Hypertension (high blood pressure) is a serious health problem. It affects over a billion people around the world. It is the leading cause of cardiac-related deaths.
Doctors prescribe a variety of medicines to treat hypertension. However, the cause of high blood pressure is not well understood. That is why medical treatment might use several different options to lower blood pressure.
One of the first options is a diuretic. It thins the blood to reduce pressure. However, thinning the blood might not always work. After changing the dosage rates of a diuretic medicine, blood pressure might not be controlled. Another drug, in addition to the diuretic, may have to be given.
Side effects from one drug are bad enough. Side effects from multiple drugs are far worse. Especially if this drug combo must be taken for the rest of your life. Approximately 75% of patients end up on multiple drugs because their blood pressure cannot be controlled by a single drug. Remember, your doctor is only treating the symptom, not the cause.
One type of drug used for hypertension is called an angiotensin II receptor blocker. Another drug is called ACE, angiotensin converting enzyme, inhibitor. A third drug used often in concert with an ACE inhibitor is a calcium channel blocker. All these drugs have serious health side effects.
Extracts from olive tree leaves act as a natural ACE. Studies have proved that it can reduce high blood pressure. A recent study compared olive leaf extract against the ACE inhibitor drug, captopril, in patients with Stage I hypertension. The results were very close. Olive leaf extract also showed a fifteen percent improvement in insulin sensitivity and a twenty-eight percent improvement in pancreatic response to blood sugar.
Celery seed extract is a natural calcium channel blocker. Studies have shown it to be nearly as effective as olive leaf extract in lowering blood pressure. Don’t increase your consumption of celery and think it will help. It takes about 530 stalks of celery to equal the equivalent amount of celery seed extract given to patients over a six-week timed trial.
One significant benefit, other than no side effects, is that olive leaf extract and celery seed extract do not reduce the blood flow to the brain. Prescription ACE inhibitors and calcium channel blockers leave patients feeling tired, depressed, dizzy and forgetful.
Don’t change your medicines without checking with your physician. Always consult your doctor if you are considering additional options to your current medical program. If you don’t have a blood pressure monitor at home, please consider getting one. Test your blood pressure frequently, especially if you have marginally high blood pressure.
The ideal blood pressure should be 115/75 mm Hg. If your blood pressure exceeds 139/89 mm Hg, you should consult your doctor. High blood pressure is a serious problem that cannot be left untreated.
