"Creating Your Healthy Life"
Today we are going to discuss "Hypertension" or "High Blood Pressure".
Blood pressure can be defined as the pressure or force that is applied against the artery walls as blood is carried through the circulatory system. It is recorded as a measurement of this force in relation to the heart's pumping activity, and is measured in millimeters of mercury. The top number, systolic pressure is the measurement of the pressure that occurs when the heart contracts of beats. The bottom number, or diastolic pressure, is the measurement recorded between beats, while the heart is at rest.
Hypertension itself is not a disease but, rather one warning of the manifestation of a disease. It is an indicator that the force required for blood flow is greater than normal. Because the heart is working harder than normal, high blood pressure increases the risk of coronary heart disease, heart attack, stroke, aneurysm, kidney failure and atherosclerosis. When the heart works harder, over a period of time, it tends to enlarge. High blood pressure also causes the arteries to become scarred, hardened and less elastic. This in turn can limit the amount of blood flowing to the organ; can cause blood clots in the arteries; and can ultimately damage the heart, brain and kidneys. Because persons with hypertension may not exhibit any symptoms, they often go undiagnosed until complications occur. This is why it is known as the "silent killer"!
Risk factors associated with hypertension that can be controlled are lifestyle related: obesity, lack of exercise, diet, stress, use of certain medications, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption. Hypertension is a powerful indicator of disease in other body systems. Thus, it is not just a blood pressure reduction numbers game therefore it is worthwhile to consider associated underlying cardiovascular disease and treatment protocols when treating hypertension as well as the individual's unique response to various conventional and integrated therapies. Conventional doctors treat hypertension in one or both ways, 1) change lifestyle and eating habits 2) prescribing medications. Alternative practitioners seek to address the underlying cause and correct it.
Maintaining adequate dietary minerals may protect against high blood pressure as well as adding nutrients which may reduce or eliminate the need for anti-hypertension medications. Individuals wanting to replace drugs with a supplement protocol must do so with the cooperation of a physician and have their blood pressure taken regularly.
Please feel free to email me with your questions and/or comments.
Have a FABULOUS week!
Blessings! PAM
www.heyenwellnesstherapies.com
pam@heyenwellnesstherapies.com
Showing posts with label stress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stress. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Creating Your Healthy Life - What is Holistic Healthcare?
I have been asked, "What is Holistic Healthcare"? So, today, I am going to give you an overview of what Holistic Healthcare is and what it means for you.
The web definition of the word "Holistic": Pertaining to the whole body; treatment of disease by taking into consideration every part of the body to bring the internal environment into balance.
You may also have heard the term Mind, Body and Spirit, so let's break those down into definitions as well.
Mind: Mental attitude that determines how you will interpret and respond to situations.
Body: The entire material or physical structure of an organism, especially of a human or animal.
Spirit: Your values, ideals, beliefs as it relates to each other and the world around you.
Holistic Healthcare guides you, educates you and supports you on a journey to balance your whole being, creating a state of harmonic health!
When illness or disease manifests in your physical body there are usually underlying issues that may have contributed and need to be addressed. A simple example would be a headache.
Let's say you are experiencing frequent headaches. Your head begins to pound, so you reach for an analgesic to relieve the pain. In a short time, the headache is relieved, symptom have been addressed and resolved but, why you are experiencing these headaches.
Over a period of months taking the analgesic, you now are experiencing a new symptom along with the headache, stomach upset. So, along with the analgesic you begin to take something to soothe that upset stomach symptom. Once again the symptom is addressed and resolved until…..that upset stomach remedy results in a very uncomfortable condition known as constipation.
Now, you are miserable, can't sleep, bloated and cranky. Now you have constipation, upset stomach AND a headache. Do you see how addressing the symptoms and not the underlying cause can snowball into a chronic condition?
How could you have treated this initial headache holistically?
Let's start by addressing what the underlying condition could be by asking the following questions.
Your Mind….are you feeling out of control, overwhelmed, overworked?
Your Body….are you tense, muscles tight, sitting or standing for hours doing repetitive work?
