The Arterial System - Differential Pressure

The second important pressure in the arterial system, at least from the Nature Cure angle, is called the differential pressure.

The heart rests between each beat, and in doing so, it harbors its energy so that it can work efficiently for many years. During this resting stage the blood-pressure naturally falls, and the pressure then recorded on the instrument is called the diastolic or resident arterial pressure. The difference between the systolic and the diastolic, the high and the low, is called the differential pressure. This is very important, because it gives the experienced practitioner a definite clue to the state of the patient's arteries. The differential pressure then becomes as important as the systolic, and in certain cases may even be of more value.

It is generally understood that in adult life the differential pressure should vary between forty and fifty points, and this is a usual finding during the consultation with a person in ill-health. A comparatively new form of treatment such as Nature Cure naturally leads its practitioners to keeping accurate notes of blood-pressure changes, and many interesting findings have been recorded. It has been found that, after a person has followed out for several months the proper Nature Cure treatment, there is a considerable drop in the differential blood-pressure until it reaches a level of between twenty and thirty points. According to medical standards this pressure is too low and denotes a tiredness or lack of vitality. This is not Nature Cure finding, and most of nature cure patients are amazed at the vitality and staying power gained during the treatment.

A low differential pressure means a less vigorous circulatory flow, and also decreased tension in the arteries with a reduction in the wear and tear of the circulatory system. In many cases, therefore, the aim of the naturopath is primarily to reduce the differential pressure, by either lowering the systolic pressure or increasing the diastolic. In addition to considerable success in all blood-pressure cases, this treatment is of the - greatest value in arteriosclerotic changes involving arterial spasms which are often diagnosed as actual thrombosis.

If the desired reduction in the differential pressure takes place after the diet and the other factors have been thoroughly established, it means that the treatment is proving beneficial in many respects and is not limited to blood-pressure reduction. The heart is not working so energetically and will naturally last much longer, the life of the arteries is prolonged and the danger of circulatory failure is removed.

It is interesting to examine the blood-pressure of a man aged sixty-eight who has been on a strict Nature Cure diet for twenty years. When he first started this way of life he followed a dietary very much like the one outlined in this book. Throughout the years he found, however, that his body functioned very well on a plain diet, and he became more and more inclined to reduce the quantity of food. At present he has one main meal each day, and for the rest of his diet he takes fruit and fruit juice only. He is a vegetarian and does not drink tea or coffee, and his occupation is a strenuous one involving great physical effort. During the last ten years he has not had one day off work through illness.

By ordinary standards of reckoning blood-pressure his systolic and differential pressures would be reckoned too low for a man of this age. His retinal arteries showed absolutely no sign of arterio-sclerosis, and his heart reacted easily to all tests without change of rhythm and the whole system was without strain. Recently he passed a driving test at the first attempt, which shows the efficiency of his nervous system.