HERBAL (AND SUPPLEMENTAL) HYPERTENSION REMEDIES..WAYS TO REDUCE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

Ninety-five to 99% of hypertensive individuals have essential hypertension.This is hypertension without known or obvious causes.

Persons with hypertension are three to four times more likely than people with no high blood pressure to experience a major cardiovascular event (e.g., myocardial infarction,(heart attack with damage to heart muscle itself) cerebrovascular accident,(stroke) congestive heart failure) and high blood pressure is believed to contribute to 75% of all strokes and heart attacks.

Definition:

As blood is pumped through your body, it exerts pressure on the walls of your arteries. The systolic blood pressure is the pressure against these walls when the heart contracts, and the diastolic blood pressure is the pressure when the heart relaxes. When you get a blood pressure reading, you are told the systolic pressure/diastolic pressure.

For example, normal blood pressure is below 120/80.

High blood pressure, occurs when the systolic pressure is consistently over 140 mm Hg, or the diastolic blood pressure is consistently over 90 mm Hg. Blood pressure is determined by the amount of blood pumped, by the actions of the heart, and by the size and condition of the arteries.

Many other factors can affect blood pressure including the water volume in the body; salt content of the body; condition of the kidneys, nervous system, or blood vessels; and various hormone levels in the body.

Prehypertension is when your systolic blood pressure is between 120 and 139 or your diastolic blood pressure is between 90 and 99. If you have prehypertension, you are likely to develop high blood pressure at some point. Therefore, your doctor will recommend lifestyle changes to bring your blood pressure down to normal ranges.

African Americans of both sexes and Caucasian males have a higher rate of significant hypertension. While essential hypertension has no correctable cause, some genetic factors have been identified.

Diet in Hypertension and Cardiac Disease

First some basic diet changes for hypertension and the prevention of cardiac (heart) disease.

Dietary Salt:

The INTERSALT study, (studied 10,000 people) clearly linked the presence of hypertension in a population with a moderate salt intake.

Habitual low salt intake correlated with low BP, and with little or no BP increase with age (Stamler 1997).

While this large population study implicates a low-sodium diet in the prevention of hypertension, individuals exhibit significant differences in their sensitivity to salt. High salt intake does not adversely affect everyone (Heyka 1999), and it is not currently possible to reliably identify salt-sensitive individuals.

Since reducing dietary sodium is generally safe, however, it is reasonable for normal individuals to consume a low-salt diet (<6 g/day of NaCl [recommended by JNC-VI]), particularly those at risk for developing hypertension and/or cardiovascular disease.(therefore, have it in their family)

Alcohol:

Many observational studies, including the Nurse's Health Study (Ascherio et al. 1996), consistently support an association between high alcohol consumption (typically three or more drinks per day) and elevation in blood pressure (Appel 1999; Heyka 1999).

Diet rich in fruits and vegetables:

Observational studies consistently show vegetarian diets to be associated with lower BP even after controlling for other factors. The specific nutrients responsible, however, remain largely unknown.

Studies that isolate the effects of macronutrients (fats, specifically, low fat), micronutrients (potassium, calcium, magnesium, and vitamin C) and fiber have produced inconsistent results (Appel 1999; Heyka 1999). I believe its a combination of the various plant sources and their minerals/enzyme factors

Mediterranean Diet:

Essentially avoid deep fried food, processed food (high sugar, salt and trans fats), heavy creams and meats. The leaner the food and less cooked the better.

Extra Virgin Olive oil, organic coconut oil, lean beef, skinless chicken, salmon, lean lamb lots of garlic and onions, nuts and seeds...all are part of a good diet.

Fruits and vegetables, particularly raw are excellent for more reasons than just your heart health. They supply nutrients and enzymes for overall body health and digestion and absorption of food.

For a full description of the Mediterranean diet and its benefits, Click Here

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Trial was a landmark, multicenter, randomized study (over 400 people) that investigated the effects of a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy on people with and without hypertension.

Antioxidants:

The success of the DASH diet also highlights the potential role of antioxidants in BP control. Antioxidants—including vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene—are scavengers of reactive oxygen species (ROS)..also called "free radicals". These byproducts of normal metabolism have been associated with increased arterial tone (therefore constriction) and increased BP in both animal and human models.

There is evidence that ROS alter the balance between vasocontrictor (tightening of the vessels) and vasodilator substances (relaxing of the vessels) (Kitiyakara and Wilcox 1998). Observational studies and small controlled trials suggest an inverse correlation between either vitamin C intake or plasma levels and blood pressure (Duffy et al. 1999; Ness et al. 1997).

Co Enzyme Q10

Studies, including a number of small clinical trials, suggest that coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) has a significant anti-hypertensive effect (Langsjoen et al. 1994; McCarty 1999).

CoQ10 has a large part to play in the energy production of the cell. It also acts as an antioxidant so its BP lowering effect theoretically relates to its influence on ROS (McCarty 1999).

Magnesium

Magnesium itself has given variable results in studies with respect to a positive influence on blood pressure. However Magnesium Orotate has shown to help a wide variety of cardiac symptoms including hypertension.

For a full explanation and to read some of the studies.. Click Here

Arginine

The amino acid (one of the building blocks of your body's protein) Arginine is an element which increases the production of nitric oxide.

What is so good about nitric oxide? Your blood vessels are lined with a single cell layer called the endothelium (loosely translated as "inside skin"). The endothelium has a huge role to play in the health of your vessels. If it becomes oxidized or "roughened" its at these points plaque catches on and starts building up..resulting in blockage of the vessel.

