June 28, 2020
Treating The Underlying Causes Of High Blood Pressure | Dr. George Papanicolaou on The Doctor’s Farmacy
Check out the Episode Page & Show Notes
Key Takeaways
- About 25% of adults have hypertension (also known as high blood pressure)
- By 2025, it’s predicted that number will rise to 30%
- “It’s also considered one of the leading causes of mortality to mankind” – Dr. George Papanicolaou
- By 2025, it’s predicted that number will rise to 30%
- Being insulin resistant is one of the biggest factors of getting high blood pressure
- It makes it harder to regulate blood sugar which causes belly fat, and belly fat is a big factor in driving all sorts of diseases including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, depression, and other illnesses
- Being insulin resistant also drives inflammation which causes oxidative stress which causes ‘rusting’ of your arteries and pipes
- It makes it harder to regulate blood sugar which causes belly fat, and belly fat is a big factor in driving all sorts of diseases including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, depression, and other illnesses
- Sleep apnea is the other big factor in high blood pressure
- About 25 million Americans have sleep apnea
- When you have sleep apnea, you aren’t getting enough oxygen to your body. As a result, your cortisol levels rise which causes inflammation and oxidative stress which is harmful to your arteries
- About 25 million Americans have sleep apnea
- Try to find imbalances or dysfunctions in your body that if corrected, will help the body return to its proper state
- That’s the goal of functional medicine:
- “We’re not just managing these diseases, we’re getting rid of them and we’re not treating them, we’re treating the factors that are causing them and the diseases go away as a side effect” – Dr. Mark Hyman
- That’s the goal of functional medicine:
- “Anything that causes inflammation or oxidative stress will cause high blood pressure” – Dr. Mark Hyman
Intro
- Dr. George Papanicolaou is a graduate of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and is Board Certified in Family Medicine from Abington Memorial Hospital, Abington, Pennsylvania
- Host – Dr. Mark Hyman (@drmarkhyman)
About High Blood Pressure
- About 25% of adults have hypertension (also known as high blood pressure)
- By 2025, it’s predicted that number will rise to 30%
- “It’s also considered one of the leading causes of mortality to mankind” – Dr. George Papanicolaou
- By 2025, it’s predicted that number will rise to 30%
- About 75 million Americans have hypertension
- About one in three adults in the US have pre-high blood pressure conditions
- High blood pressure is a silent killer; most people don’t know they have it
- High-blood pressure can cause heart disease, stroke, blindness, and even kidney failure
- “If you have high-blood pressure, you need to treat it” – Dr. Mark Hyman
- The best method to get an accurate reading of your blood pressure is to do a 24-hour blood pressure monitoring test
Two Main Causes of High Blood Pressure
- Being insulin resistant is one of the biggest factors of getting high blood pressure
- It makes it harder to regulate blood sugar which causes belly fat, and belly fat is a big factor in driving all sorts of diseases including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, depression, and other illnesses
- Being insulin resistant also drives inflammation which causes oxidative stress which causes ‘rusting’ of your arteries and pipes
- It makes it harder to regulate blood sugar which causes belly fat, and belly fat is a big factor in driving all sorts of diseases including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, depression, and other illnesses
- Sleep apnea is the other big factor in high blood pressure
- About 25 million Americans have sleep apnea
- When you have sleep apnea, you aren’t getting enough oxygen to your body. Consequently, your cortisol levels rise which causes inflammation and oxidative stress which is harmful to your arteries
- If you’re tired during the day or snore during the night, you may have sleep apnea
- When you have sleep apnea, you aren’t getting enough oxygen to your body. Consequently, your cortisol levels rise which causes inflammation and oxidative stress which is harmful to your arteries
- About 25 million Americans have sleep apnea
Other Factors Affecting Blood Pressure
- A lack of magnesium may also cause high blood pressure
- About 45% of Americans are low in magnesium
- “I call it the relaxation mineral” – Dr. Mark Hyman
- About 45% of Americans are low in magnesium
- A lack of potassium can be another factor of high blood pressure
- To get potassium, eat more green, leafy vegetables
- Omega 3 fats and fish oil can also help bring down your blood pressure
- Having high mercury and lead levels can also cause high blood pressure
- Losing weight will help drop your blood pressure
- The salt in your kitchen isn’t bad, it’s the salt that’s added in processed foods
- Getting plenty of sleep and exercising daily helps lower blood pressure
- “Anything that causes inflammation or oxidative stress will cause high blood pressure” – Dr. Mark Hyman
- Inflammation can also prevent nutrients from being absorbed
- Eating a lot of gluten can drive up inflammation and thus increase your blood pressure
Additional Notes
- Try to find imbalances or dysfunctions in your body that if corrected, will help the body return to its proper state
- That’s the goal of functional medicine
- “We’re not just managing these diseases, we’re getting rid of them and we’re not treating them, we’re treating the factors that are causing them and the diseases go away as a side effect” – Dr. Mark Hyman
- That’s the goal of functional medicine
- Having non-celiac gluten sensitivity can cause leaky gut, inflammation, and many other problems
