By Dr. Hyun K. Lee
Contributing Writer
Happy New Year! It is now 2021. Thankfully, 2020 is over and done with and we are all looking forward to a happier new year. But “anxiety” and “hypertension” seem to be the legacy 2020 left us to deal with these days, due to the continuing financial, emotional, and physical stresses placed upon us by COVID-19 and our political leaders.
These two gifts may seem to be quite commonplace so the patient doesn’t take them so seriously, especially when there is a quick fix with medication. The vast majority of people who are diagnosed with hypertension are advised by their Western doctor to take a medication to regulate blood pressure and more often than not, the patient will do so.
Though medication works very well to bring blood pressure to a more normal level, long term use of hypertension medications diminishes the body’s support of the brain and lowers immune system function which ushers in a host of more serious problems including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, dizziness, and cancer. What is so often overlooked is why your blood pressure is high to begin with. Hypertension exists for a reason and finding the cause is much more important than treating the result.
Hypertension is caused by both an inside and outside reason. The outside reasons vary, but are usually either external stress and/or weight gain related. The inside reason is diminished organ function because your blood is not healthy.
Stress related hypertension is caused when stress makes the veins and arteries in the body tighten. Blood pressure is forced to rise in order to continue to deliver the body the nutrients and toxin removal it requires from moment to moment. Over time, the impact on your organs is great and they begin to weaken. When weak, they are no longer able to support the body as well as they were when you were healthy. Due to this imbalance, the body begins to build up toxins from both medication and lifestyle which builds further pressure in your veins and arteries. Those who develop stress-related hypertension also tend to grow very tight and hard around the neck and shoulder area. This is a physical indication of how your body is doing inside and needs to be paid attention to. In a moment of great stress, chi quickly rises to the top of your head. In a healthy individual it lowers safely and in a timely fashion, but in someone with that hardness and stagnation, the chi cannot descend easily or fast enough which leads to stroke. Keeping this area of the body soft and supple through exercise, stretching and massage is very important.
Individuals who are overweight develop hypertension because their heart is trying to support the extra weight. Some might not take into consideration that the extra fat and flesh needs to be nourished and supported like any other part of the body. The heart becomes stressed and begins to beat faster and harder in order to nourish the usual areas it serves in addition to all of the extra pounds. Losing weight with proper diet, herbs and exercise first will not only eliminate the surplus areas of your body to support and your heart will return to a more normal rate 120/80 naturally. By going this route, you’ve not only treated your hypertension but likely staved off other diseases that accompany being overweight.
Lowering your blood pressure on your own is a worthwhile venture. Think of your body as a 5-story office building. If the second and third stories in your building were reporting low water pressure on their floors, just doing a quick fix so those two floors received ample water would be taking away water from the other floors. Those workers would no longer be able to function properly without water on those levels. This is the logic of hypertension medication. Instead, fixing the water pressure on the second and third floors properly so that it gives all floors exactly the right amount of water is the best fix. It’s the same with your body. Just covering a problem is never the best solution.
One of the most fascinating mechanisms on earth is the human body. Its remarkable ability to heal itself is impressive, if only given the opportunity.
Dr. Lee’s office is located in the Viborg Medical Center, 2030 Viborg Road, Solvang. The clinic is held every Wednesday only. They accept the following insurances: Medicare, VA, and Tri West Insurances with prior approval and most insurance that have acupuncture alternative medicine coverage in their policies. Dr. Lee also has offices in Los Angeles and Atascadero. To make an appointment in the Solvang office, call 805-693-5162.
