Holistic Health with Dr. Heather Heck: Hypertension

Send us Fan MailWe’re talking about holistic support for hypertension, today. My colleague, Corey Schuler FNP-C, CNS, wants you to hear this:Medications by themselves are not the answer. Another way to say this is, medications alone don’t improve health. Medication + No Lifestyle change or an unfavorable Lifestyle does NOT positively change your cardiovascular mortality outcomes. *You can actually reduce your risk by 1/3 when you do medication + lifestyle interventions.As an example, one of his patients is a pilot and maintaining healthy blood pressure is an important component in his line of work. He’s prescribed medical and lifestyle interventions through Corey's practice and they’ve been managing his hypertension. Heather dove into how medications like those for high blood pressure can deplete individuals of trace minerals like magnesium and potassium. So, Corey provided examples of how he prescribes supplements like magnesium citrate for his patients. He also includes some herbs like black seed oil as a typical treatment regimen for his patients. Additionally, the foods we eat can help blood pressure; garlic is an example as well as red fruits and vegetables, potatoes, and avocado.Let’s also debunk the myth that sodium needs to be eliminated from the diet of hypertension patients. If you’re eating a whole foods, you can actually be liberal with your sodium intake.Lifestyle-wise, Corey is a huge proponent of weight training, isometric exercises (i.e. planks), better sleep, and low stress to combat high blood pressure.He also shares an interesting fact about mouthwash and high blood pressure… even Heather learned something new!Support the show☕ Fuel the Conversation! Loving the podcast? If you’d like to send a little cup of coffee my way in gratitude (and to keep me going!), I’d truly appreciate it. Because it’s the little things... Consider subscribing so you never miss a weekly episode!You can also find my videos on YouTube.