Your blood pressure is trying to tell you something— are you listening?

Imagine you have a cut on your hand that won’t stop bleeding. Every time you take off the Band-Aid, it starts up again. Would you just keep reapplying bandages? Or would you want to know why it keeps bleeding?

As a holistic nutritionist, I was trained to never just slap a Band-Aid on symptoms because you would be missing the entire point. We can all agree that symptoms, no matter what they are, range from annoying to horrible…however, symptoms are your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. Symptoms are an early warning system that can save your life.

Today I want to look at a particular symptom, high blood pressure, and shed some light on traditional versus root cause approaches to address it.

To be clear, I am not recommending that everyone just stop taking their medication. I am inviting you to think about an important question:  Why is your blood pressure elevated in the first place?

Most medications work a lot like a Band-Aid. They’re not designed for healing, they are designed to mask the symptom…and once you stop taking it, the symptom returns. That’s not a flaw in the medication — it’s just what happens when the root cause was never addressed. 

Nitric Oxide Deficiency: A Root Cause of High Blood Pressure

If there’s one molecule at the center of natural blood pressure support, it’s nitric oxide (NO). This important molecule helps your blood vessels relax and dilate — which directly lowers blood pressure. Think of it like widening a garden hose: the same amount of water flows through, but with much less pressure.

Optimize Your NO Production:

1. Breathe Through Your Nose

This one sounds almost too simple, but the science is real. Nasal breathing increases nitric oxide production six-fold compared to mouth breathing. When you breathe through your mouth, you produce very little nitric oxide.

During the day, you’re able to consciously breathe through your nose, but at night when you’re asleep, you may be unconsciously switching to mouth breathing (it’s pretty common!). To prevent yourself from potentially missing hours of nitric oxide production every single night, mouth taping is an easy and very inexpensive solution. Mouth taping is when you use a small piece of tape over or around your lips during sleep (the idea isn’t to firmly seal your mouth, but rather provide gentle encouragement to nasal breathe). I tried it and while it is weird at first, I think it is worth the insurance that you’re getting all that extra nitric oxide production. Here are some more details and instructions on mouth taping.  (If you have any concerns about nasal congestion, breathing issues, or use a CPAP definitely check with your provider first.)2. Try Humming

Yup, humming your favorite tunes can increase nitric oxide production by up to 15 times! The vibration created by humming in your nasal passages is thought to stimulate the release of nitric oxide from the nasal sinuses. Even a few minutes of humming each day can have a positive impact. Think of some areas of your life you could incorporate humming (while you’re cooking, cleaning, driving, etc).3. Rethink Your Mouthwash

This is one that surprises a lot of people. Many popular antibacterial mouthwashes don’t just kill the bad bacteria in your mouth — they kill all of it, including the bacteria that help your body produce nitric oxide.

Here’s the connection: certain beneficial oral bacteria convert nitrates from food into nitric oxide. When you sterilize your mouth with antimicrobial mouthwash, you wipe out those bacteria. And a growing body of research is finding an association between regular mouthwash use and elevated systemic blood pressure. And then of course if you’re breathing through your mouth rather than your nose, it makes things worse by drying out your mouth tissue and shifting the balance of your oral microbiome toward less beneficial bacteria.

Consider:

• Switching to a non-antimicrobial toothpaste and rinse
• Trying oral probiotics, which can help restore a healthy balance of mouth bacteria (like ProBiora)
• Focusing on good mechanical hygiene (brushing, flossing) rather than sterilizing all your oral bacteria

Foods to Boost Nitric Oxide & Support Healthy Blood Pressure

Your diet is one of the most powerful tools you have. These foods specifically support nitric oxide production and cardiovascular health:

• Beets — one of the richest sources of dietary nitrates, which your body converts to nitric oxide
• Arugula — another nitrate powerhouse (and delicious with olive oil and lemon)
• Watermelon — high in L-citrulline, an amino acid that boosts nitric oxide
• Nuts — support blood vessel health and provide L-arginine, another NO precursor

And for some added support, these functional foods and botanicals act as nitric oxide regulators:

• Black ginger — emerging research points to its role in improving circulation and NO bioavailability
• Medicinal mushrooms (like reishi and lion’s mane) — support cardiovascular function and reduce inflammation
• Black aged garlic — a gentler, more bioavailable form of garlic with well-documented blood pressure benefits

Hibiscus Tea For the Win

Hibiscus tea deserves its own spotlight. The research on hibiscus and blood pressure is impressive — multiple studies have shown it can produce meaningful reductions in both systolic and diastolic pressure. Enjoy 2-3 cups/day hot or iced. 

Move Your Body — Gently

Exercise is one of the best things you can do for heart health, but if your blood pressure is currently elevated, the type & intensity of exercise matters. 

It is recommended to focus on gentle, sustainable movement — walking, swimming, cycling at a comfortable pace. Also gentle yoga and tai chi are excellent movement options for lowering blood pressure. The goal is to stay in a zone where you can breathe comfortably through your nose the entire time. This supports nitric oxide production during the exercise itself, and it keeps the cardiovascular system gently challenged without spiking pressure further.

The Foundation Is Always the Same

Building a strong foundation of heathy diet & lifestyle habits is key. From there you can layer in targeted strategies like supplements.

And if your blood pressure is elevated, please work with a practitioner who will help you get curious about the why behind it. Medication may be appropriate or even necessary in some cases — but even then, understanding and addressing root causes alongside medication is almost always going to get you to a better place.

Your symptoms are not inconveniences to be masked. They’re invitations to look deeper.

As a functional nutritionist, I don’t just help you to eat healthier: I help you create a healthier lifestyle.  

If you’re ready to discover where your best health has been hiding, I’d love to connect with you!

Apply for a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session. http://bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability).

Wishing you unstoppable health,

~Rebecca

P.S. If you know someone who is ready to feel great & create health habits that stick, I would love to connect with them!

Please share my scheduling link with them so that they can schedule a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session with me.

As always, nothing in this newsletter is intended as medical advice. Please work with a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to any medications or treatment plans.