1

Doctor You: Natural Approachesto Lowering High Blood Pressure

Become your own doctor: Doctor You

Doctor You, Inc.

Published By:Sand 2 Pirls, Inc.

1010 West 6th StreetBenicia, CA 94510

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or trans-mitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any informations storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

Copyright © 2011 By Doctor You, Inc.ISBN: 1-891287-12-5

Please Note:

The information offered in this eBook is based on peer-reviewed scientific studies and patient testimonials. This eBook is intended for education only. In applying this information to your specific health condition / s you assume all responsibility for its use. Doctor You, Inc. is not advising you how to address your health issue / s, but rather providing you with information on which you may base your decisions.

The point of Doctor You is for you to become knowledgeable regarding how to care for your own health, and this eBook is intended to facilitate your pursuit of that knowledge.

2Doctor You: Recovering from Hypertension Naturally

Videos are available with this book, and we recommend that you watch the videos as you begin learning about your options for dealing with hypertension. Although you may find some repetition, the videos will help you process the information in this book and we strongly suggest that you watch them.

Introduction

Do we have to age? We can’t prevent time from going by, but we can act in ways that rejuvinate our bodies and slow the aging process.

One of the most common ailments of mature people is hypertension, or high blood pressure. High blood pressure is hard on all body systems, especially the circulatory system, kidneys and eyes. Stroke is one of the significant causes of death in the US. The potential complications of high blood pressure are many and varied, and include:

Damaged blood vessels, as well as organs in your body. The higher your blood pressure and the longer it goes uncontrolled, the greater the dam-age.

Heart attack or stroke. High blood pressure can cause hardening and thickening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), which can lead to a heart attack, stroke or other complications.

Aneurysm. Increased blood pressure can cause your blood vessels to weaken and bulge, forming an aneurysm. If an aneurysm ruptures, it can be life-threatening.

3

Heart failure. To pump blood against the higher pressure in your vessels, your heart muscle thickens. Eventually, the thickened muscle may have a hard time pumping enough blood to meet your body’s needs, which can lead to heart failure.

Weakened and narrowed blood vessels in your kidneys. This can prevent these organs from functioning normally.

Thickened, narrowed or torn blood vessels in the eyes. This can even result in vision loss.

Metabolic syndrome. This syndrome is a cluster of disorders of your body’s metabolism — including increased waist circumference, high triglycerides, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good,” cho-lesterol, high blood pressure, and high insulin levels. If you have high blood pressure, you’re more likely to have other components of meta-bolic syndrome. The more components you have, the greater your risk of developing diabetes, heart disease or stroke.

Trouble with memory or understanding. Uncontrolled high blood pres-sure also may affect your ability to think, remember and learn. Trouble with memory or understanding concepts is more common in people who have high blood pressure.

High blood pressure is a common condition in which the force of the blood against your artery walls is high enough that it may eventually cause health problems, such as heart disease. Blood pressure is deter-mined by the amount of blood your heart pumps and the amount of resistance to blood flow in your arteries. The more blood your heart pumps and the narrower your arteries, the higher your blood pressure. You can have high blood pressure (hypertension) for years without any

4symptoms.

High blood pressure typically develops over many years, and it affects nearly everyone eventually. Fortunately, high blood pressure can be eas-ily detected through the use of a blood pressure cuff. These cuffs can be purchased reasonably inexpensively and easily used at home.

Addressing high blood pressure is crucial—and possible. The most commonly recommended means to lowering blood pressure is prescrip-tion drugs, but the side effects of these drugs are significant, including decreased libido and depression. High blood pressure medications can sometimes prevent your circulatory system from efficiently delivering needed oxygen to all parts of the body.

Following some Doctor You suggestions should be able to help you manage your blood pressure without these drugs and their negative side effects.

Symptoms of High Blood Pressure

Most people with high blood pressure have no signs or symptoms, even if blood pressure readings reach dangerously high levels. This is why hy-pertension is sometimes called “the silent killer”. Although a few people with early-stage high blood pressure may have dull headaches, dizzy spells or a few more nosebleeds than normal, these signs and symptoms usually don’t occur until high blood pressure has reached a severe or even life-threatening level.

Typically blood pressure is measured at most doctor visits, and even some dental visits. White coat syndrome can cause false high readings, so blood pressure should be measured several times and in different settings before a conclusion is reached that blood pressure is too high. If

5you are concerned about your blood pressure, purchasing a blood pres-sure cuff to measure it at home may be worthwhile.

Typical Causes of High Blood Pressure

There are two types of high blood pressure and each has a different set of potential causes. One type is called primary (essential) hypertension. This type tends to develop gradually over many years and causes are mostly linked to lifestyle. A diet with lots of sugar, fatty foods and salt can contribute to high blood pressure—as can the obesity that results from such a diet.

Secondary hypertension is caused by an underlying condition and tends to appear suddenly and cause higher blood pressure than primary hyper-tension does. Some conditions and medications that can lead to second-ary hypertension are

Kidney problems

Adrenal gland tumors

Certain defects in blood vessels you’re born with (congenital)

Certain medications, such as birth control pills, cold remedies, decon-gestants, over-the-counter pain relievers and some prescription drugs

Illegal drugs, such as cocaine and amphetamines

There are risk factors identified for high blood pressure. Those with the following characteristics are more likely to have difficulty with high blood pressure:

Age. The risk of high blood pressure increases as you age. Through early middle age, high blood pressure is more common in men.

