What is the best natural cure for high blood pressure?

[dsentell]

We have some brilliant people on board here, and I need your help . . . :confused:

My 70 year old mother has never been on prescribed medication. Recently, her doctor diagnosed high blood pressure, though only minimally high, and put her on a prescription medication. Then apparently seizing the opportunity, put her on a second medication which would be "therapeutic for her heart."

I am not at all happy about this as she has always been the picture of health, and as I do not believe in taking prescription medications (except as a last resort). My feelings are particularly strong after watching my pharmaceutically overdosed father pass away on April 20 . . .

I have finally convinced my mother to try a natural cure. But what should I suggest? I would love some ideas that I could research further.

Thanks for any suggestions . . .

[yongrel]

Leeches.

[acptulsa]

Leeches.

Funny, they always raise my blood pressure.

[amy31416]

The one thing off the top of my head that can naturally help hypertension is garlic, which is also very good for the heart with no side-effects. If she doesn't like it in her food, there are supplements out there.

Since hypertension can damage the heart, look into CoEnzyme Q10. It's expensive. Also very minimal side-effects.

Monitor her BP daily, there are good sphygmomanometers out there for home use. Before trying anything, even herbal stuff, talk to her doctor about it. My mom's doc said that CoQ10 does nothing, but mom feels better when she takes it. Placebo effect? I don't know--but if you google it, there's some decent research on it. Make sure you really read up on it before trying, to make sure there won't be any drug interactions.

P.S. Make sure you talk to her doctor first. Go to her next appointment with her and tell the doc about your concerns and ask about the supplements you think may help.

[acptulsa]

The one thing off the top of my head that can naturally help hypertension is garlic, which is also very good for the heart with no side-effects. If she doesn't like it in her food, there are supplements out there.

Since hypertension can damage the heart, look into CoEnzyme Q10. It's expensive. Also very minimal side-effects.

Monitor her BP daily, there are good sphygmomanometers out there for home use. Before trying anything, even herbal stuff, talk to her doctor about it. My mom's doc said that CoQ10 does nothing, but mom feels better when she takes it. Placebo effect? I don't know--but if you google it, there's some decent research on it. Make sure you really read up on it before trying, to make sure there won't be any drug interactions.

P.S. Make sure you talk to her doctor first. Go to her next appointment with her and tell the doc about your concerns and ask about the supplements you think may help.

Thought you said all my posts were substantive and thoughtful and all yours were frivolous. I think we're backwards.

Nice job. I like garlic. Got mints?

[Kludge]

Cut out George, and you have a decent thread on this HERE (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=130814&highlight=blood+pressure)

[Cinderella]

what kind of meds did he put her on?? most people when they enter old age suffer from systolic HTN meaning only the top number is high but the bottom one if fine...the bottom number is the one u really want to be concerned with...what are her readings?? i suggest a NO ADDED SALT DIET!! thats number one...exersize is very helpful...meditation....garlic and fish oil are good too....

[amy31416]

Thought you said all my posts were substantive and thoughtful and all yours were frivolous. I think we're backwards.

Nice job. I like garlic. Got mints?

Eh, you don't need mints as long as the other people around you also have an equivalent amount of garlic. ;)

Well, I'd say that 75% of my posts are frivolous and about 50% of yours are. :)

Take this one for instance.

[tod evans]

best bet for hypertension isn`t what you eat differently, it`s how a body uses what it consumes..
if your ma isn`t bedridden suggest more exersize......
i ain`t a doctor but i`m bettin` that after 70 yrs she`s got some pretty healthy eating habbits so try introducing cardiovascular fittness as an activity instead of a diet.

[Brown Sapper]

I have mildly high blood pressure and I use fish oil as a alternative. That and exercising usally keeps my pressure in check. If I could only get away from the salt that would be great.

[maggiebott]

Have to agree with above on this one. Walking is well known to lower bloodpressure and most of us are too sedentary.

What people walk with the fastest pace in the world? Ireland

[dsentell]

Thanks everyone!

She hasn't eaten salt for years -- no longer even owns a salt shaker! She is quite active, has a large vegetable garden and loves working outdoors in the yard and on her flower gardens.

Fish oil, garlic and CoQ10 seem to be good prospects to research. Don't really think I could convince her of the leeches! :D

She has a doctor's appointment next week. I am going with her, but don't know how that will turn out. See, she uses the same doc as my dad did -- this guy loves prescriptions and had my dad on about a dozen . . . .

[Mckarnin]

http://www.westonaprice.org/askdoctor/high-bloodpressure.html

At 70 and never having been on prescription medication..I personally would try lifestyle changes. Has there been a particularly large surge in her blood pressure lately or has it been a strady progression over the years and she just passed into what is considered "high"? Also, just in the last few years they have changed the definition to categorize people as pre-hypertensive who would have been considered fine several years ago. If this definition change is what has them wanting to medicate your mother I would also be wary.

You say your father passed away on April 20th...if that was this year the stress associated with his failing health and death could certainly be a big part of your mother's blood pressure changes. Also, if she was caring for him and perhaps neglecting her usual routines as his health deteriorated that could be it. If either of these scenarios are the case than I would have her ask the doctor for a few months to recover from her loss before even considering pharmaceutical treatment.


So, lifestyle...

~Regular exercise--whatever she is comfortable with...walking, swimming.
~Fish Oil--Omega-3 fat can be great for high BP and the heart. You need to get a high-quality brand though. One that has been tested for mercury and PCB contamination. Nordic Naturals and Carlson are two good brands.
~Reduce vegetable oils (soy, canola, corn) and replace with organic butter, palm oil, coconut oil, natural lard (olive and sesame oil are good in low heat or no heat applications).
~Reduce/eliminate soda, refined carbohydrates and sugar.

Honestly though, if she is a healthy weight and has always enjoyed good health and a strong immune system then this BP issue may be a temporary one.




We have some brilliant people on board here, and I need your help . . . :confused:

My 70 year old mother has never been on prescribed medication. Recently, her doctor diagnosed high blood pressure, though only minimally high, and put her on a prescription medication. Then apparently seizing the opportunity, put her on a second medication which would be "therapeutic for her heart."

I am not at all happy about this as she has always been the picture of health, and as I do not believe in taking prescription medications (except as a last resort). My feelings are particularly strong after watching my pharmaceutically overdosed father pass away on April 20 . . .

I have finally convinced my mother to try a natural cure. But what should I suggest? I would love some ideas that I could research further.

Thanks for any suggestions . . .

[Mckarnin]

OK, I just see that you say she has no salt shaker...when did your mom give up salt? Excessive salt is not good at all but a lack of good salt in the diet can make blood pressure problems worse. She should have some good sea salt in her diet on a regular basis...

Now if she doesn't salt food but she eats pickles and catsup and sauerkraut and food at restaurants she probably gets a decent amount of salt anyways. If not she needs to salt some. This is a good brand: http://www.celticseasalt.com/Celtic_Sea_Salt_Brand_br_Ligh_C8.cfm



Thanks everyone!

She hasn't eaten salt for years -- no longer even owns a salt shaker! She is quite active, has a large vegetable garden and loves working outdoors in the yard and on her flower gardens.

Fish oil, garlic and CoQ10 seem to be good prospects to research. Don't really think I could convince her of the leeches! :D

She has a doctor's appointment next week. I am going with her, but don't know how that will turn out. See, she uses the same doc as my dad did -- this guy loves prescriptions and had my dad on about a dozen . . . .

