If you eat a high-grain low-fat diet, you need to stop eating that combination now! Research has shown that this type of diet leads to type II diabetes and insulin resistance is the big culprit in high blood pressure, especially when it is accompanied by inadequate exercise.

Fructose can also cause your blood pressure to rise. One published study showed those who consumed 74 grams or more per day of fructose (the equivalent of about 2.5 sugary drinks a day) had a 77 percent great risk of having high blood pressure. Keep in mind that the average American consumes 70 grams of fructose EVERY day! Just think about all those sugary coffee drinks that so many are consuming on the way to work.

In addition to eliminating grains and sugar in your diet, there are a few additional dietary considerations that can help you manage your blood pressure.  Increase your intake of Omega 3 fats. Most of us get way to much Omega 6 fats and not nearly enough Omega 3s. I find fish oil to be the best source, as long as it is pure and from a reputable company. I like Nordic Naturals because of their expert quality control. Eliminate caffeine from your diet. Caffeine has been shown to exacerbate the condition. The health of the gut is also super important. If a person has healthy gut flora they tend not to develop high blood pressure. Probiotics can help balance the gut along with a diet rich in fermented vegetables.

Exercise and supplementing the diet with a bit of L-arginine can make a dramatic shift in one’s blood pressure. Walking just 30 minute a day can reduce your blood pressure within a short time. I have seen my clients’ blood pressure come down quite a bit with L-arginine, which helps to correct the abnormal function of the blood vessels.

Another supplement that can make a big difference is vitamin D-3. Studies show that the farther you live from the equator, the higher your risk of developing high blood pressure. Interestingly, blood pressure is higher in the winter months than in the summer!

Lastly, stress plays a key role in hypertension. Lifestyle changes are crucial when it comes to high blood pressure, and learning ways to stay calm naturally, such as yoga and meditation can make an immediate change in blood pressure.

Consider all the natural things you can do now to prevent high blood pressure. Think about what you are doing daily that might lead to high blood pressure. I always say: you are making the old you right now! Make good choices for the future you to be healthy and happy!

1. Take a stretch break every hour for a few minutes. It’s good for your muscles!
2. Listen to relaxing music on your phone or iPod. If that’s not allowed in your office, start off your day with music that calms you on your commute.
3. Eat a healthy light lunch and snack throughout the day. Small meals/portions frequently is best. Blood sugar crashes can make your tolerance for stress nonexistent, so arm yourself by nourishing yourself!
4. Take a 10 minute walk break on lunch to get moving and boost endorphins.
5. Brighten your desk with photos or things that cheer you up.
6. Add plants to your office. Plants detoxify the air, boost oxygen, and liven up the office – literally!
7. Drink more water. It’ll help with blood pressure, energy, and it detoxifies your cells.
8. Focus on the positive, even when the going gets tough. Little positives can bring the world back into perspective.
9. Think solutions, not problems. Solutions are a step forward and problems only leave you feeling more stressed out.
10. Breathe. Deep breathing lowers blood pressure and that anxious feeling.

Remember, nutrition and supplementation using stress support supplements like AdrenaCalm, AdreStim, Cortisol Manager, and Stress Essentials can be helpful in combating stress and its negative effects on the body. For free nutritional counseling, give us a call at 1.877.465.0844 or drop us an email and we’d be happy to help!

Here’s to a happier, less stressful workday!

At OVitaminPro.com, we put a huge emphasis on reducing the effects of stress on the body by focusing on nutrition and supplementation. We think about ways to support the body’s natural chemistry so that it can better manage stress while also equipping the body with the nutrients it needs to function at its best. Stress support supplements like AdrenaCalm, AdreStim, Cortisol Manager, and Stress Essentials can all help with the body’s ability to cope with stress using vitamins, minerals, and herbal extracts. We also offer free nutritional counseling to answer questions about how your diet may be affecting your body and its response to stress.

