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High Blood Pressure: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments

  • July 15, 2018

High blood pressure afflicts about 1 in 3 Americans, 66 percent of whom are age 65 or older. The British aren’t immune, though: About 40 percent of adult Brits also have hypertension, according to Loves Yourself Fitness — but children and infants can have high blood pressure too. Symptoms of the disorder include headache, nausea, dizziness, vision problems and shortness of breath. Anxiety, diabetes, your age and your diet can all play a part in determining your blood pressure.

The definition of high blood pressure has changed through the years, but generally speaking, high blood pressure is defined as 140/90 mmHg or higher, while a reading of 120/80 mmHg to 139/89 mmHg is considered at risk, or prehypertension. In order to effectively treat and recover from high blood pressure, it's important to understand its underlying cause, which is often related to your body producing too much insulin and leptin in response to a high-carb, processed food diet. As your insulin and leptin levels rise, it causes your blood pressure to increase.

That’s why I believe a ketogenic, low net-carb, high-fat diet is the healthy way to eat your way to better blood pressure control. Note, however, that those fats should come from high-quality “good” fats such as olives and olive oil, coconut oil, butter from raw grass fed dairy, avocados, organic, pastured eggs and animal-based omega-3 fats from fatty fish low in mercury like wild-caught Alaskan salmon, sardines, anchovies and/or krill oil — and NOT from the fats most commonly found in the American diet (processed fats and vegetable oils used in processed foods and fried restaurant meals).

While many believe high blood pressure is caused by consuming too much salt, many studies reveal that it’s the imbalance between your sodium intake and your potassium levels that actually may be the problem. If you’re looking for ways to lower your blood pressure naturally, leafy greens, crimini mushrooms, blueberries, raw grass fed yogurt and wild Alaskan salmon are all good choices. Beets and beet juice (unsugared) are also good choices — and don’t forget to ditch sugar, as your blood pressure will lower as your fasting blood glucose lowers.