Blood pressure meds don't work
Taking blood pressure meds? Then I have a study you just have to see -- because the pills you're taking every day might help keep your BP levels down... but you're still facing plenty of risks if you have even mildly elevated blood pressure.
A new look at data on some 9,000 people who took part in one of four clinical trials on BP meds in the United States, Britain, and Australia finds that patients who took meds for their high blood pressure simply didn't have better outcomes than those who took placebos.
And they didn't even have better outcomes than patients who received no treatment at all.
All of the patients in the studies were very similar to the majority of people who now take blood pressure meds. They all had stage 1 hypertension -- or blood pressure that falls somewhere between 140/90 and 159/99.
And after four or five years, there were only two real differences.
First, patients who took drugs actually had a slightly higher risk of a heart attack -- although, to be fair, the increase in risk was so small it could have been due to chance.
And second, the ones who took meds of course had a much higher risk of side effects. The side effects were severe enough that 9 percent had to stop taking their drugs.
The new study, conducted by the Cochrane Collaboration, is coming as quite shock to many people (especially the millions who currently take BP meds). But it's no surprise to me.
The real problem with elevated blood pressure isn't the number itself -- it's the underlying cause. If you take a drug that just lowers the number without fixing that underlying cause, it's only natural that the risks will remain.
That's why I recommend controlling blood pressure through a combination of dietary and lifestyle changes as well as some natural supplements.
Your own holistic doctor can help find the approach that's best for you, but you can start with the vices: If you smoke, stop. If you're eating too much animal fat and salt, cut back (and increase your potassium intake while you're at it). If you're a couch potato, get more movement.
And consider taking supplements such as hawthorn berry and gingko biloba as well as calcium, potassium, magnesium, and coenzyme Q10.
Together, this approach won't just lower your blood pressure. It'll help make you healthier -- and that's what will really lower your risk of heart attack, stroke, and death.