Hello, and welcome to Health for a Lifetime 00:00:50.50\00:00:52.22 We're glad that you've joined us today. 00:00:52.25\00:00:53.84 I'm your host Don Mackintosh. 00:00:53.87\00:00:55.68 Today we're going to be talking about a very important subject, 00:00:55.71\00:01:00.38 in fact we're going to be talking about the 00:01:00.41\00:01:01.78 number one killer in Western countries and this is 00:01:01.81\00:01:05.68 cardiovascular disease. 00:01:05.71\00:01:07.26 Not just heart attacks, which we normally think of, but also 00:01:07.29\00:01:11.32 strokes, everything that has to do with the 00:01:11.35\00:01:14.56 cardiovascular system. 00:01:14.60\00:01:16.25 Joining with us to talk about this important topic is 00:01:16.28\00:01:19.71 Dr. Timothy Lawton. 00:01:19.75\00:01:21.20 He's a physician from Wichita, Kansas. 00:01:21.24\00:01:23.25 He practices what's called, "Lifestyle Medicine. " 00:01:23.28\00:01:27.39 This is the best of two worlds, medicine and also looking at 00:01:27.43\00:01:31.44 lifestyle - that is what you can do in the style of life 00:01:31.47\00:01:35.44 that you lead. 00:01:35.48\00:01:36.49 Thanks so much for joining us Dr. Lawton. 00:01:36.52\00:01:38.77 Thanks, Don. 00:01:38.81\00:01:39.78 Now you have an actual center. 00:01:39.79\00:01:41.48 Tell us a little about what you do day to day. 00:01:41.51\00:01:43.57 Well, we see a patient who's got something like heart disease. 00:01:43.60\00:01:48.16 We look at all the different factors that are 00:01:48.19\00:01:51.54 lifestyle related. 00:01:51.57\00:01:52.54 We look at lifestyle factors that impact their 00:01:52.75\00:01:56.62 blood pressure, that impact their cholesterol, if they smoke 00:01:56.65\00:01:59.85 we work with them to help them stop smoking, and we set up 00:01:59.89\00:02:03.35 specific achievable goals that they can work on at home 00:02:03.38\00:02:06.81 day by day. 00:02:06.85\00:02:07.91 The name of your lifestyle is Veté, which means life, 00:02:07.94\00:02:13.18 and you call it Veté Lifestyle Medical Center. 00:02:13.22\00:02:17.85 So it's bringing those two together. 00:02:17.89\00:02:19.55 You follow them medically, work with their physicians... 00:02:19.58\00:02:21.80 Medical plus lifestyle, all together. 00:02:21.83\00:02:25.27 I think this is certainly the wave of the future and it should 00:02:25.30\00:02:28.49 have been the wave of the past as well. 00:02:28.52\00:02:30.85 Let's talk then about cardiovascular disease. 00:02:30.88\00:02:34.25 You were careful to say to me before we began that it's number 00:02:34.29\00:02:38.33 one, it's considered still number one if you add 00:02:38.36\00:02:41.83 heart disease and stroke together. 00:02:41.86\00:02:43.86 Right. 00:02:43.89\00:02:44.86 For years simply heart disease has been the number one 00:02:44.87\00:02:48.19 killer, but within the last year cancer has overtaken 00:02:48.23\00:02:51.58 heart disease as the number one cause of death. 00:02:51.61\00:02:54.10 But still if you combine heart attack and stroke that accounts 00:02:54.13\00:02:57.86 for almost a million deaths in the U.S. per year and it 00:02:57.90\00:03:00.84 accounts for a quarter of all of our health care expenditures 00:03:00.87\00:03:04.98 which we know is up in the trillion of dollars. 00:03:05.01\00:03:08.56 So 350 billion or something dollars on cardiovascular. 00:03:08.59\00:03:13.20 Just on diseases of the heart and brain. 00:03:13.24\00:03:17.45 Another thing you mentioned to me was that many times when 00:03:17.49\00:03:20.96 we talk about cardiovascular disease we often hear about 00:03:20.99\00:03:24.43 cholesterol. 00:03:24.46\00:03:25.59 We're not really going to talk about that too much today. 00:03:25.62\00:03:27.95 You want to talk about something else. 00:03:27.98\00:03:30.28 We'll talk about the three main risk factors but they will focus 00:03:30.32\00:03:35.05 mostly on blood pressure because it is such an important 00:03:35.08\00:03:38.06 risk factor. 00:03:38.10\00:03:39.74 I would say the number one risk factor is really smoking. 00:03:39.77\00:03:45.51 You got to quit smoking. 00:03:45.54\00:03:46.99 Best tip yet is to not start. 00:03:47.03\00:03:49.51 You can't get addicted to something you have never tried. 00:03:49.55\00:03:52.51 Right. 