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BY DR. DEBORAH ARDOLF, NMD

Frank, (not his real name) is a 60 year old, tall, thin, athletic male who presented to my clinic with a complaint of gradually escalating blood pressure readings over the past year or so. Another naturopathic physician had told him that he did not need to worry; although the readings were not within the norm, they were normal for him. Frank was an intense, focused business man, who laughed easily, and lived a balanced life.

However, his blood pressure started to rise after a one-year period of intense business/financial stressors. current stressors were intermittent, lasting no more than several days, however his blood pressure remained elevated. Diet-wise he was primarily vegetarian and craved potato chips. Frank had daily one-hour workouts in the gym, and was able to sleep undisturbed for seven to eight hours a night. His readings were: BP: 170/92; Pulse: 80; Weight: 210; Height: 6'5" HT: RRR with no extra heart sounds. After the initial consultation, I recommended basic labs and supplementation

Frank was opposed to prescription meds. With great confidence, I prescribed Heart Tension Formula by Mountain Peak Nutritionals, dosing one cap, two times per day. Frank returned to the clinic one week later with a complaint of lightheadedness after taking the Heart Tension Formula. He hated the feeling and did not want to take the medication anymore. BP readings were basically unchanged and lab test results (CBC, CMP and thyroid panel) were normal based on the seemingly benign lab results, yet 

consistently elevated BP readings, I expressed concern for the patient's consistently elevated diastolic pressure. Diastole is meant to be the relaxation phase in the measurement of arterial pressure. Readings in the 90's could hardly be interpreted as relaxation! What were the potential causative factors? We could boil it down to two words: inflammation and/or genetics. I ordered the Esoterix test to get to the bottom of it. (See results on chart below.) Now we were on to something.

Several elevated numbers were promoting hyper-coagulability, others were causing decreased blood flow, causing excessive strain on the heart. Therefore, I recommended the following: increase fish oil intake to 3 gms/day; continue eating green leafy vegetables; Boluoke® 1cap 2x/day, increasing to 6 caps/ day over a three week period, followed by decreased dosages, stabilizing to one cap 2x/day. Upon completion of the above, Frank reported consistent blood pressure readings of 127/72 daily.

Is this case common or uncommon? It is probably more common than most clinicians realize, especially in recalcitrant hypertensive patients. Many Americans, especially in this economic climate, suffer extreme prolonged stressors, which often lead to catastrophic cardiovascular events.

In Frank's case, I chose an agent known to decrease fibrinogen and Lp(a), called Bolouke, a broad spectrum fibrinolytic. We were able to correct his hypercoagulable status and affect positive results on the cardiovascular system. However, what was the cause of his hyper coagulation? This requires further detective work as he had elevations in both la panels. We still do not know if there is an underlying genetic or immune dysfunction? Knowing the cause, we can best advise the patient on the next course of his treatment. Our goal will be to keep his blood pressure in the normal range without the need for additional supplementation.

This case is an example of how naturopathic doctors can save lives by treating the cause, and not only "do no harm" but even better than that, improve the quality of life of the patients who trust in us.