Drug companies have lulled many Americans into a false sense of security about their health. But a study on high blood pressure shows that depending on drugs to control hypertension sometimes can spell disaster.
Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham found that during a six-year study, people who were ”successfully” treating their blood pressure by keeping it down – although those who were “successful” had to use three or more pharmaceuticals to do it – were still 2.5 times more likely to suffer a devastating stroke than people who didn’t do anything about their high blood pressure.
In other words, people who had lowered their blood pressure with drugs were still much worse off than those who don’t have their blood pressure treated at all.
The addition of each medication used to control blood pressure was shown to increase the risk of stroke during the study by 33 percent.
“You’re in as much trouble by the time you are on three medications that achieve excellent control as you are when you have hypertension and it is untreated, which is amazing,” says researcher George Howard. “We want to raise the issue that, despite great advances in a pharmaceutical approach, relying solely on this approach is going to come at a dear price of people’s lives.”
Well, perhaps Howard thinks it’s amazing, but given Big Pharma’s track record in treating chronic disease by merely masking its symptoms, the results of studies like this should come as no surprise.
In fact, as Howard admits, unless you get to the root cause of why somebody’s blood pressure is going up, coaxing it down with drugs won’t necessarily do any good.
Instead, you’re better off, and have a much lower chance of stroke, if you:
- Do moderate exercise every day.
- Keep your weight down.
- Consume less sodium in processed foods.
- Eat more fruits and vegetables.
In addition, Dr. Michael Cutler has written to you before about the wide range of dietary supplements that can also help keep your blood pressure down.
Don’t be bamboozled by a drug company’s marketing message that insists their over-priced pills can keep you healthy when your body is crying out for a lifestyle change. Natural methods beat lab-created chemicals just about every time.
