Hypertension
Could you tell us how to take a more natural approach to hypertension?
With hypertension or high blood pressure, the heart must work harder to pump sufficient oxygen-rich blood around the body. This condition is among the top risk factors for heart disease and, if left untreated, it can lead to a stroke or kidney problems.
In cases of high blood pressure, vitamin C has been shown to reduce the production of thromboxane - a vasoconstrictor which has been implicated in the formation of plaque deposits - and taking vitamin C, together with one of the bioflavanoids which work in the body to enhance its activity is the single most important thing you can do.
The old Recommended Daily Allowances or RDAs have been replaced now by Reference Nutrient Intakes (RNIs). In the UK, the new RNI for vitamin C is a ludicrously low 40mg. Last year, American researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston said women should take at least 75mg of vitamin C, while men needed to increase their daily dose to 90mg.
Again, these are the minimum dosages you need to take if you are well and want to stay that way. If you are already sick or elderly, you need to take more of this vitamin which the body cannot store. Take 1-2g a day but stay within the upper limit of 2g after which the side-effects can include severe diarrhoea.
Simple dietary changes will also help. Cutting back on sugar and increasing the fruit and vegetable content of your diet can effect a dramatic drop in blood pressure and in older sufferers, a 12-week programme of gentle but effective Tai Chi exercising was shown to be almost as effective as a sweaty aerobic workout
Finally, the body needs an amino acid called arginine to make nitric oxide which, in turn, allows blood vessels to dilate leading to reduced blood pressure. You take this in supplement form (take 2g three times as day) as L-arginine which, by the way, also has a fearsome reputation as a serious enhancer of sexual performance in men.