According to the United States Center for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov), one out of three adult Americans have hypertension, also know as high blood pressure. Although men under 45 are more likely to have high blood pressure, among senior citizens, women are more prone to it. And, as people of both sexes grow older, they are more likely to experience high blood pressure; 65% of men and 80% of women over 75 have hypertension.

High blood pressure isn’t actually a disease, it is just a symptom, so why is it such a big concern? It’s because hypertension increases your risk of stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure and arterial aneurism. It is also a leading cause of chronic kidney failure and generally leads to shortened life expectancy. Furthermore, high blood pressure has no warning signs or symptoms, so people may not be aware they are developing it.

With hypertension being so wide spread, odds are that you or someone you know suffers from it. But, have you met anyone who has cured their hypertension by taking prescription drugs? Probably not. That’s because high blood pressure medications are not designed to cure hypertension. They are intended merely to manage the condition, which speaks to a major shortcoming of modern Western medicine—it focuses on treating symptoms, rather than fixing causes.

Can We Actually “Cure” Hypertension?

The only way to cure any health problem, including hypertension, is to identify the cause and fix it. The reason why it’s considered incurable by most doctors is that medical doctors have a “known” cause for it in only about 5-10% of the cases. High blood pressure that’s a symptom of another disease is known as secondary hypertension. Primary, also called essential, hypertension, which involves 90-95% of the cases, means that the doctors don’t know the cause.

However, this doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to find the cause. The fact that high blood pressure is rare in parts of the world where people consume traditional diets suggests that the cause is found in our modern diet and lifestyle. Since medical doctors are trained to prescribe drugs instead of examining nutrition and lifestyle factors, it’s easy to see how they would be unable to identify the cause of high blood pressure and would consider it manageable, but incurable.

Fortunately, there is a lot of research that tells us what causes hypertension, which means, a person can cure this problem, but only if they are willing to examine their lifestyle and nutrition. Considering the health benefits of reducing high blood pressure and the side effects and risks associated with prescription drugs, it seems prudent to do everything possible to lower blood pressure naturally, and that’s what this issue of Sunshine Sharing is all about. We’ll examine natural approaches to curing, rather than simply managing, hypertension.

Hypertension: Causes and Cures

Blood pressure consists of the systolic pressure and the diastolic pressure. The systolic is the pressure exerted by the contraction of the heartbeat moving blood through the blood vessels. The diastolic is the resting pressure, the pressure remaining in the blood vessel in between heartbeats. Blood pressure is expressed with the systolic reading first, followed by the diastolic reading. Normal blood pressure is considered 90/60 to 130/90, but research shows that 115-125/70-80 is optimal for health and longevity.

The dynamics of blood pressure are fairly straightforward. Your body has about 100,000 miles of blood vessels. The larger vessels have muscular walls that can expand and contract to increase or decrease the diameter of the blood vessels. The diastolic pressure is the pressure needed to maintain full blood vessels. In other words, the blood vessel is like a pipe carrying liquid, which must expand or contract to match the volume of liquid it is carrying.

If air pockets get into the water pipes of your home, water doesn’t flow freely to your faucet. Instead, it sputters and spurts. Likewise, if the diameter of the blood vessel “pipes” were allowed to be bigger than the volume of blood they were carrying, then air pockets would form and disrupt circulation. Thus, the body has a built in system of pressure regulation to keep its “pipes” full.

If the blood vessels contract or get smaller in diameter, the diastolic pressure will rise. This also means that the heart has to increase its pressure to push the blood through the smaller pipes, so there will be a corresponding rise in the systolic pressure.

This increase in pressure has negative consequences on health. It makes the heart have to work harder, which wears it out faster. It increases the risk of forming blood clots in the circulatory system, which increases the risk of myocardial infarction, strokes and thrombosis. It can cause blood vessels to “blow” from the pressure, causing an aneurism. It can also damage the kidneys, eyes, brain and other organs.

Furthermore, arterial plaque never forms in veins (which are areas of low pressure). Arterial plaque only forms in areas of the circulatory system subject to high pressures. In fact, plaque formation may be a protective mechanism to shore up blood vessels so they can handle the higher pressure.

It’s clear that if we want to get rid of hypertension, we need to help the blood vessels relax so that less pressure is required to move blood through the cardiovascular system. Before we can do that, we need to understand the factors that affect the size of the “pipes,” so we can intelligently correct the real problems.

