Question: I am a 45-year-old man in relatively good health, maybe 20 pounds overweight, a little stiff, a little tired. I have recently been diagnosed with hypertension (high blood pressure). My doctor found that my blood pressure is in the 150-160/95-100 range over a number of visits. He has suggested that I go on blood pressure medicine, which he indicated may be for the rest of my life. Is there any way to threat this condition without using drugs?
Answer: This question comes up often in my practice. The long answer could fill a medical textbook. The short answer begins with a definition of hypertension—which has changed a number of times during my 20-year career in medicine. In medical school we learned that the top or systolic number was normal if it was less than 100 plus the age of the patient. Thus 170 would be normal for a 70-year-old man. The bottom or diastolic number was considered normal if it was under 90. About ten years ago, a number of studies seemed to show that the bottom number was more important than the top number in predicting adverse outcomes such as stroke and kidney disease. For years physicians mostly ignored the systolic pressure and focused on normalizing the diastolic pressure but lately a few studies have shown that both numbers are important for predicting outcomes. Also, we no longer say that 100 plus the patient’s age is normal; rather, 140 is said to be the safe limit, regardless of the age of the patient.
The issue of whether hypertension needs to be treated has also vexed researchers for many years. If the pressure of the blood inside the arteries is too high, leading to kidney damage and stroke, it would seem that we should try to lower blood pressure. But the studies show that while it is clear that having normal blood pressure is better for your long-term health than elevated blood pressure, lowering pressure with medicines does not demonstrably improve the outcome. Furthermore, many of the drugs in use to treat hypertension have unfortunate side effects. Diuretics cause the loss of valuable electrolytes (minerals), thereby predisposing the patient to cardiac arrhythmia. Beta-blockers alter lipid levels and can worsen the tendency to type-II diabetes, which can lead to the same adverse outcome as elevated blood pressure. Similar problems have been found with calcium channel blockers and even with the new ACE inhibitors.
High blood pressure is, therefore, best treated without drugs. If we consider the fact that in this condition, the circulation is working too hard to nourish the cells, then it seems reasonable that some of the causes include excess weight, electrolyte imbalances, lack of exercise, fluid overload (due to poor kidney function), stress and fatty-acid imbalances. The last cause usually involves deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids and too much trans fat in the diet. These trans fats replace saturated fats in the cell walls with the result that they become too stiff.
These imbalances must be corrected and maintained for the life of the patient. In practical terms, this means following the diet recommended in Nourishing Traditions with its emphasis on traditionally prepared whole foods; the use of mineral-rich Celtic sea salt; and a supplement of omega-3 fatty acids, usually in the form of a small amount of flax oil. Restriction of carbohydrates, as outlined in The Schwarzbein Principle, will help with weight loss and will also lower insulin levels, thereby helping your body eliminate excess fluid and burn excess fat. A regular exercise program is important. Finally, studies have repeatedly shown that the regular practice of some sort of meditation or relaxation response can be very successful in treating hypertension. The classic work in this field is still The Relaxation Response. Following these guidelines at least 90 percent of my patients have successfully lowered their blood pressure without resort to drugs.
This article appeared in Wise Traditions in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts, the quarterly magazine of the Weston A. Price Foundation, Summer 2000.
🖨️ Print post
what does Celtic sea salt do for blood pressure and how do you use it.
thanks
Carol, can’t answer your question but I do know this: sea salt (all sea salts are good for you) is very hard to get too much of! The problem in most diets is not salt but bad fats, wrong carbs, etc. In “Nourishing Traditions” there is a wealth of information which will go a long way toward putting you into your own health picture. One of the worst things a person can do is “go off salt;” we need salt, and in a truly healthy diet – one which consists of plenty of grass-fed meats, raw milk products, sprouted grains and fermented foods and drinks – the chances of getting too much salt are very slim. Sea salt, that is!
YOU ARE RIGHT!
