Read up. Wellness, your way.

On the first day of my one-on-one residency in my doctoral program, Dr. Oh, the cardiologist I was shadowing, walked into the room and told me to put away my notebook. He said that I wouldn’t be doing any nutrition therapy during my six-month rotation with him. 

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For a Registered Dietitian with extensive clinical experience, seeing patients in a hospital or outpatient clinic for nutrition therapy was what I knew best. But Dr. Oh had a plan: he wanted me to learn how to look at a patient in the present moment, on the gurney, with no medical record or dietary history, assess their health status and give my best guess at what their medical diagnosis was. 

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That’s where we really started to hone in on what coronary artery disease looked like on the inside. I had spent my life’s work on preventing and treating coronary artery disease (CAD) from food and lifestyle medicine. Still, I had not seen firsthand how CAD looked on the inside, how arteries actually change as we age, and how this disease is put on super drive when diet and lifestyle are not optimal.

Symptoms of High Blood Pressure 

Most people with high blood pressure have no symptoms and feel no pain, even if blood pressure readings reach dangerously high levels. You can have high blood pressure for years without any symptoms.

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A few people with high blood pressure may have headaches, shortness of breath, and nosebleeds. However, these symptoms aren't specific. They usually don't occur until high blood pressure has reached a severe stage.

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When I watched Dr. Oh start a procedure by entering a large blood vessel - like the femoral artery - I saw the wide range of vessel health among patients. Some patients had soft, supple, elastic veins that could handle the shift in fluids happening at the time. 

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But other patients had arteries that had literally started to harden. They couldn’t handle change in fluid efficiently, and as a result, the effort required to pump blood through those veins was much higher, resulting in a higher blood pressure reading. Higher blood pressure puts us at risk of developing some of the most deadly - and sometimes symptomless - diseases out there.    

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Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to complications, including heart attack or stroke, brain aneurysm, heart failure, kidney problems, eye problems, metabolic syndrome, changes in memory or understanding, and dementia.   

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Did you know that cardio-metabolic diseases, including heart disease and diabetes, are the leading cause of death globally? The good news is that many risk factors for these diseases, such as high blood pressure, are preventable through lifestyle changes, including a healthy diet.

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My experience during my doctoral work really awakened a new sense of urgency in me to move blood pressure to one of the top measurements of health status in my patients. I was re-energized to help people take preventive steps against this silent killer, and I was challenged to explore how food and lifestyle could treat high blood pressure and even heal the arterial walls after the damage had occurred. I was committed to learning the very best ways to help people get their blood pressure under control through diet and lifestyle habits. 

The Role of Blood Pressure in Cardiovascular Disease

Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of our arteries as our heart pumps it. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is when the force of the blood pushing against the artery wall is consistently too high. This causes the heart to have to work harder to pump blood through the body.   When we have excessive pressure on the artery walls caused by high blood pressure over time, it can damage blood vessels and body organs. The higher the blood pressure and the longer it goes uncontrolled, the greater the damage.  Hypertension can be caused by damage to our arterial wall or by occlusion in the artery and increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and other health problems.

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To prevent cardiovascular disease, it's essential to monitor and manage our blood pressure regularly. As a culture, we are very, very good at tracking our weight, almost too much. I’ve often thought to myself that I wish we were as great at tracking our blood pressure as we are at weight! Blood pressure readings provide valuable information about our cardiovascular health and can alert us to the first signs of potential problems before they become severe.

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Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Blood pressure readings are expressed in two numbers: systolic pressure (top number) and diastolic pressure (bottom number).  The ideal blood pressure reading is 120/80 mmHg or lower. Elevated blood pressure for the top number (systolic pressure) ranges from 120 to 129, and the bottom number (diastolic pressure) is below and not above 80 mm Hg.   Hypertension is defined when the top number ranges from 130 to 139 mm Hg, or the bottom number is between 80 and 89 mm Hg or higher. Blood pressure higher than 180/120 mm Hg is considered a hypertensive emergency or crisis. Anyone with these blood pressure numbers should seek emergency medical help.

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Untreated, high blood pressure increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other serious health problems. It’s important to have your blood pressure checked at least every two years, starting at the age of 18. I suggest checking your blood pressure yearly, and if you have high blood pressure, begin tracking your blood pressure regularly at home with a blood pressure cuff that you can purchase at most pharmacies.   

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If you think about a hose that works well to water your flowers, you want it to be soft, supple, and unhindered, right? Our arteries are essentially hoses within our bodies that move blood to the heart and other organs. How do we keep our arteries soft and supple? We can effectively do that with our lifestyle habits, especially our diet. 

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Managing high blood pressure involves making lifestyle changes, such as eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, managing stress, and avoiding tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption.

Understanding What Happens to Our Arteries When We Don’t Take Preventative Action

Blood pressure is determined by two things: the amount of blood the heart pumps and how hard it is for the blood to move through the arteries. The more blood the heart pumps and the narrower the arteries, the higher the blood pressure rises.

