Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD) and Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI), also known as Poor Circulation! Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Anyone who has ever had to stand for long periods of time knows what it feel like when you start moving around. That tired, cramping and overall …
Olive Leaf Extract for the Heart! Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Now I know I said I’d be highlighting some unexpected products when it comes to heart health and this blog is certainly a unique take on a common supplement! This supplement is Olive Leaf! …
Blood Pressure Basics!
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Blood pressure is something that we all have. Keeping our blood pressure healthy is a concern that affects people of all ages. While it may be easy to write off high blood pressure as just something that “older people” need to worry about this is just not true. High blood pressure can affect people of all ages. In 2021 it was found that nearly half of all adults had high blood pressure! (1) This is a huge problem as high blood pressure is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
Let’s start simple. What is blood pressure? It is simply put the pressure of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries. It consists of 2 parts, a top number or systolic number and a bottom number or diastolic number. Basically the systolic blood pressure is when the heart is actively contracting or is “working”. The diastolic pressure is when the heart is resting between the contractions. Blood pressure can vary throughout the day. It can also vary if you are feeling stress or when you exercise. This is why it is important to try and be calm and relaxed when your blood pressure is taken. This can help to avoid falsely high blood pressure readings. Blood pressure can be broken down into 5 categories. These range from normal, elevated to a hypertensive crisis. Anyone experiencing a hypertensive crisis should call 911 or got to the ER. This is a very dangerous situation and places you at risk of a stroke. It is better to be safe than sorry! For a breakdown of the different categories please see the attached graph. (2)
| BLOOD PRESSURE CATEGORY | SYSTOLIC mm Hg (upper number) | and/or | DIASTOLIC mm Hg (lower number) |
| NORMAL | LESS THAN 120 | and | LESS THAN 80 |
| ELEVATED | 120 – 129 | and | LESS THAN 80 |
| HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE (HYPERTENSION) STAGE 1 | 130 – 139 | or | 80 – 89 |
| HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE (HYPERTENSION) STAGE 2 | 140 OR HIGHER | or | 90 OR HIGHER |
| HYPERTENSIVE CRISIS (consult your doctor immediately) | HIGHER THAN 180 | and/or | HIGHER THAN 120 |
One of the biggest stumbling blocks when it comes to high blood pressure is that it is often asymptomatic. This means you can have very high blood pressure and not know it. Now possible symptoms can include a buzzing in the ears as well as headaches and feeling dizzy. I encourage anyone with these symptoms to monitor their blood pressure. Other signs can include nausea, vomiting, anxiety, confusion, nosebleeds and even more severe symptoms such as chest pain and a change in your heart rhythm. (3) However as I have said very often there are no signs that your blood pressure is high and the only way to know your blood pressure is high is to check it.
What are some of the risk factors for developing high blood pressure? While I’m hesitant to label pregnancy as a risk factor for any disorder the fact is that Pre- eclampsia is a disorder that is characterized by an increase in blood pressure during pregnancy. If left untreated it can have severe consequences. It is also a risk factor for developing high blood pressure outside of pregnancy. (4) Other risk factors for developing high blood pressure include family history, age and stress levels. Lifestyle risk factors can include lack of activity, smoking, poor diet and being overweight or obese. Alcohol consumption can also increase the risk for high blood pressure. (3)
Certain chronic conditions are also considered risk factors for high blood pressure. This is usually referred to as secondary hypertension. Any chronic disease that affects the kidneys will also affect the blood pressure. An example of kidney disease would be poly-cystic kidney disease or diabetic nephropathy. Any medical conditions that affect certain hormones can also affect high blood pressure. This includes thyroid disorders and disorders of the adrenal glands such as Cushing’s, or Aldosterone’s and even having adrenal fatigue can affect blood pressure. (5)
Do you remember the picture of the heart where the aorta was? Well in a certain birth defect known as coarctation of the aorta this artery is very narrow and this narrowing increases the pressure needed to move blood around the body. (6) A very common and well known risk factor is sleep apnea. I get asked all the time if sleep apnea is really that dangerous and the answer is yes. (7) Lastly certain medications can raise blood pressure.
