An estimated 1 in 3 American adults have high blood pressure, a condition that doesn’t cause symptoms until severe problems like kidney or heart disease develop. Rebecca Baker, LAc, at Acupuncture Associates of Castle Rock has extensive experience using therapies from traditional Chinese medicine to lower your blood pressure and restore balance in your body. To learn how therapies like acupuncture and herbal medicine can help, call the office in Castle Rock, Colorado, or book an appointment online.
High Blood Pressure Q & A
How does high blood pressure affect my health?
Blood pressure occurs as blood pushes against blood vessel walls. The amount of pressure can change, depending on factors such as the strength of your heartbeat, the total amount of blood, and the overall health of the vessel walls.
When you have high blood pressure, the excessive force gradually damages the arterial walls, creating a rough spot where cholesterol can get stuck and accumulate. Over time, these areas form plaque that hardens, causing a condition called atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis causes serious problems such as:
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Pulmonary embolism
- Kidney failure
- Peripheral artery disease
High blood pressure may also lead to memory problems if it affects arteries in your brain.
What symptoms develop due to high blood pressure?
You may hear high blood pressure referred to as the silent killer because it doesn’t cause symptoms. The problem develops inside your arteries for years without raising any red flags. In many cases, the first symptom occurs when you suffer a serious problem like a heart attack.
You also start to experience symptoms when atherosclerosis causes late-stage kidney disease or peripheral artery disease that’s severe enough to nearly block blood flow.
What causes high blood pressure?
Most cases of high blood pressure develop over the years as a result of unhealthy lifestyle habits such as:
- Overweight
- Lack of exercise
- High-salt diet
- Chronic stress
- Smoking cigarettes
Your blood pressure can also get too high if you have a health condition such as a thyroid disorder or obstructive sleep apnea.
How is high blood pressure treated?
The first line of treatment for hypertension is changing your lifestyle, whether that means losing weight, getting more exercise, or adjusting one of the other risk factors. Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine, like Rebecca at Acupuncture Associates of Castle Rock, view high blood pressure as an imbalance in your body that heals once balance is restored. From that perspective, she treats high blood pressure using:
- Nutritional support: After a nutritional analysis, you receive dietary recommendations
- Herbal medicine: Several herbs contain active ingredients known to lower high blood pressure
- Acupuncture: Helps you relax, relieves the stress that causes high blood pressure, and heals underlying health conditions
- Acupressure: Similar to acupuncture but uses hand and finger pressure rather than needles
- Traditional Eastern massage: Relaxes muscles, reduces stress, and helps balance your energy
Most patients can lower their blood pressure faster by combining several of these treatments.
If you have high blood pressure, therapies from traditional Chinese medicine can help get it back to normal. To schedule an appointment, call Acupuncture Associates of Castle Rock or use the online booking feature.
