High blood pressure (hypertension) is one of the leading causes of cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular incidents in Canada. High blood pressure usually takes many years or decades to develop and has many serious long-term consequences. Fortunately, blood pressure can be normalized with lifestyle modifications and natural therapies. Unfortunately, far too many people are placed on blood pressure medication before all the other routes are explored. While it is extremely important to take a comprehensive examination of the causes of a person’s hypertension this article focuses on the use of detoxification as one component of a more comprehensive approach for hypertension.
The Basics of Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is determined by 4 things:
- How much fluid is in the cardiovascular system – the more fluid in the system the higher the pressure. The basis of diuretic medication and many botanicals is to reduce fluid volume and thus decrease blood pressure.
- The size and elasticity of the blood vessels – the more rigid and tight the blood vessels are the higher the blood pressure. Medications like ACE inhibitors and supplements like magnesium increase the size and elasticity of blood vessels to decrease blood pressure.
- How hard the heart is pumping – the harder the heart pumps the higher the pressure. Medications like calcium-channel blockers decrease the force of the heart and thus reduce pressure. This often leads to a host of other side effects and other health issues.
- Resistance in the cardiovascular system – the more resistance there is in the vascular system the higher the pressure needs to be to deliver nutrients to the tissues and cells. Detoxification is one of the most important ways to decrease resistance in the cardiovascular system.
Detoxification Decreases Resistance
Detoxification helps to decrease and normalize blood pressure by reducing the resistance in the vascular system. There are two major ways detoxification reduces resistance. First of all, detoxification removes toxins from the bloodstream that were making the blood more viscous (thicker) than it needed to be. As the blood becomes less viscous it can be pumped around more efficiently with less force and pressure. To illustrate, picture two glasses filled with pure distilled water. Imagine that you put some gelatin or fiber in one of the glasses and let it settle. Now imagine that you put a straw in both glasses and tried to drink from them. Which would be easier and which would require more force? The thicker the fluid the more force required to move it through a tube (blood vessel).
Secondly, detoxification improves the function of the liver and kidneys and allows blood to move with less force. Picture the liver and kidney as two filters in a system. The more clogged the filters are the slower fluid moves through them and the higher the back pressure. As the toxins are removed and the filters clear up the fluid begins to move faster, requiring less force, and producing less back pressure. Therefore, as the liver and kidneys respond to the detoxification support the blood pressure decreases.
To learn more about natural treatments for high blood pressure and the cardiovascular system visit www.drbrentbarlownd.com or call 250-448-5610.