Health Alert 216
Dear Subscriber:
You can hardly turn on the television or pick up a paper without seeing an advertisement for a yellow, purple, or blue pill. But if you’re taking a prescription drug to lower your blood pressure, you should read this before you pop another pill.
The truth is, using drugs to alleviate hypertension doesn’t solve the problem. In most cases, you are still left with the underlying problem that caused your blood pressure to be high in the first place. Cardiovascular disease remains the number one killer in spite of Americans spending tens of billions of dollars on cardiovascular drugs. In fact, these drugs cause millions of side effects each year and have themselves become a leading cause of death.
Today, I’ll share information with you that will help you get your high blood pressure under control…and keep it that way–without prescription drugs.
* Know Your Numbers *
If you start your day by taking a pill to lower your blood pressure, you’re not alone. About 50 million people have hypertension … yet many don’t know it. High blood pressure, also known as the ‘silent killer’, threatens people’s lives without any symptoms.
Whether you know you have high blood pressure or not, you should get your blood pressure checked. Your blood pressure test gives you two numbers in milligrams of mercury (mm Hg). These two numbers are written as a fraction like 120/60.
The first, or top number is your systolic pressure. It’s the pressure in your arteries when your heart contracts to pump. The bottom number is your diastolic pressure, which measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart relaxes between contractions.
A reading of 120/70 mm Hg is a good blood pressure to aim for. However, your reading may vary each time you have your blood pressure tested, depending on other conditions. It increases with exercise and decreases when you’re resting.
Chances are, your doctor will write a prescription for a daily medication if your numbers are outside of the normal range. But prescription drugs like diuretics, beta blockers and ACE inhibitors all have side effects. And if you eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice while taking prescribed calcium channel blockers, your blood levels of the medication can rise — putting you at higher risk of side effects.1
Fortunately, studies now show that other safer strategies can control high blood pressure.2
* Traditional Treatments Are Safer? *
Long-term lifestyle changes produce the most positive results. I recommend:
- If you’re still smoking — kick the habit.
- Include lots of highly colored vegetables in your diet.
- Take 100 mg per day of the powerful antioxidant Coenzyme Q10 (See Health Alert 3)
- Lose fat if you’re overweight.
- Switch to sea salt or eliminate table salt.
- Include my PACE © (HCFM Nov. 2002, Jan. & Feb. 2004) exercise program in your daily habits. Increasing exercise can reduce blood pressure.
You may not be able to have complete control over your own destiny. But making wise choices regarding your blood pressure can make a huge difference in your quality of life.
To Your Health,
Al Sears, M.D.
Sources:
(2) Moser Marvin, MD. Journal of Clinical Hypertension 6(5):219-221, 2004. “Effective Treatment of Hypertension Without Medication: Is It Possible?” 2004 Le Jacq Communications, Inc. 6/01/2004.