[dsentell]

[QUOTE=Mckarnin;1429115]http://www.westonaprice.org/askdoctor/high-bloodpressure.html

If this definition change is what has them wanting to medicate your mother I would also be wary.



Thanks, Mckarnin for your ideas and link!

Personally, I suspect the definition change is it. Unfortunately, I don't even know what her reading(s) was, but I will be checking on that this evening . . .

She was diagnosed about Christmas time, my father was having some problems then, though they did not become really bad until April. Yes, he just passed away a few days ago.

Problem is that since a doctor has told her she needs to be on medication, no one is likely to get that out of her head. At this point, I don't think she will be happy unless she is taking some kind of pill . . .

[amy31416]

Thanks everyone!

She hasn't eaten salt for years -- no longer even owns a salt shaker! She is quite active, has a large vegetable garden and loves working outdoors in the yard and on her flower gardens.

Fish oil, garlic and CoQ10 seem to be good prospects to research. Don't really think I could convince her of the leeches! :D

She has a doctor's appointment next week. I am going with her, but don't know how that will turn out. See, she uses the same doc as my dad did -- this guy loves prescriptions and had my dad on about a dozen . . . .

I don't know if you see your mother every day or not, but here's my other suggestion:

Excel spreadsheet. I know this sounds weird, and possibly anal. But I track and trend things like blood pressure, cholesterol and other stats. All you have to do is this: Each day, take her blood pressure with one of those home BP electronic things, they're pretty cheap. Record the date, systolic and diastolic measurements and make a note about anything different (i.e. started taking garlic supplements, started CoQ10, started a pharmaceutical BP med, along with time of day, dosage amount or any out of the ordinary activity or stress in her life.)

Just record all that onto a piece of paper if you don't have excel and you can, if you like, send me or someone else who's savvy with excel the data and I can easily turn it into a trend chart. Then you can see whether it's trending down, up staying the same and possibly what has had an effect for better or worse on her hypertension.

This method could be particularly effective with your mom because she's not on a lot of pharmaceuticals. And I have to admit, I love that stuff, which makes me a dork extraordinnaire, I know. I used to use this great software called Minitab that could analyze the hell out of data using all kinds of high-falutin statistics.

Oh, I could go on. But I won't for your sake :)

[dsentell]

Celtic Sea salt is my favorite! I use that brand all the time.

I told her a couple of weeks ago, what I had read on some sea salt website, "the only thing worse than too much salt in your diet, is not enough salt in your diet".

I'll have to take over some Celtic -- don't know if she will use it, especially since it is almost impossible to use in a shaker . . .

[TER]

prayer/meditation

[Kotin]

Garlic helps

[Mckarnin]

Celtic Sea salt is my favorite! I use that brand all the time.

I told her a couple of weeks ago, what I had read on some sea salt website, "the only thing worse than too much salt in your diet, is not enough salt in your diet".

I'll have to take over some Celtic -- don't know if she will use it, especially since it is almost impossible to use in a shaker . . .

Unless she has arthritis give her a sea salt grinder...or buy the pale white kind that is pre-ground into a fine powder.

[dsentell]

I know this sounds weird, and possibly anal. But I track and trend things like blood pressure, cholesterol and other stats.


What a neat idea! If you are weird, so is my mother (and my dad was as well).

I do see her most every day, so this would be no problem.

She has one of those home blood pressure things and I haven't seen anything, but would bet that she has a list of blood pressure readings.

This would be a great way to monitor changes.

SEE, I KNEW YOU GUYS WERE GENIUSES!

[Mckarnin]

One more thing. Since she may have been nervous about her own health due to your father's recent death she could have had a little white coat high BP going on. Most Drs can give you a BP monitor that you wear for 24 hours or so that monitors your BP constantly and gives you a better idea of the reading rather than one in office reading.

[tmosley]

~Reduce vegetable oils (soy, canola, corn) and replace with organic butter, palm oil, coconut oil, natural lard (olive and sesame oil are good in low heat or no heat applications).

Saturated fat lowers blood pressure? I always thought that those types of foods INCREASED your chances of developing heart disease.

[tod evans]

Saturated fat lowers blood pressure? I always thought that those types of foods INCREASED your chances of developing heart disease.

i`m one of the folks who believe that if a "fat" occurs naturally then the human body is more likely to be able to process it.
i`d much rather put lard or suet in my body than a partially hydrogenated anything....same goes for butter vs "spreads" that have a chemical make-up i can`t pronounce....

[Mckarnin]

Saturated fat lowers blood pressure? I always thought that those types of foods INCREASED your chances of developing heart disease.

According to my health methodology/what humans have eaten for thousands of years....


Trans Fat=Terrible

Monounsaturated fats like Corn, Soy, Olive, Canola, etc... get oxidized and bad for you as soon as you heat them more than a little and many of them put even more Omega-6 in our diets when what most American's diets are desperate for is Omega-3's.

Saturated fats like butter, lard (not the processed stuff), coconut oil, etc...are good for cooking and fine for health.



A lot of studies done in the last 40 years or so have grouped trans fats with saturated fats in testing so saturated fats are sharing the bad rap with trans fats when, in reality trans fats, saturated fats and monounsaturated fats should be tested separately and it should be specified whether they are heated or not and if so how hot.




I know it goes against the status quo but that's my opinion...for more resources:

http://www.westonaprice.org/
www.mercola.com

[tmosley]

Saturated fat is saturated fat, no matter what the source. If you are eating lard then you might as well pig out on bacon. The only difference with reference to heart disease will be cholesterol content.

If you agree with that statement, then ok. If not, watch out because you may be more likely to get heart disease than you think.

That said, I LOVE coconut oil. It's the best for making curries, I don't care how bad it is for me.

Also, as to the original question of the thread, you can also have them try alfalfa sprouts, which act as a natural diuretic (like a water pill). Diuretics are the best treatment for high blood pressure because they don't have any side effects (except that you urinate more), where the more powerful MAOIs and such have rather nasty side effects.

[Mckarnin]

I eat lard from healthy pigs raised without hormones or antibiotics and I pig out on natural, uncured bacon from pigs raised the same way. We'll see how my heart is doing in 30 years....my weight is great as is my muscle tone and immune system.

Katharine



Saturated fat is saturated fat, no matter what the source. If you are eating lard then you might as well pig out on bacon. The only difference with reference to heart disease will be cholesterol content.

If you agree with that statement, then ok. If not, watch out because you may be more likely to get heart disease than you think.

That said, I LOVE coconut oil. It's the best for making curries, I don't care how bad it is for me.

Also, as to the original question of the thread, you can also have them try alfalfa sprouts, which act as a natural diuretic (like a water pill). Diuretics are the best treatment for high blood pressure because they don't have any side effects (except that you urinate more), where the more powerful MAOIs and such have rather nasty side effects.

[amy31416]

For high-temp cooking, such as stir fries and sautees, use ghee or peanut oil. Olive oil for medium temp cooking. I use sesame oil, walnut oil and some other various oils in salads, for finishing a soup after it's done cooking or on sandwiches, things like that.

Always keep oils, especially the more delicate ones in the refrigerator, they last longer and it takes longer for them to break down. The only exception to this for me is extra-virgin olive oil, I use it fast enough that it doesn't go bad when in the cabinet--plus it solidifies in the refrigerator, which is annoying. :)

Here's a good source on different oils, their different purposes and properties: http://www.clovegarden.com/ingred/oils.html

[sratiug]

Also, as to the original question of the thread, you can also have them try alfalfa sprouts, which act as a natural diuretic (like a water pill). Diuretics are the best treatment for high blood pressure because they don't have any side effects (except that you urinate more), where the more powerful MAOIs and such have rather nasty side effects.

