• Is It Time To Replace Blood Pressure Drugs With Nutraceuticals? One Doctor Thinks So

    Posted April 30, 2014: by Bill Sardi

    The April issue of Pharmacy & Therapeutics offers a wonderful interview with Mark Houston MD regarding nutrition and nutraceuticals to replace prescription drugs.  Dr. Houston summarizes hypertension as a battle between angiotensin II and nitric oxide, the former promoting excessive constriction of blood vessels with accompanying inflammation and arterial plaque and the latter being its antithesis, dilating blood vessels, inhibiting blood clots and controlling blood pressure. [Pharmacy & Therapeutics, April 2014]

    Some of this report may be better understood by physicians versed in the medical language, but the list of nutraceuticals that can potentially replace anti-hypertensive drugs is priceless.

    Dr. Houston stratifies patients by whether they have high blood plasma renin levels, which is the enzyme that produces high angiotensin II levels.  Low renin levels, which represents about 30% of hypertensive patients according to Dr. Houston, is treated with agents that create more blood volume.  Dr. Houston also stratifies patients by whether their blood pressure drops at night during sleep or not.  Melatonin is the only agent that Dr. Houston has found to work to normalize blood pressure among patients whose blood pressure does not dip at night.

    Dr. Houston obtains a blood test to determine the nutrient level in white blood cells (lymphocytes) and attempts to counterbalance any nutritional imbalances which he claims is usually therapeutic within 3-6 months.  He advises physicians to review the nutrients that medications deplete.  A paper published by Dr. Houston in 2010 claims that 62% of hypertensive patients undergoing a regimen of exercise, diet, weight management and corrective nutraceuticals along with tapering of their medications achieved control of their blood pressure. [Therapeutic Advances Cardiovascular Disease June 2010]

    Dr. Houston underscores the economic implications of a diet/nutraceutical approach to high blood pressure given the US spend ~$20 billion a year on drugs to control this condition.  Dr. Houston claims diet and nutrition approach to hypertension could save ~$12.4 billion a year.  Give your blood vessels a rest with Dr. Houston’s approach to hypertension.  — ©2014 Bill Sardi, Knowledge of Health, Inc.

    Posted in Dietary Supplements ; No Comments »

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.