Lower Pressure Blog

This recipe comes to us from India and is a real treat, with the hot months of August around the corner. Pineapple and cucumbers tossed with coriander and lemon juice furnish a storehouse of vitamin C which builds up your immunity against infections. Honey imparts a delicate sweetness to this tangy salad. Rather than serving it as an occasional treat, make this sweet and sour salad a part of your daily meal and say goodbye to infections!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pineapple, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup cucumber, cut into small pieces
• 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup lettuce, torn
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander (dhania)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 1/2 tbsp roasted chana dal (daria) ,corsely powdered
• Add salt and freshly ground black pepper (kalimirch) powder to taste

Instructions:

1.In a bowl, combine the lemon juice, honey, chana dal powder, salt and pepper and mix well.

2.Add the rest of the ingredients and toss lightly.

3.Serve immediately.

We collected dozens of great heart healthy recipes for you – Here they are…

Dried apricots are fat-free and packed with nutrients that are good for blood pressure and help to control cholesterol.

They contain lycopene, potassium, beta-carotene and pectin – plus they are a rich source of iron too. The drying process may rob them of some vitamin C but it more than makes up for it with these extra nutritional benefits.

Apricots are also low in sodium which makes them perfect for including as part of a blood-pressure busting diet.

When it comes to selecting dried apricots make sure you go for the organic variety since these won’t have been exposed to sulfur dioxide – a process that makes them retain their orange color. Organic apricots are a brown color, and as well as being healthier – they are tastier.

Ingredients

• 12 dried apricot halves
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 cup long grain rice
• 1 tbs margarine
• ¼ tsp cardamom
• Pinch salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 2 ½ cups reduced sodium vegetable broth
• ½ cup raisins
• 1/3 cup toasted almonds
• Fresh rosemary sprigs to garnish

Instructions

• Chop apricots into small slices.
• Melt the margarine in a non-stick saucepan and add onion, rice, cardamom and seasoning.
• Cook over a medium heat for 8 minutes.
• Stir in the broth, almonds raisins and apricots and bring to a simmer, reducing heat to low.
• Cover pan and leave until broth is absorbed, about 20 minutes then remove from heat and leave to stand for 5 minutes.
• Fluff up with a fork and garnish with the rosemary sprigs.

We collected dozens of great heart healthy recipes for you – Here they are…

Potassium, an electrolyte, is necessary for nerves to transport messages and for muscles to contract. It keeps the heart beating and helps to ship nutrients into cells and remove cellular waste. Potassium also assists in the maintenance of healthy bones and reduces the risk of kidney stones.

The author of the current review, Alicia McDonough, Ph.D., professor of cell and neurobiology at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, sums up her findings: “Decreasing sodium intake is a well-established way to lower blood pressure, but evidence suggests that increasing dietary potassium may have an equally important effect on hypertension.”

Potassium and Blood Pressure

Foods that are rich in potassium are important in managing high blood pressure. This is true, because potassium lessens the effects of sodium. The more potassium you eat, the more sodium you lose through urine. Potassium also helps to ease tension in your blood vessel walls, which helps further lower blood pressure.

Potassium and your heart healthy diet

The recommended potassium intake for an average adult is 4,700 milligrams (mg) per day.

Many of the elements of the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet — fruits, vegetables, fat-free or low-fat (1 percent) dairy foods and fish — are good natural sources of potassium. For example, a medium banana has about 420 mg of potassium and half a cup of plain mashed sweet potatoes has 475 mg.

Other potassium-rich foods include:

• Apricots and apricot juice
• Cantaloupe and honeydew melon
• Fat-free or low-fat (1 percent) milk
• Fat-free yogurt
• Grapefruit and grapefruit juice (talk to your healthcare provider if you’re taking a cholesterol-lowering drug)
• Greens
• Halibut
• Lima beans
• Molasses
• Mushrooms
• Oranges and orange juice
• Peas
• Potatoes
• Prunes and prune juice
• Raisins and dates
• Spinach
• Tomatoes, tomato juice and tomato sauce
• Tuna

Things to pay attention to

Potassium is only one component of a well-rounded plan for blood pressure health Even though potassium can lessen the blood pressure-raising effects of sodium, eating more potassium should be combined with your efforts to break up with that excess salt and develop other healthy eating and lifestyle habits.

Is it possible to have too much potassium? Too much potassium can be harmful in people with kidney disorders. As kidneys become less able to remove potassium from your blood, too much potassium may build up.

