High Blood Pressure Be Gone

Posts Tagged ‘hypertension medications’

Hypertension Medications

Let me state right from the beginning – I’m not in favor of taking prescription medications for the control of high blood pressure (if it can be avoided).

The are a number of reasons for my anti-medication stance one of which is my personality. I’m a long-distance single-handed sailor and I value and guard my independence fiercely. Being tied to a prescription and regular doctor appointments really doesn’t suit me psychologically. If there was an alternative I would use it.

The good news is that there is an alternative to prescription medications and that’s what this post is about.

Medication Side Effects

Another reason I’m not in favor of medications is the side effects.

For a list of hypertension medications side effects click here

Most all hypertension medications have side effects. Some of them may be minor, but they can all reduce your quality of life.

My only experience of hypertension medications was Rampril, ACE Inhibitor prescribed here in the UK.

Soon after taking Rampril daily I developed a dry and persistent cough.

And I mean persistent. All day and all night long.

It got to the point where I kept a glass of water by my bed so I could relieve the tickle in my throat that would wake me up several times a night.

Two months of this slow torture and my blood pressure was still measuring 195/130 at the doctor’s and 175/120 at home.

The third, and possibly most important reason I have chosen to reduce my blood pressure naturally rather than going down the medication route is that medications don’t actually cure hypertension.

Let me explain.

All hypertension medication prescribed by doctors are meant to lower your blood pressure. A prescription that works for one person may not work so well for another. Several medications may sometimes have to be tried for each patient to see what works best for him or her. Occasionally combinations are used for best results.

Of course sometimes the medication that best lowers your blood pressure also produces the worst side effects and other treatments must be sought.

There is one thing that all hypertension medications have in common:

You have to keep taking them day after day for the rest of your life to keep your blood pressure within acceptable limits. If you stop taking them your blood pressure can shoot right back up to former levels.

In short, you have not cured your hypertension – you are merely controlling it.

The conditions that gave rise to your elevated blood pressure are still there, waiting to raise you blood pressure back up to dangerous levels the minute they’re released from their chemical bondage.

Add to that fact the statistic that more people die of stroke and heart attack while on high blood pressure medications than those who are not on them and the pharmaceutical approach to hypertension seems even less attractive.

(That’s not to say that hypertension medications cause stroke and heart attack. But that statistic does seem to suggest that these drugs do not offer the protection against these diseases one might have hoped.)

Alternative Approaches to Lowering Blood Pressure

For all these reasons I chose the alternative route to lowering high blood pressure.

Out went the medication, in came natural alternative methods for reducing blood pressure.

Four months later and my blood pressure was down to the 135/95 range the cough was just a distant bad memory.

Now, almost nine months after starting alternative approaches to lowering blood pressure my readings are sometimes below 120/80. I wouldn’t have believed it last Spring but the ‘proof is in the pudding’ as they say.

The good news for you is that if I can do it – anyone can!

For a review of all the alternative high blood pressure cures I’ve used click here.

High hopes for a quick-fix

When I was first diagnosed with high blood pressure (160/110) I realized I had to make some changes. I had read somewhere that garlic was helpful to lower blood pressure and too much salt raised it.  So I reduced my salt consumption and ate garlic everyday hoping that would fix it.

It didn’t. My blood pressure remained high and later on went up to 190+.

You see, we all want a simple, quick fix to our problems. But the fact is that when it comes to high blood pressure it’s not quite so straightforward.

Here are your options …

Lower blood pressure with diet.

For example, I was asked the other day,  “Does cayenne pepper reduce blood pressure?”  Yes, cayenne has been shown to be beneficial to your heart and circulatory system. And yes, cayenne can help reduce your blood pressure. But no, simply taking a dose of cayenne everyday probably isn’t going to be the answer to your blood pressure problems.

The same could be said for other beneficial foods and  such as garlic, celery, oatmeal, bananas, apples, tomatoes, onions, dark chocolate, you-name-it. All these foods can assist in reducing your blood pressure and getting your body back in balance. But they can’t do it by themselves.

Mind you,  I’m talking about seriously high blood pressure here. Sure, any one of these foods eaten daily might help reduce your blood pressure a few points. But is that going to be much consolation to someone banging in at 175+ systolic?

Medications – quick, but no fix

If you think prescription medication is the simple fix for high blood pressure, think again. The pharmaceutical industry has yet to produce a drug that cures high blood pressure.