But outside of nutrition and stress support supplements, there can be other natural therapies to investigate. For example, you could try:

• Aromatherapy: The body’s response to scent can be powerful and this type of therapy focuses on using calming scents to incite feelings of relaxation. Popular aromatherapy scents used for reducing stress include chamomile, lavender, geranium, basil, or rose. Add a few drops of essential oils of these scents into bath water or make a hot compress using a wash cloth in warm water with a few drops of the oil on it. One can also put a few drops on a cotton ball and inhale deeply to gain an effect.
• Reflexology: There are over 7,000 nerves in the feet and for thousands of years natural healers have used reflexology to address many common health issues. The theory is that by manipulating, stimulating, or applying pressure to certain nerve groups in the feet, it can correspond with effects in other area of the body, including those who have been negatively affected by stress.
• Massage Therapy: The benefits of massage have long been touted and for stress, it’s a great therapy to try. Massage can help muscles by reducing pain and tension, plus, it boost blood circulation, releases endorphins, and can prompt detoxification.  Different types of massage can address different health concerns, but if you’re looking to get started, the classic Swedish massage is perfect for general relaxation and wellbeing.
• Acupressure or Acupuncture: Similar to the techniques used in reflexology, acupressure – or using the fingers to apply pressure to specific pressure points throughout the body to address health and wellbeing – has been used in China for thousands of years. Later, needles were added to the process for further stimulation of these points. Both of these techniques are practiced around the globe for treatment of health conditions, relaxation, and reduction of anxiety.

Have another therapy you’ve used to try to reduce stress? Share with us in the comments!

April is Autism Awareness Month

At OVitaminPro.com, we are always looking at what can be done in the world of natural healthcare. We like to put as much power back into the hands of each patient as possible and decrease their reliance on pharmaceuticals and expensive treatments whenever we can.

For parents and caregivers of children with autism, it is especially beneficial to have as many tools in your toolbox as possible; each option for treatment is a new chance to make a difference in the lives of those affected with autism. Obviously, treatment is determined on a case-by-case basis, but some general lessons can be learned from the experiences and research of others.

When it comes to autism, a couple of modalities stand out: improving glutathione levels and using a gluten-free, dairy-free diet.

If you haven’t yet made the connection between glutathiaone and autism, you are missing out. Research indicates a correlation between nearly universal depletion of glutathione levels and the incidence of autism. LifeWave Glutathione patches are easy to use: small half-dollar sized adhesive patches that you can apply to yourself and your child two to three times per week. Placement isn’t critical, but many users apply them just a couple of finger-widths below the belly button.

Another factor that may prove helpful is a gluten-free and dairy-free (GFDF) diet. We know that gluten and dairy can be potent stimulators of the antibody response; these antibodies don’t just affect the small and large intestines but travel through the blood stream attacking other organs. Which organs are affected depends on the genetic predisposition of the person. Quite often the brain is targeted. This can lead to problems such as ADHD, ataxia, movement disorders, headaches and, of course, ASD (autism spectrum disorder).

Unfortunately, there isn’t yet a patch that can fix gluten and dairy sensitivities, but finding alternative foods in your grocery store is getting easier.

I encourage you to give the GFDF diet a fair chance. This will mean no cheating for at least six weeks to get an idea of any changes. In some cases, dramatic changes will occur in just the first week, while in others the process will be slower and more subtle. Even small shifts in attention and behavior should be considered an encouraging sign and call for a continuation of the diet. Cyrex Labs has several test profiles that can help in the diagnosis. Contact us for more information.

Stress can manifest itself in many different ways. For some, it means digestive upset with symptoms like diarrhea, cramping, or constipation. For others, it can mean a weakened immune system, with more colds and fiercer allergies. And then there are always the headaches, the body aches, tight muscles, and general anxiousness that put strain on the muscles, adrenals, brain, and pretty much every other part of the body.

While the effects of stress may be widespread, there are many things that you can do to combat stress and improve your health and wellbeing without sacrificing quality of life. In fact, you can still get your to do list done – and feel accomplished – while taking care of your body. You really can do it all – but you have to do one thing first: MAKE TIME FOR YOU. In this blog post series, we’ll be going through some tips and tricks for managing stress and improving your overall health and wellbeing by being mindful of its effects. Today’s first lesson? Pay yourself first.

This is often the first area that we fail in when it comes to stress. Pay yourself first by taking the following actions:

• Make time to relax. Start with just 5 minutes a day to meditate. Sit quietly without distraction and just focus on your breathing for just five minutes a day. From there, you can expand that time outward, taking 30 minutes to exercise or do yoga or an hour to read and enjoy a bubble bath.
• Recognize your stressors. Find out what makes you tick – and find ways to reduce its presence in your life. It may mean saying “no” to certain commitments, but recognizing what is stressing you can be the first step.
• Take care of yourself. That means getting enough sleep, exercising, eating right, and getting enough water. These are the building blocks of wellness – and they need to be present in your body and a priority every day for you to reduce your overall stress.

