Cardiovascular health

Managing numbers is not the same as improving health

You have been on blood pressure medication for five years. Your numbers are controlled. But the underlying cause, the thing driving your blood pressure up in the first place, has never been addressed. You are managing a measurement, not recovering from a condition.

Mark Webster takes a different approach. As a naturopathic pharmacist with a Masters in Integrative Medicine, he works to identify and address the metabolic, nutritional, and lifestyle factors that drive cardiovascular risk, with the goal of improving your health rather than simply keeping your readings within a target range.

Consultations are available in-person at the Stay Well Clinic in Hornby, Christchurch, or via Zoom anywhere in New Zealand. Evening appointments are available every Thursday.

Blood pressure and cholesterol medications are among the most commonly prescribed in New Zealand, and they are effective at what they do: reducing the numbers on your test results. But a lower blood pressure reading does not mean the cardiovascular system is healthier. It means the medication is working to counteract a process that is still occurring underneath.

High blood pressure (hypertension) is almost always a symptom of something else: arterial stiffness driven by chronic inflammation, sodium and potassium imbalance, insulin resistance affecting vascular tone, magnesium deficiency affecting blood vessel relaxation, chronic stress and cortisol elevation, kidney function changes, sleep apnoea, or excess weight affecting cardiac load. Treating blood pressure without investigating which of these is the primary driver is, at best, incomplete.

The same is true of cholesterol. Total cholesterol is a poor predictor of cardiovascular risk in isolation. The ratio of LDL to HDL, the size and density of LDL particles, triglyceride levels, inflammatory markers such as CRP, and homocysteine levels all provide a far more complete cardiovascular risk picture. Many patients on statins have never had these assessed.

Conditions Mark works with:

• High blood pressure (hypertension), including medication-resistant hypertension

• High cholesterol and dyslipidaemia, including elevated triglycerides and low HDL

• Cardiovascular risk reduction, assessment and management of multiple risk factors

• Metabolic syndrome, the combination of high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, excess abdominal weight, and abnormal cholesterol

• Insulin resistance and its effect on cardiovascular risk

• Chronic inflammation as a cardiovascular driver

• Elevated homocysteine, an underassessed cardiovascular risk factor

• Medication review for patients on multiple cardiovascular medications seeking to understand their options

• Patients wanting to safely reduce cardiovascular medication under medical supervision

What Mark Will Assess

What Mark will look at in a cardiovascular consultation:

Mark will review your existing blood test results and identify any gaps in the standard cardiovascular panel. Where relevant, he may recommend additional testing including a full lipid panel with particle sizing, inflammatory markers (CRP, fibrinogen), homocysteine, fasting insulin and blood glucose, magnesium, and vitamin D.

He will take a detailed dietary history focused on sodium and potassium intake, the quality and type of dietary fats, refined carbohydrate and sugar consumption, and overall dietary inflammation. He will assess your stress load, sleep quality, physical activity pattern, and weight history.

He will review your full medication list. Many cardiovascular medications deplete specific nutrients as a side effect, including CoQ10 (depleted by statins), magnesium (depleted by many antihypertensives), and B vitamins (depleted by some diuretics). Addressing these depletions often improves both the effectiveness of the medication and your overall energy and wellbeing.

The Integrative Approach: Treating the cause alongside the medication

Mark does not ask patients to stop their cardiovascular medication. That is a medical decision made with your GP. What he does is work on the factors that are driving the condition, with the aim of supporting your body to function more effectively alongside, and in some cases with less reliance on, that medication.

His approach may include targeted nutritional support, such as magnesium, CoQ10, omega-3 fatty acids, and specific B vitamins, dietary adjustments addressing inflammatory and metabolic drivers, gut health support (given the established relationship between gut microbiome composition and cardiovascular risk), stress and cortisol management, and specific lifestyle recommendations based on your cardiovascular risk profile.

Where Mark recommends a reduction in cardiovascular medication as part of an improvement programme, he will do so in collaboration with your prescribing doctor. He will not suggest reducing medication without appropriate monitoring and medical involvement.

A Note on Heart Health and Men

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in New Zealand, and men are disproportionately affected. One of the most consistent findings in Mark's consultation practice is that male patients are significantly less likely to have had a thorough lifestyle and nutritional assessment alongside their cardiovascular prescription.

If you are a man who has been on blood pressure or cholesterol medication for some time and has never had a full metabolic and nutritional review, a consultation with Mark is a logical step. The appointment is 60 minutes. The conversation covers ground that a standard GP appointment simply does not have time for.Medication & sexual health

The effect of prescription medication on sexual health.

A significant number of commonly prescribed medications have sexual side effects that are underreported and underdiscussed. Antidepressants (particularly SSRIs) are widely associated with reduced libido, delayed orgasm, and erectile dysfunction. Antihypertensives including beta-blockers and thiazide diuretics affect sexual function in both men and women. Some hormonal contraceptives reduce libido and vaginal lubrication in certain women. Finasteride, used for hair loss and prostate conditions, is associated with persistent sexual side effects in a subset of men.

If you suspect that a medication you are taking is affecting your sexual health, Mark can review your full medication list, identify likely contributors, and advise on options, including nutritional support that may partially mitigate the effect, and where discussion with your prescribing doctor about alternatives may be appropriate.

He will not recommend stopping or changing prescription medication without medical involvement. But he will give you the full picture so that you can have an informed conversation with your GP.