Often, there aren’t many symptoms of high potassium hyperkalemia, just like with high blood pressure. Feeling sick to your stomach, a low, weak or irregular pulse and fainting may occur with high levels of potassium.

Consult with a healthcare professional before taking any over-the-counter potassium supplement. You should also ask your doctor before trying salt substitutes, which can raise potassium in people with certain health conditions and those taking ACE inhibitors for high blood pressure.

References and additional information

• Quercetin The Blood Pressure Super Food
• Eight Foods Clinically Proven To Lower Blood Pressure

RESPeRATE CHF Study Results

A peer-reviewed article published in “Clinical Research in Cardiology” reported on a 6-months clinical study with two-year follow-up. The new study validates, for the first time, the sustained long-time beneficial effects of RESPeRATE therapy on severe heart failure patients.

But you are probably asking yourself, “Why should I care?” You should care because 91% of heart failure patients have a history of hypertension (for more on what is heart failure is click here). Another reason we believe it is important is that it provides more clinical evidence on just how powerful RESPeRATE therapy truly is.

According to the study results, while using RESPeRATE none of these severe, high-risk heart failure patients experienced worsening of the condition, hospital admissions or death.

More Study Results

RESPeRATE improved their cardiorespiratory capacity, functional performance, and basically slowed the progression of the condition.

The colored chart visualizes one of the parameters used to measure improvement in heart failure patients. Their exercise level as measured by how far a patient was able to walk in six minutes.

At the beginning of the study, only 32% of the participants were able to achieve level 4 activity. This is the highest level attainable for heart failure patients. Within 3 months 52% of participants were able to achieve level 4 activity performance and a staggering 64% of participant have done so in month 6…

The study replicated the prior three 8-weeks heart failure studies which used RESPeRATE but extended results to 6-month and two-year follow-up.

Personally, for us, the sad part of this study was the realization that four patients of the control group, once they had been removed from using RESPeRATE, suffered decompensation, hospitalization and two of whom eventually died.

Clearly, the evidence supports that we have to do more to bring the RESPeRATE therapy into the heart failure patient population. While the US FDA allows heart failure patients to use RESPeRATE to treat their hypertension or stress, it doesn’t have a specific heart failure therapy indication…

To read the full-text article see here

Delicious shrimp scampi with zoodles? What in the world are zoodles. I had not heard of this word until about a year ago. That is when I had learned a technique for turning ordinary zucchini into zoodles. Zoodles are a healthy way to enjoy pasta without the extra carbs. Although this recipe calls for linguine you can also for go should you wish to.

Enjoy this wonderful dish with a glass of white wine and a side salad to complement your dish. A wonderful heart healthy dish you can enjoy with friends and family with half the caloric intake.

Ingredients:

• 6 oz.linguine
• 1 1/2 lb.peeled, deveined large shrimp
• 4cloves garlic, grated
• 2 tbsp.olive oil
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp. lemon zest
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice (from 1 to 2 large lemons)
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/2 c. dry white wine
• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 12 oz. zucchini (about 3), spiralized on the thickest setting
• 1/4 c. flat-leaf parsley, chopped.

Directions:

1. Cook pasta per pkg. directions. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking water, drain pasta, and return it to the pot.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss shrimp, garlic, olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Let sit at least 5 minutes.

3. Heat a large skillet on medium. Add shrimp mixture and cook until just barely opaque throughout, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, leaving any oil in the skillet.

4. Add lemon zest and pepper flakes and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add wine, scraping up any browned bits, then reduce by half. Stir in lemon juice and butter, then add zucchini noodles and simmer 2 minutes.

5. Return shrimp to the skillet along with pasta and toss to combine, adding some reserved pasta water if mixture seems dry. Sprinkle with parsley.

We collected dozens of great heart healthy recipes for you – Here they are…

So I have a confession to make. I absolutely love potato salad. That and really good chocolate marble cheese cake. Potato salad is so diverse. There is New York potato salad, and there is southern potato salad. There is German potato salad, Waldorf, lobster and shrimp potato salad. With over 50 types of potato salad to choose from, the choice can be difficult.

Ingredients:

• 5 lb red potatoes, washed
• 1 1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 8 green onions, chopped
• 2 TBSP minced garlic
• 1 1/2 TBSP dill seed
• 1 TBSP celery seed
• Ground black pepper & salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Bring whole potatoes to a boil, sprinkle in a TBSP salt, and cook for 20 minutes. Stick a sharp knife in the largest one to test for doneness. Drain and set aside to cool.