Have some tips or ways that you pay yourself first when it comes to managing stress? Leave a comment!

The problem with leaky gut syndrome is that it isn’t one of those conditions that is self-limiting. Self-limiting means that over time it will correct itself. An example of a self-limiting problem is a cut on your lip. Even if you need a stitch or two it tends to heal up very quickly without any special measures. Once the zonulin production pathway is activated and fragments of food or other particles find their way to the blood stream, they start an antibody cascade that further increases zonulin production and activation. Some of these products will also find their way to your brain and attach to opiate receptors and increase your cravings for the very foods that are causing you problems.

How are you going to fix leaky gut syndrome? The first steps are discovering and eliminating the foods that are causing the problem. Several labs have antibody panels for this, including Alcat and Cyrex. We also like the Cyrex Labs Array 2 that checks for zonulin and related gut permeability molecules. Common offender foods are gluten-containing grains, dairy, soy and sugar.

Supplements can speed the healing process. The key with your supplement program is to be very patient. We recommend starting with the NeuroScience NEI Barrier Repair Kit. We recommend this because it is gentle as well as effective. The NEI Barrier Repair Kit consists of a bottle of Barrier Repair herbal formula and probiotics. We recommend using this starter kit for a few months. Many people find that this approach is so effective that they just stay on it. NeuroScience: NEI GI Repair Kit has been excellent.

Other complementary factors such as turmeric, glutathione, vitamin D and fish oil will help provide an environment favorable for healthy changes. Health Resources: Probiotic Basics.

Once the barrier begins to repair, other factors that have been known to help barrier repair might be appropriate. This would include things like L-glutamine, Proper fish hydrolyzed proteins, NAG (N-Acetyl D-Glucosamine, gamma-linolenic acid, gamma-oryzanol and maybe some phosphatidylcholine. I don’t recommend starting here, however. Use the prickly pear, guar gum seed and marshmallow root formula from the NEI product first.

How do you deal with leaky gut syndrome? Share your story with us in the comments!

The key to healthy eating is to plan meals in advance and to always keep a supply of high fiber multi-grain snacks, fresh fruits and vegetables at the ready to avoid making poor choices when hunger strikes. Eating smaller meals and frequent healthy snacks will help you to maintain steady blood sugar levels throughout the day. Remember to eat before and after periods of exercise or exertion as you burn off more sugar and carbohydrates.

A well-balanced meal should include a lean protein like chicken or fish, a small portion of healthy starch or grain such as brown rice or beans, and a heaping portion of vegetables. Skip the fried foods and replace all fats and oils with olive oil as much as possible. Rich in antioxidants, vitamins and iron, olive oil contains mostly beneficial monounsaturated fat and has been shown to modestly increase HDL cholesterol without adversely affecting LDL cholesterol, and is considered a heart-healthy, diabetes-friendly fat.

Daily Portions of Meat and Fish

A recommended portion of meat is about the size of a deck of cards, and lean meats such as fish and poultry are the best bets. Cold-water fish like herring, salmon are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which may reduce risk of cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association recommends limiting meat consumption to no more than six ounces (two decks of cards) per day, i.e. one portion with lunch and one with dinner. Beans are also an excellent source of protein and contain no animal cholesterol unless prepared with some form of meat or lard. Foods to avoid are red meat, bacon, lard, processed foods, which may contain trans-fats and cholesterol, and high-fat dairy products such as whole milk and many types of cheese.

Healthy Fruits and Vegetables

While the term unhealthy fruits and vegetables would seem an oxymoron, there are a few fruits that are high in sugar and should be avoided such as grapes, watermelon, pineapple, apricots and raisins, which may cause unhealthy spikes in blood sugar levels.  Stick to fruits that are lower in sugar and high in antioxidants such as cranberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, grapefruit, cantaloupe and cherries.  All vegetables are good choices, but keep in mind, the richer in color they are the higher the vitamin content they possess.

Starches to Eat and to Avoid

While starches are readily converted to blood glucose, they are nonetheless an important part of a healthy diet because they provide valuable minerals, vitamins and fiber.  However, gluten and grains contribute great to diabetes, so the ideal complex carbohydrates to eat are fresh fruits and vegetables and occasionally brown rice.  Avoid oats and corn.  Also avoid snacks like potato chips, candy bars and other packaged snacks that have no real dietary value anyhow.

