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Blood Pressure Meds for All?

I just finished reading the British Medical Journal … there was an article by a group of researchers telling doctors they should put everyone over 40 on blood pressure drugs – even if they don’t have high blood pressure!1

According to the study’s authors, “Guidelines on the use of blood pressure lowering drugs can be simplified so that drugs are offered to people with all levels of blood pressure. Our results indicate the importance of lowering blood pressure in everyone over a certain age, rather than measuring it in everyone and treating it in some.”

Can you imagine? Taking drugs everyday, when you’re in perfect health? This is a signof things to come. Drug companies aren’t satisfied with controlling medical schools, the media and the FDA… now they want you all of us to take a drug every day whether you need it or not.

Do You Have These Symptoms? It Could Be Your Blood Pressure Meds Make no mistake; blood pressure meds put you in an early grave. Just look at the side effects of the most popular pills. Beta Blockers, the most common treatment for hypertension and chest pain, work by reducing nerve signals to the heart and blood vessels thus lowering blood pressure. But, it comes at a high price. Including: · Fatigue · Lowered Sex Drive · Dizziness · Depression · Nausea · Impotence But what’s really worrisome are the long-term effects they have on overall cardiovascular health. They raise your triglyceride levels – the “bad fats” that clog your arteries – and lower your HDL levels – the “good” cholesterol your body needs for optimal health. Not exactly the ideal cure for heart disease. Calcium Channel Blockers have similar side effects. They work by preventing calcium from going into heart and blood vessel muscle cells (thus causing the cells to relax) which lowers blood pressure. And, like beta blockers, a number of studies have found that people on them ran a much higher risk of heart attack than those on other medications – as much as 60%.12 Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitors actually block the production of a hormone that causes blood vessels to narrow. Frequently causing severe reactions including heart fibrillation, kidney failure and death.13 Angiotensin II receptor blockersallow blood vessels to widen by preventing a hormone called angiotensin from affecting vessels. Side effects are as minor as dizziness, diarrhea or back pain to as severe as kidney and liver failure. Pregnant women take note – angiotensin II receptor blockers can cause birth defects.14 Nitrate drugs, in the short-term, open up your blood vessels allowing for better flow. But over time they destroy the sensitive lining of your blood vessels, called the endothelium. This leads to damage of your cardiovascular system (aren't these drugs supposed to heal it?) A recent Japanese study found that people taking nitrate drugs were 2.4 times more likely to suffer heart attacks than those who didn’t.15And the damage caused to the endothelium made those heart attacks more severe. Finally, there are Diuretics. They work by causing the kidneys to remove more sodium and water from the body. This helps the blood vessel walls to relax, resulting in lower blood pressure. Far safer (and cheaper) than the other drugs, but they are no less dangerous. Common side effects of diuretics include: · Weakness · Muscle cramps · Sensitivity to light · Diarrhea · Dehydration · Joint pain · Decreased sexual desire · Vomiting

Are they kidding?

The truth is that you may not need blood pressure drugs – even if you have high blood pressure. I see this all the time.

Patients come into my office looking wrecked and demoralized, drugged up on blood pressure meds like beta blockers and ACE inhibitors.

Most folks don’t realize these things make you fat… you literally blow up like a balloon. They can even cause heart failure.

Worried about high blood pressure? Today I’ll show you what I’ve been using it with my patients for years and the results are amazing. Here’s what you do: check your blood pressure; start the simple strategies I mention below and then test again a few months later. You’ll see what I mean.

Steer Clear of Dangerous Pills

Case in point: One of my patients, Roxanne, had been on an ACE inhibitor for 4 years. She had gained 10 lbs. and was tired all the time. And at 140/85, her blood pressure was still on the high side, even on the drugs.

I told her to stop taking the blood pressure pills immediately. They weren’t working anyway. And I put her on a simple nutrient. After 9 months, her blood pressure was back to a healthy 118/80.

Plus, she told me she had more energy and was already working on losing the weight she had gained.

Roxanne’s story isn’t unique. Blood pressure pills typically make you weak and tired. Some patients have nasty side effects like depression, impotence, joint pain, and even kidney and liver damage.

What’s worse is that blood pressure meds don’t even work for the majority who take them. Only 42.9% of patients ever see acceptable blood pressure levels.2

Another study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine reveals just how worthless they are. In the group given the placebo, 30% lowered their blood pressure below the set goal. Apparently, just doing nothing will help close to a third of those with high blood pressure.3

Of course, I wouldn’t advocate that you do nothing if you have high blood pressure – it does raise your chances of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. But you can treat your high blood pressure effectively without exposing yourself to the side effects that come with these drugs.

