Atenolol – the drug I love to hate! I love to hate it so much that we will spend several posts on beta blockers and alternatives. I apologize in advance that this will be broken into parts, but there is that much to talk about.
When I was first put on atenolol I had terrible negative side effects. I felt dizzy and even nauseous at times. I couldn’t think clearly. My PVC’s got worse, not better. I was tired all the time. I got depressed, and I learned for the first time in my life that depression is a very disabling and just awful condition. When I tried to exercise I had to work very hard to get anywhere close to a beneficial, effective aerobic heart rate. Exercise was very important to my long-term goals, yet when I tried to exercise on the beta blocker, effective exercise was almost impossible as beta blockers very effectively slow the heart rate. It was VERY difficult for me to get to an aerobic heart rate with atenolol on board. If I hadn’t been so determined and dedicated to fixing my problems long term, I could never have stayed with an exercise regimen on this drug. If it isn’t just the absolute worst hypertension drug, it has to be right up there!
Taking atenolol was a blessing in disguise for me. I was so miserable on this drug that I just knew I had to find a different answer to treating my hypertension. If I could have taken the drug without feeling miserable, I might still be on it today. That is why I love that I hated it. It prompted me to undertake my own study and search for alternative, healthy approaches to lowering my blood pressure that worked to save my life, not only from the risks of hypertension, but also from the risks of toxic, harmful hypertension drugs.
So, how bad can atenolol really be? Well, here are some of the negative side effects reported by patients (of course many of these are not acknowledged on the manufacturer’s list of “known side effects”) – it is shocking, that the “known list” is not complete, I know.
The list of negative side effects as reported by patients includes: breathing problems, numbness, diarrhea, hair loss, feeling tired and weak, anxiety, panic attacks, dizziness, lack of energy to do anything, extreme fatigue, asthma, chest pain, fluid retention, swelling in the feet and ankles, weight gain, trouble sleeping, memory loss, migraines, abnormal liver function studies (this means your liver is dying!)……………..and the list, almost unbelievably, does go on.
If you want an even more complete picture of the downsides of this toxic drug, check out the following links:
http://www.webmd.com/drugs/drug-11035-Atenolol+Oral.aspx?drugid=11035&drugname=Atenolol+Oral&pagenumber=6
http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.asp?drug=72303&name=ATENOLOL
http://www.healthboards.com/boards/high-low-blood-pressure/615650-another-atenolol-negative.html
For reasons that will become obvious to you, one of my all-time favorite patient reports is this one from FB, a gentleman who reported the following in 2008:
“I had been on atenolol for high blood pressure and kept complaining to my doctor about fatigue, tiredness, light-headedness, swelling feet and ankles. I couldn’t breathe or walk up a flight of stairs without stopping to catch my breath every two steps. I finally suggested that he change the medication. This medication was prescribed by another physician. I am a military dependent so its common to see many physicians. Anyway I am now on inderal which is suppose to help with high blood pressure and irregular heart beat. It is ok but I am now noticing that my feet and ankles are beginning to swell with this medication also. I have developed asthma as well. Also there are days when I can’t do anything but sleep. I would encourage anyone to try a natural approach to your health problems. I am convinced that these medications have caused me more harm than good!”
Yes, yes, we know, D. All the drugs used for hypertension have negative side effects. So, why are you picking on poor little ole Atenolol like that? Well, let me ask you……do you also know that while atenolol is a quick, knee-jerk, first line of attack drug for many physicians in the United States, physicians in Great Britain no longer find it advisable to treat most of their hypertension patients with atenolol?
“The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the British Hypertension Society (BHS) have issued new recommendations for treating high blood pressure. They say that beta-blockers should not be used to treat high blood pressure, except in a few specific cases. They point out that other drugs, called ACE inhibitors, calcium-channel blockers and diuretics, have been shown to be more effective at reducing the risk of stroke when compared with beta-blockers. There is also increasing evidence that the most frequently used beta-blockers can carry a higher risk, some studies suggest up to 30% higher, of provoking type 2 diabetes. . .”
Now there’s some good news, huh? Beta blockers are not very effective at reducing the risks of stroke, one of the primary risks of high blood pressure! In addition, beta blockers carry a significantly greater risk (between 30% and 50% greater) of “provoking” type 2 diabetes than other hypertension drugs. I guess “provoking” is a nicer way of saying that they actually cause diabetes! So, beta blockers are the worst of the hypertension drugs which also “provoke” type 2 diabetes??
But don’t just take my word for it. You can read all about Britain’s decision back in 2006 to take beta blockers out of their first tier of hypertension drugs, and for those who challenged my assertion in this regard in my response to Dr. Rowena some time ago, here a just a couple of the pertinent links:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/5124382.stm
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-403973/Beta-blockers-increase-diabetes-risk-50-cent.html
http://phys.org/news70718570.html (“Beta Blockers Given the Boot in Britain”)
For me, knowing this information, and personally knowing in the worst possible way the ugly side effects that atenolol was actually having on me, my next step was to figure out how to treat my hypertension with beta blockers simply “out of my life”. My answer was found not only in supplements like Taurine, 5-htp, and others to help replace the beta blocker, but also in relaxation techniques, breathing techniques, meditation, and even more interesting and healthy ways of addressing the role of adrenaline and the “fight or flight” response which is indeed part of the hypertension puzzle for many people including myself.
Some of specific alternative treatments are the subject of my very next weekly post on beta blockers (Part 2). I appreciate your patience in this regard, as we will get to them all, and in some depth, giving them the time, detail, and attention they all deserve.
In the meantime, keep the good questions coming in on natural diuretics, natural ace inhibitors, and now, natural treatments to replace beta blockers.
All the best……….naturally!
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My cardiologist thinks Atenolol is so great that it ought to be added to our drinking water!
Discussion so far about Atenolol hasn’t mentioned dose.
Maybe some of you should check into cutting dose by three quarters or half or so. You could be way over medicating.
Thanks Jerry!
As with anything, including toxichypertension drugs, if you HAVE to take them, the lowest effective dose is the way to go. Your body builds up a “steady state” dose of this stuff after about a week or 10 days, though, so cutting back won’t tell you much until you reach the lower steady state dose about 10 days later.
There are so many healthy alternatives to all these harmful drugs that I am hoping people can find what works for them to eliminate the toxins in time. A big longer-term key is lifestyle change, and we will get into that also in future posts.
Your cardiologist apparently disagrees with the medical societies in Great Britain……..or, doesn’t even know what they have done there.
Whenm I was trying to get off the drugs completely, I would cut them down to almost nothing with my other natural therapies and I could maintain normal blood pressure on complete elimination of hydrochlorothiazide, 5 mg. of fosinopril, and about 6 miligrams (hard to measure lowest dose broke up into piece exactly) of atenolol. I always took the atenolol after exercising, not before. It was hard enough to get my heart rate up on that stuff, so I took it at the best time possible in the 24 hour exercise cycle, i.e. when it had depleted as much as possible before exercising.
The point I am getting to, though, is that I got the dosages so low that I thought I could go to zero. I did this twice before I learned to taper off even more slowly. When I went to zero from these really low doses, twice I experienced the rebound effect of the drugs. It can be much more powerful than people think. My blood pressure shot up very high, and I had to start all over. We will talk about weaning at some length when we get to it.