Except that dehydration is a main cause of high blood pressure. If you have enough cellular potassium your body's cells will be hydrated, allowing normal blood pressure. Lack of cellular potassium causes cell dehydration and build up of acids, forcing the body to increase extra-cellular pressure to cope, and your blood pressure goes up. Blood potassium levels are easy to check but cellular potassium is what's important and usually not tested.

One type of blood pressure medication is just a potassium compound, and I think the American Heart Association says eating a high potassium diet is the most effective treatment for high blood pressure, along with exercise.

All the electrolytes are inter-related. Calcium speeds the heart, mgnesium slows it down. Calcium supplements can deplete your magnesium levels, causing cramps, racing heart beat and suicidal depression.

Potassium is needed at a 4 to 1 or more ratio to sodium, which is about 20 times less prevalent in natural foods. So the body hoards sodium naturally and depletes potassium when too much sodium is present. Salt 300 years or so ago was potassium salt. Now it is sodium, but you can buy Morton Lite salt that is a mixture of potassium chloride and sodium chloride. They have another version that has no sodium. If you mix the two you can get about a 4 to 1 ratio.

SOLO sea salt from England has reduced sodium levels (natural sea salt is mostly all sodium chloride) and added magnesium and potassium salts for what they say is an ideal balance. They say there is not enough magnesium and potassium in food because of depleted soils. Here is their link. http://www.soloseasalt.com/what-is-solo.asp

Remember, one high sodium can of soup, tv dinner, or whatever can give you close to 1000 milligrams of sodium meaning you'd have to eat 4 grams of potassium to compensate. That's about 15 baked potatoes, or 5 bananas worth.

Potassium deficiency is also considered by many to be the major cause of arthritis, by causing dehydration of the tissues.

[american.swan]

I would suggest a couple of things.

1. less meat, not no meat.
2. more vegetables and fruits, not only vegetables and fruits
2a don't forget nuts
3. Water! Try finding a book called "The Body's many cries for water"
4. Water will also help asthma and even help with mood.
5. A lot of water will flush out salts and minerals so a pinch of sea salt is needed to replace the stuff washed out.

[tmosley]

Except that dehydration is a main cause of high blood pressure.


Of course you still have to drink a lot of water, it just stops you from retaining water, which puts pressure on your blood vessels.

Diuretics were the only and best drug used against blood pressure from the early 20's through the late 70's (I think that timeline is right), when MAOI inhibitors came out.

[thuja]

no one has suggested a change of doctors. it s very unfortunate that she sees a doctor who prescribes chemicals when she probably can avoid those.
it is wonderful that you are keeping her company once in awhile, and that you care so much. love is wonderful medicine.
it's not unusual while she is greivig to have a little health change, so its urgent for her to eat a diet high in alkaline vegetables.

find an excellent and compassionate naturopathic type of doctor for her that she will like.

[thuja]

Of course you still have to drink a lot of water, it just stops you from retaining water, which puts pressure on your blood vessels.

Diuretics were the only and best drug used against blood pressure from the early 20's through the late 70's (I think that timeline is right), when MAOI inhibitors came out.
here are TWO dangerous drugs already.
vegetables will do the same things, but to a degree that agrees with the body without disaterous results causing more dangerous drugs to follow, and so on.
diuretics, by the way, deplete the body of more than water, it takes along valuable minerals, which are important for mental function, as well as every other thing.
the sea salt suggestion is excellent, and ordinary chemical salt should be avoided.
if mao inhibitors are suggested, run like hell.

[amy31416]

no one has suggested a change of doctors. it s very unfortunate that she sees a doctor who prescribes chemicals when she probably can avoid those.
it is wonderful that you are keeping her company once in awhile, and that you care so much. love is wonderful medicine.
it's not unusual while she is greivig to have a little health change, so its urgent for her to eat a diet high in alkaline vegetables.

find an excellent and compassionate naturopathic type of doctor for her that she will like.

I know you mean well, but could you post some links to some studies that show that alkaline vegetables would help with high blood pressure?

Perhaps she should change doctors because of his love for pharmaceuticals, but I would never recommend that she completely shun Western medicine, especially at her age. That would simply be irresponsible.

[thuja]

I know you mean well, but could you post some links to some studies that show that alkaline vegetables would help with high blood pressure?

Perhaps she should change doctors because of his love for pharmaceuticals, but I would never recommend that she completely shun Western medicine, especially at her age. That would simply be irresponsible.

no, i cannot. ha ha ha ha ha. but i could look for some and get back to you. ha ha ha ha ha
sorry, just trying to act like a doctor.
since she is reported to have had good health until her loss, it would be irresponsible and unkind to just start dosing her with chemicals. tests are one of the valuable things conventional medicine can provide, however, the analysis of the results, if always resulting in prescriptions for chemical medicines, are suspect

i did not suggest eastern medicine, but now that it is alluded to, it's often useful, since looking at and listening to the patient carefully is one of it's salient features, and can result in some very simple and effective solutions. a good book on that subject is titled "the web that has no weaver", and was suggested to me by a western medicine doctor who had taken the time to study everything he could find. there ARE some great doctors, but they are a miracle to find.

naturopaths and wholistic medicine doctors are western medicine doctors, and we better be careful to protect our rights to have alternative medicine available to us, as the drug companies are busy paying politicians to inhibit or remove those rights.

[thuja]

even mainstream medicine, including good old harvard, seem to think vegetables have a very beneficial effect on blood pressure:

oh fooey! i cant get the link right, but at the harvard school of public healthwebsite is a page devoted to eating vegetables for better health

[tmosley]

thuja: if you read my earlier posts, you will see that I was suggesting alfalfa sprouts as a natural diuretic. They are quite healthy. Loss of minerals is EASILY remedied with a supplement, which, unlike vitamins, are absorbed from a pill the same as from foods (as minerals are basically dirt).

[thuja]

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/review/review_winter_02/rsdash.html

[thuja]

thuja: if you read my earlier posts, you will see that I was suggesting alfalfa sprouts as a natural diuretic. They are quite healthy. Loss of minerals is EASILY remedied with a supplement, which, unlike vitamins, are absorbed from a pill the same as from foods (as minerals are basically dirt).

i don't understand. supplements and vitamins have the same meaning i think.

[thuja]

Saturated fat is saturated fat, no matter what the source. If you are eating lard then you might as well pig out on bacon. The only difference with reference to heart disease will be cholesterol content.

If you agree with that statement, then ok. If not, watch out because you may be more likely to get heart disease than you think.

That said, I LOVE coconut oil. It's the best for making curries, I don't care how bad it is for me.

Also, as to the original question of the thread, you can also have them try alfalfa sprouts, which act as a natural diuretic (like a water pill). Diuretics are the best treatment for high blood pressure because they don't have any side effects (except that you urinate more), where the more powerful MAOIs and such have rather nasty side effects.
i wanted earlier to say that coconut oil is one of the very healthiest things you could eat, so keep doing that. it is geat for cooking with, and is a natural antifungal, plus it tastes great.
sprouts are also terrific.
i cannot get enthusiastic about diuretics and mao inhibitors, however, although diuretics may be needed n an emergency situation.