This layer can relax or constrict. Obviously if it constricts..there is more resistance to blood flow and blood pressure will rise. Your body makes nitric oxide which causes the endothelial lining to relax..and arginine is a main factor in the amount of nitric oxide made.

Bonito Peptides:

Most blood pressure medication is geared to decrease the formation of angiotensin II.ACE facilitates the formation of angiotensin II, a potent compound responsible for blood vessel constriction, and in excess, can lead to detrimental effects such as local arterial damage, endothelial dysfunction, blood clot formation, and increased oxidative stress.

The drugs therefore are aimed at stopping the formation of angiotensin converting enzyme, which enables angiotensin to be formed. So the drugs are called ACE's or angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors.

Bonito (Sarda orientalis) is a fish belonging to the tuna and mackerel family that is traditionally consumed in Japan. Japanese researchers have identified a patented process to isolate specific, active bonito peptides (bits of protein) with demonstrated blood pressure-lowering effects in animal and human models.

Bonito peptides may provide natural blood pressure support for individuals with pre-hypertension (systolic blood pressure: 120-139 mm Hg; diastolic blood pressure: 80-89 mm Hg) or Stage I hypertension (systolic blood pressure: 140-159 mm Hg; diastolic blood pressure: 90-99 mm Hg).

Bonito peptides have been shown in clinical trials to inhibit ACE activity.

Three human clinical trials have been successfully conducted using bonito peptides in subjects with borderline or mild hypertension. Data have revealed significant decreases in blood pressure, with an average decrease of 10 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure and 7 mm Hg in diastolic blood pressure after several weeks of use.5-7 In the most recent study (Fujita et al., 2001), researchers used an optimized bonito peptide mixture of 1.5 grams daily.

Clinical trial research suggests that bonito peptides are approximately 64% effective in reducing blood pressure in borderline and mildly hypertensive subjects. In these short-term clinical trials, no adverse side effects were reported, suggesting that bonito peptides have an excellent safety profile.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Fish oil contains the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Two studies of controlled trials concluded that approximately 3 g/day of omega-3 PUFA can significantly lower BP in hypertensive individuals (Appel et al. 1993; Morris et al. 1993).

A recent randomized, placebo-controlled trial using 4 g/day of highly purified formulation of EPA and DHA also demonstrated a beneficial effect in mild hypertensives (Prisco et al. 1998).

Dietary sources of omega-3 PUFAs include fatty cold water fish (e.g., salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring) and flaxseed. Avoid fish high in mercury, which may increase blood pressure. (Metagenics products are thoroughly tested for heavy metals and any other contaminants at all times)

Herbal Remedies for Hypertension:

Allium sativum (garlic) Garlic has demonstrated beneficial cardiovascular effects on platelet aggregation, fibrinolysis,(these two are about clot formation) aortic elasticity, blood fats, and BP. Allicin, the odiferous compound produced when fresh garlic is crushed or chopped, is thought to be the active agent. Most positive studies have used quantities of garlic beyond typical dietary levels (equivalent to 5 to 20 average-sized cloves/day). Since more evidence exists for other clinical benefits of garlic, it may be a reasonable choice for patients with hypertension and other coronary risk factors, like abnormal blood fats and cholesterol. The dose is 5 to 10 minced, raw garlic cloves/day or 300 mg of dried garlic extract three times per day. Crataegus monogyna (hawthorn) Considerable evidence supports the cardiovascular benefits of hawthorn, most notably its heart toning effects. Since congestive heart failure has been the subject of most clinical studies, it is difficult to draw conclusions about its potential role in uncomplicated hypertension. Nonetheless, given its apparent safety, it seems reasonable to combine hawthorn with cardiac medications particularly in those hypertensive patients showing signs of cardiac weakening. The dose is 160 to 900 mg/day of aqueous alcoholic extract of hawthorn leaf and flower orally for at least 6 weeks (Blumenthal 2000). Ginkgo biloba extract (ginkgo) A relatively recent animal study suggested a possible protective effect for hypertensive rats fed a diet supplemented with ginkgo (Umegaki et al. 2000). The authors of this trial speculate that the antioxidant flavonoids found in ginkgo may preserve nitric oxide by inactivating reactive oxygen species. Further research is warranted. Panax ginseng (red Korean ginseng) A small study of red Korean ginseng in subjects with hypertension compared with hypertensive as well as people with normal blood pressure controls over 2-years, concluded that this herb improved endothelial dysfunction possibly by increased synthesis of nitric oxide (Sung et al. 2000)

FULL SUPPLEMENT PROTOCOLS FOR HEART HEALTH WITH BLOOD PRESSURE SUPPORT

Based on almost 3 decades of experience and knowledge, I've carefully put together two "Heart Health Protocols". One with support if high blood pressure is a problem as well and one which is heart healing and optimizing without blood pressure concerns.

The necessity to use top end products cannot be stressed enough. In fact, I invite you to try using cheaper supplements..perhaps purchased from one of the big box department stores or discount vitamin sites. And when you don't feel much better, you can then commit to the best of support to achieve the results you want.

Full Heart Health With Blood Pressure Support:

The protocol consists of Vasotensin, EPA/DHA Lemon Softgels, Arginine Plus, Oxygenics, CardoMag 2.0, CoQ10-100 mg., and Cardiogenics Intensive Care

Normally if you purchased these products they would cost $298.00 US for the whole group.

Now save 15% and receive them at ...not $298.00 US...But $253.00 ..a savings of $45.00!

This protocol is available here

Heart Health Protocol..Without Specific Blood Pressure Support:

The difference with this protocol is that Vasotensin is not part of it. Normally the group would cost $253.00 US..but with a 15% discount is it only $215.00!

Its available here

Heart Health

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