Again, to emphasize your good point, with anything we take, even natural therapies, I am looking for the either the optimal amount or the smallest amount that is effective……to me, that is “optimal”.
All the best!
You point out an interesting fact about the effect of blunting heart rate with Beta Blockers. I started out on a Beta blocker and it dropped my resting heart rate down into the mid 40’s. I normally had a heart rate around 60 since I do exercise regulary but the Beta dropped it even more. I normally had a tough time getting into my “target heart rate zone” without the Beta Blocker but it was almost impossible while on it. The problem was the higher my heart rate got the higher my BP rose also. Supposedly this can happen.
I heard that BP should not typically rise more than 20% from resting baseline BP during exercise. Might be a good rule of thumb. I checked that out recently and that is the case with myself now. I just take a few supplements and consume a near Vegan diet and that seems to do the trick for me. My ND weaned me off all of my meds about 2 months ago.
Fantastic story and result, Jason! Good on ya!
Thanks for your contributions, and your ongoing confirmation for others that healthy diet, exercise, and natural therapies can accomplish a healthy, great result!
All the best!
How about Lisonopril, is it a beta blocker?
Lisinopril is an ACE Inhibitor. I had better results with it than any other med. The Channel blockers were worthless and were not effective in controlling BP but were very effective at giving me unbearable side effects I couldn’t live with. Lisinopril made me lightheaeded.
Bill,
What were your side effects with the channel blockers?
Mostly headaches and terrible dizzy sudden spells. Almost passed out a few times they were so bad.
Hi Viola, and Bil is spot on!
Lisinopril is an ACE inhibitor. As toxic drugs go, the ACE inhibitors are generally not as severe as the beta blockers…….although, every person is different and all of these toxic drugs cause harm and at times unbearable side effects.
Depending on how bad your hypertension is, and how bad your health is generally, getting off these drugs can be a relatively minor chore, to a very difficult chore, but worth every effort.
All the best!
Atenolol made me feel awful so I went back to the Metropolol, twice 25 mg a day,then I cut down to once and now I am off it. I take my blood pressure during the day and it fluctuates but after taking it several times in a row it goes way down and I feel good about it. If I feel high blood pressure coming on, it affects my breathing, then I will take the 25 mg, which is very seldom now. The doctor told me I had to take it continuously but I think
that is not necessary. I follow a vegan diet mostly, jointhereboot.com way which is awesome.
Just curious as to whether the diet has allowed you reduce med dosages? The Vegan diet was extremely effective for me over a few months time. I went by the book and eliminated meat, dairy and oils.
Yes, it did. I juice 3 carrots, 1 beet, 3 celery sticks and half of cucumber and drink it and the result was amazing. Exercise twice a week in a gym on a treadmill.
I also do breathing exercises 2 times a day, take one deep breath, hold for 7 seconds and blow it out hard for 8 sec.
I’m interested in natural beta blockers. I have been on atenolol since 1991. I really haven’t had any major side affects, other than a slow heart beat. I do take 5htp on occasion and my heart rate really slows. Let me know the other natural beta blockers.
Thank you Maggie. There is a lot to cover when it comes to adrenaline and the “fight or flight” syndrome that underlies hypertension for a lof of people, including myself. I promise to get to them all, and yes, 5-HTP is one of the supplements that I have taken and at times still take.
All the best!
Bill Adams here. I’m a new follower of this blog. I just want to thank D. Carestia for sharing this information with us. This is some fine information with a fresh new perspective. Looking forward to learning more in upcoming posts. I’m in the process of pursuing the natural route myself.
Thank you Bill, and it is great to have you here, and great to hear from you. Please check out the prior posts. This blog has been in the making for quite some time now, well over a year, as the good people at LowerPressure have been watching my responses over that time to Dr. Rowena’s “answers”? to questions on hypertension. Suffice that I often disagreed, but didn’t just leave it there. There are natural therapies that in my humble opinion are far superior to toxic drugs.
Please check the last few posts. We only started a couple of weeks ago or so, and there is much more to talk about. I look forward to your input along the way, and I am hopeful (and indeed confident based on my own experience) that many people will find lots of helpful, natural, healthy therapies for treating hypertension!
All the best!
Could this “fight or flight” response of adrenaline also be responsible for my White Coat syndrome? MY BP spikes in the doctor office, but is otherwise normal. My doctor gives me a lecture about hypertension and it’s negative effects but I started checking BP at home and I’m now keeping a log to show him I don’t need treatment. I refused his prescription at my recent appt. Can we maybe talk about White Coat syndrome in a future posting? I like to know if there are effective methods to resolve this.
The answer to your question is YES!! White coat therapy is also something that I suffer with, I believe in large measure because of the sermons and lambasting I received from my old internist about my blood pressure. Now, even with it under good, natural control, it spikes up whenever a nurse or doctor puts a cuff on my arm. The spike up corresponds with the anxiety, the flight or fight associated with this distasteful task, and the adrenaline that flows when it starts to happen. This is what my body tells me!
I have said a few things about white coat syndrome. I will address it more as we go along.
What is effective for me, at least as effective as I can get, is to bring my home monitor with me. It records the last 30 days, and I just take it out and start going over each of the 30 days with the doctor before they try to take my blood pressure.
Knowing that it is normal outside the office, and finally getting them to accept that, has helped. But still…….there’s that surge of anxiety that goes with the distasteful experience.
All the best!
I have a huge problem with the fight or flight mode! I always freak out at the doctors office, and it has now made me too freaked out to take my BP at home. The thought of it starts to make me feel anxious. Im not ever able to get a true reading. Everytime I go to the doctor my BP is sky high to the point I finally asked them to quite taking it because it upset me so much. I have a serious issue with anxiey in many areas of my life. I am 39 yrs old, taking 10mg of Coreg Cr but am constantly in fear that it might not be enough. I workout an hour a day 6 days a week to help control my anxiety and BP. Any suggestions? I feel like a crazy person and am really concerned that my anxiety is keeping my BP up.
Rachel,
This was my problem for what seemed all my life and the white coat HBP as well. Then in the last few years I found I have ADD, and this was probably the cause of the anxiety and depression over it. ADDers react more to everything. Medication made a difference.
I can relate all to well to this, but I’m at ease with my own BP monitior. I’m 49. I really get scared off by it in the doctor office though and almost always get a high reading. It’s just that fight or flight anxiety that kicks in and my doctor doesn’t seem to be able to explain it other than “white coat syndrome” For me, I’m not truly satisifed until I can get a 120/65 at the Dr. appt. but I just show him my home readings so he doesn’t give me the HBP lecture. Ive heard medication doesn’t help block these spikes and I would be worried about LBP, since my home reading are good. I don’t take any meds currently.
Hello Rachel, firstly I really understand the difficulty in having blood pressure taken in the Drs office – like others the lectures and lack of understanding, and the idea of medication for the rest of my life induced a real fight/flight response. This also developed into an anxiety about taking my blood pressure at home where my pulse rate would really elevate and did not correspond at all to my actual pulse rate, which runs in the 70’s, so I knew the blood pressure reading was not a measure of a more relaxed state. For me, the task has been to actually identify the cause of my anxiety which I now see as a call to dig a big deeper to understand what is actually going on. Psychotherapy really helps to address this – but if you don’t want to go down that route – the Hearthmath Institute offers two excellent exercises called Freezeframe and Cut Thru which can be downloaded from the net. Also Byron Katy’s excellent work is available on the internet. She works with really looking at our thoughts to begin to notice the anxious thought patterns we get into. I use both systems regularly. I can also track anxiety back to childhood and am now in my 60’s. Anxiety is a really difficult experience to live with but it is possible to get help with this. I think addressing the physical, emotion and mental levels are all important.