Get the One Nutrient That
Eliminates Hypertension

The first thing I instruct my patients with high blood pressure to do is take 50 mg of ubiquinol CoQ10 every day. It’s the only thing I told Roxanne to take. She made no other changes and watched her blood pressure return to healthy levels.

A team at the University of Texas found that CoQ10 is so effective, it enabled them to safely take patients off blood pressure medications.4

A meta-analysis of studies that looked at CoQ10 and hypertension revealed that CoQ10 can lower systolic blood pressure by up to 17 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure by up to 10 mm Hg without side effects.5

If you only do one thing for healthy blood pressure, take CoQ10.

But there are other steps you can – and should – take. If you can lower your blood pressure naturally, your chance of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke go back to normal. It’s as if you never had high blood pressure in the first place.

Control your stress. Here’s a great meditation exercise that I recommend to my patients. It’s a yoga technique called Stimulating Breath. It involves rapid breaths to flood your body with oxygen.

· Keep your mouth closed and breathe through your nose.

· Take short, quick breaths—as many as three or four a second, if possible.

· Remember to engage your diaphragm (the large muscle at the top of your belly).

· Breathe this way for fifteen seconds to start. (Stop sooner if you begin to feel dizzy.)

· Then allow your breathing to return to normal.

· Each time you practice this technique, go for a little longer. Gradually work your way up to one minute.

Most people feel on top of the world after doing the Stimulating Breath exercise.

Exercise. For quick results, try my PACE program.

It takes less than 15 minutes a day to do. And in addition to blood pressure benefits, it increases your lung volume, strengthens your heart, and gets you in great shape. And trimming excess fat is a great way to lower your blood pressure. Try this PACE® workout on for size.

Warm-Up	Set 1		Set 2		Set 3
	Exertion	Recovery	Exertion	Recovery	Exertion	Recovery
5 min (Stretching)	20-meter sprint	2–4 min	40-meter sprint	2–4 min	50-meter sprint	3–5 min

Set 4		Set 5
Exertion	Recovery	Exertion	Recovery
60-meter sprint	3–5 min	100-meter sprint	*

You should be panting at the end of each exertion period, but you should not be exhausted throughout the workout. Gradually increase the intensity with each workout, and watch your blood pressure plummet.

Mother Nature's Super Blood Pressure Reducers

Plus, there are several foods and supplements you can take that help you lower your blood pressure naturally. If your blood pressure is very high (140/90 according to the American Heart Association) try some of these remedies:

Cod Liver Oil. Long recommended by our parents and grandparents, cod liver oil has been found in clinical studies to lower blood pressure induced by stress-elevated levels of cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone.6 A separate study found that the Vitamin D in cod liver oil promotes absorption of calcium and magnesium, thereby lowering blood pressure.7

Sesame Oil. In a 2003 study, people who weren’t responding to their blood pressure pills were asked to simply cook with sesame oil. In 60 days, the patient's average blood pressure fell into the normal range.8

The combination of the heart-healthy polyunsaturated oil and the unique compound sesamin found in sesame oil causes the blood vessels to relax. This prevents pressure spikes.

Dark Chocolate. A German study found that just 6.3 grams of chocolate (about two Hershey's kisses) was enough to lower blood pressure 2 to 3 points.9 Look for dark chocolate that is at least 70% cacao.

Garlic. Garlic is an excellent heart-healthy supplement. Another German study showed that garlic reduces diastolic blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides.10

I prefer to use a clove of raw garlic every day. Sometimes my patients prefer to take a garlic supplement. If you use a supplement, be sure that it contains at least 3,600 mcg of the active ingredient allicin.

Hawthorn Berry. Hawthorn is an herb used for centuries as a cardiac tonic. A recent study proved hawthorn's affect on high blood pressure. Participants either took hawthorn extract, magnesium, or a placebo. The study lasted for 10 weeks. The hawthorn group had a promising reduction in diastolic blood pressure. Hawthorn also reduced anxiety better than the magnesium and placebo.11 I recommend taking 1,000 mg of hawthorn extract daily.

Magnesium. Magnesium helps keep blood vessels relaxed and prevents blood clots. The average American takes in half as much magnesium as they did just 50 years ago. Today’s fruits and vegetables have lower levels of magnesium. You’d have to eat eight of today’s apples to get the same amount as one apple gave you 50 years ago.

Magnesium is your blood's own natural calcium-channel blocker. Why take a drug when this overlooked mineral can have the same effect? Take 600 mg of magnesium daily.

I’ve used hawthorn berry and magnesium in my practice with great results. They are the key ingredients in my Blood Pressure Support supplement.

Dr Al Sears