KAJAMA.COM NEWSLETTER

by Kavitha M. Chinnaiyan, MD

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

Last month, the American Heart Association, along with numerous other societies, released the updated guidelines for diagnosing and treating high blood pressure (hypertension). Examining the evidence from many studies, the guideline committee found that the harmful effects of hypertension begin at much lower levels than what we had previously thought.

Previously, only blood pressure values of greater than 140/90 mmHg were called hypertension. The new guidelines suggest that blood pressure values greater than 130/80 mmHg are too high, and that we diagnose them as such.

With this shift in how we define high blood pressure, nearly half of all adults in the US are going to be hypertensive, particularly among individuals under forty-five years of age. Three times as many men and twice as many women will now fall under the "hypertensive" category. By no means do the guidelines suggest that we start treating everyone with medications. In fact, lifestyle changes are strongly recommended as the first step in all individuals with hypertension.

For me, as an integrative cardiologist, the question is this—why are so many young people walking around with high blood pressure? To cue into this, we need to look at the various ways in which our blood pressure becomes a problem; only then can we start to put in place the various ways to address it.

What is Blood Pressure?
The heart pumps blood out into the big arteries, which carry it to the rest of the body. Blood flowing in the arteries of the body exerts a pressure on the artery walls. This is known as blood pressure, and it has two components—systolic and diastolic. Systolic blood pressure is the amount of pressure exerted on the arteries while the heart is actively pumping blood into them. Diastolic blood pressure is the amount of pressure on the artery walls in between heart beats.

Blood pressure varies throughout the day, based on exercise, eating, emotional reactions, stress, sleeping, and other factors. It is highest in the early morning and lowest at night, and is highly responsive to everything going on in our bodies, minds, and lives.

What Causes High Blood Pressure?
"Essential" or "idiopathic" hypertension is the most common form of the disease, accounting for 95% of all cases where we can't pinpoint to one factor as being the cause for it. This form of hypertension is usually the result of a whole host of factors, including age, race, gender, smoking, stress, excessive body weight, excessive alcohol intake, poor eating habits, and a lack of physical activity.

"Secondary" hypertension afflicts the remaining 5% of individuals, where high blood pressure is a direct result of some other problem. Thyroid or adrenal gland disorders, artery and kidney disorders, sleep disorders (particularly sleep apnea), and certain tumors that release blood pressure-altering chemicals are the most common ones.

Stress and Hypertension
When we are stressed, our bodies produce a host of hormones to cope with the physiological processes that are stimulated to deal with the situation. The adrenal glands produce adrenaline and cortisol, which increase heart rate and constrict blood vessels to increase blood flow to the muscles of the legs and arms and decrease it in the digestive system. Digestion slows down and senses become more heightened. These acute processes make up what we call the "fight or flight" response. When the stress stimulus subsides, the hormones dissipate and we return to normal.

The stress response is a very useful one, and is a brilliant adaptation of our bodies to deal with imminent threats. However, this response doesn't differentiate between a real threat and an imagined one. Whether we are facing a real physical threat (such as a potential car crash) or a mental one (like what we should say or should have said to the coworker we dislike), the stress response takes over.

While a normal stress response is one that peaks and comes down in a few hours, an abnormal one is sustained over days (and sometimes, for weeks). If we tend to simmer over things, it is likely that we have the latter kind of abnormal stress responses. If we are the kind that can't relax because we are constantly worried about how are perceived or how everyone around us must behave, stress becomes our chronic companion.

While research is still underway to determine the link between stress and hypertension, there is a strong suggestion that chronic stress damages our arteries, triggers an ongoing inflammatory response, and leads to heart disease and other chronic illnesses. As we might expect, constant stress interferes with healing, delaying recovery after a heart attack, procedures, or surgeries, and significantly impairs our quality of life quite.

If we look at our modern lives, it should come as no surprise that chronic stress is a huge factor for many. When we live in a world where the rat race is the norm, we come to accept the constant rushing, jarring interactions with others, lack of quiet time, eating on the go, and being on the edge as normal phenomena. This is especially true if everybody around us is living a hectic, stressful life. It is no wonder then that hypertension will be diagnosed more frequently in young individuals.

In fact, this revelation speaks volumes about what we have come to value. The new guidelines should come as a wake-up call for us as a society, because they point to the non-serving ways in which we live, sacrificing what is good in favor of instant gratification or the tremendous pressure to "get somewhere."

A wake-up call is one that gives us an opportunity to cultivate the intention to change these non-serving patterns and to cultivate new ones that foster our journey toward health and happiness. And what this takes is a deep and loving commitment to ourselves, where we become willing to do whatever it takes to regain our sense of wellbeing while opening to joy, sweetness, and harmonious relationships with others.

In my book, The Heart of Wellness, I describe the nuances of the mind-body relationship as we know it, not only from the standpoint of modern medicine but also from the deeply holistic perspectives of Ayurveda, Yoga, and Vedanta. What is our purpose as human beings treading this unique planet for the very limited time we have here? What is the cause of our suffering, whether or not it is related to disease? Can we find joy and inner bliss even when afflicted with incurable disease? These are some of the themes discussed in the book, along with a detailed Bliss Prescription to regain our understanding of our inherent blissful nature.

Whether it is hypertension or any other chronic illness caused by an imbalanced lifestyle, some of the fundamental remedies remain the same. And they have to do with a total reset of our lives, as outlined below.

