Healthier Ways of Treating and Beating High Blood Pressure
by Dr. Rodger Murphree, D.C.
Over 50 million Americans suffer from hypertension (high blood pressure). Hypertension
Affects one out of every four adult Americans. Almost 43,000 Americans die from hypertension each year. Another 227,000 die from causes related to hypertension.
The arteries have thick, elastic, and muscular walls that relax and open wide as blood flows through them. The layers of arterial wall include the endothelium, which serves as a physical barrier between the flowing blood, and the next layer known as media.
The endothelium is quite complex. It is the largest organ in the body and weighs almost five pounds. If you were able to lay it out flat, it would take up 14,000 square feet. This is roughly the size of six and a half tennis courts.
The media is a layer of smooth muscles that contracts (tightens) or relaxes on demand. The tightening or relaxing of the media causes the blood vessel to become narrower or wider. This is one way the arterial system controls blood pressure and blood volume.
Definition of Hypertension
An excess in blood pressure increases the amount of force exerted by the blood it courses through the artery. This increased force may damage the endothelial lining of the artery wall. Damage to the blood vessel wall leads to atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries.
Normal blood pressure is 120/80mm Hg; 120-130/80-90 is pre-hypertensive. And, if the systolic pressure is above 140 or if the diastolic pressure is above 90, this is indicative of hypertension.
Stage I hypertension occurs when the systolic pressure is between 140-159 or diastolic pressure is between 90-99.
Stage II hypertension occurs when the systolic pressure is above 160 or if the diastolic pressure is above 100.
Individuals who are in Stage I have a 31 percent greater risk of heart attack, almost twice the risk of stroke, and a 43 percent increase in death rate, compared to individuals with normal blood pressure.1
Essential hypertension is high blood pressure that has no definitive cause. This is the case for 95 percent of the cases of hypertension.
Secondary hypertension is high blood pressure due to another condition, such as kidney disease, diabetes, prescription medications, allergic reactions, and chemical sensitivities.
Typical hypertensive drugs include diuretics (water pills), calcium channel-blockers, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, and specific vasodilators—all have unwanted side effects.
Common Anti-Hypertensive Medications2 Calcium Channel Blockers
Calcium channel blockers increase the risk of heart attack and death by five-fold and may cause fatigue, flushing, swelling of the abdomen, ankles, or feet, heartburn, tachycardia or bradycardia (slow heart rate), shortness of breath, difficulty swallowing, and dizziness, numbness in hands and feet, and gastrointestinal bleeding.
Beta- Blockers
Beta blockers have several potential side effects including congestive heart failure, shortness of breath, heart block, fatigue, lethargy, drowsiness, depression, insomnia, headaches, dizziness, tingling in the hands and feet, wheezing, bronchial spasm, increased severity of asthma or chronic pulmonary obstructive disease, decreased sex drive, muscle fatigue, reduced HDL (good cholesterol), increased LDL, and triglycerides.
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitors
Potential side effects include a dry cough, gastrointestinal disturbances, numbness or tingling in the hands and feet, joint pain, fever, lightheadedness, and fatigue.
Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers
Potential side effects to these medications include headache, upper respiratory infection, cough, dizziness, sinusitis, throat inflammation, diarrhea, fatigue, back pain, viral infections, and abdominal pain.
Diuretics
Diuretics may cause the following side effects: excessive uric acid in the blood (gout), magnesium deficiency, potassium deficiency, electrolyte imbalance, muscle cramps, fatigue, headaches, lowered HDL, excessive sugar in the blood (diabetes), fever, rash, irregular menstrual cycles (aldosterone), impotence (same), excessive urination and thirst, and some have been shown to cause an eleven-fold increase in diabetes.
