When Lori came to see us last December her blood pressure was sky high. She had visited an urgent care center two months earlier and received a prescription for Atenolol, a common beta blocker that acts by reducing the action of stimulating hormones. She did not like the effect. It made her sluggish and apathetic. So she decided to reduce her blood pressure on her own, using herbs that had worked for a friends high blood pressure

Fast forward through eight weeks of self treatment: Loris blood pressure had not fallen, it was now affecting her vision and was giving her blinding headaches.

On Loris first visit to our clinic, I reviewed all her symptoms, her history as well as the herbal medications she had been taking. They were good herbs, both in terms of their combination and from the standpoint of quality. Yet it was obvious that they did not address the cause of her high blood pressure, anymore than prescription medicines could.

Because her blood pressure levels were so high, we scheduled Lori immediately for a series of tests. We found that while she had been eating mostly organic high quality foods, the ratios of proteins, carbohydrates and fats were not suitable for her metabolic type.

Furthermore, the metabolic typing test showed that Lori was strongly affected by her sympathetic nervous system and that she needed more magnesium. A health conscious woman in her 50s, Lori had been taking high doses of calcium to prevent osteoporosis. While other metabolic types need higher levels of calcium, in Loris case that imbalance may have aggravated her blood pressure levels.

If this account sounds complicated, it is only because of the intricacy of our physical systems and the fact that we are all different. One diet does not fit all and the latest news on herbs and supplements may not fit your own individual picture.

Loris blood pressure is now within normal range. She has slimmed down (without dieting), has more energy and feels she has a new lease on life.
For people suffering from high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol or other cardiovascular conditions, please read and educate yourself. Doing it natural and self prescribing are not necessarily the same or the best course of action. Find a good practitioner in your area who can help you identify what your body needs. Refining the diagnosis of heart problems
By Dr. Ruth Bar-Shalom, N.D.

According to official statistics, coronary vascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of death and strokes in America.

For years we’ve heard that the culprit is cholesterol, a chemical that is produced in the body. We’re told by the drug companies that it clogs the interior of the heart, corrodes the lining of blood vessels and reduces the vascular system’s efficiency.

But that’s only one part of the story. A closer examination reveals that the issue is more complicated. For instance, 50 percent of people with CVD have normal levels of cholesterol. This indicates that conventional medicine oversimplifies the role cholesterol plays in CVD.

In order to assure heart health, we need to go beyond the notion of good
cholesterol/bad cholesterol.

Consider Shelly, a 60-year-old woman who was an active tennis player and jogger.

She came to me complaining of fatigue. Because of a strong family history of heart disease, even though her cholesterol was normal, I ordered an additional blood test called C reactive protein (HS-CRP). The levels were high- letting us know she had an inflammation that was affecting her heart and arteries.

When HS-CRP is too high it creates an environment in the vascular system that promotes roughness on the interior walls of the blood vessels. This roughness allows further accumulations of fats and cholesterol to attach to the vessels, impeding blood flow and the possibility of total blockage. This is particularly dangerous when it occurs in small vessels located in the brain and heart.

I recommend the HS-CRP test to my patients as well as another that measures a clotting molecule called Fibrinogen. This is a normal molecule, but when it is elevated it makes the blood thicker, overworking the heart and its vascular system.

Science has made strides in refining our knowledge of the various components within cholesterol. We can now measure fractions within the components. Analyzing the fractions presents physicians with more treatment options than we’ve had in the past.

Carla, a recent patient, had elevated levels of LDL (low density lipoprotein), the so-called bad cholesterol. However, when I reviewed her fractions we learned that she had features in her blood chemistry that offset her LDL status. Were she to have followed conventional medicine’s approach she’d likely have received drugs she didn’t need.

These refined blood tests, are not the final word. But they do support my
assertions that each patient is a unique individual and that each one has treatment options that may not be shared by all. A patient’s emotional status is as important as their cholesterol levels. A chemical analysis of their blood does not reveal enough of their health profile.

As a naturopathic doctor, I go beyond the conventional model of disease and look for what is working well in patient’s lives. I want to know how love, work, play and community figure in the lives of my patients. These features play a larger role than we imagine and when identified they should be emphasized.