Lower Pressure Blog

I bought this DVD to start doing my own QiGong Practice. Trying to maintain health and lower blood pressure I believe there is much wisdom in eastern medicine. The eastern medical model focuses on prevention. Enjoy this QiGong practice as part of your morning routine.

Qi Gong is an ancient form of exercise and moving meditation that helps restore balance to the body and mind. Described as the art of preventing disease and prolonging life, Qi Gong awakens the natural healing power of the body.

About 1 in 3 Americans have been diagnosed with high blood pressure. Stress is a key factor in high blood pressure. Mental stress keeps the brain in a hyperactive state that leads to blood vessel contraction, faster heartbeats, and less blood flowing to the peripheral body, causing persistently elevated blood pressure.

High blood pressure increases your risk for a large variety of health factors. By relaxing the system and lowering blood pressure, these potential problems are greatly reduced.

Qigong Basics

Qi Gong is both an exercise routine and a stress management form of relaxation. Qi is the body’s life force energy. There’s a saying in Qi Gong, “Flowing water doesn’t stagnate…” and the same is true for the body’s energy.

When we keep this internal life force energy circulating, inner balance and relaxation happen naturally. Stress contracts the energy system which in turn constricts the blood vessels. When we relax, the vessels dilate and the Qi flows.

Research shows that a daily practice of Qi Gong can lower blood pressure. Be your own best researcher, try it for yourself and witness the wonderful results of this ancient practice.

We all know that being overweight or obese increases our risk of developing high blood pressure. In fact, your blood pressure rises as your body weight increases. Losing even 10 pounds can lower your blood pressure—and losing weight has the biggest effect on those who are overweight and already have hypertension.

But losing weight isn’t that easy is it. So how can we lose weight and keep it off?

That is where Professor Dan Ariely and SHAPA come in!

Dr. Dan Ariely is a professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University. He is the author of the bestsellers Predictably Irrational, The Upside of Irrationality, The Honest Truth About Dishonesty, Dollars and Sense and Amazing Decisions — as well as the TED Book Payoff: The Hidden Logic that Shapes Our Motivations. He is also co-creator of the film documentary (Dis)Honesty: The Truth About Lies.

Through his research and his (often amusing and unorthodox) experiments, he questions the forces that influence human behavior and the irrational ways in which we often all behave. We thought you’d be interested so we asked the folks at Shapa to tell you about it.

Another Year of Resolutions?

In 2022, an estimated 164 million Americans set new year’s resolutions. Many of them fall in the category of health, wealth, and self-improvement. According to U.S. News, 80% of resolutioners fail by the second week of February. It is quite common to place blame on setting too aggressive of goals, having unexpected events come up, or not having enough will power.

No matter the cause, at some point people simply lose commitment. According to behavior scientist Dan Ariely, the same device we use to track our weight can actually serve as a commitment tool. According to Ariely, it isn’t just a tool for measuring weight, but also “a commitment device serving as a reminder to care about what our weight is”.

So if weighing in daily is going serves as a daily commitment, how can it simultaneously work against us?

1. Fluctuations and Confusing Data

Weight fluctuations are perfectly normal whether you are trying to lose weight or not. It can be the result of many things including hydration level, sodium intake, medications, and even the actual weight of the food. Often we expect the behavior we exhibit on any given day to show up on the scale the next morning. While this is sometimes true, it is often not. We often believe more data is better.

However if your scale is showing that you went up one-third of a pound, you may become confused or demotivated. The example below demonstrates a small segment of what sustainable weight loss looks like.

During these 6 weeks, this individual actually went up in weight 36 times compared to their previous measurement. That’s 47% of their weigh-ins! How would you feel if you worked hard for 6 weeks to lose weight and your scale told you that you failed.

2. Scale Aversion

Research has shown the pain of losing something is twice as psychologically harmful as the pleasure from gaining that same item. Think about the last time you received $20 in a holiday card. It probably felt nice, but not something you dwell upon all day. However, if somehow the $20 bill fell out of your pocket while running errands, it may feel like you lost a small fortune.

The same applies to weight. While losing a pound is nice, gaining a pound can take such an emotional toll that we lose motivation and give up completely. Even though the end result is positive, can you imagine the pain this individual experienced 36 times stepping on the scale?