[thuja]

oh, forgive me, you are using the term diuertic to include, as you say, natural ones like sprouts.
still, to me, supplements and vitamins are the same thing:vitamin supplements, to supplement the diet.

[ronpaulblogsdotcom]

I agree with the others here that low salt diet is important. She might have to reduce restaurant foods. They are loaded with salt.

I have been having problems with edema (water under skin) and reducing restaurant food solved it.

French Fries, soups, meat, even veggies have tons of salt in restaurants. Follow low salt receipes at home. Low fat salt soups like cabbage soup are pretty good, cheap to make, and help lose weight with the lower blood pressure too.

[amy31416]

I agree with the others here that low salt diet is important. She might have to reduce restaurant foods. They are loaded with salt.

I have been having problems with edema (water under skin) and reducing restaurant food solved it.

French Fries, soups, meat, even veggies have tons of salt in restaurants. Follow low salt receipes at home. Low fat salt soups like cabbage soup are pretty good, cheap to make, and help lose weight with the lower blood pressure too.

If you have hypertension, the only decent salt substitute I've found is vinegar. Use it. It helps enchance flavors.

[Ninja Homer]

I wrote this up for my mother a while back. Hope it helps.
______________________________________________

Here's a list of stuff to do for high blood pressure:

If you are on prescription drugs for something you want to cure naturally, the first objective should be to get off of them. Some prescription drugs can be addictive, or have bad side effects if you stop using them (besides the bad side effects you get while on them). In that case, you should always talk to somebody who knows what effects they will have. Preferably a holistic doctor, because most orthodox doctors will just tell you that you have to stay on it. With high blood pressure, I'd think you'd always want to slowly ween off of prescription drugs.


Drink enough good water - at least 6-8 glasses of good water per day. Use filtered, spring, or distilled water, not city tap water.
Follow the kidney cleansing procedure using kidney tea. (http://curezone.com/cleanse/kidney/default.asp)
Use natural salt (personally, I like Himalayan crystal salt). Put a pinch of natural salt in each glass of water. Throw out all refined salt, because it is poison. Natural salt helps regulate blood pressure, but refined salt causes high blood pressure.
Go to bed at 10 PM every night. The body heals itself the most between 10 PM and 2 AM, but only if you are sleeping then.
Eat Bok Choy (a type of cabbage)
Eat watermelon
Eat celery - 4 stalks a day
Eat a banana with breakfast and lunch
Drink green tea - the best kind is "Sencha" which is available at health food stores
Take aloe vera - warning: research brands because some brands of "100% aloe vera juice" are really watered down and don't do anything
Get sunlight every day. The sun is good for you! Do not use sunscreen or sunblock or sunglasses (but don't be in the sun so much you get burned).
Get exercise, preferably outside while you are getting your sun.
Eat more fruit and veggies, and less meat. Too much protein can thicken the blood.
Don't use a microwave or eat anything that has been microwaved. I suggest you move it to the garage or throw it out. Other countries have banned microwaves because of the health problems they cause.
Use sesame oil as a salad dressing or on other foods. Sesame oil has been proven to lower blood pressure.
Graviola is an herb that has been shown to help with cancer, and also lowers blood pressure. This should always be taken with care of a holistic doctor. It can break down any bad stuff (cancer, etc) really fast, and as a result, your body has to deal with removing lots of toxins from your blood. You should have a clean kidney (kidney cleanse) before taking it.


The key to healthy blood pressure is clean blood. The key to clean blood is a clean kidney. A kidney's main job is to clean the blood, and it regulates blood pressure.

Your body is raising its blood pressure for a reason. Your body always does the right thing. You must treat the underlying cause, not the symptoms. You must figure out why your body is raising its blood pressure. Fix that, and your body will normalize its blood pressure all by itself.

The cause of all disease is contamination and malnutrition. The cure of all disease is cleansing and proper nourishment.

The only other suggestion I have, for overall health, is to eat all organic. It costs a little more, but how much is good health worth to you? How much time and money will you save if you are healthy? How much more will you enjoy life if you are healthy?

[NaT805]

Fiber fiber fiber! Make sure she is getting 25 grams of fiber a day. It will lower blood pressure. Ever wondered how cherios and oatmeal lower blood pressure?, its from the fiber. Hemp seed is a good source of fiber and omega-3-6's, vegetables, fruits with skins, good sources of fiber.

[sratiug]

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Elderly people who took commonly prescribed drugs for incontinence, allergy or high blood pressure walked more slowly and were less able to take care of themselves than others not taking the drugs, U.S. researchers said on Saturday.

They said people who took drugs that block acetylcholine -- a chemical messenger in the nervous system critical for memory -- functioned less well than their peers.

"These results were true even in older adults who have normal memory and thinking abilities," said Dr. Kaycee Sink of Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina, who led the study of 3,000 people of whom 40 percent were taking more than one anticholinergic drug.

"The effect is essentially that of a three- to four-year increase in age. So someone who is 75 in our study and taking at least one moderately anticholinergic medication is at a similar functional level to a 78 to 79-year-old," Sink said in an e-mail.

Sink's findings, presented at American Geriatrics Society Meeting in Washington, add to a growing body of research that suggests these so-called anticholinergic medications can hasten functional and cognitive declines in elderly people.

Some of the most common such drugs in the study included the blood pressure drug nifedipine (sold as Adalat or Procardia), the stomach antacid ranitidine or Zantac, both with mild or moderate anticholinergic properties, and Pfizer Inc's incontinence drug tolterodine or Detrol, which is highly anticholinergic.

"The tricky part ... is that many useful drugs from many different classes of medications have anticholinergic properties," Sink said.

She said in many cases newer drugs are available that do not have these effects and said doctors should look out for them for elderly patients.

MEMORY DECLINE

Dr. Jack Tsao, a neurologist with the U.S. Navy, reported last month at a American Academy of Neurology meeting that elderly people who took anticholinergic drugs had a 50 percent greater rate of memory decline than people in a long-term study who did not take the drugs.

Sink studied the effects of taking multiple anticholinergic drugs on walking speed, basic activities such as dressing, eating, taking care of personal hygiene, grooming, and harder activities like shopping, cooking and managing money on her test subjects whose average age was 78.

The researchers found that the more anticholinergic drugs people had in their systems, the worse their physical function, based on reports from people in the study and on independent measures of their performance.

In a separate study this month in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, Sink found that older nursing home residents who took drugs for dementia and incontinence at the same time had a 50 percent faster decline in function than those treated only for dementia.

"I would encourage patients to bring in a list of everything they take (even over-the-counter medications) to their doctor and have them review it at least yearly," Sink said. "Physicians should try to decrease anticholinergic burden whenever possible."

(Editing by Alan Elsner and Maggie Fox)

By the way, recent studies have shown that the best predicter of future heart attacks is the ratio of waist size to hip size. Bigger than one = increased risk of heart attack.

[sratiug]

Everybody keeps saying to use sea salt, sea salt is almost all sodium chloride, just like table salt. Here is one persons take on potassium and sodium salt. Can anyone give any good reason not to at least use the blue package Morton Lite salt (340mg potassium 290 mg sodium) instead of sodium salt, if not the white version that is basically all potassium with no sodium at all?

