The poor quality of the typical American diet has lead to rampant nutritional deficiencies related to hypertension, heart disease, atherosclerosis, heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, renal disease, diabetes, and obesity.
High blood pressure is due to a combination of genetics and your environment/lifestyle. Nutrients, including macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein, fat) and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals) play a central role when it comes to maintaining a healthy blood pressure as well as minimizing organ damage linked to high blood pressure. Balancing the nutrients in your diet for optimal nutrition dramatically impacts the prevention and treatment of high blood pressure. To effectively treat high blood pressure it is recommended you have a functional intracellular assessments.
What is a Functional Intracellular Assessment?
Simply monitoring serum blood levels of nutrients is not necessarily an accurate reflection of your long term nutritional status. By using a functional intracellular assessment you receive a more accurate measurement of micronutrients, vitamins, and minerals within body stores meeting the functional needs of cells. A single blood serum measurements provides a “snap shop” of nutritional status within a limited window of time versus a functional intracellular assessment which looks at an average over the preceding months. An example of a functional intracellular assessment is the Micronutrient Testing provided by SpectraCell Laboratories.
The Hypertension Institute Study
The Hypertension Institute in Nashville, TN looked at micronutrient deficiencies and oxidation status in patients with hypertension (high blood pressure) versus individuals with normal blood pressure.
Since 2005, 3338 patients at the Hypertension Institute received a Functional Intracellular Assessment. Out of the 3338 patients, 671 had high blood pressure. The patients with high blood pressure had significantly different micronutrient levels, higher oxidative stress, increased insulin resistance, and lower oxidative defense when compared to those with normal blood pressure levels.
The Study Results
Researchers found that replacing micronutrient deficiencies and adding a high-dose therapy of specific nutraceuticals in addition to optimal nutrition, exercise, and weight management, 62% of the individuals with high blood pressure reached goal levels within a 6 month period of time. This included no longer needing high blood pressure medication.
Total antioxidant (Spectrox) scores improved 8.47% within this time frame for individuals with high blood pressure. The program implemented the DASH 2 Diet, weight management, and combined aerobic and resistance training programs for 60 minutes daily. Great than 97% of the micronutrient deficiencies were corrected at the time of retesting.
It can take more time (4-6 months) for diet and lifestyle changes to lower blood pressure to produce results. It’s best to reassess treatment effectiveness with a repeat functional intracellular assessment after 4-6 months. By utilizing functional intracellular assessment to treat high blood pressure, followed by proper nutrient replacement and treatment combined with lifestyle modification you can dramatically decrease the use of medication and the potential adverse side effects.
Be sure to sign up for the e-course 7 Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure at http://www.lowerbloodpressurewithlisa.com.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
https://www.lisanelsonrd.com