I have high blood pressure & am on two meds. Two nights ago I took my first Blue Pasture FCLO & High Vitamin Butter Oil caps, two of each and awoke with a very low blood pressure and was dizzy, thought I was going to faint. That was the first time that ever happened. Scary. Could the oil caps I took, have caused that?
It’s not the capsules “causing” your symptoms, but the capsules enabling your body to regulate blood pressure properly. When the body does that, taking medication to chemically lower your blood pressure will result in a dangerously low blood pressure. Get help from your doctor in weaning off the medication.
I use sea salt but have a concern: The standard commercial salts contain the additive of iodide due to the belief that American’s were not able to obtain sufficient amounts of iodide in their normal diets. If this is true, how can we get the right amount of iodide while using sea salt (a natural salt which does not add iodine)?
Add a good source of seaweed to your diet! I highly recommend:
theseaweedman.com Larch Hanson from Maine
I’ve read that the naturally occuring form of iodide in sea salt does not affect the body the same way as synthetic iodine. You wont absorb too much.
I am surprised that this article does not mention calcium, magnesium and vitamin D, nor potassium and also the importance of thyroid hormone levels. I thought these mattered too when it came to high blood pressure.
Many of those with high blood pressure have calcification of the arteries. I agree with the recommendations made in the above article by Dr. Cowan whose views I very much respect. Unfortunately, none of the recommendations address how to reduce calcification of the arteries which I believe is the predominant issue with high blood pressure.
It looks like recently the definition of “high blood pressure” has been reduced even more. It’s now 120 / 80. So my 130/70 is flagged as “high.” Do you know what this new “normal” is based on?
To me this is another way for drug companies try to make money … change the numbers and more people need drugs !
I’m a 52 year old female and just returned from my employee-mandated health screening, and my bp was 139/90 and flagged as high. “Safe” is now <120/79. I have taken lisinopril in the past but not on a regular basis. I have a screening or yearly physical and the Dr then prescribes it to get it under control, and I 'buy-in' and take it for a few months and then never refill it until the next year.
My BMI is moderate at 28 but my waist circumference is 40 (and I admit I have a spare tire). I'm 5'11" tall and weigh 200lbs, so agree that I could use to lose some weight. I dislike gyms but love hiking and paddling instead-any kind of exercise that can be done outdoors works for me.
My cholesterol total was 171, HDL 58, LDL 93 and Triglycerides 100. (Must be all the whole milk, butter and animal fats I eat!-I didn't tell them that).
Is the blood pressure something I should be worried about at those numbers? I don't want to go on pills to reduce it-so is it possible to reduce bp by adding some walks, moderate exercise and meditation?
Thanks for your help!
With the Fukushima radiation that is continuing to flood into the ocean, and has already encircled the globe in sea water as well as air, shouldn’t we be concerned with Sea Salt being contaminated with radiation?
It’s my understanding that not all sea salt is from the ocean. Our cattle are fed Kansas sea salt which is mined way under the earth.
tenho 37 anos , tenho obesidade 1, fui ao cardiologista para fazer exames de rotinas para estar apta a ir na academia liberando a prática de atividade física de altos impactos, o médico disse que aparentemente meu eletrocardiograma está normal e a pressão no limite estava 13/8 ,mas me fez um alerta que pelo eletro viu que terei pressão alta em um futuro próximo e me receitou uso do corus 25 mg para proteger o coração caso minha pressão suba e eu seja assintomática e não percebo no caso, mas ainda não comprei o remédio, me passou exame da esteira que farei posteriormente, minha dúvida é se eu tenho como reverter ou por ser hereditário será irrevesrsivel eu me livrar de adquiirir pressão alta, na minha ultima gestaçao a 3 anos quando estava no 7º mes , fui a consulta de rotina do pré natal e estava com a pressão 17/11 , engordei 17 kg e tive que tomar o remedio até final da gestação e depois de 20 dias terminou a gestação minha pressão tinha normalizado .