CW Vol 2 Ed. 41 - Know Your Numbers: Blood Pressure
Blood Pressure: Your Body’s Pressure Gauge
Blood pressure is your body’s pressure gauge — like the one on a job site, it measures how hard your system is working. When that pressure stays high, it quietly strains your heart, kidneys, and brain. The good news? It’s often reversible. With better fuel, real rest, and steady movement, most people can bring their numbers down naturally.
What Pushes Pressure Up
Blood pressure is rarely about one thing — it’s a whole-system signal. Common contributors include:
Chronic stress that keeps adrenaline and cortisol high.
Interrupted sleep or sleep apnea, which trigger spikes overnight.
Low mineral levels such as magnesium and potassium, which help blood vessels relax.
Inflammatory foods (fried foods, refined oils, and added sugars) that stiffen arteries and cause oxidative stress.
Dehydration that thickens blood and strains the heart.
Environmental toxins like heavy metals or chemicals that damage vessel lining.
These factors add up. The key is identifying which ones apply to you — and addressing them one by one.
How to Bring It Back Down - Eat Real Foods!
Focus on whole, unprocessed foods: vegetables, fruits, beans, lean proteins, and healthy fats.
Choose low-oxalate greens like kale, bok choy, romaine, or arugula for potassium and magnesium without the oxalate load.
Add avocado, pumpkin seeds, and black beans for natural minerals.
Choose healing fats: olive oil, nuts, seeds, and wild fish such as salmon, sardines, and mackerel.
Avoid fried foods, refined oils, sugary drinks, and excessive alcohol.
Hydrate and Balance
Your body was built to move, rest, and recover — not just run on caffeine and stress. Regular activity, quality sleep, and proper hydration all work together to keep your blood pressure steady.
Move daily: Even 30 minutes of walking, lifting, or light resistance work strengthens your heart and helps vessels stay flexible.
Rest well: Aim for 7–8 hours in a dark, cool room. Keep phones and TVs out of the bedroom so your body can reset.
Breathe often: A few slow, deep breaths between tasks calm your nervous system faster than any medication.
Hydrate and balance: Drink water throughout the day — mineral water is a plus. Swap factory salt for mineral-rich sea salt, and if you need extra support, try magnesium glycinate (gentle and calming) or magnesium citrate (helpful if digestion runs slow).
Patterns Tell the Story!
Blood pressure rises and falls naturally throughout the day — what matters is your average trend.
Check at different times (morning and evening).
Use home cuffs or in-store monitors at Hannaford, Walgreens, or local pharmacies.
Keep a small log to track how sleep, stress, and caffeine affect your readings.
Learn More
Listen to Dr. Mark Hyman’s podcast “How to Treat High Blood Pressure and What Causes It” here, or scan the QR code.
Read the PDF copy of the newsletter here.
10/8/2025
CW Vol 2 Ed. 40 - Know Your Numbers: Tools to Take Charge of Your Health
Blood Pressure, Labs, and Why “Normal” Isn’t Always Optimal
No one builds a bridge and just hopes for the best. Engineers measure, test, and adjust long before cracks ever show. Your health works the same way — your numbers are the measurements that keep you strong and steady.
And here’s the good news: the best kind of healthcare is the kind you never need. Knowing your numbers gives you the power to prevent problems before they start, instead of reacting after the fact.
Over the next several weeks, we’ll shine a light on the health numbers that matter most — blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, thyroid, inflammation, and more. For each one, we’ll explain what “standard” ranges mean, what “optimal” ranges look like, and most importantly, what steps you can take before a problem develops.
Your Blueprint for Prevention
Think of your health like a construction project — you wouldn’t wait until the walls crack or the bridge buckles before checking the plans. You’d use a blueprint to catch small issues early and keep the project on track.
Your health works the same way. Your numbers are part of that blueprint. They give you feedback on how your body is running — not as a grade, but as a guide.
They help you spot small shifts before they turn into big problems.
They help you understand what’s really going on beneath the surface, even if you feel fine.
And they give you the power to take action now — with food, sleep, movement, and stress management — instead of waiting until medication or procedures are the only options.
👉 In short: your numbers are tools to keep you strong and steady, not scare you. The more you know how to read them, the better you can stay ahead of the curve.
Why Optimal Ranges Matter
When you get labs back, your doctor usually compares your results to a “reference range.” That range shows what’s considered average in the population — but average doesn’t always mean healthy.
Standard = average. Built from large populations, often including people with chronic illness.
Optimal = function. Narrower ranges drawn from people who are thriving and resilient.
The prevention sweet spot. Spotting a trend early gives you the chance to make small, targeted changes before it escalates into disease.
Patterns Tell the Story
No single number stands alone. Blood sugar affects blood pressure. Gut health influences inflammation. Thyroid balance shapes energy, mood, and heart rate. Looking for patterns across your numbers gives a far clearer picture of health than looking at one result in isolation.
Action Box — Start Here
✅ Collect your numbers: Keep your lab reports in a folder. They’re part of your health story.
✅ Watch the trend: A “normal” result that creeps up year after year still matters.
✅ Ask better questions: When told “your labs are fine,” follow up: Fine compared to average, or fine compared to optimal?
✅ Check the basics: Blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and A1C are simple to measure and powerful to track.
✅ Stay proactive: Prevention means acting early. Your numbers are tools to guide you, not judgments to fear.
Learn More
Go to the Fullscript article, written by Jessica Christie, ND, which further discusses optimal lab interpretation by clicking here, or scan the QR code.
View this newsletter here.
10/1/2025