Blood Pressure-A Revealing Look Editor’s Note: Dr. Gardner is an MD who is also an expert in wellness. His recommendations are sometimes an alternative to traditional medical ideas and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Meridian Magazine. Dr. Gardner recommends that with this information as well as with all information you read on health, you consult your own physician to coordinate your care. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal1 titled “US Neglects High Blood Pressure” attracted my attention. After having read the article and comparing it to many studies (some of which I cite in the following article), I am hoping to someday find a different article that more aptly would proclaim “US Neglects Risks of Medications.” Prior to the 1950s, before heart attacks and vascular disease and strokes were the number one cause of death (which they are now), treatment of the symptoms of high blood pressure was easy. Doctors simply told patients to avoid exertion. These symptoms and medical recommendations typically occurred when patients had blood pressure levels above 165 over 95 or higher. The next few paragraphs cite some studies that explain why I am concerned about high blood pressure medications. If studies bore you, pass them by and go to the “Risks of Taking Blood Pressure Medications” section. The first report of the potential value of using anti-hypertensive medications was published from the Veterans Administration Cooperative Trial in 1969. In this report, the diastolic blood pressures were in the 115 to 129 range. (The diastolic pressure is the lower and second number given when reporting blood pressure.) The Framingham study was reported in the 1950s. The graph shown the medical and scientific communities clearly showed that mortality (death) increased as the blood pressure increased. However, when the true data points were placed over the graph, they did not match. Scientists reviewed the data, and realized years later that the original data points had simply been several points selected to make a line on the computer graph (which is the way folks had to “draw” lines on the old original computers). The true data points revealed that only at high blood pressures above 165 to 185 over 95 to 100 did the mortality risk increase, thus agreeing with the VA study of 1969-only very high blood pressures are associated with increased mortality. Yet the incorrect data’s measurement of “high blood pressure” at the lower levels remained from the Framingham study, and created a stir to lower peoples’ blood pressure. As a result of these “findings,” when medications became available that were capable of decreasing blood pressure levels, everyone jumped on the band wagon. Since everyone now “knew” that lowering blood pressures prolonged life, anti-hypertensives (blood pressure meds) became popular. These were the first introductions to anti-aging. Patients initially liked them, physicians liked them, and of course the drug companies liked them. But what did the research show? Did taking blood pressure medications prolong life? And if that is correct, at what levels did they do so? Is hypertension (blood pressure levels above 140 over 90, or even 120 over 80) a ‘silent killer’? Are there any risks to treating blood pressures below 180 over 100? These would be some great questions to know the answers to. Medical Research Council of the UK performed a study, released in 1985, which involved 2350 subjects and 4500 placebo subjects diagnosed with ‘mild hypertension.’ Average blood pressure levels at the beginning of the 5.5 year study were-male-158/98 and female-165/99. They compared the two most commonly used categories of blood pressure medication, a diuretic and a beta-blocker. The blood pressure was reduced 10 to 15 systolic and 4 to 6 diastolic, but this drop in blood pressure imparted no statistical reduction in stroke or all-cause mortality. In fact, careful analysis of the data showed a 0.11 % reduction in mortality among men and a 0.09 % increase in mortality among women. An interesting study from Malmo, Sweden, involved four hundred eighty-four men who were born in 1914. The study started with participants at the age of 68 and followed them for 10 years. One hundred thirteen of these men were taking anti-hypertensive drugs—68 were taking 1 drug, 39 were taking 2 drugs, and 2 were taking 3 drugs. Diuretics were taken by 72 men, beta-blockers by 64, hydralazine by 18, calcium channel blockers by 4, alpha-blockers by 2, and others by 3. Two-thirds of the men with ‘severe’ hypertension did not take any blood pressure drugs. The “event end point,” which is the event they followed in the study to see what impact the treatment had on the subjects, was heart attack, both fatal and non-fatal. Men taking anti-hypertensive drugs had a 65 % cardiac-event-free rate (no heart attack). That might look good, until one reads that the men without medications had an 82 % event-free rate. In the study, men with diastolic blood