Dr. Neal Lange DC​
February is Heart Health Month. Many people suffer from tachycardia (fast heart beat) or hypertension (high blood pressure) and take medications to alleviate those irregularities but that only masks or temporarily fixes the problem. We need to look to the spine first!
Simply put, the nervous system is divided into 2 categories, sympathetic and parasympathetic. Like many things in life, a balance is necessary to thrive. When the parasympathetic system and the sympathetic system are balanced, the body will function at higher and more efficient levels. In regards to blood pressure, if the parasympathetic system is working less than it should and the sympathetic system is working more than it should, a result can be increased blood pressure and increased heart rate.  
The area of the spine that protects the parasympathetic system is the upper neck, specifically the first and second neck bones (C1 and C2 respectively). If nerve irritation is caused by a subluxation (a bone out of place) in the upper neck, then blood pressure and heart rate can be increased. Chiropractic care can not only lower blood pressure and heart rate, it can safely correct the problem without medications. A study from 2015 showed a drastic 10 point reduction in systolic blood pressure after a chiropractor performed a spinal manipulation to the upper neck (C1).


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THE BENEFITS OF CHIROPRACTIC CARE
Chiropractic care can be a great way to manage and relieve swelling and pain caused by everyday life and beyond. Routine chiropractic care provides patients with treatment that's a safe, non-invasive, non-addictive alternative to prescription medications or over-the-counter pain medications (OTCs), which are commonly prescribed to patients to help them manage their pain and swelling.
Chiropractors deliver a gentle, non-invasive, non-addictive therapy, known as a chiropractic adjustment. Chiropractic adjustments reduce joint restrictions or misalignments in the spine and other joints in the body in an effort to reduce inflammation and improve function of both the affected joint and nervous system. By increasing joint mobility and improving your nervous system function and spinal health, your body has the ability to better manage symptoms caused by everyday stressors.
Benefits of Chiropractic Care:
•Reduced pain and discomfort
•Decreased inflammation
•Improved range of motion
•Improved flexibility
•Increased muscle tone and strength​


WHAT IS ARTHRITIS?
Though common, arthritis is one of America’s most misunderstood diseases. Arthritis is inflammation of one or more joints, which can cause pain, discomfort and stiffness throughout joints and the body. Common symptoms of arthritis and joint inflammation include swelling, joint pain and stiffness and decreased range of motion -- typically worsening with age.
In actuality “arthritis” is not a single disease. There are over 100 different types and severities of the disease, making it the leading cause of disability in America -- affecting more than 50 million. However, there are two main types of arthritis that can benefit from routine chiropractic care:
Osteoarthritis - A degenerative disorder affecting flexible joint cartilage
Rheumatoid Arthritis - A chronic inflammatory disorder in joints
In both cases, self care combined with non-invasive, non-addictive treatment, should serve as your first line of defense to manage and relieve pain and discomfort.
How Can Chiropractic Care Help Those with Arthritis?
Chiropractic care can be a great way to manage and relieve pain caused by arthritis. Routine chiropractic care provides arthritis patients with a safe, non-invasive, non-addictive alternative to prescription opioids or over-the-counter pain medications (OTCs), which are commonly prescribed to patients to help them manage their pain.

Just when we thought things were returning to normal, news of a “tripledemic” — respiratory syncytial virus (RSV bronchiolitis), influenza, and COVID — could collide to make for a rough season ahead. 
According to Kinsa, a health technology company that produces smart thermometers which can track the spread of illness in real time, pediatric incidence of cough, cold, and flu was 33% higher in October compared to the three-year average. So far, cough is the leading symptom affecting children 13 and under.
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Source: Kinsa

Supportive care is vital for recovery. Help your patients understand and access homeopathic interventions available for symptom management. Stay up to date on homeopathic protocols for cough, cold, and flu at our free education center.

