We often refer to “hypertension” as if it were a single fact. In reality, it is the same physiological reality expressed through two different cognitive systems. Understanding this distinction is the starting point for moving beyond confusion toward a rational, actionable approach.
1. Medical Diagnosis Perspective: Your Blood Pressure Traffic Light
Medicine uses objective criteria — repeated blood pressure measurements over time (and clinical context) — to establish a diagnosis when values remain consistently elevated.
This diagnosis functions like a clear traffic light system:
🔴 / 🟡 — Current cardiovascular risk is meaningfully elevated
📏 — Strict safety rules must be followed: medication adherence, regular monitoring, diet and lifestyle management
Core value: Medicine’s role is not to fully explain “why this happened,” but to clearly state “what must be done now to remain safe.” It is an essential tool for risk control and clinical decision-making.
2. Body State Perspective: Your Physiological Roadmap
The body does not suddenly “become hypertensive” on a single day. Vascular tone, autonomic balance, inflammation, and nutrient ratios change continuously over long periods — like an evolving curve.
In this view, “hypertension” is:
The body’s state curve entering a segment that medicine has labeled “high-risk.”
Key insight:
“Hypertension” is ultimately a road-segment label. It tells you where you are and what rules to follow on this stretch —
but it cannot tell you how you arrived here, whether your trajectory is worsening or stabilizing, or whether improvement
is possible ahead.
3. Engineering Description of Body State: Five-Dimensional Steady-State Space
In the life steady-state engineering framework, body state is represented as a five-dimensional coordinate:
(Na/K, Cu/Se, Cu/Zn, Fe/Mn, Ca/Mg)
This is a continuous, measurable, direction-trackable steady-state space.
A medical diagnosis (e.g., hypertension) is not a fixed point in this space, but the projection of prolonged deviation in certain regions onto clinical indicators such as blood pressure.
4. Reference Steady-State Ranges (Green Zone)
| Ratio Axis | Reference Steady-State Range |
|---|---|
| Na/K | 2.0 – 3.4 |
| Cu/Se | 7 – 30 |
| Cu/Zn | 0.083 – 0.25 |
| Fe/Mn | 7.5 – 15 |
| Ca/Mg | 4.0 – 11.0 |
Note: These ranges are for engineering trend analysis and modeling only. They do not constitute medical diagnostic criteria.
5. Empirical Observation: Ca/Mg and Vascular “Tension–Buffer” Behavior
In long-horizon steady-state observation, Ca/Mg can be treated as a practical “tension–buffer” axis for the cardiovascular system:
- Higher Ca/Mg often aligns with a more “constricted” system state (higher vascular tone / reduced relaxation reserve)
- The relationship is typically continuous over time rather than “sudden”
(Engineering correlation demonstration only. No causal claims. Not for diagnosis or treatment.)
6. Supporting Scientific References: Dietary & Serum Ca/Mg Ratio and Hypertension
The following are selected observational studies (primarily from NHANES data) showing an association (not causation) between higher dietary or serum Ca/Mg ratio and increased risk of hypertension or metabolic syndrome. These studies are for reference only and do not constitute diagnostic or treatment recommendations.
-
Wabo et al. (2022)
Association of dietary calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium intake and hypertension: a study on an 8-year dietary intake data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Nutrition Research and Practice, 16(1):74-93.
DOI: 10.4162/nrp.2022.16.1.74
Key finding: In women, exceeding recommendations for both calcium and magnesium significantly lowered hypertension risk (OR 0.30). -
Weaver et al. (2018)
Mineral Intake Ratios Are a Weak but Significant Factor in Blood Pressure Variability in US Adults.
The Journal of Nutrition, 148(11):1845-1851.
DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxy199
Key finding: Ca/Mg ratio contributed modestly but significantly to systolic blood pressure variability (0.13–0.21%). -
Moore-Schiltz et al. (2015)
Dietary intake of calcium and magnesium and the metabolic syndrome in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001–2010 data.
British Journal of Nutrition, 114(6):924-935.
DOI: 10.1017/S0007114515002482
Key finding: Women meeting recommendations for both calcium and magnesium had lower metabolic syndrome risk (OR 0.59). -
Jiang et al. (2024)
Serum calcium-magnesium ratio at admission predicts adverse outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome.
PLOS One, 19(11):e0313352.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0313352
Key finding: Serum Ca/Mg ratio associated with adverse outcomes in ACS patients (hypertension common comorbidity).
Important Note: All listed studies are observational (cross-sectional or cohort). They demonstrate association, not causation. Direct evidence linking HTMA hair Ca/Mg ratio to hypertension is limited, and mainstream medicine does not recommend HTMA for hypertension diagnosis or treatment guidance.
7. Engineering Practice: Four-Step Method
Goal: Gradually shift deviated ratios (e.g., elevated Ca/Mg) back toward reference ranges.
- Measure — Use HTMA (Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis); focus on ratio trends, not single absolute values
- Assess — Is Ca/Mg chronically > 11? Is the trend worsening or stabilizing?
- Act (example directions only):
- Avoid unnecessary additional calcium load (especially high-dose supplements) unless clinically indicated
- Support magnesium and its dietary context through whole foods (example categories: nuts, legumes, leafy greens)
- Repeat — Re-test every 90 days; monitor directional movement toward reference ranges
8. Critical Boundaries (Must Read)
- This content does not alter the medical definition of hypertension
- It does not replace diagnosis or treatment
- It does not promise cure
- HTMA is used solely as an auxiliary tool for long-term steady-state trend observation
Final Summary
Medicine marks the current high-risk segment with the label “hypertension.”
Your body state determines whether — and how — you can move toward a smoother road ahead.
Wise health management is never either/or. It is:
Hold the roadmap (understand your body state), obey the traffic lights (follow medical advice), and steer safely toward a better destination.
The most important sentence:
Diagnosis is a signpost that must be taken seriously — but it is never the destination.
Read the signpost to avoid wrong turns; read the road to go farther.