2. While potatoes are boiling mix the fat-free Greek yogurt, low-fat mayo, garlic, dill seed, celery seed, ground black pepper and salt into a medium mixing bowl and whisk til blended well.

3. Cut the potatoes into large cubes (about 1 inch), and place in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over them and toss in the chopped green onion. Gently fold dressing and green onions into potatoes. Decorate with a pinch of green onions on top.

4. VARIATION: This recipe is excellent with crumbled bacon–the full recipe will need one pound of cooked, drained and chopped bacon. Any left over potato salad also makes a wonderful potato soup–just add evaporated milk and simmer until hot–sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

We collected dozens of great heart healthy recipes for you – Here they are…

Almost 7% of Americans will be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress (PTSD) at some point during their lifetime. Annually 3.5% of Americans have been diagnosed with PTSD. These individuals struggle with sleep disorders such as insomnia, sleeping too much, and nightmares. Often they struggle with the trauma during the day, and nighttime can feel like a battleground that offers little to no respite from traumatic memories and intrusive thoughts.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), classified under Trauma and Stress-Related Disorders in the DSM-IV-TR, is a mental health problem that can occur following experience of a psychologically traumatic event like war, assault, or disaster. The estimated prevalence of PTSD in the general population is 1-9%, among victims with significant trauma the figure is 20–45% and among veterans it is 15–20%.

Sleep disturbances contribute to poor clinical outcomes including poor daytime function, increased suicidal tendencies and depression, poorer perceived physical health and increased drug and substance abuse. Previously, studies showed that patients with chronic psychiatric disorders may be at increased risk of sleep problems and that sleep problems may exacerbate psychiatric disorder symptoms such as anxiety and PTSD.

Sleep disturbances in PTSD are core features that are often resistant to first-line treatments. It has been shown that sleep disturbance independently aggravates daytime symptoms and often requires sleep-target intervention.

How Does PTSD Affect Sleep?

People with PTSD often find that their traumatic memories intrude on their ability to sleep. Some common PTSD-related sleep symptoms include:

• Being unable to fall asleep because of anxiety or agitation.
• Difficulty staying asleep because of frequent nightmares.
• Poor quality sleep because of nightmares. Some people report waking up many times each night and struggling to fall back asleep each time. This is called maintenance insomnia.
• Sleep problems related to drugs or alcohol. Some people with PTSD use alcohol or drugs to cope, which can cause sleep problems. Some medications for PTSD and anxiety may also cause sleep problems. For example, benzodiazepines may make it difficult to wake up in the morning.

A study that compared people with insomnia who did not have PTSD to those with combat-related PTSD and insomnia found important differences in the two groups. Those included:

• More repetitive nightmares in people with PTSD. People with PTSD were more likely to say their nightmares made it difficult to go back to sleep.
• More anxiety during the day in people with PTSD.
• More fatigue during the day among people with PTSD.

This suggests a feedback loop between sleep issues and other PTSD symptoms. Sleep problems can intensify daytime PTSD symptoms, which may make it even more difficult to sleep at night. People who feel anxious or fatigued during the day may ruminate more on their traumatic memories, increasing the risk of nightmares and other issues when they try to sleep.

Coping With Sleep Related PTSD Sleep Issue

Lifestyle changes can help some people with PTSD sleep more soundly. The National Sleep Foundation emphasizes that sleep is a habit, so the right changes can help the body adopt healthy sleep habits that offer better sleep. Try the following:

• Design a comfortable sleeping area, with a firm and supportive mattress and comfortable pillow.
• Develop a relaxing bedtime ritual.
• Stick to the same sleep schedule every day, even on weekends or vacations.
• Avoid napping during the day if you have trouble sleeping at night.
• Exercise every day, but not right before bed.
• Keep your bedroom cool, between 60-67 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Keep your bedroom quiet. Some people find that a white noise machine helps.
• If you can’t fall asleep, get up and do something else.
• Use your bed only for sleeping—not to play, read, or do work.
• Eat a light snack 45 minutes before bed if you tend to wake up hungry.
• Avoid heavy meals, alcohol, caffeine, and cigarettes before bed. Some people find drinking caffeine in the afternoon makes it harder to sleep.