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Arteries are responsible for carrying oxygen and nutrients to our organs and tissues. High blood pressure can cause arteries to narrow, making it harder for blood to flow through them and potentially leading to serious health problems. In my doctoral work, I watched countless procedures done where someone’s arteries had shrunk to only 2, 3, or 4 millimeters in diameter, while a healthy artery is usually around 7 or 8 millimeters. 

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Many of the patients with small arteries like these were smokers, had chronic health issues like diabetes, or were severely obese. In some cases, high blood pressure can be caused by plaque buildup in our arteries, leading to a condition called atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis can cause blockages, which may require treatment such as stents to open up the arteries and restore blood flow.

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Stents are small devices that look like the spring inside a pen that a doctor places inside an artery that has been compromised by occlusion or a blockage from cholesterol or calcification. It’s amazing when a stent goes into an artery, you will see on the monitor that the patient's blood pressure immediately begins to drop. It’s almost like loosening your grip around a hose and watching the water start to flow through. 

Vascular Diseases and Their Connection to Food and Lifestyle

Vascular diseases affect the blood vessels that carry blood throughout our bodies. These diseases are often preventable through lifestyle changes, such as maintaining a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet, and exercising regularly. Eating a diet loaded with too much salt and deficient potassium can raise blood pressure. Being dehydrated can raise blood pressure as well. Drinking too much alcohol is linked to increased blood pressure. High-stress levels can lead to temporary increases in blood pressure. Stress-related habits such as eating more, using tobacco, or drinking alcohol can lead to further increases in blood pressure.    

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A balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats can help manage high blood pressure and prevent cardiovascular disease. In fact, within just an hour of eating certain foods, you can see your blood pressure start to come down.  

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Regular exercise and stress management can also help keep blood pressure in check. Take a ten-minute walk, and 30 minutes later, measure your blood pressure. You're going to see that blood pressure number come down. 

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Stress can contribute to high blood pressure. Relaxation techniques, such as meditation, deep breathing, and yoga, can help lower blood pressure and promote overall wellness. Other lifestyle changes, such as getting adequate sleep and limiting caffeine intake, can also help manage blood pressure.

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But one of the biggest lifestyle changes you can make in maintaining arterial health is your water intake. Dehydration can cause blood vessels to narrow, increasing blood pressure. Drinking enough water can help keep blood vessels soft, strong, and supple so they can deliver our blood and oxygen where it’s needed most in our bodies. 

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During my residency, Dr. Oh would do the most interesting thing before a procedure. Before he went back to his patient in the cath lab, he would promptly greet the family member waiting in the reception room and deliver two bottles of water. As he assured them he would take good care of their loved one, he would ask them to drink both bottles of water while they waited for the procedure to be finished. He would often say that the loved one sitting there in the waiting room, filled with stress and usually not taking care of themselves and ending the long day dehydrated, could be at worse risk than being the patient he was treating on the gurney. This really helped to reinforce his belief that stress, hydration, and rest were very important for good health and blood pressure.   

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How The Score Combats Cardiovascular Diseases 

My seven years of research, clinical application, and residency helped me to develop The Health Diet & Longevity Score, my tool to move health into the hands of my patients themselves. I looked at my research and asked, “What are the foods and habits that will protect our arterial health?” If we start there, so many other health benefits (weight, mental clarity, energy) will just fall into place. 

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Here are some of the categories included in The Score that specifically target arterial health: 

• Daily intake of berries
• Daily intake of nuts
• Daily walking 
• Adequate water intake

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There are many more, but these are just a few of the guidelines that I help you track that contribute to a variety of health targets, but most importantly, help to protect your arteries and prevent disease. 

Reversing Blood Vessel Damage

I want to note some amazing research that we’ve seen from Dr. William Lee’s latest book “Eat to Beat Disease” that shows really promising data surrounding the healing of arterial damage and the reversal of coronary artery disease.  Some really encouraging data from the research of Dr. Dean Ornish showed that just one year of intensive lifestyle change and healthy diet results in the reversal of damage done to our arteries, and after five years of lifestyle change, there were continued improvements in the arterial health and only HALF the cardiac events of the control group.    

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This work from these researchers and the results I found in my TakeTEN^Ⓡ program, with improvements in blood pressure in just ten days with reductions in the need for medications, should give all of us hope in how diet and lifestyle changes are powerful in the prevention, treatment, and even reversal of chronic diseases like coronary heart disease and hypertension.

Get Started Today Fighting High Blood Pressure

So why do I call high blood pressure the silent killer? Because as our blood pressure numbers start ticking up, most of us don’t feel a thing. This makes blood pressure such an important target for us to monitor and manage over time. 

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My research-backed approach to lifestyle change is a surefire way to get your blood pressure under control and in a healthy range. Diet and daily lifestyle changes can have astounding effects on our body’s health from the inside out. 

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To get started with making these changes, see how your diet and lifestyle Score. Take my Healthy Diet and Longevity Score and see how close your diet and lifestyle compare to my diet and lifestyle prescription for optimal health, fighting disease, and improving high blood pressure. 

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Once you have your results, head over to Dr. Cheryl Wellness and join the membership if you want to take a deeper dive into how you can make the diet and lifestyle changes to feel good today, fight disease and live younger longer. Head over to drcherylwellness.com to take Your Score and get immediate results. 

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