Is there a correlation between hyperviscosity and blood pressure

Hi All,

In New Zealand it's not that easy to go to your local doctor and request a blood test.
I did manage to get a fibrinogen blood test but only after some interrogation as to why.
Asking for the tests recommended in the Red Flags to Beat the Odds post are out of the question.

Hemoglobin A l c 
High Sensitivity C-reactive Protein 
Fibrinogen 
Ferritin 
Homocysteine 
Oxidized LDL/HDL 
Triglyciderides 
Interleukin 6 

The Hemathix test it seems is only available in U.S.

Therefore I am looking for as simple test and wonder if there is a correlation between blood pressure and blood viscosity.
If for instance your blood pressure is 120/70, which is considered very good for someone my age (71) then viscosity and stickiness is also in good condition.
If we can't test we have no choice but take supplements and hope.

Any suggestions, anyone.

Colin

Colin,

I Googled
pulse pressure blood viscosity

Pulse pressure is the difference between systolic and diastolic.
Here is the search: <[fficial&client=firefox-a&channel=nts" rel="nofollow">www.google.com]
Here is one result: <[www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
It would suggest really no correlation.

George

Yes Colindo, there is a definite association between hyperviscosity and hypertension.

Here is a brief review by Dr Jonathan Wright at Meridian Valley Labs and Tahoma Clinic in the Seattle area that highlights the broad associations of hyperviscosity with all 12 major cardiovascular risk factors, it's the only lab marker associated with all 12 such risk factors.

While all the other test Jackie mentions are very valuable viewpoints and specific aspects of CV health and collectively give a strong indication of blood viscosity,by he single test for true Whole blood viscosity measuring both diastolic and systolic phases of the cardiac cycle is the most efficient, surely least expensive and most direct way to assess true blood viscosity levels.

Meridian Valley also includes a very handy treatment protocol titrated by degree of hyperviscosity as this condition is fairly straight forward in correcting without at drugs with natural dietary changes and specific supplements like nattokinase and others and for more severe cases also including periodic phlebotomy blood draws to reduce hematocrit and hemoglobin and knock down WBV as well.

Insuring strong levels of hydration is also critical in controlling WBV.

Many people will be okay on the test but I highly suggest everyone with AFIB or CVD get this test done at least once.

http://www.tahomaclinic.com/blood-viscosity-testing/]Whole Blood Viscosity Testing[/url]

WBV physics

There is another article that discusses all the mechanics of WBV and its correlation with hypertension specifically, but I'll have to look it up when I have the time, which currently is in short order the next few weeks.

Shannon



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/11/2014 02:40PM by Shannon.

Hi Colin -

My first thoughts to your question is that blood pressure can be a sign of elevated viscosity but probably only to a relatively minor degree compared to the condition of the arteries which determines whether you are hypertensive or not… if they are plaque filled and stiff, then that drives up blood pressure. Relaxed, soft, clear arteries allow for low or normal blood pressure. You’re fortunate yours is good. So is mine.

What we are concerned about is blood that is thick and sticky from inflammatory processes that typically acccompany high blood pressure and also cause the various Predictive Biomarkers to be out of range and increase the risk of clotting. Example… my blood pressure is always low normal… like 116/68 or 65. Yet, at one point, my CRP was elevated… and at another evaluation, as a result of reactivation of Epstein Barr Virus, my fibrinogen was elevated whereas previously, it had been kept in check… probably helped by the nattokinase. My blood pressure remained the same.

If a person has elevated ferritin which is an increased clotting risk factor, they can still have low range blood pressure. I know a person who has hemochromatosis (elevated ferritin) but has consistently low blood pressure as well.

We know of the many beneficial, natural blood thinning supplements that are available to help us keep from having thick, sticky blood including the high dose vitamin C to clean out arterial buildup as well as prevent accumulations. And, all afibbers should remember that magnesium helps prevent platelet aggregation.

Several comments on reducing blood viscosity naturally…

As I commented in my email to you, it’s unfortunate that the important Predictive Biomarkers are frequently unavailable to many patients. Even in the US where functional medicine practitioners are more plentiful, it’s still difficult to find one at a convenient location. As I mentioned, there are several considerations worth noting, but I forgot to mention a very important treatment method which is accessible to most everyone and that’s Grounding or Earthing. All you need is bare feet on the ground or even lying down on bare ground for maximum contact. Refer to previous posts on the Earthing/Grounding topic by using the Search feature.

Integrative Cardiologist, Stephen Sinatra, tells about his informal experiment where he and colleagues measured red blood cell tendency for aggregation or clumping. They made slides of the before and after experiment and found that after grounding the blood cells were significantly separated and free flowing. Easy to do and good news for everyone. If you live near the ocean, then walking barefoot in wet sand is even better. Excellent preventive medicine.

Dr. Sinatra’s informal experiment led to a formal study…

Source:
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
J Altern Complement Med. Feb 2013; 19(2): 102–110.
PMCID: PMC3576907

Earthing (Grounding) the Human Body Reduces Blood Viscosity—a Major Factor in Cardiovascular Disease
Gaétan Chevalier, PhD,1 Stephen T. Sinatra, MD, FACC, FACN,2 James L. Oschman, PhD, 3 and Richard M. Delany, MD, FACC4

Abstract
Emerging research is revealing that direct physical contact of the human body with the surface of the earth (grounding or earthing) has intriguing effects on human physiology and health, including beneficial effects on various cardiovascular risk factors. This study examined effects of 2 hours of grounding on the electrical charge (zeta potential) on red blood cells (RBCs) and the effects on the extent of RBC clumping

Source: [www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov] (at this link, there are numerous other links on this topic worth reading)

If you play the short video at this link, it shows the difference in platelet aggregation before and after grounding.
[www.heartmdinstitute.com] - works with Google Chrome.