6

Women are more likely to develop high blood pressure after menopause.

Race. High blood pressure is particularly common among blacks, often developing at an earlier age than it does in whites. Serious complica-tions, such as stroke and heart attack, also are more common in blacks.

Family history. High blood pressure tends to run in families.

Being overweight or obese. The more you weigh, the more blood you need to supply oxygen and nutrients to your tissues. As the volume of blood circulated through your blood vessels increases, so does the pres-sure on your artery walls.

Not being physically active. People who are inactive tend to have higher heart rates. The higher your heart rate, the harder your heart must work with each contraction — and the stronger the force on your arteries. Lack of physical activity also increases the risk of being overweight, which increases the likelihood that someone will suffer from high blood pressure.

Using tobacco. Not only does smoking or chewing tobacco immediately raise your blood pressure temporarily, but the chemicals in tobacco can damage the lining of your artery walls. This can cause your arteries to narrow, increasing your blood pressure. Secondhand smoke can also increase your blood pressure.

 

Too much salt (sodium) in your diet. Too much sodium in your diet can cause your body to retain fluid, which increases blood pressure.

7Too little potassium in your diet. Potassium helps balance the amount of sodium in your cells. If you don’t get enough potassium in your diet or retain enough potassium, you may accumulate too much sodium in your blood.

Too little vitamin D in your diet. It’s uncertain if having too little vitamin D in your diet can lead to high blood pressure. Vitamin D may affect an enzyme produced by your kidneys that affects your blood pres-sure.

Drinking too much alcohol. Over time, heavy drinking can damage your heart. Having more than two or three drinks in a sitting can also temporarily raise your blood pressure, as it may cause your body to release hormones that increase your blood flow and heart rate.

Stress. High levels of stress can lead to a temporary, but dramatic, in-crease in blood pressure. If you try to relax by eating more, using tobac-co or drinking alcohol, you may only increase problems with high blood pressure. Instead, try exercising, listening to music or a pleasing hobby.

Certain chronic conditions. Certain chronic conditions also may increase your risk of high blood pressure, including high cholesterol, diabetes, kidney disease and sleep apnea.

Sometimes pregnancy contributes to high blood pressure, as well, par-ticularly when the expectant mother is overweight to begin with.

Although high blood pressure is most common in adults, children may be at risk, too. For some children, high blood pressure is caused by prob-lems with the kidneys or heart. Historically young people have not had difficulty with high blood pressure, but for a growing number of kids, poor lifestyle habits like an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise contrib-

8ute to high blood pressure.

Diagnosing High Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is measured with an inflatable arm cuff and a pressure-measuring gauge. A blood pressure reading, given in millimeters of mer-cury (mm Hg), has two numbers. The first, or upper, number measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats (systolic pressure). The second, or lower, number measures the pressure in your arteries between beats (diastolic pressure).

Blood pressure measurements fall into four general categories:

Normal: below 120/80 mm Hg

Prehypertension: Systolic pressure ranging from 120 to 139 mm Hg or a diastolic pressure ranging from

80 to 89 mm Hg

Stage 1 hypertension: Systolic pressure ranging from 140 to 159 mm Hg or a diastolic pressure

ranging from 90 to 99 mm Hg

Stage 2 hypertension: Systolic pressure of 160 mm Hg or higher or a diastolic pressure of 100 mm Hg or higher.

Both numbers in a blood pressure reading are important., but after age 50 the systolic reading is even more significant. Isolated systolic hyper-tension in which diastolic pressure is normal but systolic pressure is high

9is the most common type of high blood pressure among people older than 50.

Conventional (Drug) Treatments

There are several forms of drug treatment: diuretics, beta blockers, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, calcium channel blockers, renin inhibitors and vasodilators. This list will give you an idea how each of them works:

Diuretics, sometimes called “water pills,” are medications that act on your kidneys to help your body eliminate sodium and water, reducing blood volume

Beta blockers. These medications reduce the workload on your heart and open your blood vessels, causing your heart to beat slower and with less force. When prescribed alone, beta blockers don’t work as well in blacks or in the elderly, but they may be effective when combined with a thiazide diuretic.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. These medications help relax blood vessels by blocking the formation of a natural chemical that narrows blood vessels.

Angiotensin II receptor blockers. These medications help relax blood vessels by blocking the action of a natural chemical that narrows blood vessels.

Calcium channel blockers. These medications help relax the muscles of your blood vessels. Some slow your heart rate. Calcium channel block-ers may work better for blacks and older adults than do ACE inhibitors

10or beta blockers alone. A word of caution for grapefruit lovers who take this drug. Grapefruit juice interacts with some calcium channel block-ers, increasing blood levels of the medication and putting you at higher risk of side effects. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you’re concerned about interactions.

Renin inhibitors. Aliskiren (Tekturna) slows down the production of renin, an enzyme produced by your kidneys that starts a chain of chemi-cal steps that increases blood pressure. Tekturna works by reducing the ability of renin to begin this process.