Your Spirit…do you believe you have to struggle everyday to be successful, to be valued, to survive?
If the answer to these questions is yes, you are just one of millions who are experiencing a headache due to STRESS! So, what can you do to address it?
Let's go back and address the underlying condition STRESS, as it relates to:
Your Mind….educate you on how to meditate, quiet your mind, be present.
Your Body…educate you on relaxation techniques, therapies and if necessary supplementation
Your Spirit…educate you on how to change your beliefs to achieve balanced health
Now, you have the tools to take control of your health and address the underlying issues thereby avoiding the manifestation of a chronic illness. Holistic Healthcare helps you to identify and resolve your health issues by educating, guiding and supporting your option to heal naturally. Your body was designed to heal itself but you must be willing to be an active participant by listening to what it is telling you and responding to its needs.
Holistic Healthcare is nothing more than You taking control of your own whole health by being informed of the natural remedies and therapies available and making a choice. Holistic Healthcare providers are there to assist you with those choices and make them available to you!
Have a "Holistic Healthy" week!
Blessings!
PAM
The web definition of the word "Holistic": Pertaining to the whole body; treatment of disease by taking into consideration every part of the body to bring the internal environment into balance.
You may also have heard the term Mind, Body and Spirit, so let's break those down into definitions as well.
Mind: Mental attitude that determines how you will interpret and respond to situations.
Body: The entire material or physical structure of an organism, especially of a human or animal.
Spirit: Your values, ideals, beliefs as it relates to each other and the world around you.
Holistic Healthcare guides you, educates you and supports you on a journey to balance your whole being, creating a state of harmonic health!
When illness or disease manifests in your physical body there are usually underlying issues that may have contributed and need to be addressed. A simple example would be a headache.
Let's say you are experiencing frequent headaches. Your head begins to pound, so you reach for an analgesic to relieve the pain. In a short time, the headache is relieved, symptom have been addressed and resolved but, why you are experiencing these headaches.
Over a period of months taking the analgesic, you now are experiencing a new symptom along with the headache, stomach upset. So, along with the analgesic you begin to take something to soothe that upset stomach symptom. Once again the symptom is addressed and resolved until…..that upset stomach remedy results in a very uncomfortable condition known as constipation.
Now, you are miserable, can't sleep, bloated and cranky. Now you have constipation, upset stomach AND a headache. Do you see how addressing the symptoms and not the underlying cause can snowball into a chronic condition?
How could you have treated this initial headache holistically?
Let's start by addressing what the underlying condition could be by asking the following questions.
Your Mind….are you feeling out of control, overwhelmed, overworked?
Your Body….are you tense, muscles tight, sitting or standing for hours doing repetitive work?
Your Spirit…do you believe you have to struggle everyday to be successful, to be valued, to survive?
If the answer to these questions is yes, you are just one of millions who are experiencing a headache due to STRESS! So, what can you do to address it?
Let's go back and address the underlying condition STRESS, as it relates to:
Your Mind….educate you on how to meditate, quiet your mind, be present.
Your Body…educate you on relaxation techniques, therapies and if necessary supplementation
Your Spirit…educate you on how to change your beliefs to achieve balanced health
Now, you have the tools to take control of your health and address the underlying issues thereby avoiding the manifestation of a chronic illness. Holistic Healthcare helps you to identify and resolve your health issues by educating, guiding and supporting your option to heal naturally. Your body was designed to heal itself but you must be willing to be an active participant by listening to what it is telling you and responding to its needs.
Holistic Healthcare is nothing more than You taking control of your own whole health by being informed of the natural remedies and therapies available and making a choice. Holistic Healthcare providers are there to assist you with those choices and make them available to you!
Have a "Holistic Healthy" week!
Blessings!
PAM
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Creating Your Healthy Life
FIBROMYALGIA-What you should know
Muscle aches, spasms, fatigue, weakness in the arms and legs, inability to concentrate (brain fog), sleep disturbance and depression. These are some of the common complaints related to Fibromyalgia. This chronic illness which affects approximately four percent of the population and nine times more women than men has no known cure. Anti-Seizure drugs, pain relievers, antidepressants and muscle relaxants are some of the common prescribed medications to treat the symptoms.