3. Plateaus and Maintenance

As described in the videos above, weight loss isn’t perfectly linear. While following a program, we will have periods of weight fluctuation. We also must remember life happens. In the effort to lose weight, we often draw a line in the sand and put maintenance on the same side as gaining weight. This is the result of us looking to the scale as our reward for the effort spent.

If the number doesn’t change, we experience no reward and often give up. However by traditional standards, if you maintain your weight 35 weeks and experience weight loss 17 weeks, that has been a successful year.

4. Outcome Focused

Your scale provides you with data based on your current body composition. Without focusing on the behaviors that drive results, long-term sustainable weight loss will be a challenge. It is important to set achievable behaviors and not just focus on the outcome.

If these are experiences that have caused you to lose motivation and give up, you’re not alone. Rather than blaming yourself, we should shift our focus instead to why we continue to use a tool that causes us to experience pain even when we are on the right path. Traditional scales may be well suited for calculations, but don’t aren’t tools designed to psychologically support our weight loss journey.

Now Is The Time To Make A Change

If you are ready for a change, try SHAPA. SHAPA is the completely new revolutionary numberless scale that provides a 5-color feedback and daily missions that nudge you toward sustainable success. Users experience a 5% loss in body weight over 6 months and 95% of active users maintain or continue to lose weight after a year. Get your SHAPA today using the PROMO CODE: RESPERATE20 to save $20 on your 12-month SHAPA program and start seeing results today!

Find out more about SHAPA HERE.

Frittata is an egg-based Italian dish similar to an omelet or crustless quiche or scrambled eggs, enriched with additional ingredients such as meats, cheeses, vegetables or pasta.

The word frittata is Italian and roughly translates to “fried”. This is our continuing “DASH Diet Recipes”. These delicious “Red Pepper Goat Cheese Frittata” is sure to be a taste bud pleaser.

Ingredients:

• 8 eggs
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup sliced red bell pepper
• 1 bunch scallions, trimmed and sliced
• 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese

Instructions:

1. Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler.

2. Whisk eggs, oregano, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Heat oil in a large, ovenproof, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bell pepper and scallions and cook, stirring constantly, until the scallions are just wilted, 30 seconds to 1 minute.

3. Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables and cook, lifting the edges of the frittata to allow the uncooked egg to flow underneath until the bottom is light golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Dot the top of the frittata with cheese, transfer the pan to the oven and broil until puffy and lightly golden on top, 2 to 3 minutes. Let rest for about 3 minutes before serving. Serve hot or cold.

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

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a condition in which the force of blood against your artery walls is too high. Eventually, uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to heart failure.

In addition to blood pressure medications and lifestyle changes, some experts recommend drinking wine. But, does red wine lower blood pressure?. Before drinking red wine, consult your physician to make sure that the alcohol in the red wine will not alter the effects of your medications.

The heart-healthy benefits of red wine are often credited to antioxidants called polyphenols. Experts have different opinions, however, about exactly how the polyphenols may benefit the heart.

Dutch researchers have found that the polyphenols don’t seem to promote heart health by reducing blood pressure.

“Our findings do not support [the idea] that potential cardiovascular benefits of red wine consumption result from blood pressure lowering by polyphenols,” says researcher Ilse Botden, MD, a Ph.D. student at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

The findings don’t suggest red wine isn’t still heart-healthy — just that it doesn’t seem to work by lowering blood pressure, Botden says.

The benefit of red wine and heart health, she says, ”apparently occurs in a blood pressure-independent manner.”

Here’s what Dr. Michael Greger has to say about that:

Health benefits of red wine

• Improve HDL

Drinking red wine regularly may increase your HDL, or high-density lipoprotein states the American Heart Association. HDL is the “good” cholesterol that removes plaques from your arteries, thus lowering blood pressure.

The effect of increasing HDL is from the alcohol in the red wine. Over time, this small increase in HDL can reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease.

• Prevent Blood Clots

An added benefit of drinking red wine is that it may reduce blood clots, states the American Heart Association. Blood clots form when platelets clump together in the blood. Excessive blood-clot formation in the arteries can worsen plaques and increase blood pressure.

Resveratrol is a polyphenol found in red wine that may have anti-clotting properties, thus reducing your risk of developing a blood clot and leading to a positive effect on blood pressure.