Unfortunately just like with symptoms sometimes having high blood pressure has no discernible cause. In other words while we may be able to work with you to lower your blood pressure in some cases we may never know the “root cause”. In my humble opinion and experience keeping you healthy is more important than knowing the cause in some situations. Now what are some things that studies have found to help blood pressure?
In my next blog I will be highlighting a supplement for blood pressure that you may not expect! I won’t tell you now, but let’s just say it’s one of my favorites!
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MEN’S HEALTH: THE RECIPES THEY LOVE By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT Welcome to MEN’S HEALTH MONTH, or as it’s come to be known as, MOVEMBER. I wanted to take some time this month to discuss issues that affect men, such as hormones, hair …
Collagen for the Heart? Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND In my last blog I mentioned that I would be reviewing a few supplements for the heart that you normally don’t associate with heart health. The first such supplement is collagen! Collagen is an important building …
RESVERATROL: THE ANTI-AGING POWERHOUSE
By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT
Anti-aging means something different to everyone. Some of us associate anti-aging with skin care and physically looking younger than we are, while others think of maintaining a healthy heart and healthy brain function with anti-aging. So, with a variety of areas of anti-aging, is there one thing that is good for everyone? The answer is YES, and it’s one of my go-to supplements….RESVERATROL.
Why does Resveratrol sound so familiar? It’s because it is the component that makes red wine “healthy”. Resveratrol comes from the skin of the red grapes, which is how it is in red wine, through the crushing process. While the resveratrol is a powerful antioxidant, and alcohol consumption also has many negatives, so it’s not the best way to get Resveratrol. You can also get the same effect from eating whole, red grapes. However, you’d need to eat A LOT of grapes (or wine) which also isn’t good. While fruit is an important part of a healthy diet, too much of a good thing isn’t good. So, the alternative is to incorporate Resveratrol into a solid supplement regimen.
Resveratrol works on a cellular level to help protect one from oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is the result of an imbalance of free-radicals and antioxidants. According to an article from Medical News Today titled ‘How Does Oxidative Stress Affect the Body?’ , oxidative stress may be a contributing factor in such issues as, but not limited to, increased inflammation, heart disease and Alzheimer’s/Dementia. Resveratrol has been studied and shows that the natural phenols can help maintain healthy cells.
Due the benefits that Resveratrol has on the cells in the body, it can also be beneficial for the skin. This is mainly due to its effects on collagen and photo aging. Photo aging is defined by Yale Medicine and dermatologists as “the damage the sun does to the skin by several names, including photo aging, photo damage, solar damage or sun damage. It happens when ultraviolet (UV) light hits skin unprotected by sunscreen, causing DNA changes at a cellular level”. This can cause such issues as wrinkles, dark spots/freckles and broken capillaries, just to name a few.
‘Resveratrol as a Factor Preventing Skin Aging and Affecting its Rejuvenation’ from The National Library of Medicine-National Center for Biotechnology Information, discusses the effect resveratrol can have on promoting collagen production… This can help to rejuvenate not just the skin, but damaged cells throughout the body.
As you can see, Resveratrol has been highly research and studied for its effectiveness on many aspects of health and the aging process. Whether it’s protecting the heart or brain from oxidative stress, or protecting the skin form UV damage, Resveratrol is something that should be part of anyone’s healthy lifestyle.
Try our Resveratrol Max Hx which is our concentrated “super” Resveratrol supplying 98% trans-Resveratrol. We also have our classic Resveratrol which is much less concentrated supplying 25% trans-resveratrol, making it a great option for those on certain medications such as blood thinners.
PRO TIP: take your choice of Resveratrol at bedtime for maximum benefits!
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/265635#can-wine-improve-health
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324863
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283756654_A_convenient_mechanism_for_scavengingthe_free_radical__activity_of_resveratrol
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9326919/
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/resveratrol-the-hype-continues-201202034189