Treating PTSD and Insomnia

Treating patients with PTSD for sleep disorders has sometimes been heartbreaking. Until the past few decades, people with PTSD were not treated for it, because the condition had not even been described. Today, treatments have evolved and patients can benefit from them.

Treatment should be coordinated by an expert in treating PTSD, most often a psychiatrist. The therapies that may be effective are the “talk therapies,” often in concert with medications. Two drugs have been approved by the FDA to treat PTSD: sertraline (Zoloft®) and paroxetine (Paxil®).

In an exciting development, recent research shows that an “old” drug, prazosin, originally used to treat high blood pressure, may be effective in reducing the nightmares in PTSD patients. It is believed that norepinephrine may play a role in causing sleep disturbances and nightmares in PTSD, and prazosin reduces the levels of norepinephrine in the brain.

Non-Drug Treatments For PTSD

The National Center for PTSD explains that the most effective treatments for post traumatic stress disorder involve medication or different types of therapy. While research has proven that various medications drastically improve symptoms, there are many non-medical alternative approaches that are just as beneficial. Five such non-medical alternative treatments for PTSD include cognitive behavioral therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, sound therapy, mind-body medicine and practicing mindfulness.

Device-guided breathing could be a difference maker in patients suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) findings from a new study show. Study results showed that RESPeRATE, a portable electronic device that promotes slow, deep breathing, actually improved symptoms of patients suffering from PTSD.

Nothing says heart healthy like grilled fish with vegetables. This mouth watering recipe will have you try it more than once. If you cannot get sea bass at your local fish market, as for their recommendation.

You can also add a tossed green salad to compliment the dish. Remember to use a low fat dressing but I like using fresh squeezed lemons or limes and a touch of olive oil.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ tablespoons canola oil
• ½ teaspoon grated or minced fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
• ¼ teaspoon sugar substitute
• Non-Dressing
• 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
• ½ pound asparagus, tough ends removed
• Four 5-ounce black sea bass fillets, skinned and all
• pin bones removed
• 6 ounces mixed greens, washed, dried and
• refrigerated until ready to serve (about 6 cups)
• Pickled ginger, optional

Instructions:

1) Light the grill or preheat the broiler.

2) Combine all of the dressing ingredients with 1 tablespoon water in a blender.

3) Bring a medium pot of water to a boil; add the corn and simmer for 2 minutes. Drain, refresh in cold water, and place in a salad bowl. Cook the asparagus in simmering water to cover until just tender, about 2 minutes for pencil thin asparagus. Drain, refresh in cold water, and set aside.

4) Grill or broil the sea bass for about 6 minutes per side, turning once; use the tip of a sharp knife to test for tenderness. The fish should be opaque in the center. Remove from the heat and allow to rest while you finish preparing the dish.

5) Add the greens to the salad bowl. Whisk the dressing for a few seconds and toss with the greens and corn. Divide among 4 plates, then decorate each serving with the reserved asparagus, forming a circle around the corn and greens. Top each plate with a piece of sea bass. Garnish with a twist of pickled ginger, if using.

We collected dozens of great heart healthy recipes for you – Here they are…

Researchers found that in the two hours immediately after feeling angry, a person’s risk of a heart attack increased nearly fivefold (by 4.74 times), and the risk of stroke increased more than threefold (by 3.62 times).

Exercising When You’re Angry May Lead to Heart Attack

We have all been told that exercise will help us blow off steam when we are upset or angry. But a new study is showing that this thought might be deadly. People who have exercise when emotionally upset tend to have their first heart attack during this time period.

According to the study, “Physical exertion, anger, and emotional upset are reported to trigger Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI). In the INTERHEART study, “we explored the triggering association of acute physical activity and anger or emotional upset with AMI to quantify the importance of these potential triggers in a large, international population”.

Physical exertion and anger or emotional upset are triggers associated with first AMI in all regions of the world, in men and women, and in all age groups, with no significant effect modifiers.

What Correlation the Study Found

In these analyses of INTERHEART, they confirmed previous reports that heavy physical exertion and anger or emotional upset may act as triggers of first acute myocardial infarction, but we also extend findings to all regions of the world.

They found an interaction between heavy physical exertion and anger or emotional upset with an additive association in participants with exposure to both in the 1 hour before acute myocardial infarction.

Researchers did not report effect modification by previous cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular risk factor burden, cardiovascular prevention medications, or time and day of onset of symptoms.