Water: The Free Cure for High Blood Pressure

In his book, You’re Not Sick, You’re Thirsty, Dr. F. Batmanghelidj, MD, explains how dehydration causes an increase in blood pressure. In fact, it’s fairly easy to see if you understand that the diastolic pressure is dependent on the volume of blood in the circulatory system. If a person becomes dehydrated, it reduces the volume of blood in their blood vessels, which causes them to contract and increases the pressure.

This seems an extremely plausible explanation as to why people tend to experience an increase in blood pressure as they age, because it is well established that most people become more and more dehydrated as they age. (It’s why people tend to get “shriveled” and “wrinkled” with age—they’re drying out.)

Based on this understanding, Dr. Batmanghelidj also explains why the current medical approach to hypertension doesn’t work. As the body becomes increasingly dehydrated, it tries harder to hang onto salt and water, which causes people to develop edema. Unfortunately, people are given diuretics to try to flush out the water and told to avoid salt. This is 100% opposite of what people actually need to do.

Instead, they need to increase water intake and make sure they are also getting adequate amounts of a natural salt (like NSP’s pink-colored Sea Salt). The water and salt will hydrate the body, increase the volume of blood and help the “pipes” expand to allow for the increased amount of fluid they are carrying. Dr. Batmanghelidj recommends drinking one-half ounce of plain water per pound of body weight per day and taking a pinch of salt with the water. You can read more about his recommendations at www.watercure.com.

Reduce the Pressure of Stress to Reduce Hypertension

When we’re under stress, the body produces more of the neurotransmitters epinephrine and norepinephrine, which bind to receptor sites in blood vessels and the heart known as adrenergic receptors. When stimulated, adrenergic receptors cause an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, which is why beta blockers (drugs that bind to adrenergic receptors and inhibit them) are used to reduce blood pressure and heart rate.

This means that finding a way to counteract stress will also help to reduce one’s blood pressure. The best way to reduce stress is to deliberately find ways to relax. Get a massage, soak in a hot bath or hot tub, meditate, or practice yoga or tai chi. Anything that helps you feel relaxed and calm is going to have a positive effect on your blood pressure. Just five to ten minutes of deep, slow breathing can reduce blood pressure by 10-15 points or more.

Another strategy for reducing stress is to use adaptogenic herbs or formulas, such as eleuthero root or Nervous Fatigue Formula. Adaptogens reduce the output of stress hormones, which can help you feel calmer under pressure, improve immune function and help to lower blood pressure.

One reason that the use of tobacco products increases blood pressure is that nicotine binds to adrenergic receptors. To reduce the craving for tobacco and to counteract this effect, try using 5-10 drops of Lobelia Extract instead of tobacco when you feel stressed. Lobelia contains an alkaloid called lobeline, which binds to adrenergic receptor and inhibits them, just like beta blockers.

Consumption of caffeinated beverages and alcohol increase blood pressure. When you realize that alcohol and caffeine are diuretics and contribute to water loss, it becomes clear why you want to avoid these beverages if you have hypertension. Caffeine also increases sympathetic nervous system activity, which increases stress and makes blood vessels contract. If you crave caffeine, try using Target Endurance for energy (and drink more water).

The Magnesium Solution

Muscles contract under the influence of calcium and relax under the influence of magnesium. Another class of medications used to lower blood pressure is calcium channel blockers, which inhibit calcium from entering the muscles, causing them to relax more. Well, guess what? Magnesium supplements are just as effective as calcium channel blockers without the side effects!

A large percentage of people with high blood pressure have low levels of magnesium in their body. Blood levels of magnesium are not the best indicator of magnesium deficiency, so even if your blood test says your levels are fine, you may still be deficient. If you have hypertension, increasing your intake of magnesium is certainly worth trying.

Magnesium not only helps reduce blood pressure and reduces your risk of heart attacks, it also helps your nerves relax more, increases energy production in your cells and helps your body detoxify. So, if you have high blood pressure consider eating more dark green leafy vegetables, which are loaded with chlorophyll, a natural source of magnesium. You can also try taking two to four capsules of Magnesium Complex daily.

Endothelial Dysfunction: The Other “ED”

All of the thousands of miles of blood vessels in your body are coated with a lining, just one cell thick, known as the endothelial lining. The endothelial cells make a gas called nitric oxide, which dilates the blood vessels, reducing pressure. Nitric oxide also keeps platelets from sticking to the blood vessel wall, suppresses the formation of arterial plaque and can reduce arterial plaque that has already formed. This is why Dr. Sherry A. Rogers, MD, author of The High Blood Pressure Hoax!, believes that dysfunction of the endothelial lining is a primary factor in high blood pressure.

