High Blood Pressure Research: Fill & Download for Free

What causes high blood pressure (hypertension)?There are over 100 answers on Quora (and 276 collapsed answers).Of these, just two are substantially correct. All of the rest—yes, I read the lot—are either mostly wrong or grossly flawed. Below you’ll find out why.I have been researching high blood pressure and publishing on various aspects in the peer-reviewed literature for several decades. The short answer to “What causes high blood pressure?” is remarkably easy. It’s one word:SaltThe longer answer is a bit more complex, but before we explore this, we need to clear up one tiny issue. It concerns profit.The Salt Industry—a brief noteThe image of salt farmers above looks pretty benign—almost charming. The truth about the salt industry is slightly less so. Can you imagine how profitable it would be if you could impose a tax of about 0.4% on every mouthful of food eaten on the planet?Yes. Now have you heard of either EUsalt or the Salt Institute? Most people haven’t. The former is still going strong, but the Salt Institute seems to have shut down last year, leaving the following legacy :[1]“Over the years the Salt Institute has purposefully muddied the waters on sodium intake and health, going as far to say that Americans are eating just the right amount of sodium, a position rejected by virtually every health authority”The Salt Institute and the Tobacco Institute share more than just similar names. The Tobacco Institute was dissolved in 1998 when its repugnant nature became pretty obvious to all. The tobacco industry used to actively promote researchers who ‘showed’ that tobacco is ‘harmless’; the Salt Institute has done something similar for salt, for years. Now if I go to the EUsalt website and search for the single word ‘hypertension’ I get this:Exactly. Likewise for “high blood pressure”. Yet—apart from a few shills—researchers into high blood pressure are clear that salt is the main factor behind most high blood pressure. The WHO says that on average we take in twice as much as the maximum recommended amount.[2]As they say:An estimated 2.5 million deaths could be prevented each year if global salt consumption were reduced to the recommended level.Similar views are shared by the American Heart Association,[3] those smart people at Harvard[4], most European countries,[5] the Australian heart foundation,[6]and now even the Japanese.[7][8] Many other countries and expert groups concur.Different causes of high blood pressureThe salt industry will tell you that there are many causes of high blood pressure, but “most of the causes are unknown”—it’s ‘primary’, ‘essential’ or ‘idiopathic’. This is not true.The main cause of high blood pressure is too much sodium chloride.[9] It’s not just the sodium, the chloride is as important, possibly even more important. Perhaps one third of people will simply pee out the excess, but in the rest, blood pressure will rise over the years. Over two thirds of everyone will develop high blood pressure in their lifetime—and many will die from this, the #1 killer of people worldwide.There are several factors that assist this. There’s an unhealthy bond between eating far more salt than you need, not eating your vegetables, and gene trouble that limits how you pee out salt. You can fix two of these three factors.There are other causes of high blood pressure, but these are far less common. Just as excess salt causes high blood pressure, so does kidney disease—the other main cause—as this causes salt and water retention. There are uncommon disorders of the adrenal gland that similarly cause salt and water retention, and even a few less common conditions; other causes are things like consuming too much liquorice, which also causes salt and water retention. (Can you see the common thread?)Salt in the woundThe best way to sell a harmful product is to be economical with the truth. The Salt Institute has been so economical that it’s gone out of business (or more likely, devolved the spreading of misinformation and disinformation to others). But you’ll still often see statements like:“Salt is a vital substance, and too little can be harmful.”This is of course true—but then we start arguing about matters of degree. We humans are easily misled by details. The fact is, for the past several hundred thousand years, humans have got by just fine on less than a gram of salt a day. Today, we often eat ten times as much. We’ve got used to it.The main strength of the salt industry is that it’s difficult to change our ingrained behaviour—especially if pretty much everything we eat is salt laden. If I go to Subway and order a six-inch roasted garlic bread today, just the bun will have 867 mg of sodium*.[10]Here’s something you can do. Go to your local supermarket, and read the fine print on a can of tomatoes. On some, you’ll find that just the sodium in a can weighs over 500 mg*;[11] on others there’ll be a fairly paltry 40 mg or less[12] (Salt is not needed to preserve tomatoes, acidity is). The salt industry knows that the devil is in the details, so they will move mountains (of salt) to keep things murky and unclear. They don’t want to lose 90% of their profits.*To get the amount of salt, multiply the sodium by two-and-a-half (2.542, to be precise).How can we improve?It’s been well shown that even a moderate decrease in salt intake, combined with a multitude of fruits and veg will substantially lower your blood pressure—the equivalent of one or two blood pressure tablets, if done right. The DASH eating plan[13] has five times as much sodium as you need (2,300 mg) but is still healthier than a ‘normal’ diet.If you immediately go on a low-salt diet, your food will taste like cardboard. Promise. But if you cut right down slowly, and stick to it for six weeks, your tastebuds will adapt. Spices will actually start tasting spicier.There are other things you can do to help. Eating fruit and vegetables provides you with organic acids of potassium—good for blood pressure.You can also make others aware of the risks that are forced on them. A food labelling scheme like the one above helps.[14] Especially if it’s clear, and on the front of the pack.Why is everyone so confused?The salt industry has been remarkably successful in spreading confusion, as shown by the multitude of wrong answers on Quora.In some countries, there is a move towards clear labelling on all food that informs the consumer. The salt industry is of course dead against this. Let’s consult that EUsalt website again[15]:However, EUsalt members are concerned that FOP schemes distract consumers from looking for the comprehensive nutritional information provided on the back-of-pack (which actually empowers them to select foods and drinks that best suit their dietary and personal needs).Translated, what does this mean? Answer: they’re shit-scared that if consumers read the label and become aware of the “death in the pack”, their profits will dissipate. Oops!Let’s counter their bullshit. One good way to start is this: Where you read an article saying something like “salt is benign” or encounter someone espousing liberal salt intake, ask just one question:“Tell me about your sponsorship and conflict of interest…”You’ll be continually amazed as you dig out the answer!My 2c, Dr Jo.Note: In the above, I have no sponsorship nor do I have conflict of interest. Now ask this of chaps like Mike Alderman and his pals.[16] And look at the company they keep[17] :)Footnotes[1] The Salt Institute to dissolve[2] Salt reduction[3] Shaking the Salt Habit to Lower High Blood Pressure[4] The trouble with excess salt - Harvard Health[5] https://ec.europa.eu/health//sites/health/files/nutrition_physical_activity/docs/salt_report_en.pdf[6] Salt and heart health | The Heart Foundation [7] Relationship of household salt intake level with long-term all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality in Japan: NIPPON DATA80[8] JSH Statement: Tokyo declaration promoting salt reduction by the Japanese Society of Hypertension—the JSH Tokyo declaration[9] https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/368/bmj.m315.full.pdf[10] https://www.subway.com/-/media/New_Zealand/Documents/Nutritionals/NZ-Nutritional-Summary.pdf[11] Tomatoes, red, ripe, canned, stewed Nutrition Facts & Calories[12] Food Fight: Fresh Tomatoes v. Canned Tomatoes[13] DASH Eating Plan[14] Reading labels - Action on Salt[15] https://eusalt.com/_library/_files/210202_EUsalt_Position_paper_on_FOP_and_NutrientProfiles.pdf[16] The Salt Wars TRANSCRIPT - Gastropod[17] International Health Experts Take on Sodium