Visit Education Center

Recommended for
Cold & Flu Season
Oscillococcinum®
reduces the duration and severity of body aches, headache, fever, chills, and fatigue.* 
ColdCalm®
addresses sneezing, runny nose, and occasional minor sore throat at every stage of a cold.*
Chestal® Honey cough syrup
blends the goodness of honey with homeopathic medicines to treat all types of common coughs.*
​RSV Infection: The Role of Homeopathy
There has been an early and recent surge in RSV this year.  Watch our newest webinar hosted by pediatric pulmonologist Youngran Chung, MD, who shares her experiences and protocols for treating the following symptoms:

• Cough with difficult expectoration
• Bronchial congestion with wheezing and rales or rhonchi
• Bronchospasms and more

Follow this link to view the webinar:
https://boironhcp.cmail19.com/t/r-l-tjtyog-oflklklly-j/

Respiratory Syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of bronchiolitis in infants, and can also cause severe respiratory illness in older adults, or anyone with heart and lung disease or a weakened immune system. There has been an early and recent surge in RSV during this pandemic year. As there is no specific therapy for RSV bronchiolitis, homeopathy can be a valuable tool to complement any supportive therapy.
In this webinar, we will talk about the frequently used homeopathic medicines for RSV bronchiolitis during its acute phase. In addition, we will discuss other homeopathic medicines that may be helpful in reducing recurrences and future complications such as progression towards asthma in at-risk patients.

 *Claims based on traditional homeopathic practice, not accepted medical evidence. Not FDA evaluated.
The information in this communication does not serve to diagnose or treat your specific patients. Recommendations from health care practitioners are based on their professional clinical experiences and knowledge. Homeopathy is an individualized treatment that requires further education and training. As a manufacturer, Boiron cannot stand in for a health care practitioner who may recommend specific single homeopathic medicines or protocols.

https://www.functionalmedicineuniversity.com/public/1755print.cfm
8 Toxic Seed Oils-- What to KnowRonald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., DACBN, MS, CFMPThe eight industrial toxic seed oils are Canola, Corn, Cottonseed, Soy, Sunflower, Safflower, Grapeseed, and Rice bran.


Industrial seed oils are the highly processed oils extracted from soybeans, corn, rapeseed (canola), cottonseed and sunflower and safflower seeds. After the seeds are gathered, they are heated to extremely high temperatures to oxidize the fatty acids. This creates byproducts that are harmful to your health.
Omega-6s are found in oils such as corn, safflower, sunflower, soy and vegetable and products made with those oils. Excess consumption of omega-6s can trigger the body to produce pro-inflammatory chemicals.
What's wrong with industrial seed oils?There are six main problems with industrial seed oils, all of which play a significant role in chronic inflammatory diseases.

1. The consumption of industrial seed oils represents an evolutionary mismatch.
2. Eating industrial seed oils raises our omega-6-to-omega-3 fatty acid ratios, with significant consequences for our health.
3. Industrial seed oils are unstable and oxidize easily.
4. They contain harmful additives.
5. They're derived from genetically modified crops.
6. When industrial seed oils are repeatedly heated (as restaurants do in fryers), even more toxic byproducts are created.

How are industrial seed oils making us sick?Industrial seed oils are far from the “healthy” label they carry. A number of chronic inflammatory diseases have been linked to a number of chronic health problems such as:

• Asthma
• Autoimmune disease
• Cognitive and mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, cognitive decline, dementia, and even Alzheimer's disease.
• Diabetes and obesity
• Heart disease (they are far from being heart healthy!)
• Gut health issues such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBD) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBS)
• Inflammation
• Infertility
• Macular degeneration
• Osteoarthritis

The best thing you can do for your own health and the health of your family is to get rid of all vegetable oils and margarines from your home. Simply throw them out. Replace them with saturated fats for cooking and extra virgin olive and avocado oil for dressing.
Summary:
At this point, it should be clear that we want to avoid omega-6 fats in our cooking oil. The following is a good graphic to represent what to avoid.



