Your blood pressure is a measure of how hard the heart is working to pump blood around the body. The measurement of blood pressure is listed as a systolic number over the diastolic number (e.g. 118/82). For decades the American Heart Association (AHA) and American College of Cardiology (ACC) used 120/80 as the normal healthy blood pressure.
When bold pressure is higher (both systolic and/or diastolic) the heart is working harder and more pressure is put on the blood vessels that carry the blood. This increases the risk of Cardiovascular disease such as a heart attack or a stroke, the number one killers in the US. On the other hand too low blood pressure indicates the heart is not adequately pushing blood to peripheral areas of the body such as the feet, hands and the brain.
For decades the accepted healthy blood pressure was 120/80 or a bit higher especially with elderly who need more heart force to assist getting increased blood to the brain. Based on a faulty study (explained below) the AHA, ACC and the pharmaceuticals are now strongly recommending blood pressure should be lower than 120/80 and as many as 46% of the population needs to be on blood pressure medications not presently on these medications.
Coincidently the biggest money makers for pharmaceuticals has been cholesterol lowering statin drugs which have questionable benefits but produce many side effects such as cataracts, dementia, diabetes, kidney and muscle problems and even heart problems due to the depletion of CoQ10 by the statin drugs.
The patents for statin drugs are ending and it appears drug companies need another source of profits they can get by altering blood pressure recommendations and selling more blood pressure medications not previously needed. The Sprint study that indicated blood pressures should be lower for health had several flawed guidelines putting into question the recommendations for more prescription drugs to be consumed.
These flaws included:
- 1. It was not a blind study- testers and test subjects both knew who were being tested and who were placebos
- 2. Blood pressures were measured in unrealistic conditions not real life situations in which the test subjects existed
- 3. The study measured multiple end points. The best studies only measure one end point, in this case blood pressure
- 4. The monitoring of results was not confidential
- 5. The dangers of blood pressure medications was not considered in pharmaceutical recommendations
The bottom line appears to be a highly flawed study (Sprint) which attempted to prove a desired outcome which was to increase the levels of blood pressure medication consumption, ultimately increasing the income of pharmaceutical companies.
In reality blood pressure medications should only be consumed in extreme blood pressure situations. Natural methods to normalize blood pressure (either to raise or lower) should be the strategy of choice for long term health. These include:
- Exercise regularly
- Decrease stress and increase relaxation
- Healthy diets- decrease sugars, increase healthy fats, less processed, more organic foods. Increase water consumption and read the book “Fat for Fuel” to get a good understanding of the healthiest foods to eat for the best metabolism that results in a healthy blood pressure
- Take vitamins D3, K2, B’s and C • Take fish oils (DHA/EPA) daily
- Magnesium to dilate blood vessels and take pressure off the heart
- Herbs- Hawthorn, Garlic, Roselle to normalize blood pressure
Normalizing blood pressure is critical for overall health. Avoiding blood pressure medications in most instances while incorporating healthy, natural means to control blood pressure is a much better approach.
Enjoy the Journey,
Vital 100 Wellness Team