Life is Just Complicated…
I was sitting having lunch with some friends that I don’t see very often, and we talked about many different things. When there was a pause in the conversation the husband leant forward and said to me,
‘I just want to ask your advice on a medical issue.’
My most immediate fear when this happens is that I won’t know how to help, but when he asked about bringing down his blood pressure, I knew I had plenty to say. And that is the problem; there is almost too much to say.
He had found that his orthodox meds would work for a while, then become less effective, then they would up the dose or add a new one. He wanted something without side effects that would be able to keep his blood pressure down effectively and so avoid scaling up his heavy meds again. It is true that simple things like drinking beetroot juice have been shown to help reduce blood pressure, and he was doing that. But he wanted more…
What to say?
There is so much!
Are you getting enough sleep?
What is your diet like?
What sort of exercise do you get?
I firmly believe that before one even starts looking at medication, whether orthodox or herbal, it’s lifestyle changes that should be looked at as a priority, and that includes diet.
And people are so different!
When I was on the verge of diabetes, I was encouraged to add oats to my daily routine, but using my glucose monitor I soon discovered that oats [soaked and unsoaked, cooked and uncooked] with milk and no sugar would shoot my blood sugar up fast and high. I just can’t take them.
And so it is with us all – different food types affect different people types in different types of ways. So, of course, pursuing individual medicine is the preferable way forward. But in this specific situation, when you only see the person informally once every six months [and at a mealtime] it is not the place to start writing down an individual protocol or asking searching questions about bowel movements.
What to do?
Fortunately for us there are now plenty of people using freely available podcasts to discuss dietary and medical issues who have a sensible grasp on things. I can divert people here. My two favourites are Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s podcasts [especially the one with Dr Chris Palmer who talks about inflammation impacting mental health as well as physical health], and Dr Chris van Tulleken, who discusses the effect ultra processed food has on our bodies. One of Rangan Chatterjee’s interviews is with Chris van Tulleken, and it is very informative.
With the recommended podcasts and books from these people on YouTube I can leave my friends who are not patients to work out their own way forward. If they get stuck they can always come back to me, but the podcasts present information with such clarity that I am not needed…
These are the books I recommend to my friends:
- Ultra Processed People by Dr Chris van Tulleken described thus on Amazon – (A devastating, witty and scholarly destruction of the shit food we eat and why?)
I think the audio version may be free if you have an Audible account.
- Brain Energy by Dr Christopher M Palmer described thus on Amazon – (A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Mental Health–and Improving Treatment for Anxiety, Depression, OCD, PTSD, and More)
This audio version is also free if you have an Audible account.
If you don’t like reading books then try Rangan Chatterjee’s podcasts. I know it takes effort, and I know it can get complicated when you have a lot of complex health issues, but these podcasts very often give you one thing you can try on a regular basis to see if it helps.
And with very high blood pressure, even a regular small change can be life-saving…