Vasodilators. These medications work directly on the muscles in the walls of your arteries, preventing the muscles from tightening and your arteries from narrowing.

While they may be effective, all of these drugs have inherent side effects. They work by altering natural body chemistry. A more natural approach will be safer, and have a broader positive effect.

These lifestyle changes are the first line of a more natural approach to lowering blood pressure:

Smoking is particularly injurious for people with hypertension. The combination of hypertension and smoking greatly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease–related sickness and death. All people with high blood pressure need to quit smoking.

Consumption of more than about three alcoholic beverages per day appears to increase blood pressure. Whether one or two drinks per day meaningfully increases blood pressure remains unclear.

11Daily exercise can lower blood pressure significantly. A 12-week pro-gram of Chinese T’ai Chi was reported to be almost as effective as aero-bic exercise in lowering blood pressure. Progressive resistance exercise (e.g., weight lifting) also appears to help reduce blood pressure. At the same time, blood pressure has been known to increase significantly dur-ing the act of lifting heavy weights; for this reason, people with sharply elevated blood pressure, especially those with cardiovascular disease, should approach heavy strenuous resistance exercise with caution. In general, people over 40 years of age should consult with their doctors before starting any exercise regimen.

Most people with high blood pressure are overweight. Weight loss low-ers blood pressure significantly in those who are both overweight and hypertensive. In fact, reducing body weight by as little as ten pounds can lead to a significant reduction in blood pressure. Weight loss appears to have a stronger hypotensive effect than dietary salt restriction.

Altered Eating Habits Can Help

Add some fiber to your diet. Several studies have shown that adding around 7 grams of fiber per day to the diet reduces blood pressure.

Fry with good oils Frying with more stable oils (such as olive oil) does not appear to increase high blood pressure risk, unlike cooking with unstable oils such as sunflower, corn, canola, and flaxseed.

Limit sugar. Some doctors recommend that people with high blood pressure eat less sugar, as it has been reported to increase blood pressure in short-term trials.

Try a vegetarian diet Vegetarians have lower blood pressure than meat eaters, partly because fruits and vegetables contain potassium—a known

12blood pressure–lowering mineral.

Try some tomato In one study, supplementing with a tomato extract significantly lowered blood pressure in people with hypertension.

Cut back on coffee In some studies, coffee drinking has led to small increases in blood pressure. Many doctors tell people with high blood pressure to avoid caffeinated products.

Avoid using too much table salt, limit salty fast foods, and read labels to find low-sodium foods in

your grocery store.

Try a hypoallergenic diet In one study, people with migraines who also had high blood pressure experienced a significant drop in blood pressure when put on a hypoallergenic diet.

Additional Suggestions

A specific chiropractic adjustment has been shown to produce a sus-tained reduction in blood pressure that was equivalent to that produced by two blood pressure-lowering medications.

Anxiety in men (but not women) has been linked to development of hypertension. Several research groups have also shown a relationship between job strain and high blood pressure in men. Some researchers have tied blood pressure specifically to suppressed aggression.

Although some kind of relationship between stress and high blood pres-

13sure appears to exist, the effects of treatment for stress remain controver-sial. An analysis of 26 trials reported that reductions in blood pressure caused by biofeedback or meditation were no greater than those seen with placebo.15 Though some stress management interventions have not been helpful in reducing blood pressure, those trials that have re-ported promising effects have used combinations of yoga, biofeedback, and/or meditation.

Preliminary laboratory studies in animals and humans suggest that acu-puncture may help regulate blood pressure. Most but not all preliminary trials also suggest that acupuncture may be an effective way to

lower blood pressure. Whether blood pressure goes back up after acu-puncture is discontinued remains an unsettled question.

Auricular (ear) acupressure has been reported to be an effective treat-ment for hypertension, though in one case the improvement was not significantly better than use of traditional herbal medicines.

Supplements for Lowering Blood Pressure

Coenzyme Q10 100 mg BID ] Taking coenzyme Q10 may have a sig-nificant impact on blood pressure

Fish Oil 3 to 15 grams daily omega-3 fatty acids  EPA and DHA, the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil, have been repeatedly shown to lower blood pressure.

Pycnogenol 100 to 200 mg per day Pycnogenol has been shown to reduce systolic blood pressure in people with mild hypertension.

14Soy 10 grams soy protein or 16 ounces soy milk BID Supplementing with soy protein may significantly lower blood pressure. Try to get non-GMO soy.

Asteraceae 15 to 20 drops of an herbal tincture BID In one trial, people with mild hypertension who took a tincture of Achillea wilhelmsii experienced significant reductions in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Calcium 800 to 1,500 mg daily Calcium supplementation has been shown to lower blood pressure in people with hypertension.

Garlic 600 to 900 mg of a daily herbal extract Taking garlic may im-prove heart and blood vessel health and may help lower blood pressure.

Hawthorn 1,200 mg per day of an herbal extract standardized to 2.2% flavonoids Hawthorn leaf and flower extracts have been reported to have a mild blood pressure–lowering effect.

Magnesium 350 to 500 mg daily Taking magnesium may lower blood pressure, especially in people who are taking potassium-depleting di-uretics.