• Stress Relief

A serving of red wine at night can help you relax and relieve stress because it slows down activity in the nervous system. Stress can raise blood pressure and increase your risk for cardiovascular disease.

You should not, however, begin drinking red wine to lower your blood pressure or for stress relief if you do not already drink alcohol. Men should not consume more than two drinks per day, and women should limit alcohol intake to one drink per day.

What About Non-Alcoholic Red Wine?

A team of Spanish researchers recruited 67 men between ages 55 and 75, all with diabetes or cardiovascular risk factors. Each man drank red wine daily for four weeks, then drank non-alcoholic red wine daily for four weeks, then drank gin daily for four weeks. The daily amounts were moderate: 10 ounces of wine or three ounces of gin. That’s about two drinks a day.

When the men drank non-alcoholic red wine, their systolic blood pressure (the top number of a blood pressure reading) decreased on average by 6 points. That’s enough to reduce heart disease risk by 14% and stroke risk by as much as 20%, according to the researchers.

There was no change in blood pressure when the men drank gin and only a small reduction in blood pressure when they drank regular red wine.

Conclusion

Researchers also found that the men’s plasma nitric oxide levels went up when they drank non-alcoholic red wine. That’s a good thing, because nitric oxide relaxes blood vessel walls, allowing better blood flow.

The NO levels went up only slightly when the men drank regular red wine, and not at all when they drank gin.

The results of the study look like something to toast: you can get polyphenol and nitric oxide benefits without having to drink alcohol and risk the dangers that come with it. Not so fast, says Dr. Bhatt. “It makes scientific sense, but these findings really need to be confirmed in other studies,” he reminds us.

What the study doesn’t tell us is how non-alcoholic red wine stacks up against regular red wine for preventing heart attacks or other cardiovascular problems.

An excellent discussion of the benefits and risks of drinking red wine and other alcoholic beverages is available on The Nutrition Source, a website published by the Harvard School of Public Health’s Department of Nutrition.

More about natural ways to lower blood pressure

• Eight foods clinically proven to lower blood pressure
• Teas And Other Drinks to Lower Blood Pressure

What can you do with leftover roast chicken? One answer is to make a fantastic second meal like this wrap, which can become a weekend lunch or light dinner. Best of all, it can be put together in less than 30 minutes. Very low fat or fat-free whole wheat tortillas are available in the bread section of your market.

Serve this amazing wrap with a side of creamy guacamole and Pico De Gallo. I like using hot sauce on mine to give it a kick.

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 cup shredded leftover white meat chicken, skin and fat removed
• One 1-pound package coleslaw mix, or 5 cups shredded cabbage
• 3 ounces shiitake mushrooms stems discarded, thinly sliced
• 5 scallions, white parts and 3 inches of the green, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic chili sauce
• Four 8-inch whole wheat tortillas

Directions:

1) Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet.

2) Add the chicken, coleslaw mix, mushrooms, scallions, ginger, and garlic.

3) Stir-fry over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, or until the coleslaw has wilted.

4) Stir in the hoisin and garlic chili sauce.

5) Reheat the tortillas in the microwave following package directions.

6) Place one-fourth of the chicken and vegetables in each wrap. Roll up and serve immediately.

NOTE: No leftover chicken in the fridge? Poach 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts by placing the chicken in a covered pan with stock halfway up the sides. Bring to a simmer. Check with the point of a knife after 4 to 5 minutes.

Or place the chicken in a microwave-safe dish with broth or water to cover the bottom of the dish. Cover with wax paper and cook on High for 4 minutes. Check for doneness. If not opaque throughout, microwave on High for another 1 to 2 minutes (juices should run clear when the chicken is pierced with a knife).

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

What Is Hawthorne Berry?

Hawthorn is a flowering shrub that is part of the Rosaceae, or rose, family. It is native to northern Europe but now grows throughout the world. The red berry-like fruit of this spiny plant is sometimes called “haw,” and has been used for both medicinal and culinary purposes. Hawthorn berry was included in the U.S.Pharmacopeia until the 1930s. The leaves are edible as well.

Watch Dr. Meschino explain the proven ability of hawthorn to reduce high blood pressure and improve blood flow to the heart muscle.

