Alcohol, caffeine and tobacco are best avoided. Alcohol raises BP via a few mechanisms including increasing the hormones aldosterone, cortisol and renin. During withdrawal excess adrenaline is released. Beer contains hops which have estrogen like compounds. Long term exposure to estrogens may cause excess breast…
High blood pressure (BP) or hypertension (HTN) can be the result of a combination of deficiencies and poor diet. Although we may get enough calories on a Standard American Diet (SAD) there is poor nutritional density. As a result we miss out on a lot…
When we expose our skin to sunlight the UVA creates nitric oxide. This dilates the blood vessels and drops our blood pressure (BP). A key ingredient to this process is L-arginine an amino acid. If we are not digesting protein well we may not have…
It's been assumed for years that patients with high blood pressure (BP) should cut back on salt. When we eat carbohydrates (sugars and starches) our pancreas releases insulin into the blood. This pushes glucose into the cells. Insulin has hormonal effects far wider than just…
Hypertension (HTN) or high blood pressure is very common. About a 1/3 of people are affected half of whom are poorly controlled. The consequences of HTN are stroke, heart disease, erectile dysfunction and heart failure. These conditions are sadly on the horizon for many patients.…
Vitamin D is essential for life without it we perish. It is required for thousands of metabolic reactions and acts as a spell checker on our DNA. Just about every modern Western disease is associated with it's deficiency. Most people are aware that we need…
When I was at college I had the most amazing biology teacher. One day she brought in a beautiful loaf from Cranks-an up market whole foods restaurant in England. It was artisan, wholegrain, organic and made from sour dough. At that time there were test…
Long before we express the symptoms of type 2 diabetes (DM2) there are often years of poor metabolic health. This can be asymptomatic and we may unwittingly consider ourselves to be healthy. Only 12% of the US population is normal from a metabolic perspective. Most…
Our ability to refine sugar on a mass scale is from an evolutionary perspective very recent. Sugar was first produced in India some 2,5000 years ago and was a rare spice originally only affordable by the aristocracy. The technology that enabled industrial production was not…
This pandemic has been cruel to our mental health raising anxiety in even the mellowest of souls. As a result we are getting more panic attacks some of us for the first time. We can feel totally overwhelmed. What can we do at that moment…
Gluten is a protein found in grains such as wheat, barley and rye. It has a detrimental effect on the gut lining causing it to become permeable. Our intestines have a lining that is only one cell deep. This is damaged when exposed to gluten…
Vit A is needed for the integrity and defence of our skin and the mucous membranes that line our mouth, nose, gut and lungs. Without this we are vulnerable to attack by viruses and other microorganisms. There are tiny hair like projection in the windpipe…