Dairy Products and the Diabetes Diet

Dairy products provide an important source of calcium and high-quality protein as well as Vitamin D. The best choices for dairy products are skim or 1% milk, non-fat or light yogurt with no added sugar and fortified, unflavored soymilk for the lactose intolerant. When considering carbs, one cup of milk or yogurt is equal to one small piece of fruit or one slice of bread.

Managing type 2 diabetes doesn’t have to mean completely giving up your favorite foods, merely limiting them to very small, infrequent portions, and learning to embrace healthy, whole grains and foods that are low in fat and high in vitamins and antioxidants. A healthy diabetes diet is a healthy diet for life, and will result in increased energy, improved digestion and a host of added benefits for health and longevity along with healthy blood glucose levels!

About the Author: Valerie Johnston is a health and fitness writer located in East Texas. With ambitions of one day running a marathon, writing for Healthline.com ensures she keeps up-to-date on all of the latest health and fitness news.

• Make kale your best friend. This leafy health powerhouse is great to use in salads, smoothies, and even in chip form. Kale chips will help satisfy your desire for something salty while also packing your body with antioxidants and vitamins. Kale is king when it comes to greens. To make your own kale chips, take kale leaves and strip away the stalk. Toss in a little bit of olive oil and sea salt and bake until crispy.
• Wrap your burger in lettuce. For many of us, dieting can be easy – until we get that craving for a juicy burger. Try skipping the bun and use leafy romaine lettuce instead. Greens such as romaine and collard greens are perfectly thick enough to wrap around your burger, creating delicious little burger wrap. You’re not only cutting carbs, but adding a huge kick of vitamins and antioxidants. Who doesn’t love a guilt-free burger? For an added healthy twist, try a veggie burger or turkey burger instead of beef.
• Add a green supplement to your water. If eating green vegetables proves to be a challenge, consider adding antioxidants or vitamins into your diet. Using a supplement such as NanoGreens or Nourish Greens will provide your daily supply of the best anti-oxidants with the highest ORAC values. Get the added benefits of eating greens by just scooping this powerful powder into water once a day.
• Tuck greens into your chicken breast. Simply cut your free range, organic chicken breast before cooking and stuff it with greens and other delicious stuffables, such cheeses, squash, roasted red peppers, garlic, or spices.

Have another tip for sneaking in greens? Share it with us!

Health, no matter what organ we are talking about, is multifaceted. It is never just one thing that helps a person regain their health. It is the combination of taking the right steps before you are sick, and those same steps apply if you are sick.

1. Diet - Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, low in grain consumption, mixed with balance protein sources, like range free meats and fresh caught fish, can guard the health of your heart. Supplementing your diet with Omega 3 fish oil can also improve the heart’s health.

2. Exercise – Exercise is an important key a lot of people skip. People tend to think it is necessary to go to a gym and spend an hour a day working out, so they give up. I tell all my clients to start with walking and only 15 minutes a day at first and then work up from there. It is essential to begin with something easy at first. This short amount of time allotted for exercise makes the goal attainable and the benefits are huge. Most people find when they start with 15 minutes it isn’t long before they are walking 30 without even thinking about it.

3. Meditation – Meditation doesn’t require sitting cross legged chanting OM. It can be 10 minutes sitting quietly in your bedroom, garden or even your car on a break at work. It takes just minutes to still your mind and breathe deep. Try just listening to the sounds around you, the birds chirping, the clock ticking, even voices in the distance. Try not to think of the list of things you have to do, yes, try not to think at all! It takes practice but persistence will pay off.

4. Stress – Eliminate the extra things that cause stress in your life. You may not be able to change jobs or stop being a care giver, for example, but there are small things you can do to de-stress. Turn off your cell phone for a couple hours. Say no to people or organizations when you know it is just going to add more stress to your life. Saying no is sometimes saying yes to your heart.

5. Sleep – The last key to a healthy heart is getting a good night’s sleep.  Try to go to bed around the same time every night. Grown-ups need a bedtime just like kids do! Turn the TV and computer off 30 minutes before bed. Use those 30 minutes to prepare for sleep; take a bath, read a little, meditate or listen to relaxing music. You can’t hit the bed at high speed and expect to fall to sleep.

If you are worried about the health of your heart and still not sure what steps you should take and what supplement s you need, give us a call! At OVitaminPro.com we are always available to help you with your health concerns!