How Hawthorne Berry Works

The berries have been used in traditional medicine since the first century, and contain phytonutrients called anthocyanidins and proanthocyanidins, antioxidants that have a variety of therapeutic effects including strengthening the walls of blood vessels. Extracts of Hawthorn berries, leaves and blossoms also contain compounds that have a toning effect on the heart and vascular system. Hawthorn has been studied for its use in treating health concerns related to the heart and blood vessels.

This includes congestive heart failure, irregular heartbeat, chest pain, low and high blood pressure, angina, atherosclerosis, and high cholesterol. A meta-analysis based on data from 14 studies concluded that a hawthorn extract offers “significant benefit” as an adjunct to conventional treatment of chronic heart failure. Specifically, symptoms including shortness of breath and fatigue were significantly alleviated, compared to placebo treatment.

How To Steep The Tea

Place loose Hawthorne berries in your teapot. The general rule is one teaspoon of berries per cup of tea. You can use a tea infuser to contain the berries if you like, but because they’re rather large you will be able to later scoop them out of the water without an infuser.

Pour the boiling water into the teapot with the Hawthorne berries. Cover and let steep for 8 to 10 minutes. If you like weak tea, let the berries steep for less time — for strong tea, let the berries steep longer.

Scoop the Hawthorne berries out of the tea with a spoon. Pour the tea and enjoy.

Store the tea, if necessary, in the refrigerator once it has cooled. Tea shouldn’t be stored for more than 3 days.

What is an ACE inhibitor?

Being newly diagnosed with high blood pressure your physician may decide to start you on medication to lower your high blood pressure, depending on the severity. Your physician may decide to start you on an ACE inhibitor. One such ACE Inhibitor is “Lisinopril”.

A study published in the medical journal Toxicology International found that Lisinopril has a number of side-effects, all of which contribute to feelings of weakness and tiredness.

In fact, most blood pressure medications suppress the nervous system and drain the body of valuable and necessary nutrients reducing energy and causing fatigue. According to online resource The People’s Pharmacy®, at least 100 million prescriptions are filled for ACE inhibitors each year. A press release by the biotech company, polyDNA, says that this means that “there are over 100 million people in the United States that may experience extreme fatigue as a side effect of their blood pressure medications.”

This article has been written so that you, the client, may be better educated to work in co-operation with your PCP (Primary Care Physician). This will help provide you with information that along with your physician will ensure the best possible outcomes.

It is by no means written so that you may bypass your PCP and come to your own self-diagnosis. All information in this article can be found on the world wide web, the FDA website or other websites such as drugs.com.

In America, many people have more than one doctor. They have there PCP, a cardiologist, endocrinologist, an internal medicine physician. Many of these physicians will prescribe you medication for what they are treating. It is very important that you inform your PCP of any medication changes or additions they make. You want to avoid drug to drug interactions.

In today’s article, we are going to learn about one of the most popular anti-hypertensives prescribed. Lisinopril.

What is Lisinopril?

In the early 1990s, Lisinopril was the third ACE inhibitor to hit the market after Captopril and Enalapril. Its differential properties from other ACE inhibitors are that it is hydrophilic has a long half-life and tissue penetration, and is not metabolized by the liver.

ACE stands for angiotensin converting enzyme. Lisinopril is used to treat high blood pressure(hypertension) in adults and children who are at least 6 years old. Lisinopril is also used to treat congestive heart failure in adults or to improve survival after a heart attack.

Watch for these known side effects so you can inform your doctor. Finding the right drug combination to get your high blood pressure under control is not simple. In many cases, it’s really a trial and error process to find what is effective for you and that you can tolerate. In many cases, it means multiple drugs which can also have drug-to-drug interaction. It’s important that you know the possible side effects of the specific drug your physician has prescribed to you so you can work with him or her to find a combination which is right for you.

Important information about Lisinopril

• If you become pregnant while using Lisinopril inform your physician immediately. Your PCP may want to change your medications to provide the best possible outcomes for your baby and you.
• You should not use this medicine if you have Hereditary Angioedema. Angioedema is a form of severe swelling beneath the skin’s surface. In some cases, the swelling occurs along with the appearance of hives. This is why angioedema is sometimes referred to as “giant hives.” Hives are itchy, red welts that develop on the surface of the skin.
• If you endocrinologist has diagnosed you with diabetes, inform your PCP. Using Lisinopril together with any medication that contains aliskiren (such as Amturnide, Tekturna, Tekamlo). The FDA has issued new warnings about anti-hypertensive drugs containing the direct renin inhibitor aliskiren (including Tekturna, Amturnide, Takamio,) when used in combination with ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs).
• The FDA now states that these drug combinations are contraindicated in patients with diabetes, and it is a new warning to avoid the use of this combination in patients with moderate to severe renal impairment. Please notify your PCP of any new diagnosis you may have received. (GFR <60 mL/min).