My personal experience with Fibromyalgia brought me to the realization that this chronic illness is not just “one” illness but a combination of the body’s organs and systems that are unable to function properly resulting in the aforementioned symptoms and complaints. Not treating the underlying cause of the illness only results in a vicious cycle of drugs and their side effects.
I have listed ten of the issues that I addressed and should be addressed if you suffer from this illness.
1. STRESS! Chronic stress plays a major role in our health, robbing our bodies of nutrients and required sleep which in turn reduces our resistance to disease and chronic inflammation, i.e., fibromyalgia.
2. Environmental Toxins is next on my list. Not many conventional doctors address this issue because there are just too many to test for. If you have ever come in contact with chemicals on the job, lived on a farm, eaten foods high in preservatives or additives, i.e., MSG, used household chemicals to clean or you use personal care products that are high in chemicals, you probably have been exposed to environmental toxins.
3. Diet is another issue that is sometimes overlooked. Are you a junk food junkie? Do you snack, eat out a lot, eat prepackaged meals! Your diet could be a contributing factor to your illness. Refined carbohydrates and processed fats are adding fuel to an already inflamed body. This inflammation aggravates arthritis, aches and pains, bowel disorders and contributes to heart disease, diabetes and memory loss. Avoid caffeine and NO soft drinks! Learn to live without the sugar and caffeine but remember to wean yourself off of caffeine by reducing the number of cups of coffee or glasses of tea or cans of soda.
4. Drugs, both over the counter and prescribed give the illusion of addressing health issues. They do not treat the underlying cause; they only treat the symptom(s) related to the underlying cause. The body was not designed to process these toxic substances and treats them as such. When a drug is absolutely a necessity, educate yourself to possible alternative methods that could be used. Never stop any medication without professional guidance.
5. Hydration is another often overlooked but a very important issue. You must learn to drink at least 8 large glasses of filtered water a day. Water is crucial to our bodily functions! If you do nothing else for yourself, do this. Pure water helps our bodies rid itself of toxins by flushing them out of our systems. It’s like a refreshing shower for your internal organs!
6. Get yourself on a sleep schedule. Go to bed at the same time every night and get at least 8 hrs of rest and then get up at the same time every morning. The body likes a schedule, knowing when it can relax, refresh and heal itself. It also likes to know when it will be nourished and exercised. There are natural supplements that can help set the sleep clock in the brain. The bodies need for sleep is more important than you realize.
7. A sluggish thyroid may also contribute to fibromyalgia. It can cause weight gain, fatigue, depression and many other complaints. The thyroid can be supported with natural supplements.
8. Exhausted adrenals, this can rob us of sleep and energy due mainly in part to good ole stress. The adrenals help us to cope, give us energy, and regulate our mineral, fluid and blood sugar. Adrenals can also be supported with natural supplements.
9. With a poor diet and overload of toxins (including medications) the liver becomes compromised. When nutrients are deficient and there are too many toxins the liver does not function properly resulting in internal toxicity. Most people suffering with fibromyalgia have a stressed liver due to all the medications. The liver needs to be detoxified and at the same time supported with natural supplementation
10. Another issue that is not usually addressed by conventional doctors is Candida or yeast. When our immune system is suppressed, this friendly bacteria is decreased by the antibiotics we take directly or indirectly, by pesticides, chlorine and other toxins and fed by our craving for sweets and refined carbohydrates. When this happens there is a shift from the good yeast form to the fungal form. This yeast overgrowth can cause inflammation throughout the body. A yeast detoxification should be done to balance the condition.
These are some of the underlying conditions that could be contributing to your chronic illness. You should contact a qualified alternative practitioner or physician to create a personalized protocol for you. Every individual is unique in their health and in their illness.
Blessings!