Melatonin Take under medical supervision: 2 mg daily of sustained-released supplment at night  [2 stars] For people with nighttime hyper-tension, supplementing with melatonin may reduce nighttime systolic blood pressure.

Olive Leaf Refer to label instructions  Olive leaf has been used tradi-tionally to treat people with hypertension. In animal studies a constitu-ent of olive leaf has decreased blood pressure and dilated arteries sur-rounding the heart when given by injection.

15

Vitamin D (Vitamin D Deficiency) 800 IU daily In one trial, women with low blood levels of vitamin D who were given calcium supplement plus vitamin D experienced significantly reduced systolic blood pres-sure.

 

Vitamin E 200 IU daily In a study of people with high blood pressure, vitamin E was significantly more

effective than placebo at reducing both systolic and diastolic blood pres-sure.

Arginine Refer to label instructions The amino acid arginine is needed by the body to make nitric oxide, a substance that allows blood vessels to dilate, thus reducing blood pressure. Arginine given orally and IV has been reported to help reduce blood pressure. See also Proargi-9.

Coleus Refer to label instructions Forskolin, the active ingredient in Coleus forskohlii, has lowered

blood pressure in a trial with people suffering from cardiomyopathy.

Indian Snakeroot Refer to label instructions  Indian snakeroot contains powerful alkaloids that affect

blood pressure. It has been used traditionally to treat hypertension, especially when associated with stress and anxiety.

L-Tryptophan Refer to label instructions  The brain chemical serotonin may affect blood pressure regulation, and animal research suggests its precursur L-tryptophan may help prevent and manage hypertension.

Mistletoe Refer to label instructions  European mistletoe has reduced headaches and dizziness associated with high blood pressure, according

16to preliminary research, and has a small blood pressure-lowering effect.

Onion Refer to label instructions Onion may have a mild blood pres-sure-lowering effect, according to

preliminary research.

Reishi Refer to label instructions One trial reported that reishi mush-rooms significantly lowered blood pressure.

Taurine Refer to label instructions Research has found that supplement-ing with taurine lowers blood pressure in people, possibly by reducing levels of the hormone epinephrine (adrenaline)

Vitamin C Refer to label instructions   Some doctors recommend that people with hypertenstion supplement with vitamin C, which has been found to have a blood pressure–lowering effect.

Proargi-9 Plus A simple way to supplement to promote lowered blood pressure and general circulatory health is Proargi-9 Plus, a supplement that combines L-Arginine and other beneficial natural substances in an easy-to-take, patented formula that is proven very effective in lowering blood pressure.

Technical Therapies

Each of these is an electronic device used in the drug-free treatment of high blood pressure. They have been used with great success by many people. See videos for more information on each.

17Cardio Grip

Squeezing grips connected to an electronic monitor is thought to relax the autonomic nervous system, improve artery health, and increase natural production of nitric oxide.

Respirate

By breathing while monitored by this device for 15 minutes a few days per week, blood pressure can be significantly reduced with no drugs.

Z Strong

By attaching clips to acupuncture points on the ears blood pressure is naturally regulated and decreased.

References

Narkiewicz K, Maraglino G, Biasion T, et al. Interactive effect of ciga-rettes and coffee on daytime systolic blood pressure in patients with mild essential hypertension. J Hypertens 1995;13:965–70.

Keil U, Liese A, Filipiak B, et al. Alcohol, blood pressure and hyperten-sion. Novartis Round Symp 1998;216:125–44 [review].

Kukkonen K, Rauramaa R, Voutilainene E, Lansimies E. Physical train-ing of middle-aged men with borderline hypertension. Ann Clin Res 1982;14(Suppl 34):139–45.

18

Young DR, Appel LG, Jee SH, Miller ER III. The effect of aerobic exercise and T’ai Chi on blood pressure in older people: results of a randomized trial. J Am Geriatr Soc 1999;47:277–84.

Kelley GA, Kelley KS. Progressive resistance exercise and resting blood pressure. A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Hypertension 2000;35:838–43.

Alderman MH. Nonpharmacologic approaches to the treatment of hypertension. Lancet 1994;334:307–11 [review].

Stevens VJ, Obarzanek E, Cook NR, et al. Long-term weight loss and changes in blood pressure: results of the Trials of Hypertension Preven-tion, Phase II. Ann Intern Med 2001;134:1–11.

He J, Whelton PK, Appel LJ, et al. Long-term effects of weight loss and dietary sodium reduction on incidence of hypertension. Hypertension 2000;35:544–9.

G Bakris, M Dickholtz, P M Meyer, et al. Journal of Human Hyperten-sion 21, 347-52; doi:10.1038/sj.jhh.1002133

Markovitz JH, Matthews KA, Kannel WB, et al. Psychological pre-dictors of hypertension in the Framingham Study. Is there tension in hypertension?JAMA 1993;270:2439–43.

Schnall PL, Schwartz JE, Landesbergis PA, et al. Relation between job strain, alcohol, and ambulatory blood pressure. Hypertension 1992;19:488–94.

19

Matthews KA, Cottington EM, Talbott E, et al. Stressful work condi-tions and diastolic blood pressure among blue collar factory workers. Am J Epidemiol 1987;126:280–91.