Ella, I definitely feel Im ADD! my son is and we are just alike. I will be looking into that for sure!
Jose-
I didnt realize that the meds dont control my “spikes” in BP due to anxiety…that relieves my mind!
Marie-
I will definitely be looking into these options! I appreciate this info so much!
Thanks a ton guys for all of the help…it makes a huge difference knowing Im not the only person dealing with this!
It is interesting to read about the white coat syndrome, as I have just the opposite. My BP is always low in the doctor’s office because I spend a few minutes chatting with the pretty nurse before the BP is taken, and even before that there is a few minutes spent in the waiting room. Not the usual stressed-out daily working environment.
Thank you for all the great information. I totally agree with you regarding Atenolol. You really don’t realize how bad it is until you get off it.
At some point in one of these posts it would be great if you listed exactly what you take each day for BP ….dosage, time of day, Company name etc.
Since the area to type is narrow something like the example below:
Morning
Fresh Freeze-Dried Dandelion (Leaf)” XXXmg 1 capsule Eclectic Institute
Pomegranate Juice 4oz Knudsen
Lunch
Fresh Freeze-Dried Dandelion (Leaf)” XXXmg 1 capsule Eclectic Institute
Pomegranate Juice 4oz Knudsen
Evening
Fresh Freeze-Dried Dandelion (Leaf)” XXXmg 1 capsule Eclectic Institute
Pomegranate Juice 4oz Knudsen
Obviously what works for you won’t work for everyone but some of your suggestions seem to be working for me. I just like to make sure I am following your suggestions around dosage and timing correctly.
Thanks again for sharing your research.
Thank you, Gary! I am very pleased that some of the natural, healthy alternatives to treating your hypertension are working for you!!!
And your idea is excellent. I am going to dedicate a post to the regimen that I used once we put a few more therapies together. I am not putting you off, I just want ever aspect of what I did, and why, to be understood. Then I will create the entire “daily program” so to speak!
Thanks again for helping me with a GREAT idea!
All the best!
I’m not sure what exactly a PVC is by definition, but I had some strange thumps in my heartbeats awhile back. EKG sinus rythym was normal. These continued on/off until I started supplementing with 400mg Magnesium then they disappeared almost immediately.
Hi Jason! A PVC is a “premature ventricular contraction”. It is a mis-timing of the ventricular muscle’s being triggered in the heart’s blood pumping process. One of the things that can be of assistance with reducing the incidence of pvc’s is magnesium. Physicians by and large cannot tell you what really “causes” pvc’s in people. Sometimes the heart just gets a bit out of time and the pvc helps reset the pumping cycle.
As we age, we seem to get more pvc’s. For the most part, these are not a significant health threat. Like everything else in life, there are exceptions. Many people have increased incidence of pvc’s when under stress. I just pretty much ignore them, because to worry about them only increases the stress and worsens the incidence…….it’s a vicious cycle when that happens.
The good news is that magnesium seems to have taken care of yours, as it does for many……and that’s a good thing!
All the best!
Thanks for the valuable information D. Carestia. I did come across an article not too long ago indicating that PVC’s were harmless so that’s good to know. I’m beyond worrying about every little thing. As you indicate worrying just creates stress. Supposedly Magnesium is being touted as the “wonder” mineral that can help so many vascular conditions which is probably why my naturopath has it in my supplement program.
Spot on, Jason – magnesium and potassium……..fantastic for the heart! (Among other healthy foods and supplements, of course).
All the best!
HI, DC HOW SAFE IS MAGNESIUM , FISH OIL , VITAMINS , A FRIEND ADVICE THE 3 CAN BE COMBINE TO LOWER BP , WITHOUT ANT SIDE EFFECT , PLS KINDLY BRIEF ME PLS TKS
VITAMIM C , I MEAN
They are all safe. I take all of them. Vitamin C helps more with immune support but can help lower BP also. Magnesium is excellent as is CoQ10. I also take Fish Oil.
Hi Karen!
In my experience, and with the recommendation of my naturopathic physician, as well as my doctor at Whitaker Wellness Clinic, I take magnesium, potassium, vitamin C, CoQ10 (ubiquinol), and a number of other supplements. They are all healthy supplements!
I am planning a future post addressing vitamins and minerals as well as other supplements to help put things all together after we discuss a few more individual specifics.
All the best!
thanks d, pls keep the good work coming pls you are gr8
My first PVCs came at age 18 after a college exam and I went to the campus doctor who told me they were normal. I didn’t have them again until my late 20s, and they came on with a vengance and I worried constantly about them and had medical workups and was told I needed a psychiatrist! I also tended to have BP of 140. I noticed they seemed to be associated with exercise (either none to when I started) After some 5-10 years of this they stopped and didn’t return until my 50s and taking BP medication. Before or after I can’t remember. They would come and go. Now I have them a lot with a very low HR at times. My doctor tells me I have some sort of sinus rhythm and calls it brachycardia. He once used the term “sick sinus syndrome” but not recently. I am also on thyroid medication and have sleep apnea and use a CPAP. I exercise six days a week for an hour or more. If I miss exercising in the am, the PVCs start and register anywhere from 38 to 48 HR. This happens if I sit for a lont time at my computer as well. My regular HR is 55-60 when I don’t have them. Could the BP medicine have brought this back or made it worse?
Possibly. I had a similar problem with the Channel Blockers in that that they gave me irregular heartbeats while taking them. These showed up on the home BP monitor. I previously had a perfect EKG and the doctor that prescribed them also gave me the EKG. I fired that doctor needless to say. As soon as I switched over to Lisinopril the irregular heartbeats also stopped. I’m now on my next mission to pursue the natural route as I’m fed up with medication. What a distaster our Pharma industry is. I’m changing my diet and starting a regular exercise regimen. This weekend I went through and did a clean sweep of the kicthen cupboard discarding unhealthy food.
When I was on beta blockers they actually made my PVC’s worse. I am not sure what medicatin you are on, but patient complaints for just about every one of the toxic hypertension drugs includes arrhytmias of one form or another.
All the best!
I’m intrigued by the concept of “fight or flight,” knowing there is a link to adrenalin with this instinctive response.
Often, for several years, I partially wake at night with my heart beating stronger than usual, and I can literally feel the adrenalin in my system. It comes from my back, in the area of where the adrenalin glands would be located atop my kidneys. Perhaps this is an adrenalin response, you referred to?? I’ve mentioned it to my dr. only to be looked at like I had just landed from another planet.
Of course, this is the same dr. that stonewalled me when I asked for an explanation/definition of metabolic syndrome. I am now a type 2 diabetic, subsequent to being put on a statin drug. It is also the dr. who flatly denied that the statin had anything to do with my crippling leg and hip pain; that rendered me unable to walk more that 50 yards without my legs shaking in weakness and profound pain.