Here’s the Earthing book…[www.heartmdinstitute.com]… important information.

Read more at Dr. Sinatra’s website [www.heartmdinstitute.com]

However, as the literature indicates, there is a connection with elevated Bp and risk of stroke.

Long ago, when we had Patrick Chambers, MD, who was also an afibber participating actively, he spent a lot of time offering technical articles on various topics which he offered up as “brain cramp time.” So, reminiscent of Pat Chambers, following are several links on hemorheology starting with the early work by the late Kenneth Kensey, MD, who drove the research on how hyperviscosity damages the arteries. These serve as a current brain cramp homework assignment … Check out these links (which are just a few of a huge number of references) for some background that led up to the work Shannon mentions at Meridian Valley and Jonathan Wright, MD.

Research Article
The mechanistic relationships between hemorheological characteristics and cardiovascular disease
2003, Vol. 19, No. 7 , Pages 587-596

SUMMARY
Historically, the approach to atherogenesis research has been focused on factors that primarily include vessel wall histology, blood and vessel wall biochemistry, clotting factors and platelets. This approach can be referred to as the 'biochemical' approach. We now recognize that atherosclerosis is an ongoing sterile process that starts with functional impairment of the arterial endothelium. However, the cause of the endothelial injury that initiates this process has not yet been identified.

This commentary article proposes that the vasculature is a dynamic organ in which the initiating event leading to atherosclerosis is a protective, adaptive response of the endothelium to a mechanical injury related to the work of the heart (WOH). Evidence is presented that this mechanical injury is readily explained by changes in blood rheology. This represents a paradigm shift from a strictly biochemical approach to our understanding of the atherogenic process to a biomechanical one.

Elevated whole blood viscosity (WBV) has been independently correlated with increased carotid intima media thickness and major cardiovascular disease risk factors, including hypertension, smoking, diabetes, advanced age, elevated low density lipoprotein cholesterol, and decreased high density lipoprotein cholesterol. These associations have led several authors to propose increased WBV as a unifying factor linking major cardiovascular risk factors and atherosclerosis.
Blood rheology has been more difficult to accurately study than other risk factors for cardiovascular disease, explaining why it may be an overlooked factor in our understanding of cardiovascular disease. The science of rheology is now entering a new phase of acceptance with the development of a new scanning capillary rheometer which, unlike conventional rheometers, easily and accurately determines whole blood viscosity as a function of shear rate.

Read More: [informahealthcare.com]

Blood Viscosity: The Unifying Parameter In Cardiovascular Disease Risk
Wednesday, 29 February 2012 18:14 By Ralph E. Holsworth, Jr., DO & Jonathan V. Wright, MD - Vol. 13, No. 1. Spring, 2012

A quick search on the PubMed database reveals nearly 1,000 scientific papers linking blood viscosity to cardiovascular disease events and risk factors.

In fact, increased blood viscosity is the only biological parameter that has been linked with all of the other major cardiovascular risk factors, including high blood pressure, elevated LDL cholesterol, low HDL, type-II diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity, smoking, age, and male gender.

This led to the proposition, which is becoming more widely accepted, that blood viscosity is the unifying parameter for CVD. Increased viscosity may be the reason why the other biochemical, metabolic and demographic factors are important, and provides the underlying mechanism through which these other factors convey the pre-inflammatory insult to the arterial walls (Sloop GD. Med Hypotheses 1996; 47:321-5).

Simply put, blood viscosity is the thickness and stickiness of blood. It is a direct measure of the ability of blood to flow through the vessels. It is the critical biophysical parameter that determines how much friction the blood causes against the vessels; how hard the heart has to work to pump blood; and how much oxygen is delivered to organs and tissues. Importantly, high blood viscosity is easily modifiable with safe lifestyle-based interventions.
Continue: [holisticprimarycare.net]

Books by Kenneth R. Kensey, MD

The Origin of Atherosclerosis: What Really Initiates the Inflammatory Process
2007 by Kenneth R. Kensey M.D. and Young I. Cho Ph.D.
[www.amazon.com].

The Blood Thinner Cure : A Revolutionary Seven-Step Lifestyle Plan for Stopping Heart Disease and Stroke Feb 11, 2001 by Kenneth R. Kensey M.D. and Carol A. Turkingto
[www.amazon.com]

Another book worth reading Stop America's #1 Killer by Thomas E. Levy, MD, JD
Scroll down to the Editorial Comments showing the Inside Flap and Back cover info.
[www.amazon.com]

Happy reading!

Jackie

Colindo, Jackie, George and all,

Whole Blood Viscosity and its relationship to Hypertension/BP

Above is the link to the Whole Blood Viscosity and its relationship to Hypertension/BP[/url] article on the relationship ( not causal per se) of hyper viscosity and blood pressure/hypertension. Have been very busy and took a while before I could track this article down again. I leave for Chicago for an AFIB powwow on Saturday and Sunday with Janssen Pharma that should be interesting and will get a chance to catch some of the AHA 2014 Scientific Sessions on Sunday afternoon.

Cheers!
Shannon



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/13/2014 08:01PM by Shannon.

Worth reading:

For those who have hypertension issues or are looking for natural preventive measures, Life Extension has an informative report (October 2014)

Natural Extracts Lower Blood Pressure
[www.lef.org]

Jackie