Pickering TG. Does psychological stress contribute to the development of hypertension and coronary heart disease? Eur J Clin Pharmacol 1990;39(Suppl 1):S1–S7.

Perini C, Müller FB, Bühler FR. Suppressed aggression accelerates early development of essential hypertension. J Hypertens 1991;9:499–503.

Eisenberg DM, Delbanco TL, Berkey CS, et al. Cognitive behavioral techniques for hypertension: are they effective? Ann Intern Med 1993;118:964–72.

Irvine MJ, Logan AG. Relaxation behavior therapy as sole treatment for mild hypertension. Psychosomatic Med 1991;53:587–97.

Johnston DW, Gold A, Kentish J, et al. Effect of stress management on blood pressure in mild primary hypertension. BMJ 1993;306:963–6.

Patel CH. Yoga and bio-feedback in the management of hypertension. Lancet 1973;2:1973–5.

Schneider RH, Staggers F, Alexander C, et al. A randomized controlled trial of stress reduction for hypertension in older African Americans. Hypertension 1995;26:820–9.

20Patel C, Marmot MG, Terry DJ, et al. Trial of relaxation in reducing coronary risk: four year follow up.

BMJ 1985;290:1103–6.

Lee HS, Kim JY. Effects of acupuncture on blood pressure and plasma renin activity in two-kidney one clip goldblatt hypertensive rats. Am J Chin Med 1994;22:215–9.

Chiu YJ, Chi A, Reid IA. Cardiovascular and endocrine effects of acupuncture in hypertensive patients. Clin Exper Hypertens 1997;19:1047–63.

Peng L, Feng-yen S, An-zhong Z. The effect of acupuncture on blood pressure: the interrelation of sympathetic activity and endogenous opi-oid peptides. Acupunct Electrother Res 1983;8:45–56.

Zhou Y, Wang Y, Fang Z, et al. Influence of acupuncture on blood pressure, contents of NE, DA and 5-HT of SHR and the interrelation between blood pressure and whole blood viscosity. Chen Tzu Yen Chiu 1995;20:55–61 [in Chinese].

Radzievsky SA, Lebedeva OD, Fisenko LA, Majskaja SA. Function of myocardial contraction and relaxation in essential hypertension in dynamics of acupuncture therapy. Am J Chin Med 1989;17:111–7.

Williams T, Mueller K, Cornwall MW. Effect of acupuncture-point stimulation on diastolic blood pressure in hypertensive subjects: a pre-liminary study. Phys Ther 1991;71:523–9.

Weihai Y, Hongxu L. Clinical observation on the immediate hypoten-

21sive effect of zanzhu point. J Tradit Chin Med 1996;16:273–4.

Utsunomiya N, Shigematsu Y, Ikeda K, et al. Fall in high blood pressure after applying acupuncture to SHR. Jpn Heart J 1978;19:594.

Yiping Z, Qiong C, Zhengming H, Yinong C. Experimental research on treatment of hypertension with acupuncture. J Tradit Chin Med 1993;13:277–80.

Tam K-C, Yiu H-H. The effect of acupuncture on essential hyperten-sion. Am J Chin Med 1975;3:369–75.

Kraft K, Coulon S. Effect of a standardized acupuncture treatment on complains, blood pressure and serum lipids of hypertensive, postmeno-pausal women. A randomized, controlled clinical study. Forsch Kom-plementarmed 1999;6:74–9 [in German].

Rongxing Z, Yanhua Z, Lu Y. Hypotensive effect of ototherapy in rela-tion to symptomatic and dispositional types of patients. J Tradit Chin Med 1992;12:124–8.

Kangmei C, Shulian Z, Ying Z. Clinical application of traditional auric-uloacupoint therapy (continued). J Tradit Chin Med 1993;13:152–4.

Rongxing Z, Yanhua Z, Jialiang W, et al. Anti-hypertensive effect of auriculo-acupoint pressing therapy—clinical analysis of 274 cases. J Tradit Chin Med 1991;11:189–92.

Peng Y, Fenglan L, Xin W. Treatment of essential hypertension with auriculopressure. J Tradit Chin Med 1991;1117–21.

22Tran T, Kirby J. Effects of upper cervical adjustments upon the normal physiology of the heart. ACA J

Chiro 1977;XI:S58–62.

McGuiness J, Vicenzino B, Wright A. The influence of a cervical mobi-lization technique on respiratory and cardiovascular function. Manual Therapy 1997;(2):216–20.

Vicenzino B, Cartwright T, Collins D. Cardiovascular and respiratory changes produced by lateral glide mobilization of the cervical spine Manual Therapy 1998;3(2):67–71.

Dulgar G, Hill D, Sirucek A, et al. Evidence for possible anti-hy-pertensive effect of basic technique apex contact adjusting. J Chiro 1980;14:S97–S102.

Nansel D, Jansen R, Cremata E, et al. Effects of cervical adjustments on lateral-flexion passive end-range asymmetry and on blood pressure, heart rate and plasma catecholamine levels. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 1991;14:450–6.

Fichera AP, Celander DR. Effect of osteopathic manipulative therapy on autonomic tone as evidenced by blood pressure change and activity of the fibrinolytic system. J Am Osteopath Assoc 1969;68:1036–8.