So the upshot is that this breast cancer survivor also has high blood pressure, high cholesterol (for which I take 0 Rx.), and diabetes. The pain from the statin side effects debilitated me to the point that without exercise I gained back 22 pounds of the 47 I had lost. My blood sugar went up by about 40-60 points. I was so depressed from the pain, 24 hours a day that was unrelenting, I truly didn’t care if I saw another sunrise. My life was not worth living any longer because I was useless. After surviving cancer only to end up so defeated by bugaboos like these other ailments, and their accompanying drugs, I truly was broken-hearted in the deepest sense of the term.
Something kept telling me that things just couldn’t get worse; so please try going off the statin. And so I did. I HAD to do it on faith because I was dying emotionally, spiritually and physically anyway. No wonder, with all the stress, depression and sheer abysmal pain, my blood pressure was so bad!! Duh!!
Once I ditched the statins, ALL MY MUSCLE PAIN WAS GONE IN LESS THAN 72 HOURS. It has never been back since. I can now walk 15-minute miles again and am redisciplining myself to walk 5K every day.
I’ve adopted the 3 celery sticks each morning along with the 4 oz. of pom jc. at nite. I decided to just bite the bullet w/the pom. jc. I have only one other piece of fruit during the day and so far the tradeoff w/the jc is working out.
I am also using the three-step sample of taking my blood pressure: ie. Take 3 measurements 10 minutes apart, throw out the first reading and average the second two. Eureka and Hallelujia!! What a difference.
I refuse to give up on my health issues. There is a saying I believe from Hippocrates: “Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food.”. Also I believe from the bottom of my heart, that we were created to live in health with a body that is uniquely and beautifully crafted so as to be able to heal itself. We are powerfully and wonderfully made – just have to ‘realize this truth,’ and take our power, use the great tools of knowledge and food and nutrients that are our inheritance from our creator, and heal ourselves!
And so, cancer, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes: “Bring It On!”. There is a solution to every problem; an answer to every question; a path to wellness for every illness.
D. Carista, fellow warrior, this is why you are so special to so many! We have to endeavor to seek out natural non-toxic treatments and cures for illness. When our doctors continue to fail and to become irreversibly ill (ie. not healed by their meds) they will need us to reach out to for their healing.
Namaste-
Thank you, K Gilmore! And, you tell an amazing story. I salute the divine light within you, as well!
You are spot on regarding what you tell your doctor. I have one piece of advice for doctors who want to discover what is wrong with their patients…………ASK THEM!! Our bodies speak to us, and you have the gift of listening.
I will go over many therapies for “out of control” adrenaline rushes which cause us anxiety, panic, and take their toll on our health in all kinds of ways including hypertension. I too have had those anxious waking times in the middle of the night, my heart beating so hard and rapidly that I can just feel it pounding in my chest, and so I am happy to go over the things that have worked for me and others and we will discuss them in detail. I plan also to devote some time to metabolic syndrome, and not only the part that diet and exercise play, but also hormone levels.
The statins – don’t get me started. They are among the worst poisons foisted onto humans by Big Pharma and its AMA warriors. There are tremendous negative side effects including the muscle pain you mention, as well as a “dumbing down” effect regarding cognitive reasoning and memory. This is to say nothing about the poisoning of our liver with statins. Many years from now, I predict that the statins will go down in history as one of the worst things our doctors ever did to us en mass. I believe the same will apply to this bugaboo that is “cholesterol”. A study of cholesterol demonstrates that it is healthy for our bodies until it comes under the attack of toxins and free radicals. I take lots of anti-oxidants to keep my cholesterol healthy. I detox in lots of different ways which I will also talk about. I take red yeast rice, instead of the poisonous statins, to reduce cholesterol naturally and much more safely because not all cholesterol can be made healthy. Red yeast rice has been instrumental in reducing my cholesterol from over 200 to a consistent 165.
If I were diabetic I would be chelating with edta IV chelation regularly. Chelation has had a significant impact on my circulatory system. I have great circulation now after having suffered the beginnings of PAD and a clot in my leg several years ago. I underwent a series of chelation treatments and still do maintenance treatments several times each year. Talking to the other people around the chelation room about their experiences with heart disease and diabetes, and especially the benefits that they have received from chelation therapy was a huge eye and mind opener for me.
I am glad that you are experiencing the good benefits of celery and other heart healthy and blood-pressure lowering foods and supplements. Never give up on your desire to allow your body to cure itself with the help of good diet, exercise, truly healing foods and supplements, and the power of your mind and soul.
Your kind words humble me. Again, I solute your divine spirit!
All the best!
i am pver 80 with all the “diseases’ listed under syndrome X. I take atacand for my HBP. Problem is it is impossible to regulate it..one night my BP is 163/ next morning ready to pass out from LBP 90/50. Sure i take my BP before medicating..cut pill in half..sometimes in quarter…NOTHING helps…especially my quacks with one saying increase the dose…the othewr decrease with the endocrinologist insisting on statins!
i do use BEETS, celery and olive leaf extract… which appear to help MINIMALLY. any suggestions?
Thank you for your incredibly moving story about your own health issues K Gilmore – and for your encouragement to keep listening and working naturally with our bodies. I also wake with pounding heart at times – often when I am overtired and have had to push myself with work – sometimes I have dream recall and can relate the sensations and emotion to the dream – at others I feel calm but my heart is overly activated. I assume it is adrenal stimulation as I have had an experience 2 years ago of burnout and the symptoms started during that period. I look forward t DC’s information on all this as I think it is all related to my very liable blood pressure.
All the best
Marie
Hi Marie,
I think there must be many of us out there. The adrenalin situation: I think it should be called fight, flight and “fright!!”. I say this because it is so emotionally alarming to wake up in this state! Out of sheer sleep – a most vulnerable and helpless state, we are assaulted. It amounts to an attack at the very time in our day when we should feel safe, relaxed and free of any angst whatsoever. I think the incredible demands on our lives over and above our own physical/health challenges add tremendously to our complicated circumstances. I had to leave my job to care for my precious 87 year old diabetic mother who broke her hip and needed wound care therapy for five months (because the nursing facility didn’t raise her affected side foot off the bed; < dicubitus heel ulcer). Had a husband who underwent rotator cuff surgery and needed me to do his physical therapy post-surgery, after which my back went
out so within a period of less than a year all three of us were in physical
therapy. My son was away at college so I had no support system. It was December of the following year a dx of breast ca. arrived. And "they" say stress doesn't necessarily affect high blood pressure. Oh – please. It makes me see that drs are more narrowly trained technicians
rather than broadly educated students who have a well-rounded comprehensive understanding of all aspects of the dynamic human organism. To me, this should be how a doctor is educated.
Anyway, this forum, with D's generous desire to share the gifts he has received is already a blessing to you, me and so many others. I've never communicated or shared in an online forum – I have always done this sort of health info. sharing in person with people. I feel as if we all have opened a tremendous treasure. What a great and positive way to come together for good!
God bless each and every person who adds to this treasure chest, especially D. who placed the treasure chest before us and had the courage and the heart to care to open it! : )
You really went through a very difficult time, and it sounds as though you are coming through it now. Like you I have never shared on an open forum before and it is such a relief to know that there are so many people out there struggling with HBP and looking for natural solutions. I felt very alone in my quest and often feared that I was being irresponsible with my health – now I am sure I am on the right path and feel uplifted by that. Thanks for what you have shared.