PAM
Muscle aches, spasms, fatigue, weakness in the arms and legs, inability to concentrate (brain fog), sleep disturbance and depression. These are some of the common complaints related to Fibromyalgia. This chronic illness which affects approximately four percent of the population and nine times more women than men has no known cure. Anti-Seizure drugs, pain relievers, antidepressants and muscle relaxants are some of the common prescribed medications to treat the symptoms.
My personal experience with Fibromyalgia brought me to the realization that this chronic illness is not just “one” illness but a combination of the body’s organs and systems that are unable to function properly resulting in the aforementioned symptoms and complaints. Not treating the underlying cause of the illness only results in a vicious cycle of drugs and their side effects.
I have listed ten of the issues that I addressed and should be addressed if you suffer from this illness.
1. STRESS! Chronic stress plays a major role in our health, robbing our bodies of nutrients and required sleep which in turn reduces our resistance to disease and chronic inflammation, i.e., fibromyalgia.
2. Environmental Toxins is next on my list. Not many conventional doctors address this issue because there are just too many to test for. If you have ever come in contact with chemicals on the job, lived on a farm, eaten foods high in preservatives or additives, i.e., MSG, used household chemicals to clean or you use personal care products that are high in chemicals, you probably have been exposed to environmental toxins.
3. Diet is another issue that is sometimes overlooked. Are you a junk food junkie? Do you snack, eat out a lot, eat prepackaged meals! Your diet could be a contributing factor to your illness. Refined carbohydrates and processed fats are adding fuel to an already inflamed body. This inflammation aggravates arthritis, aches and pains, bowel disorders and contributes to heart disease, diabetes and memory loss. Avoid caffeine and NO soft drinks! Learn to live without the sugar and caffeine but remember to wean yourself off of caffeine by reducing the number of cups of coffee or glasses of tea or cans of soda.
4. Drugs, both over the counter and prescribed give the illusion of addressing health issues. They do not treat the underlying cause; they only treat the symptom(s) related to the underlying cause. The body was not designed to process these toxic substances and treats them as such. When a drug is absolutely a necessity, educate yourself to possible alternative methods that could be used. Never stop any medication without professional guidance.
5. Hydration is another often overlooked but a very important issue. You must learn to drink at least 8 large glasses of filtered water a day. Water is crucial to our bodily functions! If you do nothing else for yourself, do this. Pure water helps our bodies rid itself of toxins by flushing them out of our systems. It’s like a refreshing shower for your internal organs!
6. Get yourself on a sleep schedule. Go to bed at the same time every night and get at least 8 hrs of rest and then get up at the same time every morning. The body likes a schedule, knowing when it can relax, refresh and heal itself. It also likes to know when it will be nourished and exercised. There are natural supplements that can help set the sleep clock in the brain. The bodies need for sleep is more important than you realize.
7. A sluggish thyroid may also contribute to fibromyalgia. It can cause weight gain, fatigue, depression and many other complaints. The thyroid can be supported with natural supplements.
8. Exhausted adrenals, this can rob us of sleep and energy due mainly in part to good ole stress. The adrenals help us to cope, give us energy, and regulate our mineral, fluid and blood sugar. Adrenals can also be supported with natural supplements.
9. With a poor diet and overload of toxins (including medications) the liver becomes compromised. When nutrients are deficient and there are too many toxins the liver does not function properly resulting in internal toxicity. Most people suffering with fibromyalgia have a stressed liver due to all the medications. The liver needs to be detoxified and at the same time supported with natural supplementation
10. Another issue that is not usually addressed by conventional doctors is Candida or yeast. When our immune system is suppressed, this friendly bacteria is decreased by the antibiotics we take directly or indirectly, by pesticides, chlorine and other toxins and fed by our craving for sweets and refined carbohydrates. When this happens there is a shift from the good yeast form to the fungal form. This yeast overgrowth can cause inflammation throughout the body. A yeast detoxification should be done to balance the condition.
These are some of the underlying conditions that could be contributing to your chronic illness. You should contact a qualified alternative practitioner or physician to create a personalized protocol for you. Every individual is unique in their health and in their illness.
Blessings!
PAM
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
