High blood pressure is called the silent killer, because often no symptoms show for many years, until stroke or cardiovascular problems occur. The incidence of both of these types of problem is greatly increased in individuals with high blood pressure.

There is a term "essential hypertension" which means that the cause is not definitely known. This applies to over 90% of cases. In only 6% or so is hypertension secondary to another disease. There are, however, a number of factors that are known to be responsible for the condition, and they should all be addressed if blood pressure is to be normalised. We will list these in what we consider to be the order of importance; most important first.

Dietary factors

In our opinion, their importance is overwhelming compared to the others. Overuse of caffeine, sugar, refined foods and hydrogenated fats, and under-consumption of foods rich in potassium, magnesium and calcium such as fruit and green vegetables are important factors. This is because a shortage of these minerals can cause spasms in muscles, including those lining the arteries. This restricts blood flow. Under-consumption of fibre (root vegetables, whole grains, pulses) and of essential fats contained in seeds, nuts and fish, also contributes.

Others

¨      Smoking is bad in many respects.

¨      Exercise: lack of exercise elevates body weight, stress and blood pressure.

¨      Weight: extra weight tends to increase blood pressure.

¨      Stress: May increase blood pressure, but not greatly if the other factors are right.

¨      Atherosclerosis, or furring up of the arteries, causes narrowing, which means that the blood has to be pumped harder to force its way through.

What to Do

A)    Diet: Follow the dietary guidelines outlined above.

B)     Exercise: Gradually increase until you can exercise reasonably vigorously for half an hour at a time.

C)  Supplements

¨    Magnesium: preferably the citrate form; up to 500mg per day.

¨    Calcium: preferably citrate; up to 1000mg per day.

¨    Coenzyme Q10: is essential for cellular energy production, and is often found to be deficient in people with cardiovascular problems including hypertension; up to 100mg or more per day.

¨    Essential fatty acids: the two types found in vegetable oils (safflower or evening primrose) and fish oils can lower blood pressure.

D)    Herbal aids

¨    Hawthorn: The types of bioflavonoids in this herb have powerful antioxidant effects and have been found to improve artery wall elasticity, thereby reducing blood pressure.

¨    Garlic: Garlic tablets of decent strength can reduce blood fats and help make blood less sticky, and may reduce blood pressure by 10-20 mmHg.

¨    Gingko Biloba; has vaso-dilatory effects.

¨    Coleus forskohlii: Has similar effects to hawthorn; a combination works very well.

E)    Another aid

A remarkable new supplement, serrapeptase, can, among other functions, clear plaque from artery walls, thus reducing blood pressure.

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