McKnight M, DeBoer KD. Preliminary study of blood pressure changes in normotensive patients under chiropractic care. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 1988;11:261–6.

Yates RG, Lamping DL, Nancy LA, Wright C. Effects of chiropractic

23treatment on blood pressure and anxiety: a randomized, controlled trial. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 1988;11:484–8.

Morgan JP, Dickey JL, Hunt HH, Hudgins PM. A controlled trial of spinal manipulation in the management of hypertension. J Am Osteo-path Assoc 1985;85(5):308–12.

Mannino J. The application of neurologic reflexes to the treatment of hypertension. J Am Osteopath Assoc 1979;79:225–31.

Wagnon RJ, Sandefur RM, Ratliff CR. Serum aldosterone changes after specific chiropractic manipulation. Am J Chiropr Med 1988;1(2):66–70.

Goodman R. Hypertension and the atlas subluxation complex. Chiro-practic: J Chiropractic Res Clin Invest 1992;8(2)30–2.

Rossner S, Andersson IL, Ryttig K. Effects of a dietary fibre supple-ment to a weight reduction programme on blood pressure. A ran-domized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Acta Med Scand 1988;223:353–7.

Eliasson K, Ryttig KR, Hylander B, Rossner S. A dietary fibre supple-ment in the treatment of mild hypertension. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. J Hypertens 1992;10:195–9.

Schlamowitz P, Halberg T, Warnoe O, et al. Treatment of mild to mod-erate hypertension with dietary fibre. Lancet 1987;2:622–3.

Fehily AM, Burr ML, Butland BK, Eastham RD. A randomised

24controlled trial to investigate the effect of a high fibre diet on blood pressure and plasma fibrinogen. J Epidemiol Community Health 1986;40:334–7.

Swain JF, Rouse IL, Curley CB, Sacks FM. Comparison of the effects of oat bran and low-fiber wheat on serum lipoprotein levels and blood pressure. N Engl J Med 1990;322:147–52.

Soriguer F, Rojo-Martinez G, Dobarganes MC, et al. Hypertension is related to the degradation of dietary frying oils. Am J Clin Nutr 2003;78:1092–7.

Zein M, Areas JL, Breuss GH. Effects of excess sucrose ingestion on the lifespan of SHR. J Am Coll Nutr 1989;8:435 [abstract #42].

Rebello T, Hodges RE, Smith JL. Short-term effects of various sugars on antinatriuresis and blood pressure changes in normotensive young men. Am J Clin Nutr 1983;38(1):84–94.

Preuss HG, Fournier RD. Effects of sucrose ingestion on blood pressure. Life Sci 1982;30:879–86.

Margetts BM, Beilin LJ, Vandongen R, Armstrong BK. Vegetar-ian diet in mild hypertension: a randomised controlled trial. BMJ 1986;293:1468–71.

Cappuccio FP, MacGregor GA. Does potassium supplementation lower blood pressure? A meta-analysis of published trials. J Hypertens 1991;9:465–73.

Appel LJ, Moore TJ, Boarzanek E, et al. A clinical trial of the effects of

25dietary patterns on blood pressure. N Engl J Med 1997;336:1117–24.

Svetkey LP, Simons-Morton D, Vollmer WM, et al. Effects of dietary patterns on blood pressure: a subgroup analysis of the Dietary Ap-proaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) randomized clinical trial. Arch Intern Med 1999;159:285–93.

Sachs FM, Svetkey LP, Vollmer WM, et al. Effects on Blood Pressure of Reduced Dietary Sodium and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hyper-tension (DASH) diet. N Engl J Med 2001;344:3–10.

Engelhard YN, Gazer B, Paran E. Natural antioxidants from tomato extract reduce blood pressure in patients with grade-1 hyperten-sion: a double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study. Am Heart J 2006;151:100.

Rachima-Maoz C, Peleg E, Rosenthal T. The effect of caffeine on ambulatory blood pressure in hypertensive patients. Am J Hypertens 1998;11:1426–32.

Hodgoson JM, Buddey IB, Burke V, et al. Effects on blood pressure of drinking green and black tea. J Hypertens 1999;17:457–63.

Jee SH, He J, Whelton PK, et al. The effect of chronic coffee drinking on blood pressure. A meta-analysis of controlled clinical trials. Hyper-tension 1999;33:647–52.

Wakabayashi K, Kono S, Shinchi K, et al. Habitual coffee consumption and blood pressure: a study of self-defense officials in Japan. Eur J Epide-miol 1998;14:669–73.

26

Page LB, Damon A, Moellering RC Jr. Antecedents of cardiovascular disease in six Solomon Islands Societies. Circulation 1974;44:1132–46.

Stamler J, Rose G, Elliott P, et al. Findings of the international coopera-tive INTERSALT study. Hypertension 1991;17(1 Suppl):I9–15.

MacGregor GA, Markandu ND, Sagnella GA, et al. Double-blind study of three sodium intakes and long-term effects of sodium restric-tion in essential hypertension. Lancet 1989;2:1244–7.

Cutler JA, Follmann D, Allender PS. Randomized trials of sodium reduction: an overview. Am J Clin Nutr 1997;65(Suppl):643S–51S.