Oils from tropical plants such as cacao, coconut, and palm are lowest in omega-6, while oils from cold-weather plants such as sunflower and soybean are highest in omega-6 and best avoided.

References
https://www.bmj.com/content/353/bmj.i1512/rr-4
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21551197.2012.752335
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8050192/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-12624-9
https://www.nature.com/articles/tp2017190
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3335257/
https://openheart.bmj.com/content/5/2/e000898
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12442909/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29636341/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4808795/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4808858/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22334255/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11483088/




The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Grisanti and his functional medicine community. Dr. Grisanti encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. Visit www.FunctionalMedicineUniversity.com for more information on our training in functional medicine. Look for practitioners who have successfully completed the Functional Medicine University's Certification Program (CFMP) www.functionalmedicinedoctors.com. 

While many health screens and lab tests are overrated or unnecessary, there are a few that are vitally important, such as vitamin D. I recommend checking your vitamin D level at least twice a year.
Two other really important tests are serum ferritin (which measures stored iron) and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase or sometimes called gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT; a liver enzyme correlated with iron toxicity, disease risk and all-cause mortality). By monitoring your serum ferritin and GGT levels and taking steps to lower them if they're too high, you can avoid serious health problems.

For adults, I strongly recommend getting a serum ferritin test and GGT on an annual basis. When it comes to iron overload, I believe it can be every bit as dangerous to your health as vitamin D deficiency. In this interview, Gerry Koenig, former chairman of the Iron Disorders Institute and the Hemochromatosis Foundation, explains the value of these two tests.

Iron Overload Is More Common Than Iron Deficiency
Iron is one of the most common nutritional supplements. Not only can you get it as an isolated supplement, but it's also added to most multivitamins. Many processed foods are also fortified with iron. While iron is necessary for biological function, when you get too much, it can do tremendous harm.
Unfortunately, the first thing people think about when they hear "iron" is anemia, or iron deficiency, not realizing that iron overload is actually a more common problem, and far more dangerous. Many doctors don't understand or appreciate the importance of checking for iron overload.
Virtually all adult men and postmenopausal women are at risk for iron overload due to inefficient iron excretion, since they do not lose blood on a regular basis. Blood loss is the primary way to lower excess iron, as the body has no active excretion mechanisms. Another common cause of excess iron is the regular consumption of alcohol, which will increase the absorption of any iron in your diet.
For instance, if you drink wine with your steak, you will likely absorb more iron than you need. There's also an inherited disease, hemochromatosis, which causes your body to accumulate excessive and dangerously damaging levels of iron.
If left untreated, high iron can contribute to cancer, heart disease, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases and many other health problems, including gouty arthritis. In one small study, 2 100 percent of the patients achieved marked reduction in attacks or complete remission after phlebotomy was used to remove iron and maintain an iron level at near-iron deficiency — "the lowest body iron store compatible with normal erythropoiesis and therefore absence of anemia."
Iron causes all this harm by catalyzing a reaction within the inner mitochondrial membrane. When iron reacts with hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl free radicals are formed. These are among the most damaging free radicals known, causing severe mitochondrial dysfunction, which in turn is at the heart of most chronic degenerative diseases.
GGT Is a Potent Predictor of Mortality
GGT is a liver enzyme involved in glutathione metabolism and the transport of amino acids and peptides. Not only will the GGT test tell you if you have liver damage, it can also be used as a screening marker for excess free iron and is a great indicator of your sudden cardiac death risk.
In recent years, scientists have discovered GGT is highly interactive with iron, and when both your serum ferritin and GGT are high, you are at significantly increased risk of chronic health problems, because then you have a combination of free iron, which is highly toxic, and iron storage to keep that toxicity going.
"Recently, [GGT] was proven by the life insurance industry as the single measure that is most predictive of early mortality," Koenig says. "In other epidemiological studies, it's linked to pretty much every cause of death, because it provides those free radicals and hydroxyl radicals …
I believe that … people born after World War II are now at greater risk because of the environmental toxicants we face … Basically, reduction in glutathione levels — your body's most important antioxidant — is indicated by an increase in GGT …
[G]lyphosate, excess iron, all of the substances in the environment — whether you take it in as food or it's in the air — that utilize your body's toxic waste disposal system in some way [will] reduce your antioxidants, whether it's vitamin D, cholesterol, vitamin E or vitamin A. A reduction of those makes you more vulnerable to disease, particularly chronic disease and autoimmune diseases across the board."