00:03:52.55\00:03:54.60 With the cholesterol its becoming more and more 00:03:54.63\00:03:56.70 complicated issue the more we learn about it. 00:03:56.73\00:03:58.73 It's not just high cholesterol but what kind of cholesterol 00:03:58.76\00:04:02.54 do you have? 00:04:02.57\00:04:03.54 Homocysteine and all those other things. 00:04:03.55\00:04:06.45 There's a lot of other things. 00:04:06.49\00:04:07.46 But blood pressure is pretty clear. 00:04:07.47\00:04:10.82 If it's high it's going to be a problem. 00:04:10.86\00:04:12.42 In fact, Don, I think this is really astounding - your risk 00:04:12.46\00:04:16.54 for heart attack or stroke doubles with every 20 points 00:04:16.58\00:04:20.63 your blood pressure goes up. 00:04:20.66\00:04:22.44 Starting at 115 and every 20 points you double your risks. 00:04:22.48\00:04:32.83 So we have a definition of high blood pressure here: 00:04:32.87\00:04:35.06 The top number is called the systolic pressure, 00:04:41.15\00:04:44.47 that's the squeezing pressure. 00:04:44.50\00:04:45.73 The other number is called diastolic blood pressure. 00:04:45.76\00:04:48.64 That's your relaxing pressure when the heart is refilling 00:04:48.67\00:04:52.04 to squeeze the next beat. 00:04:52.08\00:04:53.12 So that Pre-hypertension is a wake-up call. 00:05:13.08\00:05:15.77 It says you've got to do something before your 00:05:15.80\00:05:18.46 blood pressure gets any higher or your going to be in trouble. 00:05:18.49\00:05:21.36 And I imagine you see a lot of patients with this. 00:05:21.39\00:05:23.97 You know, huge numbers, huge numbers. 00:05:24.00\00:05:27.80 The numbers nationally show that by the time you're 50, 00:05:27.84\00:05:32.91 44% of us have high blood pressure. 00:05:32.95\00:05:36.95 By the time you're in your 60's it's 54% and by the time you're 00:05:36.99\00:05:41.36 70 and above it's about two thirds of all Americans 00:05:41.39\00:05:44.83 have high blood pressure. 00:05:44.86\00:05:46.14 Significant problem huge problem. 00:05:46.18\00:05:49.04 And in your practice you've seen patients, what do say to them? 00:05:49.08\00:05:55.34 We have a long list of things they can do to start improving 00:05:55.38\00:06:01.61 their blood pressure. 00:06:01.64\00:06:02.91 I think the first thing that we'll talk about is weight loss. 00:06:02.95\00:06:08.80 Because loosing even 10 or 15 pounds can be the difference 00:06:08.83\00:06:14.65 between having high blood pressure and having normal 00:06:14.68\00:06:16.76 blood pressure. 00:06:16.79\00:06:17.92 It's real exciting. 00:06:17.95\00:06:19.00 People again and again we've seen them loose, not 100 pounds, 00:06:19.04\00:06:22.65 but just a moderate amount of weight can either help them get 00:06:22.68\00:06:26.25 off medications or be better controlled. 00:06:26.29\00:06:28.57 Someone told me that for every pound of extra weight you carry 00:06:28.60\00:06:32.11 that's like 200 miles of blood vessels you have to have. 00:06:32.14\00:06:35.18 Is that true or false? 00:06:35.21\00:06:36.21 I think it's more like 6 miles of blood vessels but... yes, 00:06:36.25\00:06:39.35 there's a lot - a lot more work the heart has to do. 00:06:39.38\00:06:41.88 So when you loose weight do you loose those blood vessels? 00:06:41.91\00:06:44.35 I always wondered that, I mean, I don't mean to put you on the 00:06:44.39\00:06:47.91 the spot, or is that just a way of describing what happens 00:06:47.95\00:06:51.44 with the extra weight? 00:06:51.47\00:06:52.51 As far as loosing extra weight there's something called 00:06:52.55\00:06:57.64 visceral adipose tissue. 00:06:57.68\00:06:59.47 Visceral fat means the fat that's inside your belly 00:06:59.50\00:07:01.89 not the stuff that's hanging off the arms and on the hips. 00:07:01.92\00:07:04.59 That stuff isn't as dangerous for the heart. 00:07:04.63\00:07:07.32 It's the fat that sits around your organs inside. 00:07:07.36\00:07:10.71 And that fat, when you loose those 10, 15, 20 pounds 00:07:10.74\00:07:13.65 that's some of the first fat that starts to come off. 00:07:13.69\00:07:16.53 You might not notice a whole lot of difference except maybe in 00:07:16.56\00:07:19.73 your waist size. 00:07:19.77\00:07:21.01 That's the fat that's most dangerous for the heart - is the 00:07:21.05\00:07:24.95 fat around the middle. 00:07:24.98\00:07:26.00 And why is that so dangerous - the stuff around the organs? 