What Are the Implication of the Study?

The findings suggest that clinicians should advise patients to minimize exposure to extremes of anger or emotional upset because of the potential risk of triggering acute myocardial infarction.

The research also suggested that heavy or vigorous physical exertion (but not any physical activity) may trigger a myocardial infarction.

Therefore, given the established benefits of regular physical activity over the long term, clinicians should continue to advise patients about the lifelong benefits of exercise.

How to Manage Anger

1. Recognize the warning signs that you’re getting ticked off.

Do you notice rising irritation, a sense of frustration, increase in your breathing rate or a quickening pulse? Take a moment to get things in perspective and explore your feelings.

Breathe mindfully for a few breaths as you notice your body sensations change. Listen for your thoughts without adding to the inner dialogue, or trying to silence them. What are your thoughts saying? It can take some patience to stick with the unpleasant feelings but remind yourself to come back to observing the anger with self-compassion and discover what your anger has to teach you.

2. Know this: You have choices

Acknowledge that in many situations your only choice is how you react. During challenging times, remind yourself: “I have a choice here,” and choose not to waste your time wallowing in negative emotions.

3. Meditate!

Meditation slows down the heart rate, lowers blood pressure, reduces anxiety, and, as a result, relieves stress.

In one trial participants in an eight-week mindfulness meditation, the stress-reduction program experienced significant reductions in reported daily irritation (24%) and psychological distress (44%), and the benefits were maintained three months later.

4. Eat!

Food can easily wind up low on the priority list, but when blood sugar drops and tummies grumble, it’s hard not to get irritable. Even a small snack can make all the difference to your mid-morning meeting. Be good to your body—when you’re physically uncomfortable, your mind can’t help but follow.

5. Sleep!

No amount of caffeine can replace a good night’s sleep, which is something most of us don’t get often enough. In the long run, insufficient sleep ups our risk of heart disease and diabetes.

In the short term, we become groggy, foggy, and downright unpleasant to be around. When our minds aren’t well rested, we’re quick to anger and slower to see reason. Take time to plan your daily schedule around a proper night’s sleep. And avoid coffee and alcohol for two to three hours before bedtime.

6. Spend more time with your dog, cat, bird, or fish

In a study published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, researchers concluded: “People perceive pets as important, supportive parts of their lives, and significant cardiovascular and behavioral benefits are associated with those perceptions.”

Indeed, pet owners have better than average survival rates after heart attacks and a lower risk of succumbing to cardiovascular disease in the first place. And older people who own pets are generally healthier and happier than those who don’t.

You’ve heard it before but we’ll say it again: Petting a pet reduces stress, calms you down fast, and makes you feel better on so many levels.

7. Don’t yield to road rage

When someone forgets to signal or stops abruptly or is just making us #&@!@** late for work, we can be so quick to blow our stack. Even people who don’t swear much are suddenly hurling profanities.

If you have this habit, you probably won’t eliminate it in one fell swoop, so make it a priority to notice when it comes up. Be curious about why it’s happening and why it’s so intense. The very act of repeatedly reflecting will begin to defuse it.

8. Stuck in line? Let go!

For some strange reason when we get in lines (or queues or snakes, as they’re called in some places) we tend to get antsy.

If there’s more than one line, we start looking at the other lines and wondering whether we chose the wrong one. Before you know it, in your head you’re griping about the people ahead of you and how slow or stupid they are…just let it go. What good is it doing?

9. Roll with the interruptions

It’s easy to get totally fixated on our plan for the day (or the next hour for that matter), and anything that gets in our way, we just want to steamroll past. But let’s face it: Life, is filled with interruptions. Get used to it. Embrace the disruption. It’s what keeps things fresh and interesting.

10. Go to your happy place

But first, you need to have one! Designate a place in your home or apartment or out in nature or a public place where you can retreat to when you need to get away from it all. It could be that you go to practice meditation or do yoga stretches. Keep it free of clutter and make it as calm as possible.

11. Stop avoiding that person who really bugs you

Most of us have a petty nemesis, a bête noire, who just seems to get under our skin. Unless this person is truly malicious and requires an intervention (that’s another topic altogether), cut them some slack. Somebody loves them. Why can’t it be you?

Anger may be destructive. Exercising to blow off steam when you are emotionally upset can be deadly. Learn how to deal with life inconveniences in a calm and productive way.

I know it can be easier said than done. But in the end, we are talking about your overall well-being.