“Doctor, I have blood pressure and I take serpagandha, as you know allopathy medicines are toxic….” the middle aged lady announced emphatically.We live in an era of Evidence based Medicine (EBM) where “I think this medicine is good” doesn’t hold good any more. For any medication or therapy to work, we need the following1.A strong basis of its working explained by physiology and pharmacology.2. Proven in animal models.3. Tried and proven in large clinical studies (Trials)4. Reproducible results (Effects).5. Clear knowledge about its side effects.Any science that answers all these are acceptable to me (and anyone of us who believe in science).50 Years back rawolfia serpentina (sarpagandha plant) was used to treat high blood pressure in Ayurveda. It was good and it did work. After years of research, Chemists processed rawalfia, purified and extracted reserpine (the principal active chemical in Rawalfia) which became the leading antihypertensive tablet for the next decade. My mom used to take Adelphane (reserpine) tablets when I was young. Over the years we have understood the side effects of Reserpine like weight gain, depressive illness and edema (my mom had developed all three).Subsequently better drugs for hypertension were introduced (ACE inhibitors, ARBs, calcium antagonists,beta blockers and diuretics). These drugs have been tried systematically in thousands of patients for years time, their pharmaco-kinetics, blood levels and side effects clearly monitored. These drugs have also shown to reduce Stroke and heart attacks (more important than just reducing blood pressure values). Such data came out only when we used these drugs in thousands of patients in controlled trials. For one drug to reach the market, another 10 would have undergone similar rigorous trial and failed. With these newer drugs available today, we don’t use reserpine any more, because the new drugs are better, proven and safe.Ayurveda has some fantastic medications but we need to systematically research and take it forward.Till then sarpagandha for hypertension can wait. For my mom, and every other mom.

Though researchers may still be arguing, what we can focus on is our heart. Healthy heart, healthy blood pressure, for the most part. There are always exceptions. Live your life as heart healthy as you can by nutrition choices, excercise and minimizing stress.This is NOT something you want to ignore (especially when it can be treated). If you’re struggling with blood pressure take a look at this: Blood Pressure Exercises VSL cbFor those who are more visual learners, this should answer the question. ^Please also see our other videos on High Blood Pressure. 67 videos related to this topic has been uploaded on this channel.Some other commentsDo natural high blood pressure treatment like Hybetez Remedy really work and if so, how effective are they? We’ve heard many awesome things about this high blood pressure secret remedy.