DIY Healthcare

I had a blood pressure scare last week.  It was 180-188/124-115 over the course of the day that I missed work.  I went to the local urgent care as my regular doctor was on spring break.  It's lowering slowly.  Luckily, as you know, I work at a hospital and have access to lots of wonderful nurses who are willing to help me check it. It's still not close enough to normal for me, but I feel confident that things will turn around.

This event made me 1)wonder why it shot up so badly and 2) how can "fix" this as naturally as I can.  The answer to why is because of the stress.  Right now, I have stress at home, with the farm, at work; I really have no area of serenity.  At home, we are still trying to remodel and I have been so tired lately that I feel I live in a hoarder's house and don't have the energy to change anything.  On the farm, we are in week 6 of our quintuplet baby goats.  They have gone from adorable to annoying!  Feeding, wading through the little bodies, trying to configure areas where everyone can get feed they need but not too much, roosters that crow all hours of the night and just the weight of farm chores that never end.  Work...is work...

How can I "fix" hypertension that has a strong genetic background?  Probably can't, but I can do a lot of things to lower it and help it.  First, I have to be a better patient.  Nothing like being called non-compliant.  We all know that healthcare workers are the worst patients though, right?  Secondly, get down to a normal weight.  As hubby would say, totes obs. Then comes a better diet.  I have been doing fairly well at avoiding all sugar, flour and processed foods.  For a few days, I went totally whole-food vegan, but eventually you can think salad and taste it without eating anything!  I am a little nervous about doing too much extra exercise except for walking.  Time to charge that fitbit!  I have an appointment and will talk to my doctor about how far to take the exercise, as well as listen to my body.  The last thing I am trying, as well as for the hubby, is to make my own supplements.  I have decided to start with the hottest new "super-supplement" turmeric.

First I bought a capsule machine, a pure, organic turmeric powder, black pepper and capsules.

I mixed the turmeric and black pepper (4 Tb turmeric, 2 tsp pepper) in a bowl, filled the machine with the capsules and filled them up.  

I followed the instructions and it did pretty good.  I did have one that did not close right for me, but all in all it was fairly simple.  I put them in a jar after hubby and I took one for good measure.  

And then I washed my hands.  NOTE TO SELF: USE GLOVES!!  I knew this but was so excited to try and make them that I just did it! 

Now I am ready to 1) see what Mountain Rose Herbs have on sale next month and 2) buy some organic oranges to dehydrate and make my own vitamin C capsules! 

Good health to everyone!