Sure, there are pills that can lower your blood pressure – if you continue to take them day after day. But it’s not a real cure because your blood pressure will shoot back up if you stop taking them regularly. Add to that all the unpleasant side effects many of us suffer from taking these drugs and you can see why alternative methods of  lowering your blood pressure naturally are better.

Additionally, when you consider the statistic that more people die of heart disease while on anti-hypertension medications than those who aren’t on them, you realise that these medications don’t offer the protection that we might have hoped for.

How to lower blood pressure naturally

If you have high blood pressure and want to lower it without medications (or make a gradual shift from medications to natural cures), here’s the skinny: you have to move to a healthier diet and compliment it with exercises.

Simply reducing salt consumption and eating a clove of garlic a day won’t cut it.

But don’t despair.  Reducing your blood pressure naturally isn’t rocket science. Anyone can do it.

And no, you’re not going to have to give up everything pleasurable in life and live like a monk.

The truth is, once you start shifting to a healthy blood pressure lifestyle you’ll find yourself enjoying life more, not less. Remember, good health is the underpinning of real  happiness and pleasure.

In a nutshell, you can lower your blood pressure naturally by:

• lowering your stress levels through meditation, Yoga, etc. (I prefer to use slow breathing exercises).
• get your heart beating and blood flowing through physical exercise such as walking, jogging, sking, etc. (I climb the hill behind my house regularly).
• eat less “bad” foods such as table salt, trans-fats, etc.
• eat more “good” foods such as vegetables, olive oil, fruit, etc.

That’s basically it. Using these techniques I have managed to lower my dangerously high blood pressure of 195 over 120 range in March (2009) to  125 over 85 range in the course of 4 to 5 months.

Help is at hand

I got guidance from  Kevin Riley’s excellent 12 week program for lowering high blood pressure. It comes in a thoroughly enjoyable book called  Get Natural!. Combined with doing the  BreathEasy slow breathing exercises my blood pressure began to drop week by week.

If you want to lower your blood pressure quickly and naturally you can get both these programs through this link – www.highbloodpressurehq.com (Last time I checked Get Natural! was offered as a free bonus with the BreathEasy audio program).

Ypu can try out out some BreathEasy audio samples if you’re skeptical like I was.

But I got to say, using these two programs  worked wonders for me. I feel better – physically and mentally. No more high blood pressure worries.

BreathEasy is the closest thing to a “quick fix” for high blood pressure you’re going to get. You blood pressure will drop even after doing a 15 minute slow breathing exercise.

Of course for a permanent cure to high blood pressure time and commitment is needed – along with a more comprehensive lifestyle change. But for the here and now, you cant any better than BreathEasy exercises.

Here’s to your future good health!

Take care,

Simon Foster

By the way, if taking 15 minutes a day to do a slow breathing exercise isn’t ‘your thing’ you can download Kevin Riley’s Get Natural! direct from his website through this link:  www.naturalbloodpressure.com

Side effects of hypertension drugs

Anti-hypertension  medications are often the first thing that a doctor will prescribe when high blood pressure is detected.  This leads to millions of people taking them everyday.

This has resulted in soaring profits for the pharmaceutical industry. But what about the people taking these drugs?

Unfortunately anti-hypertensive medications do not cure high blood pressure  but merely regulate it.  Which means you have to take them everyday for the rest of your life – or your blood pressure will climb back up to dangerous levels.

Another negative aspect of blood pressure medications is bad side effects.

Below is a list of common blood pressure medications and their associated side effects:

ACE inhibitors

The most common side effect is a dry cough

Rarer side effects include:

• Lightheadedness,
• dizziness,
• rash,
• reduced
• appetite,
• increased blood potassium,
• changes in the flavor of foods and swelling.

Alpha Blockers

dizziness and feeling faint when sitting up or standing up.

Additional side effects include:

• headache,
• pounding heartbeat,
• nausea, weakness,
• weight gain.

Angiotensin II receptor blockers

Side effects (relatively rare) include:

• Diarrhea,
• dizziness,
• headache,
• lightheadedness,
• back and leg pain,
• sinus congestion,
• kidney failure,
• liver failure,
• allergic reaction,
• lowered white blood cells,
• swelling.

Beta Blockers

Common side effects include:

• Cold hands, dizziness,
• fatigue, and weakness.

Less common side effects include:

• Depression,
• reduced libido (sex drive),
• insomnia (trouble sleeping),
• shortness of breath.

