Check It Out: Reading about government waste will raise your blood pressure

By Joan Janzen

Here’s a bit of humour to start your day. A genie granted a wish, but with one condition: that the man’s worst enemy would get two times more of what he wished for. The man asked for 120/80 blood pressure.

A recent article by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) had the following heading: “Warning: Reading about government waste will raise your blood pressure.” I’ve often referenced Dr. Suneel Dhand, who assures his listeners that people’s stress hormones are constantly elevated in our modern world.

“It may even be from watching too much mainstream media,” he suggested. “The algorithms get you hooked on stories that are not to your liking.” He also suggested what his response would be if he were diagnosed with mildly high blood pressure, but we’ll get back to that later.

Dr. Dhand said, “For most things out there, there are lots of natural things that can help.” One of those natural foods which he, along with Dr. John Campbell, recently discussed is Lion’s Mane mushrooms.

Lion’s Mane is a mushroom which can be purchased at a health food store as a supplement or as a tincture. “It’s remarkably good for your brain,” John reported. He said it’s also delicious if you can find the mushrooms sold fresh anywhere. Ironically, it looks much like a human brain in appearance.

John gave a personal example concerning his brother, who was in an accident which resulted in him having neurological problems. Consequently, for two years, he would get lost in a parking lot, had headaches, and could no longer cook or take care of basic needs. “After a couple of years, neurologists weren’t giving him any treatment,” John said. However, after taking Lion’s Mane for three weeks, he was able to begin functioning in his day-to-day activities.

“Some good research is coming out of Japan,” John reported, adding that the supplement is very popular there. “There are masses of people reporting significant benefits from Lion’s Mane mushrooms.” As usual, comments posted after listening to John Campbell’s and Dr. Suneel’s discussion proved to be very informative.

One individual said, “I was diagnosed with ADHD. Chemical ADHD meds made me either like a zombie or a Duracell bunny. Lion’s Mane has been an absolute game changer”.

A comment from someone reported a daily intake of Lion’s Main really helped her fibromyalgia. Someone else reported being diagnosed with a nerve issue and was prescribed painkillers, which didn’t help. After taking Lion’s Mane for a few months, he has zero nerve pain.

Dr. Dhand said, “This is probably going to take the western world by storm, according to the trends I’m seeing.”

John agreed, asking, “Why isn’t this being tested? It’s almost as if cures for many diseases are built into the natural system and into our ecosystems. But I’m not telling anyone what to do. This is purely for educational purposes.”

As he educated his listeners, he proceeded to interview a man who shared his experience with his six-month-old puppy, which developed a cancerous tumour on its nose. “We were told they needed to operate quickly, and would cut out the entire area exposing his teeth, followed by chemo,” the dog owner reported. Even with surgery and chemo (costing $4,000), he was told the dog would be lucky to live another four months because it was an aggressive cancer. He decided against having the surgery and let the cancer run its course.

Meanwhile he looked at other ways to treat his puppy and came across Lion’s Mane mushrooms. The only thing he gave his puppy was a daily adult dose of Lion’s Mane tincture, “because he’s a big dog,” he explained. Now the dog is four and a half years old, the tumour is gone, and he is a very healthy dog.

A physician listening to this report commented, “Lion’s Mane mushroom has shown promising neuron regenerative effect, but are we now seeing potential anti-cancer outcomes too? I’d love to see more documented cases like this. Natural compounds deserve more attention.”

One listener commented: “I am a pharmacist and medication is the absolute last resort for me and my family.” If you listen to Dr. Dhand you’ll hear him agree that medications are a last resort, which leads me back to his recommendations for what he would do if diagnosed with mildly high blood pressure.

“It’s estimated that 50% of the western world’s adult population has been diagnosed with high blood pressure,” the doctor said, so dealing with it in the early stages is important.

He recommends cutting back on carbohydrates, sugar and processed foods, and exercising. “Start walking more,” he suggested. “Park further away from the grocery store entrance, take stairs instead of the elevator, walk after meals.” His suggestions for relieving stress included going to the gym, walking in nature, watching a comedy show, and spending time with family and friends.

“Evidence shows people who don’t sleep enough are predisposed to high blood pressure,” he noted. He recommends not looking at screens right before going to bed, and instead try reading or having a bath before retiring for the night.

“Adopt a strength training routine for 20 minutes at least three times a week. That will help with natural blood pressure reduction,” he advised.

I really hope you’ll take the good doctor’s advice; you’ll need all the help you can get when I write about CTF’s report. Because “Reading about government waste will raise your blood pressure”.