We can only do better when we know better. There IS strength in numbers and in sharing.I agree that isolation is the worst.
I have the same problem with BP that jumps around, and my doctor doesn’t want me to get off the channel blocker I take. I think it would be gradual. I exercise about 6 days a week for an hour each. This brought down my BP but it still goes up beyond 140 at times; then it will be 108 and even 98. Could this be related to PVCs or a low heart rate? I think that may be my problem. When I have the PVC/low heart rate, the BP goes too low. My average with no PVCs is 125/60. I have heard the lower rate of 60 is due to the BP medication that brings that one down when it is only the top that I need lowered.
This reply should be addressed to Judith.
That is one of the main problems with meds, in that they lower the Systolic and Diastolic. I had the same problem, my diastolic would go too low, sometimes both would. My all-time low was 88/43 when I weaning off meds on the plant based diet. BP this low is not good and can preciptitate sudden cardiac death.
I am especially interested in the mind-body link to HTN. If stress (chronic work-related) causes episodes of adrenal release (fight-or-flight feelings), can the effects accumulate over time? in 2000, my BP was in the low 130/80 range, now it is in the 145-150/80-85 range. My Dr says that this may be due to aging (I am 65). I use RESPeRATE daily to “practice breathing” and see my BP go down to 130-s to 120’s/80’s . if I had arteriosclerosis, would my BP drop so much due to relaxation? when I breathe normally, the BP rises to levels seen before I “practice breathing”. I am waiting to see if the calming effects of slow breathing can be extended to my unmonitored breathing.
Hi Jay! I have mentioned before that if we can figure out the cause of our hypertension, we have an even better shot effectively addressing it through natural therapies.
For certain, a big part of my hypertension results from stress and adrenaline rush. I believe this is not unusual among those of us who suffer from high blood pressure, and indeed it is likely one of the reasons that doctors in the U.S. knee-jerk so readily to beta blockers as the drug prescribed for many, many patients.
With adrenaline on overdrive, pushing blood pressure up every day, after a long period of time this increasingly becomes a “norm” for us. This is my first-hand experience and belief and I have discussed this with my doctor at Whitaker Wellness. It is a difficult thing to change that “norm” back to less anxiety-driven times. It does not happen overnight.
Breathing exercises are one of the therapies that can help “train” the adrenals to stop pumping so much over time. Just think of the number of years that it took to get to that overload and then to have that overload become the norm, though.
The good news is that this problem too can be treated more naturally through breathing and other methods. I am hopeful that these methodw will be of assistance to many.
All the best!
Hi Jay and DC
When I first went to my GP he said that I didn’t have the ‘disease of HBP but adrenal exhaustion’, and alongside of a betablocker to protect my heart he suggested reducing work, diet etc. (I stopped the betablocker because of horrible side effects after a month or two.) I am very sure that the cause of the surges in my BP is adrenal related and that my sympathetic nervous system is now on a very light trip switch. Even small amounts of pressure create a surge in the adrenal response. I can wake at night with a racing heart coupled with a rather innocuous dream, for example, and often feel overly stimulated. I benefit from the resperate and other herbs, but am yet to find a health plan that will reset my nervous system in an optimum way. Looking forward to your suggestions DC.
Thanks Marie…..I am sure that we will discuss things that you haven’t considered yet. I am hopeful for you, not only because you are listening to what your body is telling you, but also because you are determined to succeed.
All the best!
I have done some research on this as well and suspect I might have an adrenal problem as well. My naturopath recently ran a blood test to test some things and I’m awaiting the results. I have the same issue you describe and from what I’ve read, the adrenals play a big rold in regulating BP. I’m not sure what the solution is but it seems as if there’s a way to prevent the adrenals to stop pouring out adrenaline that would keep BP stable.
Hello Jose, all the feedback I have had from alternative practitioners and also one of my GPs is that my BP is adrenal based. I think from my own experience this is the case as over the years I can see I have become a more nervous person, particularly after menopause. When my blood pressure is taken either by the GP or myself, when the systolic reading is high my pulse is also really high. So I can assume that when my pulse is slower my blood pressure is probably much lower as well. As I have said in another reply I do feel as though my nervous system is on a very light trip wire and I am working to change this. There is a very good book on adrenal exhaustion – just looked for the book and I think I loaned it – that I followed for a long time but now not as strictly as I did in the past. I think it all helped me cover from a horrible episode of burn out. I am waiting to see if DC has other suggestions that I have not yet discovered.
? for D re juicing,
When you do the juice with the celery, is it in addition to eating celery in the am?
I just made juice w/watermelon (rind and all) just cleaned it good first.
Added 4carrots, 3 celery, 1/2 lemon, big knuckle of fresh Ginger root, and a couple handfuls spinach leaves. Usually use kale. The ginger and lemon really add zing.
May I ask what kind of juicer you use?
I have a Juiceman (the better one); but find that I don’t get as much out of the kale leaves as I might with a better juicer. I’ve had this one quite awhile and it has been through the mill so to speak. So it’s time to start investigating a replacement. It is easy to clean – a feature most people appreciate. I did have an Acme, but boy! was it hard to clean.
Any info/suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Hi K!
My breakfast juice is my first thing in the morning after an 8 ounce glass of water. I don’t also eat celery when I juice, so I am getting the 3 celery stalks of diuretics in my juice with the beet, spinach, and carrots.
I also love watermelon juice and I use it as part of my workout drink. I make a combination of cranberry water and watermelon juice with some workout supplements for my workouts…..yummy, and helps the workout and post-workout recovery.
We actually have two juicers. One is the old tried and true Champion. It is great for watermelon and softer, juicy fruits and vegetables. The downside is that it is a mastication juicer that spins at high rpm so some of the nutrients can be damaged especially with harder fruits and vegetables. It is my favorite juicer for watermelon, though, and also for making almond butter.
Our other juicer is for harder fruits and vegetables and those that are more difficult to get juice out of like spinach leaves for example. Our second juicer is a twin gear, slow rpm, juicer that really gets the juice out of hard fruits and vegetables, and doesn’t damage the phytonutrients like the high rpm juicers can do, but it is a bigger chore to clean up.
Here’s one idea for you. At times we make more juice than we are going to drink that day. We also have a vacuum sealer that has a jar sealing attachment. We take extra juice, vaccuum seal it in a canning jar, and put it in the fridge. This gives us our juice for the next day or two also, and keeps it very fresh and minimizes oxidation.
Fresh juice should be drank immediately, or saved by freezing or vacuum sealing. If just left sitting around, oxidation ravages it.
Hope this helps, and all the best!
Thanks D!
Think I’ll mix some watermelon juice w/Knudsens Just Cranberry. It probably doesn’t need stevia then, as watermelon juice is so lovely and sweet! Really like adding the cran to my sparkling water for taking my vits. 14 of them 2x/day.
It’s hard to find them; but when I can get watermelons with seeds, I scoop the seeds out and eat them separately, raw and unhulled. When I first heard of this, I thought how indigestible and yucky-sounding. But they are scrumptious and very “chewable!”. The seedless watermelons just aren’t as much fun! : )
I have a vacuum sealer that I think will vacu-seal a canning jar. Will have to try. Or, I do have three beakers with special lids that would suffice to refrigerate juice for later in the day.