Beta-blockers may cause severe asthma attacks.  They can also block indications of low blood sugar (like a racing pulse) in diabetics.   Beta-blockers can affect cholesterol and triglyceride levels, typically temporarily.   Abrupt discontinuation of beta-blockers can increase risk of heart attack and other heart issues.

Calcium channel blockers

Common side effects include:

• Constipation, drowsiness,
• flushing,
• headache,
• nausea,
• rapid pulse,
• swelling in the lower legs and feet.

Some calcium channel blockers react with grapefruit and foods that contain grapefruit by blocking the liver from properly removing them from the blood – resulting in dangerous concentrations.

Central-acting agents

Side effects include:

• Constipation,
• depression,
• dizziness,
• dry mouth,
• drowsiness,
• fatigue,
• headache,
• impotence,
• impaired thinking,
• weight gain.

Abrupt discontinuation can cause dangerous spikes in blood pressure – especially when taken with a beta-blocker.

Diuretics

Side effects include:

• Increased urination,
• too much potassium in the blood (with potassium-sparing diuretics),
• too little potassium in the blood (with thiazide diuretics),
• breast enlargement in men,
• increased blood sugar,
• increased cholesterol,
• erectile dysfunction (ED, impotence),
• low blood sodium,
• rash,
• gout (joint inflammation),>
• menstrual irregularities.

Vasodilators

Side effects include:

• Chest pain,
• dizziness,
• flushing
• headache,
• fluid retention,
• heart palpitations,
• nausea,
• sinus congestion,
• racing pulse,
• vomiting
• excessive hair growth.

(anti-hypertension medication side effects list source:  www.bloodpressuresecret.com)

Side effects from blood pressure medications is not something I’ve simply read about.  It’s something I’ve experenced.

When I was first diagnosed with dangerously high blood pressure I was prescribed Rampril, an ACE inhibitor commonly used here in the UK.  Just like it says on the  list above, I developed a persistent dry cough. All day and night. (For the two months I was on Rampril I kept a glass of water besides my bed. Taking a sip of water was the only way I could relieve the irritation long enough to get back to sleep after waking up every few hours needing to have a bout of coughing.)

After two months of this slow  torture and my blood pressure remained high with no sign of coming down. I could have gone on to other medications but instead made a commitment to try to get my body back in balance using alternative methods without the use of drugs.

Four months on and my blood pressure had dropped to 135/100 range – a drop of some 55 points. Now, 8 months after following natural methods my blood pressure in in the 120/80 range.

So the good news is  – there are ways to lower your blood pressure naturally that really work – without having to take medications and putting up with side effects.

The only catch is that it doesn’t come in the form of a pill. It takes time and practice. It also requires a change in diet and lifestyle.

If you need to lower your blood pressure without taking medications  I can give no higher recommendation than Kevin Riley’s 12 week program  Get Natural! This program is a pleasure to read and follow – with no bad side effects.

The Get Natural! program is now bundled in as a free bonus as part of the BreathEasy program. This program also helps to lower blood pressure through following regulated breathing exercises 15 minutes a day.

I would  recommend the BreathEasy program too. I do a 15 minute slow breathing exercise most nights before bed. It’s very relaxing and even in the span of 15 minutes my blood pressure will often drop 5 – 10  points systolic.

You can check out some free samples of  BreathEasy audio tracks at this link:  www.highbloodpressurehq.com

These two programs have worked for me. What has worked for you?

There is no single answer for the question – what causes high blood pressure and high pulse rate. In the majority of cases it remain unknown and is put down to genetics. It certainly seems to run in families.

Regardless of causes you can reduce your blood pressure permanently through diet and exercise. (I speak from direct experience – not something I read somewhere.)

You may have heard of the DASH diet standing for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It’s a simple overview but worth a look. I uploaded a copy and you should be able to download a pdf copy (Adobe Reader) by clicking here. (It’s written  and published by a government department so don’t expect it to be too racy or entertaining.)

So here are some of my favorite foods good for high blood pressure:

• bananas (full of potassium)
• apples
• extra virgin olive oil
• apple cider vinegar
• oatmeal and oat bran
• red wine (a glass a day)
• dark chocolate (min 70% cocoa)
• whole grain cereals
• nuts
• chamomile tea
• salads

The list could of course go on but the list above include things I eat regularly if not daily. Chamomile tea works on relaxing your nervous system (like slow breathing exercises) while other foods listed above have substances that directly affect your circulatory system in a positive way – repairing and expanding your artery walls and strengthening your heart.