pressure less than 90 were much worse off on medication, and those with diastolic levels above 90 were slightly worse off. The final piece of information we will review in this article is “Results of a Meta-Analysis of Anti-hypertensive Drugs,” as reported in the Cardiology Text by Kaplan, 2001. This study analysis of 20 randomized trials compared high-dose diuretics, low-dose diuretics and beta-blockers and their effects on blood pressure. When the absolute benefits were evaluated, high dose diuretics increased the percentage of people that had no stroke from 98.1 to 98.9, representing a 0.8% prevention of stroke over 5 years. High dose diuretics increased the chance of survival from congestive heart failure from 96.8 to 97.1, a 0.3% difference. Still another way to look at these numbers is to calculate how long the average survival is prolonged with these two values-it comes to 0.004 years, or 1.5 days average duration of life gained with the use of high dose diuretics in stroke and congestive heart failure. There was no improvement in stroke, congestive heart failure or mortality with low dose diuretics or beta-blockers. It might be well to point out that only the best studies tend to be published, so these results most likely represent the maximum possible benefit from the anti-hypertensive drugs. The results show little to no benefit with taking blood pressure medications at levels commonly treated today. Risks of taking blood pressure medications What does all of this mean? And why do we have blood pressure in the first place? The heart pumps blood through the arteries, vessels, and capillaries. The blood’s job is to bring nourishment throughout the body, and to remove waste. When the kidney is not receiving enough blood to do its job of clearing waste from the body, it releases a hormone called renin, which initiates a process to increase the blood pressure. If the blood pressure does not increase and supply more blood to the kidney, the kidney may be damaged. This is only one of the potential risks associated with reducing the blood pressure level that the body has determined is necessary at that time. There are no 30 year trials on any of these medications. And yet with today’s habitual recommendations, if a 50-year old has ‘hypertension,’ he is expected to stay on hypertension medications for the rest of his life, at least 30 years. There are inadequate studies on individuals taking more than 1 medication at a time, yet many people are on 2 and 3 medications for their blood pressure. This article does not permit the space of reviewing side effects of the six classes of medications in use today, but they are significant. A brief recounting of some is in the footnotes.2 Alternative Treatments for High Blood Pressure 1. Diet-Eat ‘real’ food (food rich in nutrients and not processed); reduce salt if you are among the 25% that are salt sensitive. Avoid processed food with its pro-inflammatory triggers-sugar, trans-fatty acids (and hydrogenated oils), caffeine, aspartame. 2. Basic supplements-In order to get the cells to function optimally, all the nutrients need to be present. Even with the best of food it is difficult to get all of the necessary nutrients into the body. These are found in a potent multivitamin and in essential fatty acids. 3. Specific supplements-In addition to the basic nutrients, there are certain vitamins, minerals and nutriceuticals that should be present in higher levels to support heart health.
Several vitamins are needed to get the blood vessels to function well. These include
There are other products that have proved extremely useful in supporting blood pressure.
4. Stop doing the things that increase blood pressure-especially smoking. If the medications you are on cause a rise in blood pressure, try another medication. There are also nutriceuticals and herbal alternatives to drugs in almost all conditions for which medications are used. 5. Lose weight, especially fat tissue. 6. Exercise is also important, especially walking. Take the time to stretch your muscles before and after any exercise. 7. Learn to relax. Stress immediately and consistently raises blood pressure. Be sure you are getting adequate sleep and rest. Opening up blocked energy pathways through acupuncture or Jin Shin Jyutsu, or any type of energy work helps the body to relax and decreases blood pressure. Some people need to seriously look at their life, their work, their relationships, and make the changes necessary to find fulfillment in life. Find the joy in your life, or create joy in your life, or go and find the joy that you deserve. Spend more time with your family-eating together, doing dishes together, being at peace together, loving and appreciating and listening to each other. Summary Notes 1 https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704454 304575081700270773376.html 2 All medicines have side effects. Some common side effects of high blood pressure medicines include the following:
No Comments | Post or read comments |