I have recently fallen in love. With capillaries.
In his brilliant book, ‘The Secret Language of Cells’, Dr John Leif, physician and neuroscientist, dedicates a whole chapter to them, calling these tiny vessels, ‘brain centres’ of tissue development.
With a yogic lens, this speaks to the body intelligence, the embodiment of mind being everywhere, rather than the reductive, thought based view, of brain being everything.
When it comes to blood pressure, there is just so much to unpack. The paradox that when we measure our blood pressure, our blood is only about 12% of the internal fluids in the body. the majority, circa 60% is intracellular fluid - fluid inside the cells. About 20% being extracellular fluid, the remaining being fluids like mucous, and the fascinating distillation of blood plasma, our cerebro-spinal fluid.
Blood flows to a much slower crawl in the tiny capillary vessels. In single file! Imagine that. The capillaries are so perfused in an intricate and glorious web, throughout our body, that the blood cells are in single file and thus able to communicate much more intimately with the capillary network and nearby cells, facilitating the marvellous part of internal respiration - gaseous exchange. The diffusing of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
Doesn’t this make much more sense, why and how good and deep breathing is so fundamental to health?
Nourishing more fully these vascular beds, as the webs of capillaries are called. And these vascular beds perfuse throughout the body, and researchers are seeing now, microscopic subtle differences in the microenvironments of these vascular beds, for different organs.
Body intelligence.
Capillaries that funnel blood, oxygen and nutrients to every tiny corner of the body. More is still being learned about their intricate capability. There has to be something in it, that vascular beds differ. More research on that to come, I’m sure.
For now, just let yourself feel into these tens of billions of capillaries, lacing in your body. It might feel strange, abstract, far away. That’s ok. We live in a highly thought-based, brain centric, disembodied world. The important thing is to begin by noticing your breath. And imagining all the wondrous capillary cellular conversations happening, right now. Then it moves away from theory and information, into how it feels. That is not a linear and simple journey. Just notice.
So, key number one to healthier blood pressure, is to breathe well. Remember the coherent breathing. Even rate and rhythm, taking the breath into the belly, and breathing in and out through the nose.
Another key, is movement. Move in ways you enjoy and that you know make good and grounded sense for your current life chapter. Let’s keep this referencing to the capillaries and vascular beds. That putting on some top tunes you love, and just moving, without inhibition, is getting you somewhere. Somewhere far more true and free. A lot of wounds are being deeply activated in the collective at the moment. So dance more. Care about what others think, way less. What feels pressured, remove yourself, the best you can, from it.
Notice too the inner narratives. Kidneys regulate blood pressure profoundly. So, if like me, you’ve serious kidney issues, and some, like me, have had kidney transplants, learning to pace yourself is so important. Our kidneys are like sacred inner batteries.
Effects of good breathing are cumulative. So just keep practicing the observation of how your breath is. Perhaps there’s some breathlessness in the mix, from a heightened state of internal pressure. Working too hard. Not resting enough. This tips us into ‘sympathetic bias’ where we feel the inner state is screeching, yet we can become paralysed in our fear of how to change. Hyper-vigilance and hyper-arousal can become ‘normal’. So when we do slow down, the stuff that got buried, wants to surface. This is part of the healing process. As much as you are able, put some space in for yourself, a hand on heart, a breath, a soaking in the bath to cry rivers of tears to relieve the inner turmoil. Water supports us with emotional healing.
Emotions can play a role in blood pressure. Because everything is interdependent. In his book, ‘Healing Hypertension: Uncovering the secret power of your hidden emotions’, Dr Samuel Mann recounts several of his cases, who when given the space and the skillfulness of useful questions, his patients opened up to traumatising episodes in their lives, that were the root of the hyper-tension. This speaks too of feeling safe in a clinical environment. It’s why elevated blood pressure in most clinical settings happen. It’s a disembodied culture.
So blood pressure medication should never be prescribed based on one isolated, singular, clinical reading. Dr Mann always takes it three times, leaving calm intervals in between, and then takes the median. And if you do have high blood pressure, invest in a measuring tool to take it at home. Take it when you feel relaxed and at ease, to remind yourself it can settle.
It’s not either medical or emotional, the causes of hyper-tension are often idiopathic. Meaning there is no known cause. There will be reasons though. It’s just taking the time for yourself to explore and to be willing to launch your own research assignments.
Hibiscus tea is also a useful tonic. High in vitamin C, antioxidant action, and a nourishing deep red colour. Reducing both systolic and diastolic pressures. Systolic is when the heart is contracting, the top figure of a reading, diastolic is the heart relaxed, between beats, the lower figure. There are many hormones that can affect blood pressure too. Hibiscus has a natural angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibiting quality. Two cups a day for a few weeks. Let it be a ritual, rather than a fixation.
Adrenaline which does increase heart rate and blood pressure. There is also the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone balance. Rewiring how we react to stress, is a necessary step. Remember, stepping stones. Take the slow train. Slow down.
Salt intake is a useful one to consider. Not no salt! This is dangerous and could tend one towards hyponatremia (low sodium) which if too low, can be very, very serious. It’s a key electrolyte, in what’s known as the sodium/potassium pump action at a cellular level. Basically, if you cut out ultra processed food, that will bring down sodium intake considerably. Shop bought packet biscuits and cakes can be surprisingly high in salt and hydrogenated fat - which for your lovely vascular beds, is very sad news.
When it comes to sodium, think of it as getting more potassium than sodium. In modern fast food eating, heavily relying on take-out foods, will also increase sodium intake. Once in a while, fine. Not every week. The typical diet these days has knocked the ratio of sodium to potassium the wrong way and this is a key cause of hyper-tension.
To increase potassium rich foods, eat avocado, potato, small amounts of dark chocolate, tomatoes, plenty of dark leafy greens, nuts, peanut butter (make sure it’s made solely with nuts).
Magnesium is another wonderful mineral for healthier blood pressure. The foods listed above are also good for magnesium, as is fish, as is swimming in the sea, temperature allowing!
In essence, up your fruit and vegetable intake. Leaning more to a higher amount of vegetables. Avoid fruit juice in concentrated form as this is too much sugar. Sugar intake also can contribute to hyper-tension. Drinking only water and tea/coffee (in moderation, say 2-3 cups a day without sugar) helps avoid any reliance on soda pops. Bad news for our vascular beds.
Booze - have an honest look at this. Alcohol in excess, is generally damaging. A little of what you fancy…of course.
Taking regular epsom salts baths which is the sulphate form of magnesium, is another nourishing way of getting this mineral, nature’s relaxant, in.
Look to getting good night’s sleep. This might mean some re-education around patterns. Keep tech out of the bedroom, including mobile phone. The blue light is agitating to the nervous system. If you use it for an alarm, just keep it outside the bedroom, so still in earshot.
It’s a vastly interesting aspect of health, our blood pressure. And many variables influence it.
Here's to easing pressure and daring to live a life we love!
Ciara