00:07:26.03\00:07:29.22 Well, it effects the blood pressure but it also effects 00:07:29.26\00:07:32.42 the cholesterol and it effects how our bodies 00:07:32.45\00:07:35.14 handle blood sugar. 00:07:35.18\00:07:36.56 So it puts it at a higher risk for diabetes as well. 00:07:36.59\00:07:39.26 So is there a special lifestyle or... I hate to say diet? 00:07:39.29\00:07:43.14 Because you want it to be a lifestyle that people go on. 00:07:43.18\00:07:46.99 Is there something you tell people to help them 00:07:47.02\00:07:50.10 start loosing weight in terms of their diet? 00:07:50.14\00:07:53.14 Well, the most studied diet for blood pressure has been 00:07:53.18\00:07:57.12 something called Dash Diet, D A S H, and that stands for 00:07:57.16\00:08:01.07 Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension. 00:08:01.10\00:08:04.33 This study has been looked over 10 years, but some of the main 00:08:04.37\00:08:09.28 components are: 00:08:09.31\00:08:11.15 Just to spend a second on the whole grains - people who eat 00:08:15.99\00:08:19.60 three or more servings of whole grains a day as opposed to 00:08:19.64\00:08:23.47 less than one, reduce the risk of heart attack by almost 1/2 00:08:23.50\00:08:27.30 just by that one change alone. 00:08:27.33\00:08:29.01 So white rice - no. Brown rice - yes. 00:08:29.04\00:08:34.45 100% whole grain bread it's got to say 100% or it's not 00:08:34.49\00:08:37.95 completely whole grain. 00:08:37.98\00:08:39.71 This is the Dash Diet 00:09:10.58\00:09:12.11 This is the Dash Diet. 00:09:12.15\00:09:13.61 Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension 00:09:13.64\00:09:20.62 What they've shown, people who are on this diet, on average, 00:09:20.66\00:09:25.61 lower their systolic blood pressure by 11 points. 00:09:25.65\00:09:28.62 That is a stronger factor than exercising, 00:09:28.66\00:09:33.79 but that's important, you can lower it a couple of points, but 00:09:33.82\00:09:37.26 this is the most important factor. 00:09:37.29\00:09:38.63 Eleven points it will lower it if you go on this diet? 00:09:38.67\00:09:41.16 So 150 down to 139 for example. 00:09:41.19\00:09:44.92 Alright. 00:09:44.96\00:09:46.16 You said that for every 20 points the blood pressure 00:09:46.19\00:09:53.12 goes up that doubles the risk of heart attack or heart disease 00:09:53.16\00:09:57.03 or cardiovascular disease. 00:09:57.06\00:09:58.46 Right. 00:09:58.49\00:09:59.46 So when you go from 115 to 135 that's doubling that risk. 00:09:59.47\00:10:04.10 By the time you go to 155 it's a four fold. 00:10:04.14\00:10:07.62 By the time you go up to a 175 you've increased your 00:10:07.66\00:10:09.83 risk by eight fold over someone with normal blood pressure. 00:10:09.86\00:10:13.58 Now you know when I first meet, or many times when people first 00:10:13.62\00:10:17.30 meet a physician or something, they have this 00:10:17.34\00:10:19.90 white coat phenomenon where their blood pressure goes up. 00:10:19.93\00:10:22.84 How do you get around that in your clinic? 00:10:22.87\00:10:24.99 Do you wear a different color of coat or what do you do? 00:10:25.03\00:10:27.64 How do you make this diagnosis? 00:10:27.68\00:10:30.61 I don't think it matters what color of coat that I wear. 00:10:30.65\00:10:32.88 Just the fact, people are often a little apprehensive going to 00:10:32.91\00:10:38.17 Doctor's office, people get anxious sometimes even about 00:10:38.20\00:10:41.19 having their blood pressure checked, so we do something 00:10:41.22\00:10:44.17 called ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. 00:10:44.21\00:10:47.20 Ambulatory means at home. 00:10:47.24\00:10:48.70 People can get a blood pressure automatic unit to check their 00:10:48.74\00:10:53.49 blood pressure at home, write these numbers down and 00:10:53.52\00:10:55.76 then compare it with what we find in the office. 00:10:55.79\00:10:57.96 Ok, so that gets around the fact that you could scare them. 00:10:58.00\00:11:03.07 Anything else you want to tell us about in terms of 00:11:03.11\00:11:07.35 blood pressure? 00:11:07.38\00:11:08.85 The Dash Diet was formulated based on what foods are rich 00:11:08.88\00:11:12.79 in certain vitamins and minerals that are good for the 00:11:12.83\00:11:16.71 blood pressure. 