Blood Pressure Is NOT the Problem – It’s a Symptom

How to manage blood pressure and forge a path to living better

Worried About Your Blood Pressure?

It’s not too late to get control and enjoy a long, healthy life

Finding out you have high blood pressure can make you feel scared, worried, and stressed. Many doctors ramped up the fear factor as a way to convince you to take this seriously.

After all, the “silent killer” can lead to significant health problems when it goes unmanaged for too long.

If you continue down this path, your future wellness will be at risk.

But that’s only if you don’t take steps to deal with it and change the path you’re on.

It’s not too late to take proactive steps to keep your blood pressure levels in the safe zone. And whether you’ve already been diagnosed, have one or more risk factors, or just want to get ahead of it, there are things you can do today to get and keep your blood pressure on the right track.

The Dangers of High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure doesn’t mean a spike here or there, like when you’re stressed at a doctor’s appointment or just climbed a few flights of stairs. It becomes worrisome when your blood pressure stays at higher-than-healthy levels for extended periods.

When that happens, the extra force caused by the higher pressure can weaken your blood vessels, eyes, and organs over time. It can damage your heart and your kidneys, lead to stroke, cause vascular dementia, vision loss, and erectile dysfunction.

Unfortunately, high blood pressure doesn’t usually cause any noticeable symptoms in the beginning. That’s why it’s so important to check it regularly – so you can catch any problems right at the beginning before the damage is done.

Know Your Numbers

Your blood pressure reading is made up of two numbers: systolic and diastolic. Systolic is the first and “top” number (when you doctor says 120 over 80, for example, 120 is systolic). That tells you how much force is exerted on blood vessel walls when the heart is actively beating. Diastolic is the second and “bottom” number (80 in the example). It represents the force during the heart’s resting phase between beats.

A normal, healthy blood pressure reading is 120/80 or lower. When either systolic or diastolic pressure is higher than that, it means your heart is trying harder to pump your blood. That higher force puts extra pressure on the blood vessel walls.

But you can step off that by taking simple proactive steps to keep your blood pressure under control.

What Causes High Blood Pressure

For many people, high blood pressure comes as a result of lifestyle choices, brought on by factors that can be controlled… or at least managed.

Common causes of high blood pressure include:

• Poor diet
• Lack of exercise
• Insufficient sleep
• Smoking
• Alcohol
• Stress

Unfortunately, even people focused on living healthy can’t avoid stressors. That’s why chronic stress is one of the leading drivers of high blood pressure.

Every time you get stuck in traffic or worry about bills, your body experiences a stress response that includes releasing hormones like adrenaline to stimulate “fight or flight.” Stress makes your heart beat faster and boosts your blood pressure to send extra power to your arms and legs, giving you the best chance to fight or flee.

And while stressors are an unavoidable fact of life, you can change the way your body reacts to stress, limiting its potential to cause damage.   

The Kidney Connection

Your kidneys play a key role in managing your blood pressure. Having high blood pressure can make it harder for your kidneys to do this work. So it’s important to prioritize this crucial relationship if you’re serious about making changes to keep your blood pressure at healthy levels.

The kidneys control the amount of fluid circulating through your body, adjusting your blood volume by managing water and sodium levels. That dance impacts blood pressure, and blood pressure affects the kidneys’ fluid adjustment process. Blood pressure spikes set off a chain of events to lower it, while drops in pressure trigger different reactions to increase it.

Consistently high blood pressure can damage the kidneys’ blood vessels, making it harder for the organs to function maintain normal blood pressure. Supporting kidney health is a critical part of blood pressure management.

How to Change Your Heart Health for Good

Maintaining healthy blood pressure levels is one of the most important steps toward a healthy heart and cardiovascular system. Healthy living is the best way to keep your blood pressure in the safe zone. That includes things eating a varied diet high in fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and lean proteins… exercising regularly… using stress management techniques like meditation… and avoiding unhealthy habits like smoking that can bump up blood pressure.

It also means giving your body the support it needs for smooth circulation, strong kidney function, and balanced stress responses.

1. Increase Intake of Key Nutrients. Specific nutrients contribute directly to cardiovascular health, including maintaining optimal blood pressure levels.

• Potassium, an essential mineral the kidneys rely on to properly balance electrolyte and fluid levels, including blood volume. It’s crucial for maintaining healthy blood pressure levels. Higher potassium intake has been directly linked to lower blood pressure, while lower potassium intake signals higher blood pressure.
• CoQ10 (coenzyme Q10), found in virtually every cell in your body, and provides strong antioxidant protection along with blood pressure lowering properties. A meta-analysis that included 26 clinical trials and 1831 participants showed that increasing CoQ10 intake helped lower systolic blood pressure levels.
• Magnesium, which helps manage sodium-potassium balance within cells, crucial for fluid balance in the kidneys and healthy blood pressure. This essential mineral also serves to nourish heart cells and promote smooth muscle relaxation.
• Acetyl-L Carnitine plays a key role in cellular energy production, supporting heart cells and reducing cardiovascular risk factors.

2. Support Heart Health with Restorative Herbs. Nature offers up gentle yet powerful botanicals that have been used by traditional healers for generations to support cardiovascular health. Some of the best options for blood pressure and heart function support include:

• Hawthorn is well-known for its broad support of heart health. Virtually all parts of hawthorn plants – including berry, leaf, and flower – have been used by healers for centuries. Traditionally, it’s been used to promote healthy blood pressure and circulation, support heart muscle and blood vessels, and improved cardiac function.
• Arjuna has been used as a cardiotonic since ancient times. It promotes cardiac blood flow and improves both blood pressure and blood lipid profiles.
• Andrographis has been found to protect heart and kidney cells, relax and widen blood vessels, and reduce blood pressure.

3. Embrace Adaptogens to Balance Your Stress Response. You can’t avoid stress entirely, but you can help your body calm down more quickly and react to stress in a more balanced manner. Adaptogens are special botanicals that help your body adapt to stressors to quiet its effects and protect your mental, physical, and emotional health. A more balanced stress response promotes consistently lower blood pressure and more stable cardiovascular health. 

Some of the most effective adaptogens for stress management with a supportive heart health twist include Schisandra, Asian ginseng, and astragalus.

Walk the Path to Healthy Blood Pressure with 120/80 Care and Heart Strong

Now is the time to take charge of your heart health and keep your blood pressure in the normal zone. It’s not too late to make positive changes that will improve your cardiovascular health.

You can enjoy healthy blood pressure, blood flow, and kidney function with 120/80 Care. This formula was mindfully designed by a Master Herbalist with a mix of herbs and nutrients that work together for superior cardiovascular health. 120/80 Care contains a targeted blend including:

Take 120/80 Care daily to nourish your cardiovascular system and bring your body back into balance.

Go the extra mile for your heart and add Heart Strong to your routine for advanced support of heart muscle strength and blood vessel flexibility.

Step on to the path of total heart health with normal blood pressure, balanced stress responses, and support for your cardiovascular system with 120/80 Care and Heart Strong.

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