Hypertension is the number one risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Hypertension is a slowly progressing disease of the arteries and begins twenty years before high numbers and symptoms may be recognized.
There are 60,000 miles of vessels in your body; transporting oxygen, food, hormones, waste and your immune system. Vascular disease starts early; a study of 300 hundred soldiers, the average age of 22, showed 70% with significant vascular heart disease. They were soldiers killed in battle; probably in good physical shape, but were stressed, eating bad and sleeping poorly. Sound familiar?
The number one reason patients over the age of 45 visit their doctor is for
blood pressure medication
you’re supposed to take the rest of life! Only 10% of patients get off these medications. Regarded as a top physician in hypertension, Dr. Mark Houston at Vanderbilt University, has a strategy to get 62% of patients off their
blood pressure medications.
- As a requirement for survival, our ancestors exerted significant daily physical activity. Our genetic makeup requires us to be active. Exercise makes you healthier, smarter, happier, sleep better, and more attractive.
- Diet should be that of Mediterranean, whole foods, Paleolithic, vegetarian 3-5 days a week, and fermented foods (cottage cheese, sauerkraut, yogurt, natural cheeses). Avoid refined carbohydrates and beef/pork as much as you can. Chew your food thoroughly to avoid drowsiness after meals and obesity.
- Reduce salt, and increase spices and herbs. Cultures with low salt consumption, show average blood pressure of 106/70 (healthy range) in their 50’s and 60’s, with no strokes and little dementia.
- Supplements that help vascular health; magnesium, CoQ10, Omega 3, vitamins C, E and D, all B vitamins (especially B6), beta carotene, zinc, vitamin K2 M7, calcium, isolate proteins like whey, soy and brown rice, flavonoids, alpha lipoic acid, NAC, resveratrol, Carnitine, Taurine and green tea. These three products are the best supplement regimen available; Biotics Vasculosirt five/day, Metagenics Omegagenics 3 two/day, and Isolate Whey Protein with water, berries, banana, spinach/kale and 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (Mediterranean Diet in a cup!).
- Get a blood test that measures 28 micronutrients by Spectracell, which helped Dr. Houston’s patients adjust their supplementation. The Spectracell Micronutrient analyzes the white blood cell called lymphocyte, which is ever vigilant in all the artery walls. This test is available at DreamBody Medical Centers for $370, $270 with insurance. Results take 3 weeks and come with a comprehensive treatment plan.
- Specific foods proven to lower blood pressure are: 4 stalks of celery/day, 4 cloves of garlic/day, sardines, seaweed, tuna, fiber foods, whey/soy protein, green tea, and dried fish.
- Taking blood pressure readings frequently with note to time of day is valuable; a 48-hour ambulatory blood pressure, ABP, reading is best. These ambulatory blood pressure cuffs are lightweight and only inflate to your top, systolic, reading for comfort, including sleep recordings. Ask the DreamBody Medical staff about using the ABP for a few days.
My better opinion is that high blood pressure is completely curable at least 62% of the time, with the side effects of more energy, improved sleep, better skin, less fat, less depression, and improved clarity of thought. Taking blood pressure medication is not curing hypertension; it’s treating the numbers. Do you accept taking blood pressure medications for 20-30 years or making your arteries healthy?
Book recommendations by two top cardiologists Dr. Mark Houston “What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Hypertension” and Dr. Stephen Sinatra “Metabolic Cardiology”
From Dr. Paul Budnick