Retaining fluid INSIDE your cells is necessary and proper to normal bodily function. In fact, estimates are that 98% of bodily energy is provided from water pumping in and out of your cells.

http://www.vialls.com/vialls/potassium.html

Unlike toxic sodium [table salt], potassium is essential to our health. Potassium is present in all cells and is critical to cardiovascular and nerve function, regulating the transfer of nutrients into cells and facilitating muscle energy. This wonder mineral also regulates water balance, assists recuperative powers, and aids rheumatic or arthritic conditions by causing acids to leave the joints, thereby easing stiffness. At the same time potassium is vital for the elimination of wastes, is a natural pain desensitizer, helps control convulsions, headaches and migraines, and promotes faster healing of cuts, bruises and other injuries.

Because of its very high electrochemical activity, potassium is on the move all the time, and we need vast quantities to replenish that lost every day. When we exercise and sweat, we lose potassium through urine. When we are under extreme stress for a variety of other reasons, potassium loss can treble instantly. But as renowned nutritionist Adelle Davis points out, it is toxic sodium that causes the greatest problems. "Persons eating [sodium] salt as they wished excreted nine times more potassium than when their salt intake was limited, and human volunteers kept on diets deficient in potassium retained so much salt that they developed high blood pressure."

If Mother Nature was to deprive you of potassium completely, hard scientific evidence proves you would be dead in less than three weeks. But in many ways this would be a merciful release when compared with the infinitely more painful and far slower death caused by slow potassium deprivation, the preferred method of the FDA and AMA. Proper scientists agree the daily potassium requirements of an average adult lie between 3,200 and 4,100 milligrams, but the average potassium intake of Americans through the food chain is only 1,500 to 2,100 milligrams per day, representing an overall average shortfall of 1,850 milligrams.

Obviously humans can survive at these savagely depleted levels, because Americans manage to eke out about 70 years each, before this basic potassium deficiency overwhelms them and they finally die, sometimes in great pain from a number of directly related illnesses including arthritis, osteoporosis, hypertension [high blood pressure], angina, strokes and so on. It is scientifically beyond question that all would live longer and suffer less pain if they received the necessary quantity of potassium each day, which is where the American Food & Drug Administration [FDA] should do a John Wayne job, and ride gallantly to the rescue.

Alas, the Food and Drug Administration has not and will not do so, because of sustained lobby pressure by the pharmaceutical multinationals. Despite having full and unrestricted access to the real scientific data providing hard proof of widespread potassium deficiency bordering on a pandemic, the FDA has deliberately avoided specifying a "Recommended Dietary Allowance" [RDA], while simultaneously passing a law restricting the potassium content of all alternative medicines to a mere 100 milligrams.

This is your first clue to understanding how it is that we get so ill, and then willingly swallow billions of dollars worth of useless 'patent medicines'. Remember, just to keep up with the average shortfall of 1,850 milligrams of potassium per day, you would need to swallow at least 19 pills from your local health food shop, and no ordinary person could possibly afford that in the long term.

In order to keep their medical doctors in line, both the FDA and AMA have circulated a number of truly frightening stories about potassium. Most common among them is that the potassium will 'react' with one of a wide range of synthetic pharmaceutical medicines, frequently resulting in death. This is actually true, but it is the poisonous synthetic medicine which causes the lethal cross reaction that kills you, not the natural potassium so essential to your health. Then there is the even scarier rumor that 'too much' potassium will kill you by stopping your heart from beating, as in the case of a lethal injection execution.

Too much of almost anything will kill you, including simple water and air, especially if applied too quickly or by the incorrect route. When Timothy McVeigh was strapped to a gurney and put to death, the third chemical injected directly into his vein was a 'chaser' containing 50 milliliters of concentrated potassium chloride, which finally stopped his heart. If you are stupid enough to try this at home, you will die just as quickly, and in order to put this deliberate FDA and AMA scare mongering into the proper perspective, it is necessary to explain why.

The normal route for potassium to enter the body is by way of the mouth, either in the form of food, or sometimes as a solution made up of 100% water soluble potassium chloride dissolved in fruit juice. As the potassium passes through the digestive tract, the cells extract what they need and any excess is then passed out of the body, partly as solid waste, but mostly through the kidneys as urine. It is a perfectly normal biochemical process that the body itself knows how to handle very well, without any outside help from medical doctors. However, if you inject the potassium directly into a vein, you bypass the body's biochemical safety processes and stop the heart.

Exactly the same can be said of concentrated hydrochloric acid, always present in our stomachs in order to digest food, but incapable of harming us because of the body's sophisticated biochemical defenses. However, if you injected this same concentrated hydrochloric acid from the stomach directly into a vein, you would die even more quickly than you would from injecting potassium.

You can only be scared by a medical doctor if you allow yourself to be scared, and you will no doubt gain added confidence where potassium is concerned later in this report, when we examine the extraordinary case of the Yanomami Indians of South America. The Yanomami were fortunate enough to escape the attention of western medical 'science' for thousands of years, and still shun it now. These fascinating people receive virtually no sodium [table salt] at all, but every adult consumes around 8,500 milligrams of potassium every day. They are incredibly fit and have no history whatever of arthritis, osteoporosis, hypertension [high blood pressure], angina or stroke. We will return to the Yanomami a little later on.

Far too many of the 'illnesses' we suffer today can be laid at the door of potassium deficiency, though hordes of pharmaceutical and medical apologists will probably reject this, claiming that medical 'research' proved long ago that simple deficiency cannot cause life-threatening conditions. Sadly the apologists will be defeated by historical fact, chronicled long before your local pharmaceutical multinational decided to use your body as a private playground for the benefit of its shareholders.

Scurvy is caused solely by Vitamin C deficiency, and is thus predictably cured quickly by large quantities of Vitamin C. There are thousands of documented cases, especially in the British Royal Navy, where sailors became known as "Limeys" because of the vast amounts of citrus fruit provided free by The Admiralty. Rickets is less well known, but is caused by a deficiency of Vitamin D, rapidly corrected by the generous application of Vitamin D and calcium. Embarrassing though this may be for modern pharmaceutical salesmen and medical doctors, these bald facts are there in the history books for all to see. So why not admit potassium deficiency?

The beginning of the end for obtaining essential minerals from fruit and vegetables happened in the middle of the 19th Century, when German chemist Baron Justus Von Liebig analyzed human and plant ash, and determined that nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium [NPK] were all the minerals plants needed. He claimed that if fed synthetically to plants, farmers could force plants to grow and support healthy humans. Thus Von Liebig became the father of synthetic manure, which in turn spawned superphosphate, the mother of all deceptive fertilizers. Though NPK and superphosphate are able to create a synthetic soil environment sufficient to stimulate plant growth, the resulting fruits and vegetables are always seriously deficient in trace minerals, with some containing none at all. Baron Von Liebig watched the deficiencies his invention caused with horror, and recanted before he died, but it was all too late. By then, the big investors had moved in for a quick kill.

Running in tandem with the depletion of potassium in fruit and vegetables during the 19th Century was an even bigger problem. Until then, salt of any kind had been so highly valued on most continents, that at one point in history it was actually used as money. In Europe, Asia and Africa most of the salt moved by the camel trains over thousands of miles was sylvite, otherwise known as potassium chloride. Great chunks of sylvite were dotted along the trading routes for the beasts of burden to lick at, thereby restoring their electrolytes lost through sweating and other exertion. But when the railroads opened up America from east to west, they started carrying vast quantities of cheap salt produced in giant pans on the two coasts. Unfortunately for Americans this was sea salt, comprised of 98.8% sodium chloride, the favorite of fishes but a deadly enemy of man. And so it was that in less than seventy years, western man had his healthy potassium replaced almost entirely by unhealthy sodium.