Question: how do you tolerate beet juice?? I tried this one as a tonic with carrot and an apple about a week after my 8+ hour long surgery; thinking that it would be a replenishing tonic to strengthen my system and heal my body. I used two raw beets and scrubbed them very well before juicing them. The juice was delicious BUT I was sick for three long days with terrible abdominal cramping and awful diarrhea. I know beet juice is supposed to be very excellent for the liver and a great detoxing juice, but I’m apprehensive about approaching it again. Any suggestions?
Thanks, K Gilmour
P.S. I do take milk thistle every day to help my liver deal with medications.
Hi K!
Wow……..I would not try to drink that much beet juice. My morning juice consists of 3 celery sticks, two carrots, a small handful of spinach leaves, once in a while some cucumber, or organic bell pepper for additional vitamin C, and a small amount of beet. I use about a 2 inch square piece of beet to juice in my morning juice.
I hope this helps on the proportions.
All the best!
I had no idea! So much for OD-ing on the beet juice. I will try a golf ball size of raw beet. That, I wouldn’t be afraid to do. I had no clue that it was a matter of being too much. Never had a recipe per sè for amounts.
Who’da thunk!
Thank you very much, D!
This is the second time you have described your ‘other’ juicer without the brand/model info. What is it?
Perhaps you need to read my follow-up response to you on the “Natural Ace Inhibitors” post.
All the best!
I have now read it and it has nothing to do with your juicer. Why post such an irrelevant response as the above? What brand/model juicer are you using, or is there some reason you are not identifying it?
Hi Will. Why you ask? Well, actually, I don’t ask for much. Heaven knows I spend a tremendous number of hours on this stuff for free just to try to help other people. My investment of personal time has been far, far, far beyond what I had anticipated. This is now taking about 1/3 of my work week. I will spend 8 hours just preparing tonight’s submission on Natural Beta Blockers (Part 2).
Now, regarding that, I don’t ask for anyone to treat me special in any way, or even to appreciate what I am doing for that matter, although a little appreciation for all the work is very nice, and many, many people have expressed that. The response from almost everyone has been very uplifting, supportive, and wonderful, especially the comments where people have tried some of the alternative therapies and, “anecdotally” of course, those therapies are helping them. There also have been many very helpful and effective ideas offered by other readers and posters here. Those also make it very worthwhile for me and for everyone who is truly interested in natural, non-toxic, alternative therapies for treating hypertension.
What I am unwilling to accept, however, is a lack of even the smallest modicum of mutual respect. If my ideas are “complete nonsense” as you conclude and posted, why would you want to know more of them, and why would I possibly be interested in spending more time on them for you just to receive more of your special brand of negative treatment?
I have already told others who are interested in alternative “non double-blind studied”, yet effective, therapies what juicers we use. And, if they want to know again, I will be happy to tell them.
With all due respect, Will, I am now constrained to spend my limited time with people truly interested in improving their hypertension with natural, non-toxic therapies.
With that, I will respectfully conclude our discussions. Nevetheless, I do wish you all the best!
The LowerPressure.com Community Blogs page is a page for sharing ideas and inspiring others to find natural ways to lower their blood pressure. It is not, however, a place to demean others for sharing their opinions, name calling, or vulgarity of any kind. I have gone ahead and removed the comments from Will Flannery that we have deemed abusive. Any future comments from Mr. Flannery or others that are deemed insulting to D. Carestia or anyone else contributing to this site will be removed and the user will be subject to a ban from commenting.
I was taking Lisinopril until I read (too late)
that one of the “possible” side effects of Lisinopril was ECZEMA! I now have eczema and every time I try another prescription drug the eczema returns with a vengeance.
I have been taking Atenolol for several years and my only side effect is fatigue. Yes my heart rate is slower but my systolic is still very high. I’m taking a load of natural remedies and spending a lot of money with no appreciable results. Dick
Hi Dick! And you are not the first to develop rashes, including eczema, to toxic ace inhibitors and other toxic hypertension drugs. It is unfortunate that negative side effects are so downplayed by those who sell and prescribe these toxic drugs.
I am hopeful that some of the natural remedies talked about here can be of assistance to you with the all-important transition. The natural diuretics are quite consistent in helping to lower blood pressure, for example.
That said, there is nothing as important as lifestyle change, and the most important of these is diet, then exercise. Sodium chloride is a poison, and should be replaced with sea salt. Sugar should be eliminated from the diet as it triggers insulin, stores fat, and is increasingly being found to exacerbate hypertension. High fructose corn syrup also needs to be eliminated. Processed white flour needs to go, also.
With that, aerobic exercise, elimination of alcohol, and good vegetables, fruits, clean proteins, and healthy oils like fish oil need to replace all the junk that we are seduced into eating.
Then, natural remedies, relaxation techniques, and the miracle of the healing power of our bodies has a chance to take over.
All the best!
I don’t understand why Atenolol and Propanolol are still prescribed! Beta blockers which resist passing the blood brain barrier such as Nadolol have much fewer side effects and tend not to cause depression.
Hi Mary! That is a good question. I for one don’t understand why any of them are being prescribed when natural alternatives can be so effective in conjunction with lifestyle change. Our system of “health care” is interesting at best! All of the toxic hypertension drugs can injure us in ways we may not discover for years…..
All the best to you!
Beta Blockers are the worst. There is a known relationship between Beta Blockers and Raynauds Disease. Coreg can also give you vasoconstriction in the wrong dose. Try Nifedipine. It will lower your blood pressure and expand your blood vessels. You can also try arginine and citrulline, which are natural vasodilators.
Ask your MD about mitochodrial restoration using bio-identical T3 and Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome. It’s not accident that advancing age, hormone loss/balance and blood pressure problems happen together. If your MD doesn’t know what these terms mean, find a member of AAAAM.
Thank you Stanny1, and thank you also for mentioning the hormone connection. I will do a post on hormones and the role they play in good health and healthy blood pressure in the future.
I agree wholeheartedly on your arginine suggestion!
All the best!
My white coat thing is the most aggressive when I take it myself. Sometimes I can get a stable result after 6 goes at 60 sec intervals.
At the doctors they get a consistent result lower than mine with no fuss, rest or repeats
Otherwise I appear to be a super-rational nerd type. i take 80 mg Diovan daily but still get occasional bouts of super high readings.
So far I would say that an evening of normal social drinking will reliably produce a day of very high readings. I think this should be my focus.No booze and good sleep.
Hi John……I was hoping that taking it at home for yourself would be a less anxiety inducing method. That said, taking your blood pressure every 60 seconds is not enough rest in between readings. Try one, then try another about 10 minutes later.
I am not a fan at all of alcohol. The sugars tend to send my bloood pressure much higher the next day.
No booze, clean, healthy, natural diet, regular exercise, restful consistent sleep each night, and natural therapies to lower your blood pressure…….including relaxation supplements and techniques. Those all come to mind for me as my best opportunities to lower blood pressure and get healthier generally.
All the best!
I quit booze, smoking, meat, processed food, dairy and salt cold turkey and started exercising daily after my doctor put the fear of god in me about HBP and guess what? 2 months later my BP is 115/65. Now I feel a lot more at ease and dodged a bullet not having take those awful drugs.
Hi Mike, and good on ya. As I mentioned above, natural therapies are very helpful……but diet and exercise are primary keys to the long-term solution.
All the best!