To get the full picture foods, including their history, interesting facts, and how and why they work, I’d recommend Keven Riley’s Get Natural! Drop Your Blood Pressure. Of everything I have read so far on foods good for high blood pressure this guide has been the most informative and enjoyable to read.

The best way to lower your blood pressure and get your body back in balance is through diet and exercise. It’s really as simple as that.

The worst way, in my opinion, is also the most common – taking prescription medication to artificially lower your blood pressure while not changing the factors that led to high blood pressure in the first place.

So what causes high blood pressure?

Some people might object saying that high blood pressure is caused by genetic factors outside if their control.

I would agree that a lot of blood pressure problems can be ascribed to genetic factors. But that’s not the same as saying there is nothing can be done about it – or saying  prescription medication is the only solution.

Some people, like myself, seem to be genetically predisposed to high blood pressure. It runs in my family apparently. My mother had high blood pressure and my father who is still alive regularly takes half a dozen pills a day for this and that including high blood pressure.

I have taken another path. Instead of resigning myself to a lifetime on pills I have made an effort to re-regulate my blood pressure through diet and exercise.

What is considered high blood pressure / hypertension?

The old rule of thumb was 100 plus your age was an acceptable blood pressure given that it was accepted that blood pressure naturally rises with age. The new regime says that everyone should be at or below 120/80. This has been a great boon to international pharmaceutical corporations given that virtually everyone above the age of forty is now eligible to be prescribed a lifetime of daily pills. If I sound cynical it’s because I am.

Lowering my blood pressure through diet and exercise hasn’t been instant. But my blood pressure has kept down over the months to an acceptable level. No, I’ll probably never enjoy blood pressure consistently below 120/80 -  it’s not in my genes. But as long as I consistently remain below 140/105 (usually in the 130/90 range) I figure that’s OK for me. I’m not in a high risk category for heart disease or stroke. And I feel better and more fit than I have for many years.

So why do I shun hypertension medications? It’s not the cost. I could get them for free here in the UK. No, it’s because blood pressure lowering medications do not fix the problem. If they did, after your blood pressure was down you could stop taking them. But the pharmaceutical industry has yet to create a drug that can really fix blood pressure. Sure, their drugs artificially lower your blood pressure. But stop taking them and it shoots right back up.

Statistics show that more people die from heart disease and stroke while on blood pressure lowering medication. That’s not to say that these medications are causing heart disease or strokes. But if you think that your safer on them then think again.

And then there’s the side effects. My only experience with a blood pressure lowering medication was for 8 week with Rampril – an ACE inhibitor. For 8 weeks I had an irritating dry cough day and night while my blood pressure refused to come down from its 190+/120+ readings. I’ve read about even worse side effects with some other medications but have no experience to validate.

So .. the Rambril went in the bin and I embarked on a new regime of diet and exercise. Within one month my blood pressure was beginning to drop. Within 3 months my BP readings were consistently below 135/95 occasionally as low as 118/79 (rare but does happen).

Diets to control high blood pressure … or … recipes for hypertension

Blood pressure lowering diet means eating less of somethings and eating more of others. It’s not all about moving simply to a bland diet of ‘healthy foods’ that suck much of the culinary pleasures out of life. Not at all. My new diet included things like a glass of red wine and dark chocolate one a day. among other things.

My new diet also involves a bowl of oatmeal every morning and some vitamin supplements. Currently I take each morning calcium, vitamin C, multi vitamin (that includes magnesium – very important) , cod liver oil (in capsules), and Korean ginseng, and ginkgo extract. I also have 20 odd drops of Hawthorn tincture in a glass of water every day.  I make the tincture myself as we are blessed with many Hawthorn trees here growing up on the mountains.

Blood pressure lowering exercises involve walking more. For me it’s a 20 minute hike up the mountain when the weather is friendly. (I live part way up a mountain in Wales). When I get to my summit I eat an apple I usually take with me. Yep, that’s part of my diet.

Other exercises involve slowing you system down with breathing exercises and the like.  One exercise involves a kind of rhythmic walking which I’ll do indoors when the weather is miserable (like today).

I hope over the coming weeks to fill in all the details of my diet and exercise that has worked so remarkably well in lowering my blood pressure from dangerously high levels as a resource for others struggling with high blood pressure problems too.

If you have any questions and or suggestions please leave a comment. I will attempt to answer all feedback.

Take care, we’re all in this together.

P.S. If you suffer from high blood pressure and are considering alternative treatments being promoted on the web, be sure to check out my review pages (links on the right hand column). I’ve checked most of the popular ones out and give you an objective assessment – warts and all!