It was not until the early 20th Century that medical 'science' started to determine what it considered were healthy 'normal' levels for blood pressure, serum potassium and so on, using data drawn from the population as a whole. The problem is that medical 'science' was by then dealing with seriously damaged human beings, who had already been subjected to the ravages of sodium for nearly fifty years. So what seemed normal to American medical 'researchers' in the early 20th Century, would have horrified the Yanomami or any other self-respecting tribe one hundred years earlier. But because American medicine got off on the wrong foot, it stayed on the wrong foot, and slowly built a giant pyramid of myths based largely on ignorance and fatally flawed biochemistry.

Despite the best efforts of the fledgling pharmaceuticals and medical 'science' in general to belittle the problems, by the nineteen thirties it had become obvious to most Americans that something was seriously amiss with their soils, with their crops, and with their rapidly deteriorating personal health. During the 2nd Session of the 74th Congress in 1936, the United States Senate published Document #264, which really laid the problems facing American nutrition on the line. Verbatim extracts from Document 264 are provided at the bottom of this page, but for the specific purposes of this report, here are the three most important paragraphs.

"The alarming fact is that foods [fruits, vegetables and grains] now being raised on millions of acres of land that no longer contain enough of certain minerals are starving us - no matter how much of them we eat. No man of today can eat enough fruits and vegetables to supply his system with the minerals he requires for perfect health because his stomach isn't big enough to hold them."

"The truth is that our foods vary enormously in value, and some of them aren't worth eating as food...Our physical well-being is more directly dependent upon the minerals we take into our systems than upon calories or vitamins or upon the precise proportions of starch, protein or carbohydrates we consume."

"It is bad news to learn from our leading authorities that 99% of the American people are deficient in these minerals, and that a marked deficiency in any one of the more important minerals actually results in disease. Any upset of the balance, any considerable lack or one or another element, however microscopic the body requirement may be, and we sicken, suffer, shorten our lives."

So sixty-eight years ago, the American Government knew full well the problems facing the people, but the stuffed-shirt medical fraternity did absolutely nothing to help. In fact, driven ever onwards by the extravagant fiscal needs of pharmaceutical shareholders, medical 'science' and its subordinate doctors stood reality on its ear, and proceeded to steadily undermine what little good health the general community had left.

Learned doctors published papers on the 'potassium-sodium balance needed by all humans', when a quick field trip to almost any Indian Reservation would have reversed their absurd findings in seconds. More and more sodium found its way into every kind of food imaginable, and blood pressures started to rise sharply. By the nineteen-forties, relatively new diseases such as arthritis, hypertension and angina started to climb through the roof, to be met with a veritable shock wave of expensive 'patent medicines' to help with the new 'disease' problems.

A handful of alert doctors recognized the problem for what it really was, and started giving their patients massive doses of potassium [between 5,000 and 20,000 milligrams per day] in order to bring their blood pressures back down to normal, and to relieve problems with angina and other heart complaints. In fact these treatments were entirely successful, but the use of a basic mineral that could not be patented by the pharmaceutical companies was frowned on, and medical research grants in this field mysteriously started to dry up. By the late sixties such research has been suppressed, as you can see from the [limited] general references provided at the bottom of this page.

The pharmaceutical multinationals were by now exerting increasing pressure on the medical fraternity, providing all kinds of 'assistance' during their university training, with copious quantities of fancy-sounding scholarships and research grants. Both were vital in helping to get medical doctors to "see things the right way", meaning of course that profitable drugs were the answer to all ills. As more doctors peddled more drugs to their patients, pharmaceutical corporate profits rose sharply, allowing perks for the doctors to be extended to include 'training seminars' at luxury hotels and golf complexes, along with other varied forms of discreet bribery.

By the seventies, all meaningful references to serious mineral deficiencies had been removed from the curriculum, with medical students taught that patients could obtain all the minerals they needed from a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, although their university tutors knew this was a complete lie. Deficiencies manifesting as cramps, arthritis, osteoporosis, hypertension, angina and strokes etc, became 'diseases' that could be treated by a truly dazzling array of brightly colored and highly profitable pharmaceutical drugs.

It was all a terrible illusion of course, but the show had to go on. As toxic sodium increasingly overwhelmed healthy potassium, the resulting potassium deficiency caused hardening of the cardio vascular system, and 'essential hypertension' [high blood pressure of 'unknown' origin] became the order of the day. Incidences of angina, stroke and heart attack increased dramatically, as did stress, with the latter feeding on the former. Because of a lack of space, this report will only cover the effects of potassium deficiency on the cardio-vascular system. Other directly related horrors such as arthritis, osteoporosis, diabetes etc. will have to wait for another day.

Modern medical 'science' has tried to explain away the critical and frequently lethal human sodium-potassium imbalance with an artfully designed theoretical model generally referred to as the 'Potassium Pump', in which the medical buzzword is 'balance'. To quote one medical article, "Potassium is pumped into the cell by active transport systems, which concomitantly pump sodium out of the cell. The preferential segregation of sodium and potassium across the cell's biological membrane is important in maintaining osmotic balance". What osmotic balance? The Yanomami and other tribes prove that ancient man had no need for toxic sodium, proving to all but a certifiable cretin that the potassium pump is an emergency one-way biochemical protective mechanism, designed to drive toxic sodium out of the cells before it can cause mayhem and premature death

Despite the Yanomami's overall levels of sodium being incredibly low, researchers who examined more than 10,000 of these cheerful people found that there was a direct correlation between marginally increased sodium intake and increased blood pressure. "... a highly significant statistical relationship was observed between sodium excretion and systolic blood pressure for the 10,079 participants. The higher the urinary sodium excretion [and, therefore, the sodium intake], the higher the blood pressure."

The reader should remember that for the Yanomami Indians, normal blood pressure averages out at 95/60 and does not increase with age. Try comparing this with the AMA western 'normal' blood pressure of 120/80, which then goes up in incremental steps as you ingest more sodium and lose more potassium while getting older. Of course, the medical apologists will claim this is because we are more civilized, have evolved, and are thus 'different', but rest assured this is pathetic rubbish.

The only significant difference between the Yanomami and Americans or Australians, is that the Yanomami are stuffed full of healthy potassium, while we are stuffed full of toxic sodium. The researchers also noted that another benefit for the Yanomami related to their lack of obesity. "Adults of industrialized populations have an increase in weight with age. The Yanomami Indians did not increase their weight with age." Short, but to the point. Somebody remind me to add "obesity" to my shopping list of potassium deficiency-related ailments.

Those western ladies with a slight weight problem, should resist the temptation to pack their bags and rush off to the headwaters of the Orinoco River. Yanomami husbands are hot on protocol, and do not take kindly to the lady of the house sneaking off into the bushes for a quickie with one of the young bucks. If caught in such a situation, the wife can expect her husband to fire a sharp hunting arrow into the fleshy part of her buttocks. Not enough to kill, but certainly enough to stop her lying on her back for several weeks thereafter. Some choose to call this behavior "barbaric", while others suggest that it merely reinforces strong family values. And oh, yes, before I forget, the favorite supper dish is barbecued frog.

Of course, to prove that any of this Yanomami potassium stuff is relevant to western folk, medical 'science' demands that you must have western guinea pigs for 'controlled trials'. I am one of those guinea pigs, though the trial was controlled strictly by me without independent medical observers, which means that my testimony is suspect at the very least, and I should probably not to be believed. Quite frankly I don't give a damn about that, but the information might be of use to someone out there who either already has cardio-vascular problems, or is seriously interested in avoiding cardio-vascular problems at any time in the future.