Natural Approaches to Reducing Hypertension
AmealPeptide® is a natural ingredient derived from nonfat milk that acts as a natural inhibitor of angiotensin. It consists of the two peptides, valyl-prolyl-proline and isoleucyl-prolyl-proline, that are naturally occurring substances also found in fermented dairy products, such as cheese and yogurt. AmealPeptide® has been evaluated in 14 double-blind and placebo-controlled clinical studies, which have shown that it lowers elevated blood pressure and maintains it at healthier levels.3
Fish oil reduces blood pressure, inflammation, fibrinogen, irregular heart beats (arrhythmia), atherosclerosis, triglycerides, and platelet aggregation.4,5
The New England Journal of Medicine reported on a study that showed individuals consuming 15 grams of fish oil a day whose blood pressure dropped significantly. Typically between 4-7 grams of fish oil are needed for a 1.6-2.9mm Hg drop in blood pressure. If the dose is increased to 15gm of fish oil, the blood pressure drops 5.8-8.1mm Hg. Individuals who lose weight and take fish oil supplements may reduce their systolic blood pressure by 13 points and their diastolic by 9 points.
CoQ10 significantly improved diastolic and systolic pressure in essential hypertension. More than half of patients receiving 225 mg/day were able to terminate use of from one and three antihypertensive medications. Studies show that taking 100-225mg of CoQ10 a day reduces systolic blood pressure by an average of 15 points and diastolic pressure by 10 points.6 Lose Weight: It is estimated that it takes one mile of capillaries (smallest blood vessels) to supply each pound of fat. This is an extra one-mile of vessels the heart must pump blood through. What if you are 10-20 pounds overweight? This translates to 10-20 extra miles of capillaries that must be serviced by the heart. However, losing just 10 pounds of weight results in an average decreased systolic pressure of 7 percent and a drop of 5 points in diastolic pressure. A one-point drop in diastolic pressure results in 3% decreased risk of heart disease and a 7% decreased risk of stroke.2
A weight gain of 10% can increase systolic blood pressure by 6.5 points.2
Low Salt Diet
Americans consume 6-10 grams of salt a day. We actually need around 500mg a day.
It’s estimated that up to 60% of hypertensive patients are salt sensitive. Processed foods account for almost 75% of a person’s daily salt intake. Studies show that salt restricted diets can reduce systolic pressure by 11.5 and diastolic pressure by 6.8 points. And one third of patients on hypertensive medications could discontinue them altogether by reducing their salt intake to 1,800 milligrams or less per day.1
Even though drug companies continue to promote hypertension as a drug deficiency, diet, nutritional therapy and lifestyle changes may be as effective as and, certainly, safer than drug therapy alone.
Dr. Murphree is a board certified nutritional specialist and chiropractic physician who has been in private practice since 1990. He is the author of 5 books for patients and doctors, Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Heart Disease What Your Doctor Won’t Tell You and Treating and Beating Anxiety and Depression with Orthomolecular Medicine. To contact Dr. Murphree or for more information about his Doctors VIP One-on-One Nutritional Coaching Program, visit www.Essentialthera.com or call 1-888-884-9577.
References
1. Mark Houston, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Hypertension. New York: Time Warner, 2003.
2. Rodger Murphree, Heart Disease- What Your Doctor Won’t Tell You (2nd edition). Birmingham AL: Harrison and Hampton, 2008
3. Medical News Today, “Blood Pressure Lowered By Calpis’ Ameal Peptide In 2 Placebo-Controlled Trials” (2008), www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/107888.php
4. Knapp HR, Fitzferald GA. The antihypertensive effects of fish oil: a controlled study of polyunsaturated fatty acid supplements in essential hypertension. New Engl J Med. 1989;320:1037–1043. JANA 28
5. Morris M, Sacks F, Rosner B. Does fish oil lower blood pressure? A meta-analysis of controlled trials. Circulation. 1993;88:523-533
6. Langjoen P, Willis R, Folkers K. Treatment of essential hypertension with coenzyme Q10. Mol Aspects Med. 1994;15:S265-S272