I slowly got of the beta-blocker and took my last one about 3 months ago.The doctors had me over medicated and Carvedilo was the third drug I was able to quit. I am now taking a Calcium Channel blocker and my present doctor (I fired 4 doctors trying to fine a good one that would listen)says he believes I can get off the calcium channel blocker slowly.When I complained about the side effects of Carvedilol such as severe depression, insomia,and diarrhea the doctor prescribed more drugs for depression and Ambien for sleep and advised me to get a colonoscopy.Stupid Doctors! Since I got off the Beta-blocker I was also able to get off the depression drug and most recently Ambien of which I had become addicted to.
Hi Jerry, and Bingo!
The next step typically taken by doctors is to prescribe more toxic medications to address the side effects of the toxic hypertension medications.
Good on ya for deciding for yourself that all that stuff was just compounding the problems. I am hopeful that you will find many natural therapies here that can be helpful. Magnesium has been one of the more effective supplements for those who rely on calcium channel blockers.
There are many good ideas to be found here, and not just mine! My hope is that this blog will be of assistance to you in reaching your drug-free lifestyle goal!
All the best!
Under my HMO’s plan, the doctor followed the HMO standard practices, and added atenolol to the other low cost generics before even considering an ACE inhibitor. Soon I felt more dead than alive, and was not able to continue the recommended exercise program nor most of my other activities as I wondered if I would forced to discontinue working, or worse. Then I changed to a non-HMO medical plan, and reviewed my options, hoping to discontinue the atenolol and its side-effects. My new doctor was more flexible, and with the ACE inhibitor prescription instead, I soon had my life back after phasing out the atenolol completely over about six weeks time. That was more than 5 years ago, and my doctor has not backtracked at all on dropping the atenolol, nor have there been any symptoms to suggest it be reinstated. The old rule, “first do no harm”, is a good rule.
Thanks MIKE!
It is a great rule, and atenolol seems to be the ready, knee-jerk answer to almost everyone’s hypertension. I too about died on that poison!
The ace inhibitor can result in fewer negative side effects for some. Others suffer terribly with this toxic drug, as well. It is unfortunate.
There are many natural therapies that can replace these toxic drugs for many. Perhaps you will finds some answers here that can help you lead a toxic-drug-free life! I am hopeful!
All the best!
Hello ,, regarding Beta Blockers, I have always had a very fast pulse my entire life around 90 or higher, the last couple of years it would get up to around 110, this wears one out . After having a tread mill then a quick jump on the Ultra Sound afterward, it was concluded that I had mitral Valve problem so a Beta Blocker was given so at first I was prescribed atenolol, I kicked and complained to all the cardiolgist Drs that it was causing me insomnia, nooo they all said,, well after one week of no sleep, I was put on Corgard 20 mg which I very soon reduced to just 10 mg each evening, this drug makes you sleepy and yes tired , so I put off taking it until evening, I wake up very peppy in the AM, I also use one to two tablets a day of ativan if needed ( the mellow hey you are not anxious now after taking us pill), but here is yet another drug that you cannot simply stop taking, at times I only take one ativan in the evening ZZZZZZZZ. One and only one benefit of Corgard is that it helps with migraines. But yes I would love to get away from any drugs , this is the first time in my life that I started taking anything, my Dr started me on it and the first week I tried to stop and pulse went so high as well as my BP shooting high that I had to take it , merry go round of not being able to get off. and you must return in 4 mo for more scripts of it ,addiction now is my name
Hi Lin, and thank you for your story. High pulse, in addition to hypertension, is not any fun. I am wondering if you have tried relaxation techniques to help calm the adrenals and perhaps slow your heart down? Are you seeing a naturpathic physician at all for your problems?
There is a therapy that I have used to calm adrenals that is not widely discussed. This is specific frequency microcurrent. There is a program on the machine for “calming adrenals”, and I have used it to good effect. Perhaps you will be interested in inquiring of a good naturopath ab out it?
There are other therapies that we will discuss. You obviously need to be careful considering your condition, and perhaps the guidance of a good naturopath, in addition to your medical doctor, might be something you want to consider.
All the best!
Walking for 30-40 minutes at a brisk pace (ca. 2 mph) lowers diastolic BP by 10 mm Hg and systolic by 20-30 mm Hg. Supplement this daily with 2-4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 1-2 tablespoons of magnesium citrate (the one used as a laxative), a complete 100% dose of vitamin B complex vitamins and with an infusion (tea) made with a mixture of 5 deep green betel leaves (Piper betle) and leaves stripped from 7 small branches of Ailanthum spp. These are brought to a boil for a minute or so in roughly one cup of water and the infusion is then allowed to cool. Very effective and effects seen within 1-2 days.
Thanks Peter!
I am all about proper diet and healthy exercise, and good on ya for doing what is required for long-term benefits. The apple cider vinegar you mention is a natural diuretic which lowers blood pressure. Magnesium citrate (natural calm) is my favorite form except for the huge doses that I can get by IV. I am not familiar with the betel leaves and Ailanthum, but I am wondering if those aren’t also natural diuretics.
Thanks for your comments, and all the best!
I just want to thank God for giving you this uncommon spirit of sharing/kindness. This is Divine wisdom in action, this is our innate nature, this is what we are all here to be to one another- to assist one another in the process of our growth towards perfection. May you be continually renewed and sustained in all that you require to live the rest of your life to the good of all and the glory of our Creator, as I pray for everyone on this Planet [Droplet]Earth
Stay good.
Thank you Anna, for your sharing spirit and all your good as well!
All the best!
A M E N ! Anna – you are a spiritually perceptive woman.
DC, I know you are not a professional in this field,but just sharing your experience and how you vercame this disease.
I could feel the pain and feeling of WILL as somebody whos is a little bit distressed, please be calm and do not be offended with his tone of response.
DC you are a great man and you have organised my thought and some people think, I am crazy when i talk about the ability of altenative natral method to heal and take care of my body especially by blood pressure.
Please recently I observed skipping in my heart and chest area and pain in my chest when i climb a hill. I have done ECG and x-ray recently and was said to be normal and have had this pain in my heart region for moren than 10 years of and on.
Though just read about Magnesium and potassium supplements as possible solution for heart skipping. I strongly believe to overcome, haven started this natural healing consciousness for years now
Thanks DC, No amount of money can compensate you for any life saved in this process. God bless you.Waiting to read from you.
Kingsley
Hi kingsley, and thanks! Just tiny little bumps in the road quickly forgotten…. 🙂
Good on ya for picking up on the magnesium and potassium supplements. They have helped many!
All the best!
Hi DC, I take all the other supplements discussed but not potassium – what would be a safe amount to start with please, in your experience?
PVC’s? Never heard this acronym in relation to blood pressure or medical.
Hi Carol!
PVC’s are premature ventricular contractions. This is an early beat in the ventricles of the heart. Many people can feel these as they happen (I can), and others cannot. For those of us who can feel them, they tend to increase general anxiety. Nevertheless, they are almost always harmless.
Here is a link if you would like to learn more. Of course, doctors take every opportunity to prescribe toxic drugs for those of us who experience them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premature_ventricular_contraction
All the best!