Before taking ACE inhibitors

You should not use this medication if you are allergic to Lisinopril or to any other ACE inhibitor, such as benazepril captopril, fosinopril, enalapril, moexipril, perindopril, quinapril, ramipril, or trandolapril. This is especially important when you have moved and have a new PCP. He or she may not have the information readily available to them. So when filling out your health history please provide all your history.

Lisinopril side effects

You should contact your PCP immediately if you experience signs of an allergic reaction to Lisinopril:

• hives
• severe stomach pain,
• difficult breathing
• swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat

Your PCP may direct you to go to an emergency room.

Call your doctor at once if you have any of the Lisinopril Side Effects below:

• a light-headed feeling, like you might pass out
• little or no urinating
• fever, sore throat
• high potassium – nausea, slow or unusual heart rate, weakness, loss of movement;
• kidney problems – little or no urinating, painful or difficult urination, swelling in your feet or ankles, feeling tired or short of breath
• liver problems – nausea, upper stomach pain, itching, tired feeling, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes).

Common Lisinopril side effects may include:

• headache
• dizziness
• cough
• chest pain

More Reading about Lisinopril Side Effects

This is not a complete list of Lisinopril side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. As always, educate yourself. When I was a practicing Registered Nurse, we knew to check and re-check with a patient before giving them medication. Once a medication is taken, it is taken.

According to the National Council for Patient Information and Education, about 50% of the 2 – 3 billion prescriptions filled each year are not taken correctly. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, educating patients before they leave the hospital reduces readmissions, emergency department visits and saves money. Medication non-compliance is a very serious problem.

So please if you do not understand your medication instructions please speak with your PCP or your pharmacist. Also, it is very important that you inform them if you are taking any herbal remedies. Although herbal remedies in themselves are many times harmless, you need to be aware of the drug to drug interactions.

This post is not intended to provide medical advice nor by any means suggest that you stop taking or reduce your prescribed medications. On the contrary, high blood pressure is a dangerous condition and It is very important that you work with your doctor to get it under control.

If you are tired of eating the same old thing then I have an amazing recipe for you to try at home. Yes and as the weather is getting colder in many parts of the country this dish will having you feel toasty inside.

You can serve this a lone, or with a healthy sandwich on the side. Enjoy this delicious soup with a loved one this week.

Ingredients:

• 1 c. piquillo peppers
• ¾ c. hummus
• 2 c. chicken or beef stock
• ½ c. white rice
• 1 c. rotisserie chicken
• salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 tbsp. flat-leaf parsley
• olive oil
• Hot sauce

Directions:

1. In a blender or a food processor, combine the whole piquillos with the hummus and stock and puree until smooth.

2. Transfer the soup to a medium saucepan. Add the rice and chicken, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.

3. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the parsley, sliced piquillos, olive oil and hot sauce.

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

Pregnancy is one of the most beautiful things a woman can experience. Have you ever noticed how pregnant women have that certain glow about them? But pregnancy also comes with some risks. One of them being gestational hypertension.

What is gestational hypertension? Gestational hypertension or pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) is the development of new hypertension in a pregnant woman after 20 weeks’ gestation without the presence of protein in the urine or other signs of pre-eclampsia.

There are actually three types of hypertension during pregnancy:

1. Chronic Hypertension– Women who have high blood pressure(140/90) before pregnancy, early pregnancy ( before 20 weeks), and continues after pregnancy.

2.Gestational Hypertension– High blood pressure that develops after the 20th week of pregnancy and disappears after delivery.

3.Pre-eclampsia- Both chronic hypertension and gestational hypertension can lead to this severe condition after week 20 of the pregnancy. Symptoms include high blood pressure and protein in the urine. This can lead to serious complications for mom and the baby if not treated quickly.