1. Maintain a regular schedule. By eating and sleeping at the same time every day, we bring our neuro-hormonal pathways into a state of balance. Working with our naturally occurring circadian rhythms ensures that our metabolism and regenerative functions are working optimally. Go to bed by 10 PM, wake up by 6 AM. Don't skip meals.
2. Bring digestion to balance. One of the key elements of a holistic lifestyle is to bring the digestive system back into balance. Each of us has different digestive issues based on our unique body-mind properties and previously ingrained habits. One size doesn't fit all. Take the Blissful Gut Quiz on my website to receive a personalized plan to balance your digestion.
3. Meditate. Meditation has a very powerful effect on our neuro-hormonal pathways and the stress response. Many studies have demonstrated the potent effect of meditation on lowering blood pressure, the inflammatory response, and the risk of chronic illness. It has also demonstrated a potent anti-aging effect by working on our genetic material. You can enroll in my free Bliss Meditation Course, with ongoing support to maintain the practice.

While there are other lifestyle changes that can further our journey into wellness and bliss, the above steps are the most important. Making these three changes forces us to slow down and prioritize our health and wellness, bringing mindfulness into our daily activities and clearing our perspective about ourselves and the world. Our emotional resilience begins to strengthen while our bodies become radiant and supple.

Now, more than ever, it is important for us to turn our lives around since the old patterns are clearly not working to promote health in our society. It is critically important that we change ourselves so that our children can model their behavior after ours to find different ways to deal with the stressors that will come their way.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2018. All rights reserved.

Almost a year ago, I broke up with a severe narcissist. I trusted him and gave him my love, my trust and my support. He used me, betrayed me, and could never admit to what he had done although he bragged about things to everyone else. He nearly destroyed my relationship with my family by stealing thousands from them to spend on call girls. While I realize he was a lesson to me and I have forgiven him in my heart because it must be AWFUL to be such a person, I am still wondering what is happening on a spiritual level for the narcissist. Thanks!

Lisa

Susyn:

A narcissist is someone who is completely self-focused and self-centered. Narcissists have no conscience or awareness of how their actions affect others.

It must be very difficult to forgive and even harder to forget this devastating experience. I agree that this was a lesson for you as well as an experience that could make it very hard to trust others in the future. The blessing is that he is now out of your life. I can assure you that the next time you run across a narcissist, you will find it much easier to spot him for what he is.

Because your ex is cut off from Spirit, there may not be much happening on a spiritual level for him. Narcissists like to think that they are in control of their lives. If anything positive happens to them, they believe they created it themselves. If anything of a negative nature occurs, they blame it on others.

Because of his skewed view of the world, your ex will continue to repeat the same patterns of using others. Until he begins to experience consequences for his actions and his methods stop working, he'll have no reason to change. Eventually, however, he will learn that what we do to others comes back to us.

Karmically, it's just a matter of time before his actions begin to backfire. The timing and manner of these events is up to the Universe, but when it does happen, he will be the one with great lessons in store. This may involve devastating experiences, as that may be what he needs to wake up and realize he has to change.

We don't always get to witness the karmic retribution we are entitled to, but you can rest assured that at some point, he will be stopped in his tracks. Your job is to heal your own wounds and disengage from any concern about what is happening to him, as these thoughts will keep you bound to him on an energetic level.

To keep his memory at bay and prevent him from doing any further harm, I recommend you use my freezing ritual, which can be found in the free downloads area of my Kajama profile. While performing this ritual, include a written request that he also be blocked from harming, using and stealing from others as well. Asking the Universe to protect others from being victimized by him will help you heal on a spiritual level and align you with positive karma.

I'm sorry about your bad experience with this man, but I can assure you that this lesson holds many gifts for you beyond teaching you whom you can trust. You now have new awareness and are no doubt grateful that you were able to break free of him and move on to happier, healthier relationships.

*****

Oceania:

Narcissism is a personality disorder, which means it is a deeply engrained pattern of thinking and behaving that leads to relationship and career problems. From a spiritual perspective, narcissists are lost in the illusion of separation. Their spiritual tasks are to become found again and reconnect with the whole, and to accept the fundamentally flawed nature of all human beings. Thereís no need for us to condemn them or say that narcissists should be different, for they are on a path with unique lessons and challenges just like we all are.

Despite having fragile egos, those with NPD have a sense of entitlement and believe they are superior and special. Their expectations of perfection and rages over imperfection can be distressing to those around them.

Narcissists can't see from other people's points of view, so they have little regard for others' feelings and needs. They treat people as objects or specimens, and use them without qualms. One of their manipulative tools is charm. When theyíre not berating you, theyíre praising you excessively to lure you closer; youíre either basking in their admiration or groveling for forgiveness and promising to do better.

Since your ex was able to steal thousands of dollars from your family, you probably all idealized him while ignoring red flags. Perhaps you felt coerced or intimated by him; it often feels easier to give in to keep the peace than to risk verbal abuse and shaming.

We were all narcissists early in life. Toddlers canít see another personís point of view and feel frustrated when they donít get their way. Most of us mature and learn to share, take turns, forgive and tolerate frustration. Psychologically, the narcissist is stuck at a very young age.

Those with personality disorders are low on will power; their soulís light is dim, as if nobodyís home. They can seem like machines running rampant with no one at the controls. Since they don't perceive themselves as having a problem, they don't seek help. Most medical plans do not cover personality disorders because there is little chance the patient will benefit from intervention. Those who live WITH the personality-disordered are much more likely to seek and benefit from treatment.

You say you trusted this man. Instead of trusting other people, I recommend you trust in your own judgment. Indiscriminately giving love and support to someone who can't reciprocate is a bad investment. Self-preservation must be your top priority. Your goal is to recognize that there are no true enemies in life - only teachers. Narcissists provide us with endless opportunities to practice compassion while remaining gracefully assertive.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.