For more than 25 years I suffered from 'essential hypertension', in other words high blood pressure that the medical fraternity cannot explain. During that period about eight different medical doctors gave me a staggering variety of 'patent medicines', none of which produced a steady reduction of blood pressure, though on two notable occasions the medicines caused 'bad reactions' which dropped my blood pressure so low and so suddenly, that my wife could barely get a reading. At no time during this 25-year period did any of the medical doctors suggest that it might be a good idea to measure my serum electrolyte levels, in order to check for potassium deficiency. As you might expect, this entire sequence put me off the medical profession in a very big way.

Towards the end of 2003 I started getting the classic signs of 'angina', which, over the next six weeks, rapidly progressed into 'unstable angina', a textbook case involving an accelerating or "crescendo" pattern of chest and back pain that lasted longer than ordinary 'angina'. This was accompanied by acute breathlessness, especially after even moderate exertion or a small carbohydrate meal. The fact that the medical profession did not know the cause of 'angina'

My basic knowledge of chemistry indicated that I might be suffering from a sodium overdose, so although in extreme pain and at times barely conscious, I managed to hook up to the Internet and do a few basic Google searches. The only sodium overdoses I could find were those caused by various synthetic drugs, so I reversed my search pattern and tried "potassium deficiency" instead. It was then that I discovered my medical 'angina' symptoms precisely matched those exhibited by a person suffering from an acute potassium deficiency. This information came as no great surprise. On the face of it, I had uncovered the underlying cause of medical 'angina', the latter credited with the sale of more than a billion dollars worth of synthetic 'patent medicines' every year.

The problem was knowing what to do next. In Australia I was limited to 100-milligram potassium pills from the health food shops, or to a product called "Slow K" available from some pharmacies. Basically Slow K is a slow-release 600-milligram chunk of potassium chloride, which allows a 'non-lethal' dose of potassium to be administered under the direct control of the pill, rather than under the control of its recipient. The problem here is that all chunks of salt are biochemically "hot', meaning that as the sugar coating wears off the outside of the pill, the chunk of undissolved salt is exposed, and can then come into direct contact with delicate internal tissues. In my casual view, this could easily cause some sort of perforation or an ulcer.

Clearly what I needed was an industrial quantity of potassium in free flowing 100% water soluble form, which would allow me to first dissolve the potassium in water and fruit juice, thereby ensuring that no salt 'hot spots' could later cause problems in my digestive tract. In the end I settled for a kilogram of AR [Analytical Reagent] grade potassium chloride salt from a chemical warehouse, mercifully not yet under the direct control of the American FDA, or the Australian AMA.

Cost wise this was also a plus, because the whole kilogram set me back a mere US$30.00 including taxes, which is cheap enough when you realize that my potassium chloride purchase contained approximately 620 grams [or 620,000 milligrams] of the same potassium the FDA has restricted to 100-milligrams per dose in the health food shops. You do the math. Pop down to your local health food provider and ask for a quote on 6,200 x 100-milligram potassium supplements. Be ready to write a very large check.

By this stage there was so much pain so often, that I made a personal executive decision to attempt to slowly try to absorb a minimum of 50 grams or 50,000 milligrams of potassium, representing about 1/5th of the 250 grams total that an adult male should contain within his body. Simple common sense suggested that such an acute deficiency, with the extreme symptoms I was suffering, could hardly be caused by a minor reduction in whole body potassium, and, quite frankly, I also wanted the stop the overwhelming pain before it had a chance to accelerate into a fatal stroke or heart attack.

With this in mind, I dissolved 4 grams [4,000 milligrams] of potassium chloride in water and fruit juice, slowly swallowed the lot, and then kept grimly repeating this process every eight hours. After about five days [or 60,000 milligrams] most of the pain had gone, but I was still incapable of truly coherent thought. It was not until I was well past the 110,000-milligram mark that my faculties truly returned, though by then I was so exhausted I could no longer write or use the computer.

Expressed in the same terms used by the FDA, in ten days I had slowly ingested 68.2 grams of dissolved potassium [68,200 milligrams], or sixty-eight times the maximum quantity permitted under American law. However, it should also be noted that this figure represents only five days of the maximum quantity administered by licensed American doctors to their hypertensive patients during the nineteen forties, before their research funding was mysteriously and abruptly withdrawn. When viewed in the latter context, my actions do not seem unreasonable.

At the end of the ten day period, all of my 'unstable angina' pain and breathlessness had vanished completely, and along with it most of the 'essential hypertension' that plagued me for more than twenty-five years. Nowadays I take a daily maintenance dose of 2,000 milligrams potassium per day [3,200 milligrams of AR grade potassium chloride salt], plus 200 milligrams of magnesium orotate to minimize losses.

Though medical doctors might rave about me illegally 'giving medical advice without a license', I am doing no such thing. In the first place potassium is a naturally-occuring mineral essential in our diets for normal development, which places it firmly in the 'nutrition' rather than 'medical' basket. Secondly there is no way that any government agency can prevent determined people from getting their hands on potassium chloride if they really wish to do so. The material is produced in bulk and used for hundreds of applications. For example, about every third oil rig drilling in the Rocky Mountains probably has about 25,000 pounds of the stuff, neatly stacked in sacks at the edge of the rig site.

There are less difficult ways of obtaining potassium, especially in America where there are a range of "No Salt" products, most of which simply replace sea salt with potassium chloride. Fruit and vegetables grown in strict organic rotation on properly maintained soil will probably contain significant quantities of potassium, though it is very difficult to check precisely. Although I have the necessary knowledge required to test for potassium in a range of different substances, I lack the laboratory equipment needed to do so consistently.

On a closing note, try not to believe the advertising garbage that keeps telling you the banana has the highest level of potassium known to man, because it is a lie. If grown side by side on suitable soils, the humble jacket potato has more than four times as much potassium as the banana, weight for weight. This might bring a wry smile to the face of many an Irishman, whose ancestors were forced to live on a 'poor' diet of potatoes in Ireland more than a century ago. The reality is that those potatoes, so very high in potassium, gave the Irish the huge strength and endurance they needed to build bridges and lay railroads half way round the world. Looking back briefly on the Yanomami Indians, it is not hard to see why.

[DrAmy31415]

By the way, recent studies have shown that the best predicter of future heart attacks is the ratio of waste size to hip size. Bigger than one = increased risk of heart attack.

I swear to god, I'm not trying to be a spelling Nazi, but the image that your sentence put into my head was disturbing.

He/she means the ratio of your "waist" size, as in the middle of your body. You don't have to measure your excrement as I first imagined (maybe it's just me, I hope it's just me...)

[sratiug]

I swear to god, I'm not trying to be a spelling Nazi, but the image that your sentence put into my head was disturbing.

He/she means the ratio of your "waist" size, as in the middle of your body. You don't have to measure your excrement as I first imagined (maybe it's just me, I hope it's just me...)

Haste makes waste. My bad. Fixed it.

[Dr.3D]

If you have hypertension, the only decent salt substitute I've found is vinegar. Use it. It helps enchance flavors.

I make my own vinegar from apple cider.... it has a great flavor and is good for your health too. It is easy to make... just take fresh cider that has no preservatives in it and put it in a dark container and then add a little Mother of Vinegar from your last batch and cap it loosely. (pressure will build up if you cap it tightly) Make sure you let it get enough air (air out the bottle and shake it once in a while) and keep it in the dark and it will turn to vinegar very quickly. The flavor is very, very good.