Who Is At Risk For Gestational Hypertension?

• First-time mom’s
• Women whose sisters and moms had PIH
• Pregnant with more than one child
• Women younger than age 20 and older than age 40
• Women who had high blood pressure or kidney disease prior to pregnancy
• Women who are African American

What Are The Symptoms Of Gestational Hypertension?

The following are the most common symptoms of high blood pressure in pregnancy. However, each woman may experience symptoms differently, and a patient with gestational hypertension may be completely asymptomatic. Symptoms may include:

• Increased blood pressure
• Absence or presence of protein in the urine (to diagnose gestational hypertension or preeclampsia)
• Edema (swelling)
• Sudden weight gain
• Visual changes such as blurred or double vision
• Nausea, vomiting
• Right-sided upper abdominal pain or pain around the stomach
• Urinating small amounts
• Changes in liver or kidney function tests

Can Gestational Hypertension Cause Problems for Me and the Baby?

High blood pressure can hurt you and your baby. The effects can be mild to very severe. It may cause no problems. Or it may:

• • It might cause damage to your kidneys and other organs
  • It could reduce blood flow to the placenta, which means your baby receives less oxygen and fewer nutrients
  • It may result in your baby to be born too small or too soon
  • Put you at risk for possible heart disease or high blood pressure when you become older
  • In severe cases, gestational hypertension leads to preeclampsia, also known as toxemia. It can harm the placenta as well as your brain, liver, and kidneys. Preeclampsia can lead to eclampsia, a rare and serious condition that can cause seizures and coma — even death.

  How is Gestational Hypertension Medically Treated?

  Specific treatment for gestational hypertension will be determined by your doctor based on:

  • Your pregnancy, overall health, and medical history
  • The extent of the disease
  • Your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies
  • Expectations for the course of the disease
  • Your opinion or preference

  The goal of treatment is to prevent the condition from becoming worse and to prevent it from causing other complications. Treatment for gestational hypertension may include:

  • Bedrest, either at home or in the hospital, may be recommended
  • Hospitalization (as specialized personnel and equipment may be necessary)
  • Magnesium sulfate (or other antihypertensive medications for gestational hypertension if blood pressure readings are in the severe range)

  How to naturally control high blood pressure during pregnancy:

  Maintain A Healthy Weight

  Although pickles and ice cream may sound good, try to stay away from them as much as possible. Many doctors and researchers have concluded that you should be near a healthy body weight when you become pregnant. By eating a nutrient dense diet one can achieve that goal.

  Get Regular Exercise

  No matter how many articles I have researched or written this one and the one above are always in the same group. Think they are trying to tell us something? Besides helping to maintain a healthy body weight during your pregnancy, did you know that exercise also helps decrease inflammation?

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  Watch how Julie Lowered her Blood Pressure Naturally. It was 170/110, this morning it was 120/80 Learn More…

  
  

  Eat a Healing Diet to Reduce Blood Pressure Levels

  I love the way this one is written, eating a healing diet. We should not only eat for enjoyment but also that our bodies may heal themselves. You want to be eating high antioxidant foods, potassium-rich foods, and as many super-foods as possible.

  Prevent Dehydration and Fatigue

  You really want to stay hydrated which means drinking the minimum of 8 8 oz. glasses of water (WATER NOT COKE ZERO!) daily. Limit the double espresso lattes with whip cream, and cut down on the fuzzy navels. (Yes a real drink). Also, ensure you are getting adequate sleep at night and if you feel fatigue in the afternoon regardless of what housework you think you must do. Ask your partner for additional help. By taking care of you they are also taking care of themselves, you, and the child you both bringing into the world.

  More Ways to Help Yourself

  Women must be very careful with what they should and should not take to avoid teratogenic effects on their unborn child (Teratogen: Any agent that can disturb the development of an embryo or fetus). The classes of teratogens include radiation, maternal infections, chemicals, and drugs. Here are a few natural ways to ensure yourself to keep your blood pressure in check during your pregnancy.

  Very important keep up with your Doctor’s visits: Prenatal checkups are a must. This may be the first place your medical practitioner, nurse practitioner, or midwife my find some concerns so keep all your appointments.

  The overall goal is a safe and happy pregnancy for both moms, the baby, and partner. By following these simple suggestion a safe pregnancy is achievable.