Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
From our book
Bypassing Bypass, published in 2002 |
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To the medical community, the
causes of hypertension are not very clear, though the medical and
pharmaceutical industries have recently begun focusing on those
people with a high level of renin in their system. Why? Because it
is treatable with drugs such as beta-blockers. As this is being
written, the news media is reporting how Afro-Americans suffer from
this disorder (high renin levels) more than other nationalities. On
the average, though, only about 10% of people with hypertension have
a high level of renin in their blood. This is why modern medicine
coined the term essential hypertension, to cover all the rest of
those suffering from high blood pressure for unknown causes.
The kidneys produce your renin.
They produce renin when your blood pressure drops (e.g. internal
bleeding due to an accident in which you lose a lot of blood), or
when blood flow to the kidneys is restricted. Your doctor has a
whole line of drugs to inhibit the effects of renin levels—none of
which will extend your life any or increase the quality of it.
We’re basically dealing with
prostaglandin chemistry here and we’re not about to get technical on
you, only to mention that there are good prostaglandins and bad
prostaglandins. Bad prostaglandins are produced by diets high in
certain fats: polyunsaturated oils and trans-fatty acids called
partially hydrogenated oils. These same “bad” prostaglandins are
also responsible for many cancers. To reduce the bad prostaglandins
and promote good prostaglandins you need your essential fatty acids.
Flax oil, hemp oil, fish oils, olive oil (virgin or extra virgin),
and evening primrose oil all contain essential fatty acids. Of
these, hemp oil is the best. Taken with protein, the oils become
water soluble, thus more bioavailable. Finally, avoid chlorinated
water as if it was poison:
You will hear a lot about
essential fatty acids at this site and in our publications. They
battle, and prevent heart attacks and strokes, and can help to
reverse cardiovascular disease, cancer, and type II diabetes.
The main message in this chapter
is: reduce bad prostaglandins and increase your good prostaglandins
with a proper diet and you’ve got a better handle on your blood
pressure.
Now if you visit Dr Bernard
Lown’s web site, the Lown Cardiovascular Center at
www.lown.cc, you will find in an
article on hypertension written by one of his physicians:
“Scientists are still looking for the underlying cause of high blood
pressure, but one thing is clear: It is a disease that travels in
families. If both parents have high blood pressure, there is a
strong likelihood that their children will develop the problem as
well.”
Dr Lown has written an amazing
book, The Lost Art of Healing. He invented the direct current
defibrillator for cardiopulmonary resuscitation of a patient dying
suddenly. He has had a glorious career in medicine. However, the
above statement, made by one of his physicians, might lead you to
believe that there is a genetic component to hypertension.
When something runs in a family,
it does not necessarily have to have a genetic component. We learn
our habits at home. Our eating habits are learned in the home. We
eat what our parents ate. It is this simple. The reason some
scientists don’t see this is that they are not paid to see it; and
physicians are not taught to look for nutritional causes to
diseases.
As we went to print (publishing
Bypassing Bypass in 2002), we learned of a hypertension therapy that
proved itself to be 88% effective. The work leading up to the study
also discovered one of the main causes of essential hypertension.
Here’s what we learned:
Researchers have realized that a
significant number of hypertension patients share a condition of low
blood calcium levels and elevated parathyroid hormone (the hormone
responsible for maintaining blood calcium levels). Something was
definitely wrong with this picture, but the answer evaded most
scientists till a Dr Peter Pang from Canada (and his researchers)
discovered a second hormone produced by the parathyroid gland
responsible for depressing calcium levels. They named it parathyroid
hypertensive factor, or PHF.
Next, Dr Pang—Yale trained with
a background in both Oriental medicine and pharmacology—developed a
product called Pressure FX, a combination of a mushroom (Cordyceps
Sinensis) and shark cartilage. Shark cartilage contains a good
amount of calcium and in animal studies, rats were given
hypertension by injections of PHF and then were injected with shark
cartilage which brought their levels right back down.
Pressure FX has not been widely
tested, though the
limited testing has shown one capsule taken three times a day to
be 65% to 88% effective. It can be ordered from Optimal Health
Resources, 550 Kane Court #100, Oviedo, FL 32765, 888.727.6388, or
try this link:
Pressure FX.
From Dr Rath’s Research
For hypertension, Dr Rath
recommends adding the following to his basic cellular medicine
program:
Vitamin C: like all
antioxidants, your requirements are based on your lifestyle and
where you live. If you breathe fresh air and drink clean water, your
requirements are at the low end of Dr Rath’s recommendations.
However, if you live in a polluted area your daily requirements can
be up around 8, 9, or even 10 grams per day.
Vitamin E: You can get
mixed tocopherols with selenium, or eat foods high in vitamin E;
wheat germ, nuts, seeds, avocado. This antioxidant protects your
arteries and your blood.
Magnesium: be careful
with magnesium. Again, over 200mgs daily can cause your body to
“dump” needed minerals.
Calcium: there are so
many forms of calcium on the market that it is hard to tell which is
best. Let’s start with Standard Process Labs. They have about 14
products with calcium. Calcium, besides being required for healthy
bones and connective tissues, is a key nutritional factor in a
healthy cardiovascular system, not to mention a healthy immune
system (helps support white blood cell development). Standard
Process Lab’s Calcifood™ is a very complete form of calcium,
containing all the cofactors needed for strong healthy bones and
teeth. Additionally, you will get your glucosamine and chondroitin
for joint support in the best form possible. Taking these two things
separately, without their cofactors, will result in depletion of
those cofactors from other parts of the body. The other form of
calcium SPL manufactures is calcium lactate (if you are a vegan and
do not eat animal products, you are safe here as theirs comes from a
vegetable source). Calcium lactate takes one chemical step to turn
into calcium bicarbonate (the type the body uses and needs). Calcium
carbonate (a very popular brand) takes twelve chemical reactions to
do this and it requires stomach acid. SPL’s version is water-soluble
and highly bioavailable.
Next you have shark cartilage,
which is a very good form of calcium and its cofactors, and is a low
grade anti-inflammatory.
Finally, you have NOW Foods Bone
Calcium, a very inexpensive and powerful product.
We are working closely with Dr
Bruce West in these, our cardiovascular articles. He has worked with
many heart patients, and his methods are tried and true. We would
list his practice within this directory, except that he has a 4-year
waiting list. So, instead, we shall pass on his knowledge by
reprinting many of his fine articles.
Dr West publishes Health
Alert. For subscription information, write to Health Alert,
100 Wilson Rd #110, Monterey CA 93940 or call 800-231-8063. For
information about products or procedures in Dr West’s articles, you
may also call that number.
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Hear
and understand me.
Even
if you disagree, please don’t make me wrong.
Acknowledge
the greatness within me.
Remember
to look for my loving intentions.
Tell
me the truth with compassion.
Managing From the Heart
( Delacorte Press, 1990) |
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