Cutler JA, Follmann D, Allender PS. Randomized trials of sodium reduction: an overview. Am J Clin Nutr 1997;65 (Suppl):643S–51S.

Egan BM, Stepniakowski KT. Adverse effects of short-term, very-low-salt diets in subjects with risk-factor clustering. Am J Clin Nutr 1997;65(Suppl):671S–7S.

Grant ECG. Food Allergies and migraine. Lancet 1979;1:966–9.

Folkers K, Drzewoski J, Richardson PC, et al. Bioenergetics in clinical medicine. XVI. Reduction of hypertension in patients by therapy with coenzyme Q10. Res Commun Chem Pathol Pharmacol 1981;31:129–40.

Langsjoen P, Langsjoen P, Willis R, Folkers K. Treatment of essen-

27tial hypertension with coenzyme Q10. Mol Aspects Med 1994;15 Suppl:s265–72.

Digiesi V, Cantini F, Oradei A, et al. Coenzyme Q10 in essential hyper-tension. Molec Aspects Med 1994;15 Suppl:s257–63.

Digiesi V, Cantini F, Brodbeck B. Effect of coenzyme Q10 on essential arterial hypertension. Curr Ther Res 1990;47:841–5.

Singh RB, Niaz MA, Rastogi SS, et al. Effect of hydrosoluble coenzyme Q10 on blood pressures and insulin resistance in hypertensive patients with coronary artery disease. J Hum Hypertens 1999;13:203–8.

Morris MC, Sacks F, Rosner B. Does fish oil lower blood pressure? A meta-analysis of controlled trials. Circulation 1993;88:523–33.

Mori TA, Bao DQ, Burke V, et al. Docosahexaenoic acid but not eicosa-pentaenoic acid lowers ambulatory blood pressure and heart rate in humans. Hypertension 1999;34:253–60.

Hosseini, S, Lee, J, Sepulveda RT, Fagan T, et al. A randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled, prospective 16 week crossover study to deter-mine the role of Pycnogenol(R) in modifying blood pressure in mildly hypertensive patients. Nutr.Res 2001;21:67-76.

Liu X, Wei J, Tan F, et al.. Pycnogenol, French maritime pine bark extract, improves endothelial function of hypertensive patients. Life Sci 2004;74:855-62

Cesarone MR, Belcaro G, Stuard S, et al. Kidney flow and function in

28hypertension: protective effects of pycnogenol in hypertensive partici-pants--a controlled study. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol Ther 2010;15:41-6.

Washburn S, Burke GL, Morgan T, Anthony M. Effect of soy protein supplementation on serum lipoproteins, blood pressure,

and menopausal symptoms in perimenopausal women. Menopause 1999;6:7–13.

Rivas M, Garay RP, Escanero JF, et al. Soy milk lowers blood pressure in men and women with mild to moderate essential hypertension. J Nutr 2002;132:1900–2.

Burke V, Hodgson JM, Beilin LJ, et al. Dietary protein and soluble fiber reduce ambulatory blood pressure in treated hypertensives. Hyperten-sion 2001;38:821–6.

He J, Gu D, Wu X, et al. Effect of soybean protein on blood pressure: a randomized, controlled trial. Ann Intern Med 2005;143:1–9.

Welty FK, Lee KS, Lew NS, Zhou JR. Effect of soy nuts on blood pres-sure and lipid levels in hypertensive, prehypertensive, and normotensive postmenopausal women. Arch Intern Med 2007;167:1060–7.

Asgary S, Naderi GH, Sarrafzadegan N, et al. Antihypertensive and antihyperlipidemic effects of Achillea wilhelmsii. Drugs Exp Clin Res 2000;26:89–93.

Griffith LE, Guyatt GH, Cook RJ, et al. The influence of dietary and nondietary calcium supplementation on blood pressure. An up-dated metaanalysis of randomized controlled trials. Am J Hypertens

291999;12:84–92.

Silagy C, Neil AW. A meta-analysis of the effect of garlic on blood pres-sure. J Hypertension 1994;12:463–8.

Louria DB, McAnally JF, Lasser N, et al. Onion extract in treatment of hypertension and hyperlipidemia: A preliminary communication. Curr Ther Res 1985;37:127–31.

Schmidt U, Kuhn U, Ploch M, Hübner W-D. Efficacy of the hawthorn (Crataegus) preparation LI 132 in 78 patients with chronic conges-tive heart failure defined as NYHA functional class II. Phytomed 1994;1(1):17–24.

Walker AF, Marakis G, Simpson E, et al. Hypotensive effects of haw-thorn for patients with diabetes taking prescription drugs: a randomised controlled trial. Br J Gen Pract 2006;56:437–43.

McKay DL, Chen CY, Saltzman E, Blumberg JB. Hibiscus sabdariffa L. tea (tisane) lowers blood pressure in prehypertensive and mildly hyper-tensive adults. J Nutr 2010;140:298–303.

Haji Faraji M, Haji Tarkhani AH. The effect of sour tea (Hibiscus sab-dariffa) on essential hypertension.

J Ethnopharmacol 1999;65:231–6.

Herrera-Arellano A, Flores-Romero S, Chavez-Soto MA, Tortoriello J. Effectiveness and tolerability of a standardized extract from Hibiscus sabdariffa in patients with mild to moderate hypertension: a controlled

30and randomized clinical trial. Phytomedicine 2004;11(5):375–82.