00:11:16.75\00:11:17.82 One of the things that has been known for 30, 40 years, has been 00:11:17.86\00:11:23.75 the importance of cutting back on the salt in the diet. 00:11:23.78\00:11:27.22 When people eat a low sodium diet, and we have a graphic 00:11:27.25\00:11:30.59 on that, but we also want them to eat a diet that is high in 00:11:30.62\00:11:33.92 potassium. 00:11:33.96\00:11:34.93 The foods that are in the Dash Diet 00:11:34.94\00:11:37.05 are high potassium foods. 00:11:37.09\00:11:40.39 But low in sodium. 00:11:40.42\00:11:41.78 So the graphic on sodium we're going to look at that 00:11:41.82\00:11:43.41 and help us see what this means: 00:11:43.45\00:11:46.13 Limiting sodium originally was hoped that people could 00:11:46.17\00:11:51.21 limit their sodium to 2,400 mg per day, this is salt. 00:11:51.25\00:11:56.26 But it was found if you can limit your sodium to 1,500 mg 00:11:56.30\00:12:01.22 a day, that is as effective as taking one prescription drug 00:12:01.26\00:12:06.15 for your blood pressure. 00:12:06.19\00:12:08.67 Now I tell my patients, you really want to do it 00:12:08.70\00:12:11.76 you got to consider the sodium as a bank account. 00:12:11.79\00:12:14.78 You got 1,500 sodium bucks to spend each day, use them wisely. 00:12:14.82\00:12:19.54 If you get that chicken noodle soup it might be 00:12:19.57\00:12:22.31 900 mg of sodium - you've blown a lot of bucks on that. 00:12:22.34\00:12:27.47 The second thing on the graphic was the importance of potassium. 00:12:27.50\00:12:31.11 Even if you cut down on the salt or sodium, if you don't eat 00:12:31.14\00:12:34.56 foods that are rich in potassium you're not going to have 00:12:34.59\00:12:37.97 as beneficial effect on your blood pressure. 00:12:38.00\00:12:41.21 So it's really a combination of lowering sodium and increasing 00:12:41.25\00:12:44.33 potassium. 00:12:44.36\00:12:45.33 Now are some people more salt sensitive than others? 00:12:45.34\00:12:48.72 It's thought that certain people are more salt sensitive 00:12:48.76\00:12:52.19 but really it comes down to how much potassium you're getting. 00:12:52.23\00:12:56.01 Potassium alone can decrease the blood pressure. 00:12:56.04\00:12:59.43 Do they have like salt shakers with potassium in them? 00:12:59.46\00:13:02.78 You can do that, but the best way really to do that is 00:13:02.81\00:13:06.10 through the foods. 00:13:06.13\00:13:07.26 And people usually think about bananas, but bananas are 00:13:07.29\00:13:11.49 actually the number 20 on my list as far as 00:13:11.52\00:13:14.04 high potassium foods. 00:13:14.07\00:13:15.49 What's number one? 00:13:15.53\00:13:16.94 Sunflower seeds. 00:13:16.98\00:13:18.32 That's good from Kansas, you know you're from Wichita. 00:13:18.35\00:13:21.11 Yes. 00:13:21.14\00:13:22.11 Almonds, raisins, parsley, nuts, spinach, broccoli. 00:13:22.12\00:13:28.97 These are all excellent high potassium foods. 00:13:29.00\00:13:31.72 Keep eating your bananas. 00:13:31.75\00:13:33.16 And tomatoes. 00:13:33.20\00:13:34.38 Absolutely. 00:13:34.42\00:13:35.44 All good. 00:13:35.48\00:13:36.45 So high potassium, low sodium. 00:13:36.47\00:13:41.05 And then the other thing is to loose weight. 00:13:41.09\00:13:43.60 That's what we've learned so far. 00:13:43.63\00:13:45.26 We're talking with Dr. Timothy Lawton. 00:13:45.30\00:13:47.03 We're talking about cardiovascular disease and 00:13:47.07\00:13:49.92 we've noticed that one of the most important things 00:13:49.96\00:13:53.52 to consider is blood pressure and how to make that come 00:13:53.55\00:13:57.08 down to a normal level. 00:13:57.12\00:13:59.22 We're going to talk more about what to do with cardiovascular 00:13:59.25\00:14:01.91 disease when we come back. 00:14:01.95\00:14:05.08 Have you found yourself wishing that you could 00:14:06.08\00:14:08.66 shed a few pounds? 00:14:08.69\00:14:09.77 Have you been on a diet for most of your life? 00:14:09.81\00:14:12.29 But not found anything that will really keep the weight off? 00:14:12.33\00:14:15.54 If you've answered yes to any of these questions, then we 00:14:15.57\00:14:18.75 have a solution for you that works. 00:14:18.79\00:14:21.28 Dr. Hans Diehl and Dr. Aileen Ludington 00:14:21.32\00:14:23.65 have written a marvelous booklet called, 00:14:23.68\00:14:25.95 Reversing Obesity Naturally, and we'd like to send it to you 00:14:25.98\00:14:29.41 free of charge. 