Ideal GGT and Iron Levels
As with many other lab tests, the "normal" ranges for GGT and serum ferritin are far from ideal. If you're in the "normal" range, you're virtually guaranteed to develop some sort of health problem. Based on Gerry's recommendation I had my GGT tested last month and it was 17, which is healthy especially since my ferritin level is 37. You really need both tests to confirm lack of iron toxicity as he explains in the full interview.


According to Koenig, women with a GGT above 30 U/L have a higher risk of cancer and autoimmune disease. Interestingly, while for most other tests the range between what's healthy and what's risky tends to be quite broad, in the case of GGT, the range between health and disease is in the single digits.
"Part of it is dependent on body weight," Koenig says. "Strangely enough, the most recent indications are that people who are too thin (whatever their level of GGT is), it could be harmful if [their GGT is] relatively high.9 For instance, for a thin woman with a GGT … in the range of the second quartile, which is going to be generally 14 to 18 today it can be dangerous if she's expecting to have children and has a very low BMI."
When it comes to serum ferritin, a level of 200 to 300 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) falls within the normal range for women and men respectively, which is FAR too high for optimal health. An ideal level for adult men and non-menstruating women is somewhere between 30 and 60 ng/mL.
You do not want to be below 20 ng/mL or above 80 ng/mL. The most commonly used threshold for iron deficiency in clinical studies is 12 to 15 ng/mL. Maintaining a healthy iron level is also important during pregnancy. Having a level of 60 or 70 ng/mL is associated with greater odds of poor pregnancy outcomes. That said, iron deficiency during pregnancy is equally problematic, so make sure you get tested.
Last but not least, since the ferritin and GGT are interactive, low GGT tends to be protective against higher ferritin. So, if your GGT is low, you're largely protected even if your ferritin is a bit higher than ideal. Still, it would be wise to take steps to lower your ferritin to a more ideal level nonetheless. On the other hand, even if your ferritin is low, having an elevated GGT levels is cause for concern, and needs to be addressed.

When Might a Transferrin Saturation Test Be Useful?
If you are thin, with a body mass index (BMI) below 22 or 23, Koenig suggests getting a transferrin test as well, which gives you a percentage saturation level. A level of 25 to 35 percent is typically considered healthy. In the 1970s, the transferrin saturation test was used as a marker for early death. Having a transferrin saturation percentage of over 55 indicated a 60 percent increased risk for premature death.
At that time, an estimated 2.6 percent of the U.S. population had transferrin saturation percentages that high. Today, it's down to half of that, in large part because of the increase in obesity, which "dilutes" your saturation percentage, and the transferrin test is no longer used as a marker for early death. However, if you are very thin, it can still be a useful test.
"Anything between 25 and 35 is safe. If you're unusually thin, I would get that test because there you could have unsuspectingly high transferrin saturation, particularly if you're malnourished … Anorexia nervosa has severe effects on the brain when you're that thin and your BMI is at 14 or 15," Koenig says.

