since doing this and the sun is definitely invigorating and a wonderful antidepressant.

We are Creatures of the Light - Not of the Night

In summary:  

It is possible to reverse the processes of cardiovascular disease; but it takes time, a lot of patience, some money and scientific testing to guide you on your journey.

It is inevitable that our bodies will gradually fall into states of disrepair and eventually fail at which point our toes point upwards and we die.  For many people, this process of sad decline is well in hand by 30 years and gaining momentum.  Medically, the only hope is to last out the rest of life well preserved by an expensive concoction of toxic drugs!   But this is hardly my idea of  living and more like waving the white flag of surrender.

Death is more certain than being born and even more certain than paying taxes

It is a sobering fact that every person in human history eventually died.  This rather depressing inevitability does not mean that we should give up on trying to stay healthy as we age.  To the contrary, Life is throwing each and every one of us the challenge to see how long we can keep the wheels of our cellular machinery screwed on tight and well lubed.  Of course, this is one plan that is doomed to fail from the very beginning!  Before the beginning, in fact.

The Grand Plan is to die healthy - one morning to wake up  dead!

I, for one, am enjoying this, the most  vain of challenges.  You are welcome to tag along with me if you feel up to it!

_______________________________________

About this website

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation.  Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.  Please give me your support by subscribing to my free email updates. Please shop at my Online Store. Please encourage your family and friends to do the same. While we may not always be able to compete with the big operators on price, we aim to more than compensate through personal service!


Your email address:

Powered by FeedBlitz

Do you have a question?  Email Gary: gary@myotec.co.nz. Include any relevant background information to your question.  Please be patient and be aware that I may not be able to answer every inquiry in detail, depending on workloads (My paying clients take precedence!). I will either reply by email or, most likely, by way of an article (Personal identifying details will be removed before publication).

Low salt diets are not good for your blood pressure - or your health!

Gary Moller: Adrenal exhaustion, poor thyroid function, sodium
retention with bouts of high and low blood pressure despite being
on restricted sodium diet for years.

It was around about 30 years ago that a well-intentioned committee of cardiovascular experts formulated a public campaign urging us all to save our hearts by reducing our salt intake.  This was on the premise that salt (sodium) was a significant driver of high blood pressure (hypertension).  We now know this was wrong advice that was of benefit to just a small number of people, while being detrimental to the health of the majority.

Gary Moller: Sodium intake is now at least fourfold higher.  Sodium
levels have dropped to healthy.  Adrenal and thyroid function
significantly improved.  Blood pressure is very stable.

Sodium depletion can lead to a number of ailments that are far, far too common nowadays: fatigue, high and low blood pressure, osteoporosis, dementia, fibromyalgia and polymyalgia.  Fluid retention.

Far from being a poison, sodium is one of the most essential and abundant minerals found in the body.  It has many functions within the body, including the regulation of water within and outside of the cells.  It is essential for healthy adrenal function, especially in times of stress.  Poor adrenal function impacts on thyroid function.

It is more than a coincidence that there has been an explosion of thyroid disease over the last 30 years.

Example of harm done by low salt diet: Highly depleted
sodium and potassium, elevated calcium, indicating
severe adrenal fatigue and under active thyroid.

It also happens that, in removing the salt shaker from the table, we have also removed the only reliable source of dietary iodine.  Iodine deficiency is associated with thyroid diseases as well as breast cancer.

I dutifully followed the salt restriction advice of the heart experts while living life in the fast lane, building a business, growing a young family and spending my free time running frantically about the countryside in my designer underwear (running club uniform).  In hindsight, it should hardly be a surprise that I was totally burned out by my 40's and definitely carbonised by 50 years.

The first two charts to the left show my cellular mineral makeup several years ago after decades of being on a low salt diet and then earlier this year after about three years of at least quadrupling my salt intake.  Needless to say, I am in excellent health nowadays.

The third chart is an example of chronic exhaustion, significant fluid retention, muscle and joint pain associated with a low salt diet.  In such cases, the treatment is to place the person on a water pill (diuretic), a thyroid hormone pill, pain killers and possibly an anti-depressant (Depression, hurting and feeling damn tired are one and the same when you come to think of it!).  Of course these treatments are useless if the underlying drivers that we can see in the chart above are not brought into line, starting with increasing her dietary sodium.

When we are talking about salt, I do not refer to refined salt.  Refined salt is pure sodium chloride (NaCl).  While NaCl is essential for health, it can be called a poison if administered purely on its own.  The original salt of the trade that civilisation was built upon was pink salt, such as Himalayan Sea Salt.  Unrefined pink salt has about 170 different minerals in it, including sodium, potassium and magnesium.  You need these other trace minerals alongside the NaCl.  When you set about increasing your salt intake, first purchase some of the various forms of Himalayan Sea Salt here while choosing low salt foods (low in refined NaCl).  Liberally salt your food with Himalayan salt while restricting all refined sources of salt.

The best time to take extra Himalayan salt is first thing in the morning with breakfast, then at about 10am and another lot at about 3pm.  Why at these times of the day?  Because the adrenals need salt to produce cortisol and it is at these times of day that cortisol production typically falls, leading to fatigue.

How long may it take to correct a chronic deficiency in salt?  Well, it took me about five years to get where I am nowadays and there is still room for improvement.  With nutritional re-balancing, I recommend that you go slow; take your time, rather than going for big hits.  Health problems associated with sodium imbalances, such as low thyroid and adrenal fatigue, are complex glandular issues that require time for healing and rebuilding.  Salt intake alone is not the answer.  There may need to be a deliberate programme to aid the restoration of adrenal and thyroid function.  So take your time.  Please be patient.  Contact me if you feel you need assistance.

And a final observation of that well-intentioned committee of heart experts who came up with the low salt health message: They illustrate beautifully the folly of blinkered single issue health advice - Being unable to see beyond the heart, they failed to see the Human with all of his and her complexity.  While blood pressures may well drop in the sodium deprived lab rat, this health advice has unwittingly produced millions of very tired and unwell people worldwide!  The only beneficiaries of this misguided health advice are the drugs industry and those who dispense their wares.

_______________________________________

About this website

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation.  Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.  Please give me your support by subscribing to my free email updates. Please shop at my Online Store. Please encourage your family and friends to do the same. While we may not always be able to compete with the big operators on price, we aim to more than compensate through personal service!
Your email address:

Powered by FeedBlitz

Do you have a question?  Email Gary: gary@myotec.co.nz. Include any relevant background information to your question.  Please be patient and be aware that I may not be able to answer every inquiry in detail, depending on workloads (My paying clients take precedence!). I will either reply by email or, most likely, by way of an article (Personal identifying details will be removed before publication).