00:14:29.45\00:14:30.78 Here's a medically sound approach successfully used 00:14:30.81\00:14:33.80 by thousands who are able to eat more 00:14:33.84\00:14:35.99 and loose weight permanently 00:14:36.02\00:14:37.58 without feeling guilty or hungry through lifestyle medicine. 00:14:37.62\00:14:41.44 Dr. Diehl and Dr. Ludington have been featured on 3ABN 00:14:41.48\00:14:44.89 and in this booklet they present a sensible approach to eating, 00:14:44.93\00:14:48.40 nutrition, and lifestyle changes that can help you prevent 00:14:48.43\00:14:51.63 heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer. 00:14:51.66\00:14:54.12 Call or write today for your free copy: 00:14:54.15\00:14:56.57 Welcome back. 00:15:07.60\00:15:08.57 We're talking with Dr. Timothy Lawton. 00:15:08.58\00:15:10.08 We're talking about cardiovascular diseases. 00:15:10.11\00:15:12.84 Dr. Lawton has told us that cardiovascular disease is 00:15:12.88\00:15:17.89 still number one in Western countries, especially America, 00:15:17.93\00:15:21.33 when you look at heart disease and stroke and add those 00:15:21.36\00:15:24.73 together. 00:15:24.76\00:15:25.73 Many times we talk about cholesterol and smoking 00:15:25.74\00:15:30.12 and these things are important to avoid, but Dr. Lawton is 00:15:30.15\00:15:33.76 really focusing our attention today on hypertension. 00:15:33.79\00:15:37.91 Dr. Lawton, you see a lot of this in your 00:15:37.94\00:15:40.69 life style medicine center there in Wichita, Kansas. 00:15:40.72\00:15:44.32 A lot of people come in with this problem. 00:15:44.35\00:15:46.08 You've seen that really,... what was it you said? 00:15:46.11\00:15:48.98 That really hypertension is very important to look at. 00:15:49.01\00:15:52.88 It's one of the most significant risk factors when we look at 00:15:52.91\00:15:56.13 preventing heart disease and stroke. 00:15:56.16\00:15:59.72 You told us we need to loose weight, and you've given us 00:15:59.76\00:16:02.01 some ideas on how to do that. 00:16:02.04\00:16:03.20 And you've told us that our diet if we follow what you call the 00:16:03.23\00:16:07.10 DASH Diet, it can actually decrease our blood pressure by 00:16:07.13\00:16:11.56 11% is that what you said? 00:16:11.60\00:16:13.87 11 points on average. 00:16:13.90\00:16:16.32 You know the exciting thing about the DASH Diet is they have 00:16:16.35\00:16:20.67 actually gone above and beyond the DASH Diet to incorporate 00:16:20.70\00:16:24.98 some new additional recommendations. 00:16:25.02\00:16:27.22 The original DASH Diet contained a limited amount 00:16:27.25\00:16:31.58 of dairy and meat. 00:16:31.62\00:16:33.85 The new version, actually just released within the last couple 00:16:33.89\00:16:37.74 weeks, shows that if you substitute animal protein 00:16:37.78\00:16:42.06 for plant protein you have an additional reduction in your 00:16:42.10\00:16:45.26 blood pressure. 00:16:45.29\00:16:46.31 How many points? 00:16:46.34\00:16:47.31 A couple more points in addition to the 11. 00:16:47.32\00:16:49.78 What they did in this study was they cut half of the 00:16:49.81\00:16:53.56 animal protein and brought in plant protein, such as 00:16:53.59\00:16:57.31 beans, vegetables, and nuts. 00:16:57.34\00:16:59.92 Ok, and then the third thing you mentioned was limiting 00:16:59.96\00:17:03.36 the sodium, but not just limiting sodium 00:17:03.39\00:17:06.16 but putting potassium in its place. 00:17:06.20\00:17:08.29 Potassium is the antidote, the anti-salt, so to speak. 00:17:08.33\00:17:12.53 Salt makes the pressure go up and potassium makes the 00:17:12.57\00:17:16.74 pressure go down. 00:17:16.78\00:17:17.75 And these are all the foods, plant based foods. 00:17:17.76\00:17:21.52 Many of them are very high in potassium. 00:17:21.56\00:17:23.11 You think of bananas, olives, sunflower seeds, nuts, beans, 00:17:23.14\00:17:27.90 green leafy vegetables, all these things, squash, yams, 00:17:27.93\00:17:32.65 very high in the potassium. 00:17:32.69\00:17:34.87 Now you mentioned magnesium to me. 00:17:34.90\00:17:38.92 Magnesium is another important factor. 00:17:38.95\00:17:42.31 There is something to keep in mind. 00:17:42.35\00:17:45.64 Certain minerals balance each other in the body. 00:17:45.67\00:17:49.29 Salt, or sodium, is balanced with potassium. 00:17:49.32\00:17:52.90 That's why one works against the other. 00:17:52.94\00:17:55.08 Calcium and magnesium work opposite each other 00:17:55.12\00:18:00.74 as far as blood pressure. 