Page 17 - HOH

A24 HEALTH
Wednesday 22 January 2020

Treating Blood Pressure Problems

[hypertension]

Low blood count reduces purpureus, turns the rice vitamins, and specifically
your blood’s ability to carry a red color. Called Red biotin, help keep your skin,
oxygen through your body. yeast rice, it has a long his- hair, eyes, liver, and ner-
To compensate, your heart tory of use as both a food vous system healthy. Bio-
starts beating faster and and a medicine in China. tin is also a crucial nutrient
stronger. Blood pressure ris- Red yeast rice contains during pregnancy, as it’s
es. The human body needs natural monacolin K, which important for embryonic
vitamin B12 to make red has properties very simi- growth.
blood cells, nerves, DNA, lar to cholesterol-lowering When a new patient has
and carry out other func- prescription medications blood pressure of 140 over
tions. The average adult known as statins. Besides 90 or more, I do a blood
should get 2.4 micrograms helping the liver con- test to check for Insulin resis-
a day. Like most vitamins, vert the cholesterol into a tance (pre-diabetes). The
B12 can’t be made by the healthier bile, clinical tests National Diabetes Informa-
body. Instead, it must be have looked at the bene- tion Clearinghouse reports
gotten from food or supple- fits of red yeast rice to treat high blood sugar contrib-
ments. In older people, B12 other cardiovascular disor- utes to high blood pres-
deficiency has been linked ders, including hyperten- sure. One of the proposed
to dementia. This deficien- sion, high blood pressure. uses of the herb milk thistle
cy has also been linked to With low, weak blood or is to lower blood sugar lev-
By: Dr. Carlos Viana other neurodegenerative low blood sugar, hypogly- els, which may ultimately
disorders such as multiple cemia, the body tightens cause a decrease in blood
sclerosis and Parkinson’s or constricts the blood ves- pressure. Mayo Clinic states
Hypertension, high blood ture, a burst blood vessel in disease. sels to increase oxygen animal and laboratory re-
pressure is a risk factor the brain causes a stroke Individuals who experience and glucose movement. search found milk thistle
associated with heart at- and in the heart blood ves- even slightly reduced levels Constriction of the blood may be capable of lower-
tacks and strokes. Blood sels that are blocked or of vitamin B12 also tend to vessels is the body’s way ing high cholesterol levels.
pressure readings involve broken can cause a heart have elevated homocys- to raise the blood pressure. If this is true, milk thistle may
two number, one above attack. When the largest teine levels. Homocysteine By narrowing the passage help lower blood pressure
the other. The top number, artery in the body, the aor- is an amino acid used nor- in the blood vessels, blood by eliminating excessive
which is also the higher of ta, is torn or ruptured, trau- mally by the body in mak- flows more slowly to the cholesterol within the ar-
the two numbers, measures matic aortic rupture is a ing energy and making organs and the arms and teries. For centuries natural
the pressure in the arteries life- threatening condition. muscles. Elevated concen- legs. I prescribe Biotin sup- physicians have used milk
when the heart beats, that Blood pressure problems trations in the blood are plementation to reduces thistle to help the liver de-
is, when the heart muscle should not be ignored and thought to increase the risk systolic blood pressure by toxify.
contracts. The top number should instead, if possible, for heart disease by dam- helping arteries be smooth- Get the Point! Years ago,
is called the Systolic num- be treated with natural aging the lining of blood er and able to relax more. nutritionists would take your
ber. The bottom number, supplements. vessels and increasing the Mari Watanabe-Kamiyama blood pressure, have you
the Diastolic, which is also Clinically, I have found that risk of blood clot formation. reported in the British Jour- eat one food and check
the lower of the two num- there are many reasons Always make sure you are nal of Nutrition that biotin your blood pressure ten
bers, measures the pres- that produce high blood taking a B complex with has beneficial effects on minutes later. If your blood
sure in the arteries between pressure, weak blood, or your B 12 or other B’s. They hypertension and the fre- pressure rose more than ten
heartbeats (when the heart anemia, high cholesterol, work best together. quency of stroke. points, that food was con-
muscle is resting between pre- diabetes, stress, tight When I studied and worked Biotin is one of the B com- sidered to be intolerant,
beats and refilling with blood vessels or liver prob- as a Traditional Chinese plex vitamins that help the or not good for you. The
blood). lems. Fortunately, we can Medical doctor in Shang- body convert food into en- food – blood pressure con-
treat many of the differ- hai one of our principle ergy. nection is well established.
I consider abnormal blood ent reasons that develop natural medicines was rice The word biotin comes from Thankfully, we can use nat-
pressure to be more than hypertension with natural that had a yeast or fun- the ancient Greek word ural food dietary supple-
140/90. Like an overinflated dietary supplements made gus growing on the grains. “biotos,” which means ments to help control our
tire or balloon, that can rup- from organic food. The yeast called Monascus “life” or “sustenance.” B blood pressure naturally.q