Why Excess Iron Is so Dangerous
Your body creates energy by passing the electrons from carbs and fats you eat as fuel to oxygen through the electron transport chain in your mitochondria to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Ninety-five percent of the time, the oxygen is converted to water. But 0.5 to 5 percent of the time, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are created. ROS are not all bad as they are important biological signaling molecules, but excessive ROS leads to mitochondrial damage and dysfunction.
Iron can react with hydrogen peroxide in the inner mitochondrial membrane. This is a normal part of cellular aerobic respiration. But when you have excessive iron, it catalyzes the formation of excessive hydroxyl free radicals from the peroxide, which decimate your mitochondrial DNA, mitochondrial electron transport proteins and cellular membranes. This is how iron overload accelerates chronic disease.
If you eat excessive net carbs (total carbs minus fiber) the situation is further exacerbated, as burning carbs as your primary fuel can add another 30 to 40 percent more ROS on top of the hydroxyl free radicals generated by the presence of high iron.
Unfortunately, most people reading this are burning carbs as their primary fuel. If you struggle with any kind of chronic health problem and have high iron and eat a standard American diet that is high in net carbs, normalizing your iron level (explained below) and implementing a ketogenic diet as described in my book, "Fat for Fuel," can go a long way toward improving your health.
Taking extra antioxidants to suppress ROS generated by high iron alone or in combination with a high-sugar diet is inadvisable, as ROS also act as important signaling molecules. They're not all bad. They cause harm only when produced in excess.
Your best bet is to lower the production of ROS. One of the easiest and most effective ways to do that is to eat a diet high in healthy fats, adequate in protein and low in net carbs. Eating healthy fats can make a bigger difference than you might think, especially if you have high iron.

How to Lower Your Iron
The good news is it's easy to lower your iron level if it's too high. One of the easiest ways is simply to donate blood two or three times a year. If you have severe overload you may need to do more regular phlebotomies. Two years ago, my ferritin was 150 ng/mL. I implemented self-phlebotomy where I would take out anywhere from 2 to 6 ounces of blood every few weeks, which brought me below 100 ng/mL.
I stopped the phlebotomy when I started a comprehensive detoxification strategy involving near and far infrared sauna, and interestingly, despite the fact I was no longer removing blood, my ferritin continued to drop over the next nine months. Now, it's down to 37 — far lower than I was ever able to get down to with therapeutic phlebotomies, and as I mentioned earlier I have a healthy GGT level of 17.
As it turns out, an effective detoxification program can lower iron as well. While this was a surprise to me, Koenig confirms that this has indeed been documented by Dr. F.S. Facchini in some of his research on iron. While I've long recommended donating blood as the solution to iron overload, I now believe a balanced approach using phlebotomy, detoxification and reducing dietary iron, especially meat, is the best way to go about it.
Keep in mind that trying to control high iron through your diet alone can be risky, as you will also forgo many valuable nutrients. That said, to avoid maximizing iron absorption, avoid eating iron-rich foods in combination with vitamin C-rich foods or beverages, as the vitamin C will increase iron absorption. If needed, you could also take a curcumin supplement. Curcumin acts as a potent chelator of iron and can be a useful supplement if your iron is elevated.

How to Lower Your GGT
GGT is inversely related to glutathione, a potent antioxidant produced in your body. As your GGT level rises, your glutathione goes down. This is part of the equation explaining how elevated GGT harms your health. By elevating your glutathione level, you will therefore lower your GGT. The amino acid cysteine, found in whey protein, poultry and eggs, plays an important role in your body's production of glutathione.
Red meat, which does not contain cysteine, will tend to raise GGT, as will alcohol, so both should be avoided. Research also suggests eating at least 10 servings of fruits and vegetables rich in in vitamin C, fiber, beta-carotene, anthocyanins and folate per week can help reduce GGT. Examples include carrots, romaine lettuce, spinach, sweet potatoes, apricots and tomatoes.
Also, be aware that certain medications can raise your GGT. If this is the case, please confer with your doctor to determine whether you might be able to stop the medication or switch to something else, and avoid over-the-counter medicines, including ibuprofen and aspirin, both of which can damage your liver.
General detoxification is another important component if your GGT is high, as your liver's job is to remove toxins from your body. The fact that your GGT is elevated means your liver is under stress.