00:18:00.77\00:18:02.25 Calcium and magnesium required for the squeezing of the muscle 00:18:02.28\00:18:06.77 cells in the body. 00:18:06.80\00:18:07.77 One is required for the squeezing and one is required 00:18:07.78\00:18:09.93 for the relaxation. 00:18:09.97\00:18:11.59 So for someone to have an abnormal level of either 00:18:11.63\00:18:15.18 calcium or magnesium will affect the heart, but also keep 00:18:15.21\00:18:18.74 in mind, each of the blood vessels is surrounded by a 00:18:18.77\00:18:22.26 structure of muscles that help us... let's say we should cut 00:18:22.29\00:18:27.10 ourselves and loose a significant amount of blood. 00:18:27.13\00:18:28.71 Well, our blood vessels would squeeze down to conserve 00:18:28.74\00:18:31.87 and increase the pressure in what we have left. 00:18:31.90\00:18:33.94 So those muscles are very important in each of our 00:18:33.97\00:18:36.03 blood vessels. 00:18:36.06\00:18:37.03 People who have high blood pressure are sometimes 00:18:37.04\00:18:39.85 prescribed a calcium channel blocker, 00:18:39.88\00:18:43.35 something to block the calcium. 00:18:43.38\00:18:44.97 Well, I just said calcium and magnesium work opposite of 00:18:45.00\00:18:49.12 each other and so instead of blocking the calcium, you can 00:18:49.15\00:18:51.64 increase the magnesium in your diet or through supplements, 00:18:51.67\00:18:56.69 preferably through diet, and that can make a difference 00:18:56.72\00:19:01.66 with bringing down the blood pressure. 00:19:01.69\00:19:03.50 So what are some foods that are high in magnesium? 00:19:03.53\00:19:06.35 What are the things that I should go out and buy? 00:19:06.38\00:19:09.68 Number one on the list is wheat germ. 00:19:09.71\00:19:13.12 Wheat germ, my mom used to always put it on 00:19:13.15\00:19:15.61 top of my cereal. 00:19:15.64\00:19:16.70 Well, there you go, good for a lot of different things. 00:19:16.73\00:19:19.19 But when we eat the white bread, the refined white flour, 00:19:19.22\00:19:22.84 which makes up the majority of the wheat we consume, 00:19:22.87\00:19:26.17 it's got the germ taken away. 00:19:26.20\00:19:29.18 So we loose that magnesium that was in there. 00:19:29.21\00:19:31.50 Other sources? 00:19:31.53\00:19:33.45 Nuts, like almonds and cashews, are especially high in 00:19:33.48\00:19:36.42 magnesium. 00:19:36.45\00:19:37.57 Buckwheat, Brazil nuts, peanuts, walnuts, and rye are also good 00:19:37.60\00:19:44.47 sources. 00:19:44.50\00:19:45.65 So really what you're saying when we're thinking about 00:19:45.68\00:19:48.35 hypertension, instead of having to remember all these lists, 00:19:48.38\00:19:51.09 which are great lists, would be to just eat foods as grown 00:19:51.12\00:19:54.66 in liberal, unadulterated, unprocessed type, quantities. 00:19:54.69\00:20:01.39 That makes a big difference, yes. 00:20:01.42\00:20:04.16 Ok, what's next on our list? 00:20:04.19\00:20:07.56 The next thing on the list is to quit smoking because that's 00:20:07.59\00:20:13.66 a very important factor. 00:20:13.69\00:20:15.35 And after that - consuming healthy fats. 00:20:15.39\00:20:19.57 A brief talk about the kinds of fats is very important. 00:20:19.60\00:20:24.69 There's a certain family of fats that are called omega 3 fats. 00:20:24.72\00:20:28.36 These are found in things like: flax oil or flax seeds, 00:20:28.39\00:20:34.10 canola oil, walnuts, as well as fish and fish oil. 00:20:34.13\00:20:37.71 These actually help to bring down blood pressure. 00:20:37.74\00:20:40.83 They also help to thin the blood and reduce the risk 00:20:40.87\00:20:43.92 of blood clots. 00:20:43.96\00:20:45.29 So have the healthy fats and then a graphic that said avoid 00:20:45.32\00:20:49.58 trans fats. 00:20:49.61\00:20:50.59 What are trans fats? 00:20:50.63\00:20:51.81 If you see the word partially hydrogenated on the label, 00:20:51.84\00:20:55.28 that's another word for trans fat. 00:20:55.31\00:20:58.19 Partial hydrogenation is a process of taking a liquid fat 00:20:58.22\00:21:03.10 and making it a solid at room temperature. 00:21:03.14\00:21:05.59 Things like margarine? 00:21:05.63\00:21:07.62 Margarine, French fries, shortening, and foods in most 00:21:07.65\00:21:12.49 of the commercial baked goods - the pies, the crackers, 00:21:12.53\00:21:17.34 the cookies - these are made with trans fat or 00:21:17.38\00:21:20.86 hydrogenated fat. 00:21:20.89\00:21:22.27 So trans fats, how do they increase the blood pressure? 