Nitroglycerine pills, which are often used to treat angina, work by stimulating a nitric oxide response in the endothelial lining. We can do the same thing using a simple nutrient, the amino acid l-arginine. Research shows that about 5 grams (5,000 mg.) of l-arginine per day can help to control high blood pressure and improve cardiovascular health.

Solstic Cardio is a convenient way to get 5 grams of l-arginine daily. You simply break open one of the packets and empty it into 8-10 ounces of cool water. Solstic Cardio also contains vitamin D3, vitamin K2, pomegranate extract and a blend of other amino acids to further support cardiovascular health.

The fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E and K, are all very important for protecting cardiovascular health. This is because it isn’t regular dietary cholesterol that “sticks” to your arteries, it’s oxidized cholesterol that winds up forming arterial plaque. Fat-soluble vitamins keep cholesterol from oxidizing (and fats from turning rancid), which not only protects your cardiovascular system, it also protects your brain, boosts your immune system and helps keep your bones and teeth healthy.

Supplementation with l-arginine not only helps endothelial dysfunction (ED), it also helps the other form of ED, erectile dysfunction. Drugs like Viagra® and Cialis® were originally developed as drugs for high blood pressure. They work by increasing nitric oxide responses. Interestingly enough, many of the “male-enhancing” herbs do the same thing, such as yohimbe and epimedium (more commonly known as horny goat weed). L-arginine, an isolated extract of icarin from horny goat weed, and other nitric oxide boosting substances can be found in Men’s X-Action Reloaded. This “male enhancing” blend can actually help both forms of ED.

Time for an “Oil Change”

Most people think that fats, especially saturated fats, are bad for your heart and circulation. But it isn’t fats per se that are bad for you; it’s a specific type of fat known as a transfatty acid. Transfatty acids are damaging to cell membranes and contribute to hardening of the arteries, diabetes, cancer, rosacea and other chronic diseases.

Transfatty acids are formed when oils are heated to over 360 degrees, which happens in the process of hydrogenation. Hydrogenation is used to make polyunsaturated vegetable oils shelf stable, but it also “kills” them, making them cause harm to our bodies when we consume them. All processed foods containing vegetable oils contain some transfat (no matter what the label says). And they are not “heart-healthy” like their labels claim.

So avoid all hydrogenated vegetable oils, shortening, margarine and processed foods containing vegetable oils. Also avoid powdered eggs and powdered milk (which contain oxidized cholesterol). Instead, use coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, natural foods containing fats (like butter, avocados and nuts), and supplement your diet with good oils like Super Omega-3 EPA or Krill Oil with K2.

Final Thoughts on High Blood Pressure

Space doesn’t permit us to cover all the natural options available for reducing high blood pressure in detail, but here are a few more to consider. Aerobic exercise (walking, running, bicycling, swimming, etc.) improves blood flow and reduces resting heart rate and blood pressure. Reducing sugar consumption reduces insulin production and cardiovascular inflammation, which also helps.

Ginkgo and Hawthorn have been found to dilate peripheral blood vessels and improve blood flow to the extremities, thus reducing hypertension. The Ginkgo and Hawthorn formula also contains olive leaf, which has been shown to reduce blood pressure in controlled studies.

Numerous studies have shown that garlic can reduce blood pressure. In addition, it also decreases blood cholesterol and triglycerides. Capsicum, Garlic and Parsley is another blood pressure-reducing herbal formula to consider.

Blood Pressurex contains l-arginine, hawthorn, olive leaf and several other nutrients that can help reduce arterial inflammation and high blood pressure. It’s another great option for a natural blood-pressure reducing program. Other remedies that may help hypertension include MegaChel, Co-Q10 and GC-X. So, there are many possibilities besides those we’ve covered.

A note of caution: it’s very important not to discontinue high blood pressure medications when starting to use natural remedies. If you start using natural remedies and your blood pressure starts coming down, then talk to your doctor about reducing the dose of your medication. You can also talk to the person who gave you this newsletter to help you design the right program for your needs.

The High Blood Pressure Hoax by Sherry A. Rogers, MD

Controlling High Blood Pressure the Natural Way by David L. Carroll and Wahida Karmally