What do the conditions of high blood pressure, pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes, anxiety, and depression have in common?
Mostly, in our society, they are managed by pharmaceutical medications, then considered treated.
Manage the condition, or not
Let’s look at high blood pressure – hypertension.
Too often either the medication ceases to work after a few years and a higher dosage or a new medication is required to continue to manage the blood pressure. And then in a few more years, another modification is needed, even perhaps with a medication to counteract the side effects of the first medications.
Is there another way?
Yes, there are herbal and nutritional approaches to treating high blood pressure. Some may work for a while, and some don’t have the desired effect.
Why not?
In the long run, nothing will normalize blood pressure until something changes in the life of the person.
With or without an organic pathology such as atherosclerosis or kidney disease causing the hypertension, we have to examine the cause of the tension from the perspective of a person’s outlook on life and daily habits.
Humans are good at adapting to conditions in life, as well, we tend to want to control our environment.
But – and this is a big but – there are only three things we can control.
Only three.
What can we control?
We can control what we eat, what we think, and how we move.
Anything else that is attempted to be controlled becomes a source of tension. Anything else creates tension.
So what happens with these three precious things that we can control?
So often, these are precisely the first things over which we give away our control. We give it away to social pressures, time pressures, money pressures . . . no wonder blood pressure is affected! As well, blood sugar, mood, weight, and many conditions are affected and can be traced back to these lifestyle choices.
Which lifestyle choices?
Let’s examine the three things we can control.
What we eat lets our body know if the world is a safe place or not.
The more processed foods, the more stimulants such as sugar and caffeine are consumed, the more unsafe feeling the body gets. The effect of eating processed foods, with sugar, caffeine, salt, and unnatural fats is fluctuating blood sugar and neurotransmitters, both of which greatly affect our outlook on life.
By regularly eating high quality food which is similar over time, the nervous system gets the idea that the world can be a safe place. By being prepared with a routine of eating food and fasting, nutrition becomes predictable and stress on the system is reduced. A profound difference can be appreciated in just six weeks of regularly eating in a way suitable for your metabolic state.
Just what constitutes high quality food has a few things in common – the foods close to the form found in nature and grown in nutrient-rich soil or raised organically.
To be useful for the individual, food also must be matched to individualized needs of metabolism, heritage, and personal history.
What else?
What we think gives meaning to life and puts everything in perspective.
We are wired with a survival stress response to protect us from life-threatening situations. Too often, we interpret arriving late or having to pay bills as life-threatening.
It is worsened when eating is not regulated and nutritious because fluctuating blood sugar activates more of the fight-or-flight body chemicals, leading to more of a perception of a life-threatening situation.
We can gain perspective by recognizing our eternal aspect by watching the thoughts in the mind. When we can see it is a story, sometimes by telling it to a caring listener, it then loses its power over us.
Watching the mind allows us to understand our place because by observing, we can gain perspective that strips the thoughts of their power to affect our physiology with stress chemicals.
Beyond diet and mindset . . .
Finally, we control how we move.
Have you ever observed how the joy of being alive moves babies and young children?
Joy can move us. The key is to find the activity that fills us with joyful luxury, so when we engage in it we won’t want to miss it the next time comes around to do it.
Exercise is the great equalizer of blood pressure as well as many physiological processes.
A cardiovascular type workout gets the blood circulating to muscles and extremities, so that when it is over the body relaxes and can decrease blood pressure and still maintain adequate circulation.
Is there more?
Now, natural medicines such as botanicals, homeopathic remedies and nutritional supplements can have a place in our lifestyle of conscious eating, watching thoughts, and moving.
They can anchor the changes which are necessary to get to the cause of hypertension, diabetes, anxiety, or the vast number of other conditions so prevalent today. But when used for a drug-like action, their effect is transient.
Looking for help to end the medication cycle?
Dr. Cheryl Kasdorf as a Naturopathic Physician is experienced in combining lifestyle changes with natural medicines resulting in more than just management of these health conditions.
She can advise you as to what, when and how to eat, inspire you to how to move, and guide you through watching the thoughts in the mind. See Praise, Thanks, Love the Best Medicine for more on that.
Call her office now! 928-649-9234
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