Blood Pressure
Blood needs to move throughout the body at a strong and steady pace. Blood pressure refers to the force at which it is pumped against the blood vessel walls. If the pressure is too high or too low, this can seriously impact the body.
Low blood pressure can lead to heart disease, stroke, shock, even death. However, if it’s severe, it’s generally something you will know about, as it might be a result of heart disease or blood loss. There are accompanying symptoms such as light-headedness and fainting.
High blood pressure, otherwise known as hypertension, is both more common, and more sinister. It is sometimes called “the silent killer,” as it has no symptoms, and before you know about it you might suffer heart failure. If your heart is working extra hard all the time, it places strain on your blood vessels and organs. Eventually, something will give up.
Often, high blood pressure is caused by poor diet and lifestyle. High salt diet (leading to retained fluid and therefore higher blood volume), high cholesterol, excessive alcohol intake, obesity, lack of exercise etc. If you know you’re a bit overweight, make poor food choices, and sit at a desk all day, it’s a very good idea to get your BP checked!
Massage regulates blood pressure
GOOD NEWS!! Multiple studies have shown that massage has a positive effect on blood pressure. You might see scenes on television shows suggesting that people with high blood pressure get all work up, go red in the face, and simply need to relax to get their pressure stabilised. This makes great TV, and being calm is always a great first step, but there’s a bit more to it than that!
One study, from the University of Isfahan in Iran, had one group regularly given a peaceful environment to relax, the other was given regular massage. The group receiving massage showed significant change to their blood pressure. Read the details here: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3733180/
Another study, from the University of Miami School of Medicine, Touch Research Institute, involved two groups having twice-weekly 30-minute sessions over six months. One group performed tasks by themselves such as deep breathing, and muscle relaxation techniques. The other received massage for their session. Although both groups showed lowered anxiety levels, only the massage group showed decreased blood pressure readings. Read more about the study here: www.massagemag.com/high-blood-pressure-reduced-by-massage-therapy-3096/
It’s important to note that the effects of massage on blood pressure are temporary. The results will vary from person to person, lasting from days to weeks. Giving the body even a few days relief from hypertension will be of benefit, and often, coupling regular massage with good diet and exercise habits can stabilise blood pressure without the use of medication.
You Are What You Eat
We eat for three reasons:
- To nourish our bodies
- To not be hungry
- For the pleasure of it!
So many people settle for only one or two of these reasons. A well-balanced diet is one that will tick all these boxes.
High blood pressure can be significantly lowered by eating certain foods. A brilliant breakfast for this is the humble bowl of porridge! Jazz it up, make it hot or cold, you can easily have it a different way each day of the week!
Hot Porridge:
½ cup rolled oats
½ cup boiling water
½ cup almond or cashew milk
Stir slowly over stove until cooked.
Cold Porridge:
½ cup rolled oats
½ cup almond or cashew milk
Mix together with any additions in a sealable container and place in fridge overnight. Ready for breakfast! You can add even more stuff to it to serve if you want!
Add some of these blood pressure super foods: cinnamon, berries, pistachios, cacao, chia seeds, natural yoghurt.
The sky’s the limit (or rather, the pantry’s the limit) with porridge! It will nourish you, taste great, and even sustain you through to lunch.