The Protein-Iron-GGT Connection
I personally typically eat only 2 to 4 ounces of meat per week Americans tend to overeat meat in general, and most of it is dangerous CAFO meat loaded with toxins. Additionally, while the meat supplies you with more iron than you likely need, excess protein can also cause problems. Another little-known fact is that giving iron to a person who is malnourished and cannot process protein properly can be extremely dangerous. Koenig explains:
"I've been studying malnutrition for several years now, mainly kwashiorkor (also known as protein-calorie malnutrition), which is a typical malnutrition disease, along with marasmus in developing countries. There you have a situation where the children, particularly in kwashiorkor, cannot synthesize important proteins because of essential amino acid deficiencies … 
[When] giving iron too early in a recovering child with kwashiorkor, or an adult for that matter, the measure that skyrockets early on, in that particular case, happens to be GGT.
High amounts of free iron [are dangerous] because they don't have the proteins to safely contain that iron into either transferrin, which is the protein that protects the body from the iron in the bloodstream, or ceruloplasmin, which is necessary for copper transport. To get iron safely into the brain, it needs to be complexed with ceruloplasmin. Those can't be synthesized in a malnourished person. [So, giving] iron to a malnourished person is highly toxic."

African and Chinese Research Confirm GGT's Relation to Chronic Disease
Koenig recently found a few African studies showing the importance of GGT. In the 1990s, when GGT was tested broadly in the U.S. as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (NHANES III, 1988 to 1994), results revealed that African-Americans had higher levels of both serum ferritin and GGT than Caucasians and Hispanics.
"Back then, those measurements were compared to measurements in Zimbabwe. In [Zimbabweans] who were not exposed to spraying for mosquitoes … the [ferritin and GGT measurements] were roughly half.
They had obviously been on a native diet … But I found, through several papers recently submitted in South Africa, that those measurements now are very high. They're catching up and probably surpassing the American Blacks' measurements, and they're suffering the [same] chronic diseases …"
More recent studies from South Africa depict increasing GGT levels are associated with insulin resistance and cardiometabolic disease risk. Moreover, a recent Chinese study showed that while having a GGT level above the midpoint raised the risk of chronic kidney disease, when combined with high serum ferritin, that risk increased nearly fivefold. Other common diseases associated with high iron and GGT include diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Blood Donations Lead to Radical Reduction in Disease
A number of epidemiological studies have also documented a significant reduction in chronic diseases among those who donate blood two or three times a year — findings that support the notion that iron overload is prevalent, and contributes to chronic disease. In some, heart disease and cancer were reduced by as much as 50 percent, Koenig notes.
Unfortunately, many doctors are still unaware of the importance of checking for iron overload (based on ideal levels and not what's considered normal), and may overlook the GGT test as well.
"One of the reasons it's difficult to get doctors to order GGT tests is they're discouraged because they know some prescription drugs increase [GGT]. Although the overall effect may be protective, it's not a happy situation to see a measure of disease increase just by taking a drug. There's resistance in that area of getting tested. But it's a pretty simple test. It would be recommended. And blood donation basically keeps one healthy," Koenig says.
In summary, if you're concerned about maintaining your health and preventing chronic disease, I would strongly encourage you to get a ferritin and a GGT test regularly, and if needed, implement the strategies discussed above to get them into their optimal ranges.
Serum ferritin and GGT are markers for iron toxicity, which is a major mostly unrecognized contributor to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and many other chronic diseases. High iron even increases your risk of infections. As noted by Koenig, you really don't want to check into a hospital with high iron, as your risk of contracting a hospital-acquired infection will be that much greater. The good news is, it's so easy to turn around, thereby dramatically reducing your risk.

If either serum ferritin or GGT is elevated, you need to take action. The treatment couldn't be simpler. Unless you're a menstruating woman, simply donate blood two to three times a year. If you do not qualify to donate blood, ask your doctor to write you a prescription for therapeutic phlebotomy.

