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After reading the responses sent to list member Howard Harper, I new I had
to take a moment to write this.  High blood pressure can be caused by a
variety of different things ranging from kidney problems and cardiovascular
disease to imbalances caused by dietary intake (commonly caused by
gastrointestinal disorders and/or improper diet).  For simplicity's sake
I'll only discuss the dietary causes of blood pressure changes.

Basically blood pressure is managed via a balance of the various salts in
our system, sodium (NACL, or sodium chloride), potassium (KCL or potassium
chloride) and the minerals magnesium and calcium.  In a nutshell sodium
makes blood pressure go up, potassium makes it go down, calcium and
magnesium control the rhythm and contraction strength of your heart.  All of
these substances control how well your muscles work.  Too much or too little
of any of these things and your blood pressure, muscle strength, energy
level, and cardiac function can be greatly affected.  In worse case
scenarios (either too high or low levels) severe imbalances can kill you.

Those of us with Celiac disease often have difficulty maintaining our
electrolytes, as chronic diarrhea and malabsoption makes it difficult to get
and keep enough of these substances in our blood.  When your potassium
levels are low, your blood pressure may go up, as was the case with me.
Consequently I eat foods rich in potassium to help maintain a low resting
heart rate and blood pressure.  Various international studies have proven
that potassium rich diets, along with moderate exercise (20 minutes of
walking at least 3 times a day) help bring blood pressure levels back to
normal.  I won't go into the mechanics of it but low blood pressure is
stabilized by exercise as well.  Regular exercise helps prevent orthostatic
hypotension (a sudden drop in blood pressure, commonly seen in sedentary
people).

I suffer from hypoglycemia, the opposite problem of diabetes, however the
diet for both is very similar.  Unfortunately most physician do not take the
time to explain the glycemic index to their patients, as most assume it's
too complicated for the average person to follow.  But it isn't, and people
would be well advised to learn about it.  The best website I've found on the
subject is located at: http://www.mendosa.com/gi.htm.

Everything we eat is eventually transformed into glucose, which fuels our
bodies.  Some foods break down into glucose more quickly than others.
Obviously fruits and sugars transform into glucose the quickest.  Fats and
proteins take much longer to break down, and thus don't cause your blood
sugar to spike.  Interestingly while potatoes are relatively high on the
glycemic index (i.e. they quickly break down into sugar) red skinned
potatoes take longer to break down than white or russet potatoes.  By
building a diet based on the glycemic values of the foods you eat, you'll
find it easy to maintain a level blood sugar.

Eating a diet rich in proteins, complex carbohydrates (nuts, beans, veggies,
etc.) and healthy fats (fish oil, olive oil, canola oil) will allow you to
eat moderate amounts of sugar containing foods without negatively affecting
your blood sugar level.  This diet stabilizes both low and high blood sugar.
The ONLY difference between my father-in-law's diabetic diet and my
hypoglycemic diet is that he'll eat something containing either protein or
fat when his sugar is high; and I'll take in something with a little more
sugar when mine is low.  Lastly, unless you're suffering from kidney or
heart problems you need to take in AT LEAST 32 oz of fluid (half a liter)
per day.

When my father-in-law (he also suffers from Whipples - a form of Celiac
disease) was first diagnosed with diabetes he was given a cursory talk by a
dietician, along with a book of what he could and couldn't eat and some
insulin pills.  No one bothered to tell him what a hypoglycemic episode was,
and that the pills might trigger one.  He was simply told to go home, take
one pill in the morning, and eat three meals a day.  His blood sugar was all
over the place, he felt rotten, and was constantly eating to keep his sugar
up.  After watching him suffer through his third low blood sugar reaction in
a week, I suggested he follow a diet based on the glycemic index.  He
quickly went from having blood sugar levels from between 140 - 250, and
taking one pill a day ... to the normal blood sugar levels he currently
enjoys.  Now his blood sugar only goes up when he's sick, tired, or run
down.  Rarely (one or two times a month) he'll take a quarter of a pill; a
huge difference from a year ago.

I hope this information proves useful.

Love and Care,
Jeanne

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