Just a suggestion for all: I am going to print off all these articles and leave room in the margin of the paper so that I can annotate subject matter w/a word or two. That way, I’ll be able to reference the wealth of information offered, and have a quick reference system. This helped get me through college and hundreds of pages of detailed notes back in the “Stone Age” when students hand wrote notes by the volume!! Ha ha!
Hope this is helpful. : )
So grateful for this sharing of information! I have what they call “genetic” HBP . . . It runs in my family. I have just had my first experience with hypertension drugs and hated all of them, but I’m still trying to come up with the natural treatments that might work consistently for me. If I can’t lower it naturally, I’m hoping that a procedure that is now in a controlled, randomized trial here in the US might work. It is called renal denervation and it is being used successfully in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. There’s a great article in the June 11, 2012 New York Times. It might seem invasive, but it would be better than dealing with toxic drugs and doctors who are seduced by the pharmaceutical companies!
Supposedly everyone’s problems are “genetic” whether it’s high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes etc. The truth is they aren’t. While there is a genetic tendancy, it’s the Western diet that expresses those genes. I now wholeheartedly believe “genes load the gun and lifestyle pulls the trigger” I can very much relate to your experience as I was in your shoes about 10 months ago. Faced with alarming BP, I was given the cocktail of toxic poisons that made me feel worse than a walking cadaver. But, I fought back, fired a doctor or two, and took matters in my own hands and began my journey into the world of plant based nutrition and haven’t looked back. Within 2 months, I was off the meds with normal BP. This is not a genetic condition but one that is brought on by the Western diet. I’d encourage everyone to read the “China Study” and “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease” These books (in additon to others) are lifesavers. Read, learn and obey. To kill the silent killer, go plant based! It’s nothing more than a toothless paper tiger. Also rent the movie “Forks over Knives” and you’ll see that there’s nothing in medicine that comes close to a plant based diet. Before you think about any medical procedure, you owe it to yourself to try a plant based diet. It’s so simple you’ll wonder why you didn’t do this years ago, and it doesn’t hurt one bit! Now how’s that for natural? You’ll also get to experience the satisfaction of knowing you are in control as you watch your medication dosage get reduced in a couple of weeks and eventually discontinued. Check out http://www.heartattackproof.com/Esselstyn_Caldwell_Article.pdf on heartattackproof.com
Hi Cherie, and thank you for that information! Please check out all the natural alternatives before interfering with nerves in your kidneys. I am hopeful that there are much less intrusive answers for you.
All the best!
Dear Dr.D.Carestia, if you only knew what a great service you are rendering to our people, we thank you so much for this unselfish and dedicated service. here is a small question, on your last writing “natural, none-toxic alternatives to treating HP” you mentioned suppl.-Taurine 5-htp, what htp stands for? thanks.
5-HTP stands for 5-Hydroxytryptophan. It is also known as oxitriptan. 5-HTP is a naturally occurring amino acid and chemical precursor as well as a metabolic intermediate in the biosynthesis of the neurotransmitters serotonin and melatonin from tryptophan.
All the best!
Hi All
I would love to hear more about the frequency microcurrent machine. I ve been methodically trying just about every alternative remedy out there. Im an active 50 on 3 meds and would give anything to find the right key. I believe my hbp to be self induced stress driven. Im into my second month of Resperate and have seen some changes but nothing to write home about yet. I also exercise at lest a full hour every day. In fact the only true reduction that I ve seen over the past 5 years of experimenting is running hard or biking for an hour or so. My bp goes from 135/80 in the am to 110/60 at night (on meds). Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Bob
Hi Bob……….what is wrong with 135/80??? If you can maintain that blood pressure without toxic drugs, I would say….nothing is wrong with 135/80!
I know what it is like to be on the tosic drugs. I hated it. There are many, many natural therapies and treatments being discussed here. I am hopeful that you will find many of the helpful.
I will discuss at some length the FSM machine on part 2 of the beta blockers discussion…..up next!
All the best!!
Phytother Res. 2007 Jan;21(1):32-6.
Inhibition of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) by flavonoids isolated from Ailanthus excelsa (Roxb) (Simaroubaceae).
Loizzo MR, Said A, Tundis R, Rashed K, Statti GA, Hufner A, Menichini F.
Source
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Calabria, Rende (CS), Italy. [email protected]
Abstract
In our screening program for antihypertensive properties of plants, the leaves of Ailanthus excelsa (Roxb), a plant used in Egyptian traditional medicine, were analysed. Chromatographic separation of A. excelsa MeOH extract yielded six flavonoids for the first time from this species, namely apigenin, luteolin, kaempferol-3-O-alpha-arabinopyranoside, kaempferol-3-O-beta-galactopyranoside, quercetin-3-O-alpha-arabinopyranoside and luteolin-7-O-beta-glucopyranoside. The in vitro hypotensive activities of the MeOH extract and the isolated compounds were elucidated. All the flavonoids tested exhibited ACE inhibitory activity, in particular the most active compound was kaempferol-3-O-beta-galactopyranoside with an IC(50) value of 260 microm.
Angiotensin II is one of the most powerful vasoconstrictors. By reducing the diameter of muscular arterioles, it increases resistance to blood flow and thus dams up blood higher up in vascular tree. This increases blood pressure upstream and reduces it downstream also reducing blood flow to the tissues.
Angiotensin II is formed in a 3 step pathway:
1. liver releases a protein into the blood (angiotensinogen).
2. In the kidneys an enzyme called renin splits off a piece of the protein to produce a Angiotensin I.
3. In the cells lining the blood vessels of the lung another enzyme called ACE (angiotensin convertase enzyme) splits Angiotensin I into a fragment plus Angiotensin II.
In addition to constricting blood vessels, Angiotensin II also acts on the kidneys to increase the retention of salt (sodium chloride) which increases blood volume and also blood pressure.
By inhibiting this enzyme (ACE)and thus the formation of Angiotensin II, the Ailanthum teas can decrease blood pressure.
P.S. The sodium retaining effect of Angiotensin II is not direct but mediated via the release of a steroidal hormone called Aldosterone. Angiotensin II promotes the release of aldosterone from the adrenal medulla, a gland located on top of the kidney. Aldosterone then increses re-absorption of sodium chloride by the kidneys.
Sodium Chloride………….toxic poison.
Sea salt………..trace minerals and alkaline properties actually good for the human body (not in excess, of course).
All the best!
Erratum- Please note an error in the last posting:’adrenal medulla” should read “adrenal cortex”, the outermost (near the surface) portion of the adrenal gland.
The last two postings that you accepted are out of context without the preceding text documenting experimental evidence that leave from the plant Ailanthum excelsa contain bioflavinoids that inhibit the Angitgensin Convertase Enzyme (ACE), as well as the mechanisms by which Amgitensin II, a powerful vasoconstrictor) raises blood pressure and how it is formed in the bloodstream via 3 step process involving the liver (angitensinogen protein released into the blood), kidneys (enzyme renin splits angioitensinogen protein to produce Angitensin I) and the activity of ACE in the lining of lung blood vessels to convert Angiotensin I to Angiotensis II).
I would be very grateful if you would kindly post that information to restore the original context of the last two accepted postings.
Thanks D for starting this dialogue of great information. I thought it was just me having all of terrible side effects of Altenolol. I look to develop something natural from all of this wonderful information.
Hi Minnie, and thank you for your kind words. I am hopeful that some of the many things we will discuss on this blog will be helpful to you in your efforts!
All the best!