High Blood Pressure
Traditional medicine has a variety of drugs that treat high blood pressure, including families of drugs called ACE inhibitors, Beta Blockers, Calcium channel blockers and diuretics. It seems there is variation in which of these drugs doctors choose, and often they may choose 2 or 3 of the classes of drugs. And often that doesn’t normalize blood pressure ideally. I have seen people on two or more meds with ongoing unregulated blood pressure. What is happening in these people, who’s care is basically an experiment at that point, is anyone’s guess.
ACE inhibitors: Block an enzyme called angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) that releases two main chemicals that can affect blood pressure, a vasoconstrictor called angiotensin II, and a hormone called aldosterone. Since these chemicals are manufactured in the kidneys and adrenals, when they work properly, I would suggest you reset your adrenals, and/or detoxify your kidneys. There you have your natural health care treatment. If your kidneys are not metabolizing properly, you will often see a rise in uric acid in the blood. (see OptiChem LABs) If your adrenals are struggling you will see a change in daily cortisol and DHEA levels (see ASI LABs). Fix either of those, and you may avoid a lifetime of ACE inhibition drugs.
Beta Blockers: These drugs block the stimulation of adrenaline receptors. Yes, that’s the same adrenaline released from stress or fear. Adrenaline is a hormone released from the adrenal glands. It will cause a blood vessel narrowing as a result of the neurological effect of the “fight or flee” reaction. So either you are constantly in danger, or if not, your adrenals are messed up again. (see ASI in LABs).
Diuretics: I included this one next because it is involved with the adrenals and kidneys again. These organs/glands regulate the retention of sodium and water. So if you hold on to too much sodium, you hold on to too much water, and that swells the blood vessels. So, perhaps the vessels aren’t stressed and narrowing, but there is just too much water to hold. A diuretic pushes water out of the kidneys (you urinate a lot) to remove the volume of water in your blood. Why not just drink a couple beer, I know that makes me urinate! In natural health care, we do not advise either. We again would work on the system that regulates fluid retention: the kidneys and adrenals.
Calcium Channel Blockers: This drug category blocks the transfer of calcium in and out of smooth muscle, which is what contracts and relaxes those tissues. Blood vessels are smooth muscle. So it sort of paralyzes the blood vessels ability to contract. That seems a bit dramatic, but if your blood pressure is dangerously high, you might be inclined to take this while you eat lots and lots of the natural calcium channel blocker, magnesium, and/or check for heavy metal exposure (see Toxic Metal Analysis LABs).
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