BTW: Don't be bothered by the sight of the disks of white colored Mother forming on the top... it won't hurt you. Just tighten the cap and shake it down to the bottom once in a while. Soon you will see a pile of it on the bottom of the container. When Mother of Vinegar stops forming on the top, then the process is complete and then you may tightly cap the bottle.

[DrAmy31415]

I make my own vinegar from apple cider.... it has a great flavor and is good for your health too. It is easy to make... just take fresh cider that has no preservatives in it and put it in a dark container and then add a little Mother of Vinegar from your last batch and cap it loosely. (pressure will build up if you cap it tightly) Make sure you let it get enough air (air out the bottle and shake it once in a while) and keep it in the dark and it will turn to vinegar very quickly. The flavor is very, very good.

BTW: Don't be bothered by the sight of the disks of white colored Mother forming on the top... it won't hurt you. Just tighten the cap and shake it down to the bottom once in a while. Soon you will see a pile of it on the bottom of the container. When Mother of Vinegar stops forming on the top, then the process is complete and then you may tightly cap the bottle.

Thanks, I may just have to try that.

How to start from scratch though? Where does one get "mother" vinegar? From a store-bought bottle?

[acptulsa]

Thanks, I may just have to try that.

Is that a homeopathic cure you're talking about? The AMA will get you for that!

You obviously need a remedial in Pharmaceutical Company Relations 101!

[Dr.3D]

Thanks, I may just have to try that.

How to start from scratch though? Where does one get "mother" vinegar? From a store-bought bottle?

You can buy some at most health food stores and some regular grocery stores.
I had a bottle of "BRAGG Raw Unfiltered Organic Apple Cider Vinegar with the Mother", I bought a while back and have been using the Mother from that ever since.

I have also noticed some orchards selling Apple Cider Vinegar with Mother. As long as the bottle says it has the Mother in it, then you have what you need. It has to be alive.

Typically, I will make a 3/4ths of a gallon of the stuff at a time. This leaves enough head room in the jug to let it breath. Remember though, keep the cap loose or it could explode from excess pressure. Of course when shaking it, tighten the cap.... then loosen it again after you are done.

EDIT: I like to use glass containers.

[DrAmy31415]

Is that a homeopathic cure you're talking about? The AMA will get you for that!

You obviously need a remedial in Pharmaceutical Company Relations 101!

I swear to the powers on high, that I will only use it on salads!*





*fingers crossed the whole time

[DrAmy31415]

You can buy some at most health food stores and some regular grocery stores.
I had a bottle of "BRAGG Raw Unfiltered Organic Apple Cider Vinegar with the Mother", I bought a while back and have been using the Mother from that ever since.

I have also noticed some orchards selling Apple Cider Vinegar with Mother. As long as the bottle says it has the Mother in it, then you have what you need. It has to be alive.

Typically, I will make a 3/4ths of a gallon of the stuff at a time. This leaves enough head room in the jug to let it breath. Remember though, keep the cap loose or it could explode from excess pressure. Of course when shaking it, tighten the cap.... then loosen it again after you are done.

EDIT: I like to use glass containers.

I'll have to take a trek down to ye olde co-op and browse their wares.

I have a bunch of special 2L Nalgene plastic bottles that don't leach anything, so I think I'll try with that first and make around 15-1700 mL to start with. Thanks for the info!

[Dr.3D]

I'll have to take a trek down to ye olde co-op and browse their wares.

I have a bunch of special 2L Nalgene plastic bottles that don't leach anything, so I think I'll try with that first and make around 15-1700 mL to start with. Thanks for the info!

Here is how another person does it, just in case you wish to use a different method.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5346.html

[dsentell]

UPDATE


I really appreciate all the information that everyone provided. I studied it all, and then some :)

My mother gardens and is outside a lot (so gets exercise and sun). She eats little meat (mostly fruits and veggies), eats little salt (only what she gets in prepared foods, does not even have a salt shaker at her house).

She had only been on pharmaceutical meds for a couple of months for high blood pressure and some type of med that was supposed to be "therapeutic" for her heart.

Much to my surprise, she was anxious to get off the meds and try homeopathic remedies. She went off the pharmaceuticals and is now taking:

Hawthorn Berry
Garlic
Co Q10 with L-Carnitine

It seemed to take a while for these to start having an effect on the blood pressure -- the first few days, her bp was running about 155/85.

But I am happy to say that she has been taking these over three weeks now and her blood pressure is running about 129/76!

We are hopeful that these supplements will be the answer for her!

[amy31416]

It seemed to take a while for these to start having an effect on the blood pressure -- the first few days, her bp was running about 155/85.

But I am happy to say that she has been taking these over three weeks now and her blood pressure is running about 129/76!

We are hopeful that these supplements will be the answer for her![/COLOR][/B]

That's fantastic!

Thanks for the update.

[Truth Warrior]

Eh, you don't need mints as long as the other people around you also have an equivalent amount of garlic. ;)

Well, I'd say that 75% of my posts are frivolous and about 50% of yours are. :)

Take this one for instance.

99.99999% and growing. :eek:
+ 1

[freelance]

Go to lef.org. These people back up EVERYTHING with scientific studies. In fact, it's because of them that I convinced my parents to STOP with the annual flu and pneumonia shots. They swore by both of those shots, and I talked them in to the 10-year pneumonia shot. I read all the info on LEF, and they were right. You have to go through hoops with your doctor, but your doctor WILL order it for you--IIRC, single does, no mercury!!! The very fact that doctors have to order it and don't stock it should tell you that it has merit.

Anyway, over the years, I've found their research very helpful. YMMV

[OptionsTrader]

Natural solution:
More predatory animals in our midst.

[Peace&Freedom]

Here'sa some notes I took in January of Gary Null's answer to a caller into his show on the subject of lowering blood pressure:

main factors---
-stress/cortisol
-sodium
-(animal) protein

get heartbeat down to 50 beats/min

good diet---
-vegan diet
-50 g fiber
-electrolytes (potassium, selenium)

suppl---
-calcium/magnesium citrate 1000mg
-potassium 500mg
-coQ10 300mg am, 300mg pm improves heart function
-coA -works with q10 for immune detox heart
-flaxseed oil, primrose oil, black currant oil 2000mg lowers bp
-garlic 5000mg
-l-arginine slows blood pressure
-l-carnitine 500mg, 3x/d transports fatty acid
-l glutamine/glutamic acid prevents heart attack
-vit e 600mg
-vit c 10-15g with
-quercetin 3-4g
-alpha lipoic acid 1000mg
-bromelian enzyme aids breakdown of fatty acids
-red yeast rice cholestrol lowers
-mittiake mushrooms, proibiotic enzymes

-herbs/6 glasses green jiuces - blood thinner/ prevents clotting (vegan diet)
-with cayenne, thimer, hawthorne, parsley, hops, valerian root, suma

-stress management

-de-enflame/rebalance body, build up immune, scan difference in heat between normal abnormal cells

[OptionsTrader]

I still say the most natual answer is predators...

[amy31416]

I still say the most natual answer is predators...

Great idea, take aging mom to zoo. Throw in lion pit. Problem solved.

I'd love to see yer medical practice, heh.

[Printo]

Lose weight, eat a low-fat healthy diet, exercise on a regular basis (about 40 minutes/day), don't smoke, try to avoid stressful situations.