Preventing Hypertension

By E Douglas Kihn, O.M.D., L.Ac.

An estimated 65 million Americans suffer from hypertension, which is defined as a diastolic blood pressure reading of 140 or above, and/or a systolic reading at or above 90. This disease is sometimes referred to as the “silent killer,” because patients may notice few or no symptoms until it already has done serious damage to the heart, brain, kidneys, and eyes.

The causes of hypertension

Picture in your mind a blood vessel filled with blood. The liquid molecules are always pushing outward against the inside walls of the vessel, keeping the vessel from collapsing and maintaining the vessel’s structural integrity. Excessive pressure is the result of those molecules pressing too hard against the inside walls, and against the pump (the heart) that circulates the blood. This resistance places an abnormal burden on the heart, decreasing circulation to the whole body, and eventually causing dangerous events such as pump failure (heart attack), or a bursting of a vessel in the periphery, like the brain (stroke), the eye (blindness), or an artery (aneurysm). Heart attacks and strokes are respectively the number one and number three causes of mortality in the U.S.

According to the laws of physics and Chinese medicine, there are only three possible causes of an increase in pressure of any kind, in particular, pressure inside the blood vessels. They are 1) too much heat, 2) not enough space, and 3) too much material.

Translated into Chinese terminology, these chronic excesses differentiate into four syndromes:
·Excess internal heat
·Liver qi stagnation
·Spleen damp
·Accumulation of toxins in the blood

Excess internal heat

When you turn up the heat on a kettle of water, the water molecules become excited and expand against the sides of the vessel, eventually causing a venting of steam or even an explosion. Now picture that increased heat, which we will call yang excess, expanding the activity of blood molecules, causing them to press more vigorously against the inside walls of the blood vessel, thus raising blood pressure.

Liver qi stagnation

Picture a blood vessel with a band around it that can be tightened or loosened at will. When the band is tightened, the space inside is reduced. The same quantity of blood molecules is now trying to pass through a smaller space, and as they struggle, they will press more vigorously against the insides of the blood vessel. This situation of decreased space increases the pressure on the vessel and the pump behind it.

Spleen damp

“Spleen” is an old mistranslation of the Chinese word pi, which refers to the digestive process as a whole. A dry spleen is a happy spleen.

Now, take an average blood vessel. Increase the number of molecules within the walls of that vessel. This excess material will press more forcefully outward against the insides of the vessel, thus leading to increased pressure on the vessel walls and the heart. This is hypertension.

Excessive numbers of molecules (excess yin) in the body generally come from only one source – excess nutrition, that is to say, mostly excess calories - entering through the mouth and passing into the digestive system. This excess yin causes a damp spleen, which is to say, a weakened and overburdened digestive system.

Often, excess yin takes the form of cholesterol, which packs the insides of blood vessels, thus decreasing space and raising pressure. Cholesterol – fats in the blood – is really stored nutrition, calories that aren’t being used, also known to Chinese Medicine as food stagnation. We perceive a close relationship between dampness and food stagnation. The two terms are commonly interchangeable. Food stagnation is usually the result of a damp and weakened spleen.

Excess body fat is another indication of a damp spleen. This explains the close relationship between excess body fat and high blood pressure.

Accumulation of toxins in the blood

This condition is also known as “arteriosclerosis,” or “hardening of the arteries.” Fat and chemicals accumulate over time on the sides of the arteries in the form of “plaque.” This greasy substance stiffens the walls of the blood vessels, which increases resistance and pressure. Many older Americans have this condition.


Preventing Hypertension

Chronic excesses such as hyper (too much) tension are commonly caused by inappropriate choices, which in most situations are the result of American cultural imperatives.

Stop hurrying

Activity causes friction. Friction causes heat. Excess activity causes excess heat. The heart, the busiest of the internal organs, the organ that never sleeps, is in a constant state of friction and heat. Thus it is most susceptible to an increase of friction and heat. An abnormal increase of heart heat not only threatens the physical structure of the heart, but also deranges the shen (the spirit), which resides in the heart.