00:21:22.31\00:21:25.51 They impact the cell membranes. 00:21:25.55\00:21:33.51 The membranes of every cell in our body is made up of fat 00:21:33.54\00:21:38.90 and these actually get into our cell membranes, an unnatural 00:21:38.93\00:21:44.26 kind of fat that get incorporated into our bodies. 00:21:44.29\00:21:46.38 So they impact the calcium, the magnesium, and these minerals 00:21:46.41\00:21:53.49 interact with the cells. 00:21:53.53\00:21:54.84 I understand they stay in the body a long time 00:21:54.87\00:21:57.25 these trans fats. 00:21:57.28\00:21:58.40 Well, they are incorporated into every cell in our body until 00:21:58.43\00:22:01.67 those cells die and turned over; they are there. 00:22:01.70\00:22:04.22 And I see they are trying to respond to the research that 00:22:04.25\00:22:08.94 you're presenting in the stores. 00:22:08.98\00:22:10.27 I see a lot of things now that say, "No trans fats," 00:22:10.30\00:22:14.09 and those are the things to look at. 00:22:14.13\00:22:15.73 Is that what you're suggesting? 00:22:15.76\00:22:16.92 You know that's an interesting factor. 00:22:16.95\00:22:19.31 The Institute of Medicine says there is no safe level 00:22:19.35\00:22:23.04 of trans fat. 00:22:23.08\00:22:24.76 They would recommend zero. 00:22:24.80\00:22:26.27 They say, "Well, let's be practical, now, maybe you should 00:22:26.31\00:22:29.72 keep it under 2 grams a day. " 00:22:29.76\00:22:31.42 Well, the trans fat, there's a little bit of labeling confusion 00:22:31.45\00:22:37.79 that's going on. 00:22:37.82\00:22:38.79 Right now you might pick up a box of crackers and it might 00:22:38.80\00:22:42.12 say zero grams of trans fat. 00:22:42.15\00:22:44.45 But you look under the ingredients it will say, 00:22:44.48\00:22:46.53 "bleached wheat flour, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, or 00:22:46.56\00:22:50.88 some kind of oil. " 00:22:50.91\00:22:51.88 But how can they claim zero grams if it's got something 00:22:51.89\00:22:55.39 partially hydrogenated? 00:22:55.42\00:22:57.03 The labeling rule says it has to be under. 5 grams 00:22:57.06\00:23:02.96 and they can write zero. 00:23:03.00\00:23:04.29 So if it's. 49 grams you can still write zero on the label. 00:23:04.32\00:23:07.73 Interesting. 00:23:07.76\00:23:08.73 So you got to look very close at the label. 00:23:08.74\00:23:10.28 So you got to read the ingredients. 00:23:10.31\00:23:11.34 What about exercise? 00:23:11.37\00:23:12.85 That can make quite a few points improvement in one's 00:23:12.88\00:23:17.63 blood pressure. 00:23:17.66\00:23:18.68 The amount of exercise has been shown is a moderate amount 00:23:18.71\00:23:22.31 of activity like a brisk walk: 00:23:22.34\00:23:24.59 If you can do more that's better. 00:23:29.44\00:23:31.62 But this is the minimum that's needed to 00:23:31.65\00:23:34.11 bring blood pressure... 00:23:34.14\00:23:35.37 That brings it down another couple points. 00:23:35.40\00:23:37.09 All these things - 11 here, 5 there, you know a couple here 00:23:37.12\00:23:40.52 will make the difference. 00:23:40.55\00:23:41.60 Alcohol? 00:23:41.63\00:23:43.55 Alcohol is not recommended for blood pressure. 00:23:43.58\00:23:47.58 It seems... I'll tell you a story about that. 00:23:47.61\00:23:50.49 I had a patient who was only in his 20's and he had 00:23:50.52\00:23:54.62 high blood pressure. 00:23:54.65\00:23:55.62 He was already taking, I think, two medications 00:23:55.63\00:23:59.06 for his blood pressure. 00:23:59.09\00:24:00.71 So I just asked him about some of his habits. 00:24:00.74\00:24:02.09 He was over weight, but he drank five drinks or so a night, 00:24:02.12\00:24:06.66 just to kind of settle down. 00:24:06.69\00:24:07.93 That was his habit in the evening. 00:24:07.96\00:24:09.89 In a couple weeks we were able to cut out the alcohol. 00:24:09.92\00:24:14.45 And you know alcohol is basically an empty 00:24:14.48\00:24:17.14 calorie source. 00:24:17.17\00:24:18.18 So by cutting out the alcohol he lost about 10 pounds 00:24:18.21\00:24:21.06 almost immediately. 00:24:21.09\00:24:22.64 His blood pressure went from 160 down to 140 00:24:22.67\00:24:25.92 in a matter of weeks. 