Hypertension - Global Cure without medicine!

March 28, 2006

Ayurveda neither mentions hypertension as disease, and author thinks

homeopathy too does not recognise it as disease. When certain

patients on anti-hypertensives (which were ineffective since systolic

BP in range 160-200) were brought in normal BP range without any

special BP medication, author wanted to investigate the matter.

Anti-hypertensive drugs represent one of the most lucrative product

sectors for the pharmaceuticals – and the fact that blood pressure

levels are reducing in industrialized countries suggests they are

effective too.

But a new WHO study has discovered that blood pressure levels are

declining among people who have never been prescribed a hypertensive –

and were falling across populations before the drugs were being so

readily prescribed!

This suggests that the family of antihypertensives is taking credit

for a phenomenon that is more down to lifestyle changes, such as

quitting smoking, and eating a healthier diet.

Despite this, antihypertensives – which include diuretics, ACE

inhibitors and beta channel blockers - account for 20 per cent of all

prescriptions made out by family doctors, an increase that began in

the mid-1990s when more and more antihypertensives were being

launched.

The WHO study monitored BP levels of around 23,000 people aged from

35 to 64 from 21 countries across four continents from 1985 to 1995.

Although BP levels fluctuated wildly from country to country, the

average level dropped by 2.2 mm Hg in men and by 3.3. mm Hg in women

over the 10 years. During the same period, antihypertensive

prescriptions rose by 11 per cent among people with high BP, and yet

their BP improved by the same amount as those who were not taking a

drug. Researchers reckoned that BP levels should have dropped by 19

mm Hg among those taking a drug if the medication was being effective.

Doctors should be doing more to encourage people with high BP to

adopt healthier lifestyles – and this alone should be enough to

improve the problem – without reaching for their prescription pads.

But will the drug companies be prepared to stand back and watch 20

per cent of their revenues suddenly disappear?

Source: British Medical Journal, 2006; 332: 629-32

Recommended Posts