A chronic Increase in the friction and heat of the heart is the result of the slavish worship of speed and busyness that pervades all income levels, cultural subgroups, and civic communities in the U.S. The average full-time worker in the United States worked 1,979 hours in 2001, compared to the notoriously busy Japanese worker who worked 1,842 hours. (The Japanese have more vacation time.) The average French worker spent just 1531.7 hours on the job in that same year. Americans worked 29% more hours in 2001 than their calmer (and leaner) French counterparts.

A RoperASW study published in the May 2003 issue MONEY Magazine found that Americans would rather have more money than more free time – 57 percent to 27 percent. Another RoperASW survey from 2001 found that the top reason for Americans to consider changing jobs was money at 57 percent. More personal time clocked in at just 12 percent. More money translates as more activity – more internal friction.

Excess yang in the heart easily infects the liver, which as we know easily heats up, venting its hot and windy yang excess upwards, with such symptoms as rage, headaches, dizziness, painful eye disorders, and so on.

Don’t talk fast, walk fast, drive fast, work fast, read fast, think fast, or do anything fast unless and until you have to. Reduce friction.

Get as much sleep as you need every night. Do not catch up on weekends. When you wake in the morning, you should feel refreshed and energized.

Reserve 12 hours of the day for non-productive activities, which include sleep, rest, play, eating, and socializing.

Stop worrying

When people worry, they tighten up muscles in the body. These muscles could be anywhere in the body, including muscular organs such as the lungs, heart, stomach, intestines, uterus, genitals, and even the blood vessels themselves. Many Americans live in a constant state of anxiety. This habit is almost certain to raise blood pressure.

The only thing in life that we have full control over is our thoughts. At all times, we can actually choose what to think. We can decide not to obsess about imaginary scenarios or other people and their problems.

Always try to keep the big picture in your mind, especially when you find yourself worrying about the past or the future, which do not really exist. A big part of the big picture is the certain knowledge that problems are necessary for growth, and that without obstacles to overcome, we die.

When you find yourself tightening up in response to worry, stop what you are doing and take ten deep breathes. Shake out your body and relax all tension. Do it as many times as necessary during the day, in order to keep the body and mind relaxed.

Develop a daily exercise routine that includes deep-breathing meditative exercises such as yoga or taichi.

Stop overeating

When you overeat, you will store excess calories as fat, impacted fecal matter, blood cholesterol, and tumors. Your body counts calories and will always tell you when you are overeating. Overeating occurs when you eat past your comfort level and when you eat without hunger.

Many Americans ignore their bodies’ messages and overeat in an attempt to calm down, because they are hurrying and worrying. However, no weight control program will be successful in the long run unless it also improves mental health, which is to say, reduces hurrying and worrying. Sadly, only about 10% of Americans who lose a significant amount of weight through dieting and exercise manage to keep it off a year later.

There are four ways that food delivers calmness for people, consciously and unconsciously.
1.Fat cells secrete the hormone estriol, a form of estrogen. The various forms of estrogen have a very powerful calming effect on the human mind. Hence the more fat people carry, the more sedated they will be 24 hours a day, every day, year after year.
2.Eating is used as a completely justifiable reason to take breaks from work or other heat-and-tightness-producing activities. (Boss, I have to eat to keep up my strength!) The mere act of taking a break from activity, with or without food, is what calms and restores.
3.Food itself is very heavy and sits on top of anxiety, heat, and nausea, pushing them down. This physically sedating effect of food on the body also has a calming and euphoric effect on the mind. It can be felt by everyone and anyone who has just finished a meal.
4.Sweet, salty, and fatty flavors in foods will stimulate the taste buds, relieving peoples’ sense of deprivation and restoring a sense of calmness and satisfaction.

Minimize your ingestion of chemicals

Stop smoking. Instead, find healthy ways of getting calm. Cook most of your own meals from fresh whole food, mostly organic. Minimize the ingestion of edible food-like substances (processed food). Avoid packaged food that has health claims printed on the outside.

High blood pressure is a serious and common medical condition that leads to many other more serious diseases. However, it is entirely preventable – and curable - with some major changes in attitude and lifestyle.