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References:
1 Hemochromatosis.org
2 Rheumatology 2003 Dec;42(12):1550-5
3 Disease Markers 2015; 2015: 818570
4 Leading Contributors to Mortality Risk in Life Insurance Applicants
5 Journal of Insurance Medicine 2012;43(3):162-8
6 Clinical Chemistry 2007; 53(5): 940-946
7, 8 Irondisorgers.org, Four Important Tests Where Ranges for Normal Vary (PDF)
9 Biomedical Reports March 2016; 4(3): 307-312
10 Diabetes Care. 2014;37(7):1878–1884
11 Transfusion Medicine April 20, 2017, DOI: 10.1111/tme.12408
12 Mercola.com, Gerry Koenig Interview, June 12, 2016
13 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition April 2004; 79(4): 600-605
14 European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2008) 62, 60–67
15 Livestrong March 2, 2012
16 European Journal of Preventive Cardiology 2014 Dec;21(12):1541-8
17 Disease Markers 2017; 2017:9765259

​I first want to give you a brief overview on how medications impact important nutrients.
HOW MEDICATIONS AFFECT NUTRIENTS
The following are a few ways that blood pressure medications can affect how our bodies absorb essential nutrients. 

• The medication can attach itself to a nutrient and pass it out of the body
• The medication can alter the pH in the gut so that the nutrient can't be properly absorbed
• Some medications need specific nutrients in order for them to be able to work.

The Following are Blood Pressure Medications, Nutrients Commonly Depleted and the Negative Impact of the Deficient Nutrients
ACE INHIBITORS
Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE Inhibitors) are one of the most commonly used families of blood pressure medicines. Examples include; ramipril, enalapril, lisinopril, quinapril, fosinopril, trandolapril and captopril.
Nutrients that can be depleted by these medicines are zinc, magnesium, potassium and calcium.
Deficiencies in these nutrients can cause hair loss, slow healing of wounds, loss of taste or smell, prostate problems, loss of sex drive, frequent infections, leg cramps, weight gain, bone loss, high blood pressure, higher risk of cancer
CALCIUM CHANNEL BLOCKERS
Another commonly used family of blood pressure medicines. Examples include; amlodipine, nifedipine, felodipine, diltiazem and verapamil.
Nutrients that can be depleted by these medicines are potassium, calcium, vitamin D and possibly Co-Enzyme Q10.
Symptoms that can occur due to deficiencies in these nutrients are fatigue, leg cramps, frequent infections, thirst, muscle weakness, bone loss, confusion, high blood pressure, confusion, heart disease and rapid or irregular heartbeat.
BETA BLOCKERS
Examples of beta blockers include; atenolol, metoprolol, sotalol and bisoprolol.
Beta blockers can deplete the body of Co-Enzyme Q10 and melatonin.
Symptoms that can occur due to deficiencies in these nutrients are insomnia, disrupted sleep, increased risk of cancer, autoimmune disorders, muscle cramps, memory loss.
CENTRALLY ACTING BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICATIONS
Clonidine and methyldopa are examples of this.
These blood pressure medications can deplete Co-Enzyme Q10.
Depletion of Co-Enzyme Q10 can result in fatigue, weakness, muscle and leg cramps, memory loss, frequent infection, liver damage, higher risk of heart attack, higher risk of cancer.
Conclusion
The above blood pressure medications may in fact cause nutrient deficiencies making it more important to consider supplementing with these nutrients to decrease the negative symptom consequences
IMPORTANT
Always discuss this important information on blood pressure nutrient deficiencies with your healthcare provider.
References:
Pharmavite. Common drug classes, drug-nutrient depletions, & drug-nutrient interactions. www.aafp.org/dam/AAFP/documents/about_us/sponsored_resources/Nature%20Made%20Handout.pdf. Accessed September 20, 2019.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5874849/
https://nutritionreview.org/2016/12/practical-guide-avoiding-drug-induced-nutrient-depletion/

​Compliments from Functional Medicine University and
have it linked back to www.FunctionalMedicineUniversity.com