00:24:25.95\00:24:27.18 Just by cutting out the alcohol? 00:24:27.21\00:24:28.93 And loosing a couple of pounds. 00:24:28.96\00:24:30.84 But I think the alcohol directly raises the blood pressure so 00:24:30.87\00:24:33.94 cutting that out can make a big difference. 00:24:33.97\00:24:35.68 Stress management - what did you do for this guy? 00:24:35.71\00:24:38.97 He usually used to reduce his stress through drinking alcohol. 00:24:39.00\00:24:42.24 Well, what did you recommend to him? 00:24:42.27\00:24:45.19 What do you recommend or is there any association between 00:24:45.22\00:24:48.81 stress and blood pressure? 00:24:48.84\00:24:51.08 Huge, huge research going on right there. 00:24:51.11\00:24:54.52 They kind of call that the mind body factor. 00:24:54.55\00:24:58.03 There's a study out of Harvard with men with hypertension. 00:24:58.06\00:25:02.06 And they found that using stress reduction techniques, 00:25:02.09\00:25:07.30 things like prayer, meditation, people were able to... 80% were 00:25:07.33\00:25:14.24 able to reduce their need for medication simply on 00:25:14.27\00:25:17.91 stress management. 00:25:17.94\00:25:19.69 80% that's very high! 00:25:20.32\00:25:21.29 Yes, yes, very impressive! 00:25:21.30\00:25:23.80 And so finding something within your religious tradition, 00:25:23.83\00:25:29.33 looking to God, sometimes people in their religious tradition 00:25:29.36\00:25:33.89 that increases stress for them, but finding what reduces it. 00:25:33.92\00:25:37.11 I like to talk with patients not just the concept of relaxation, 00:25:37.14\00:25:41.31 but the concept of enjoyment. 00:25:41.34\00:25:43.15 Even a smile or a laugh can boost the immune system and 00:25:43.18\00:25:48.00 help to reduce blood pressure. 00:25:48.03\00:25:50.08 You wanted to say something when we talked about 00:25:50.11\00:25:52.60 healthy vs. non-healthy fats about nuts. 00:25:52.63\00:25:56.75 We had said earlier, at the beginning of the program, 00:25:56.79\00:26:00.45 that people who consume three servings a week of whole grains 00:26:00.49\00:26:04.58 cut their risk of heart attack by almost half. 00:26:04.62\00:26:07.61 Well, the same is true for people who consume five servings 00:26:07.65\00:26:10.76 a week of nuts. 00:26:10.80\00:26:12.51 They cut their risk of heart attack almost by half. 00:26:12.54\00:26:15.72 Add that to a brisk walk, 30 minutes, three times a week 00:26:15.76\00:26:21.51 you cut your risk of heart attack almost in half. 00:26:21.55\00:26:24.18 So, just doing those three things - nuts, whole grains, 00:26:24.21\00:26:28.40 and a little bit more physical activity. 00:26:28.44\00:26:30.85 How do nuts do that? 00:26:30.88\00:26:33.22 How do they decrease your risk? 00:26:33.26\00:26:35.08 Well, we just looked, they are very high in magnesium and 00:26:35.12\00:26:38.34 very high in potassium and they are high, at least some of them, 00:26:38.37\00:26:42.08 in good fats. 00:26:42.11\00:26:43.08 In fact, there's two kinds of good fats. 00:26:43.09\00:26:45.48 We mentioned the Omega 3's but there's another family 00:26:45.52\00:26:47.78 called mono unsaturated fats. 00:26:47.81\00:26:50.44 Nuts are very high in these as is olive oil. 00:26:50.48\00:26:53.20 So let's just review: we say loose weight if you need to, 00:26:53.23\00:26:58.53 go on the DASH Diet, DASH minus the meat and minus the other 00:26:58.57\00:27:03.83 things it's even better, even better if you substitute 00:27:03.87\00:27:08.76 plant protein, limit sodium but replace it with potassium, 00:27:08.80\00:27:13.66 adequate magnesium, moderate exercise which means 30-45 00:27:13.69\00:27:19.45 minutes at least 3-4 days a week, limit alcohol or 00:27:19.49\00:27:25.19 cut it out, stress management - relax, quit smoking, then have 00:27:25.23\00:27:34.22 the healthy fats, avoid trans fats. 00:27:34.25\00:27:37.29 Thank you so much for joining us, taking time from your 00:27:37.32\00:27:40.56 busy schedule there in Wichita at Veté. 00:27:40.60\00:27:43.45 Thank you, Don. 00:27:43.49\00:27:45.30 And thank you for joining us today on Health for a Lifetime. 00:27:45.33\00:27:48.87 We hope that today's program helps you avoid hypertension 00:27:48.90\00:27:52.37 and all the problems that go with it and that as a result 00:27:52.41\00:27:55.85 you have health that lasts for a lifetime. 00:27:55.88\00:27:58.26