Motoyama T, Sano H, Fukuzaki H, et al. Oral magnesium supple-mentation in patients with essential hypertension. Hypertension 1989;13:227–32.

Patki PS, Singh J, Gokhale SV, et al. Efficacy of potassium and mag-nesium in essential hypertension: a double-blind, placebo controlled, crossover study. BMJ 1990;301:521–3.

Dyckner T, Wester PO. Effect of magnesium on blood pressure. BMJ 1983;286:1847–9.

101. Grossman E, Laudon M, Yalcin R, et al. Melatonin reduces night blood pressure in patients with nocturnal hypertension. Am J Med 2006;119:898–902.

Petkov V, Manolov P. Pharmacological analysis of the iridoid oleuro-pein. Arzneimittelforschung 1972;22:1476–86.

Weiss RF. Herbal Medicine. Gothenburg, Sweden: AB Arcancum, 1988, 160–1.

Pfeifer M, Begerow B, Minne HW, et al. Effects of a short-term vita-min D3 and calcium supplementation on blood pressure and para-thyroid hormone levels in elderly women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2001;86:1633–7.

Boshtam M, Rafiei M, Sadeghi K, Sarraf-Zadegan N. Vitamin E can reduce blood pressure in mild hypertensives. Int J Vitam Nutr Res 2002;72:309–14.

31

Calver A, Collier J, Vallance P. Dilator actions of arginine in human peripheral vasculature. Clin Sci 1991;81:695–700.

Pezza V, Bernardini F, Pezza E, et al. Study of supplemental oral l-argi-nine in hypertensives treated with enalapril + hydrochlorothiazide. Am J Hypertens 1998;11:1267–70 [letter].

Kramer W, Thormann J, Kindler M, Schlepper M. Effects of forskolin on left ventricular function in dilated cardiomyopathy. Arzneimittel-forschung 1987;37:364–7.

Blumenthal M, ed. The Complete German Commission E Mono-graphs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. American Botanical Council, Austin, TX. Integrative Medical Communications, Boston, MA: 1998, 152–3.

Lehnert H, Beyer J. Cardiovascular and endocrine properties of L-tryptophan in combination with various diets. Adv Exp Med Biol 1991;294:407–16 [review].

Fregly MJ, Lockley OE, Cade JR. Effect of chronic dietary treatment with L-tryptophan on the development of renal hypertension in rats. Pharmacology 1988;36:91–100.

Lark LA, Witt PA, Becker KB, et al. Effect of dietary tryptophan on the development of hypertension in the Dahl salt-sensitive rat. Clin Exp Hypertens A 1990;12:1–13.

Pop E, Anderson W, Prókai-Tátrai K, et al. Antihypertensive activity of

32redox derivatives of tryptophan.

J Med Chem 1990;33:2216–21.

Cade JR, Fregly MJ, Privette M. Effect of tryptophan and 5-hydroxy-tryptophan on the blood pressure of patients with mild to moderate hypertension. Amino Acids 1992;2:133–42.

Lehnert H et al. [Note: Other authors’ names not found.] Effects of L-tryptophan on blood pressure in essential hypertensives. Clin Exp Theory Pract 1987;A9:208 [abstract].

Bowman IA. The everlasting mistletoe and the cardiovascular system. Texas Heart Inst J 1990;17(4):310–4 [review].

British Herbal Medicine Association. British Herbal Pharmacopoeia. West Yorks, UK: BHMA, 1983.

Silagy C, Neil AW. A meta-analysis of the effect of garlic on blood pres-sure. J Hypertension 1994;12:463–8.

Louria DB, McAnally JF, Lasser N, et al. Onion extract in treatment of hypertension and hyperlipidemia: A preliminary communication. Curr Ther Res 1985;37:127–31.

Jin H, Zhang G, Cao X, et al. Treatment of hypertension by ling zhi combined with hypotensor and its effects on arterial, arteriolar and capillary pressure and microcirculation. In: Nimmi H, Xiu RJ, Sawada T, Zheng C (eds). Microcirculatory Approach to Asian Traditional Medicine. New York: Elsevier Science, 1996, 131–8.

Schmidt U, Kuhn U, Ploch M, Hübner W-D. Efficacy of the hawthorn

33(Crataegus) preparation LI 132 in 78 patients with chronic conges-tive heart failure defined as NYHA functional class II. Phytomed 1994;1(1):17–24.

Walker AF, Marakis G, Simpson E, et al. Hypotensive effects of haw-thorn for patients with diabetes taking prescription drugs: a randomised controlled trial. Br J Gen Pract 2006;56:437–43.

Kohashi N, Katori R. Decrease of urinary taurine in essential hyperten-sion. Jpn Heart J 1983;24:91–102.

Abe M, Shibata K, Matsuda T, Furukawa T. Inhibition of hypertension and salt intake by oral taurine treatment in hypertensive rats. Hyperten-sion 1987;10:383–9.

Fujita T, Ando K, Noda H, et al. Effects of increased adrenomedullary activity and taurine in young patients with borderline hypertension. Circulation 1987;75:525–32.

Ness AR, Chee D, Elliott P. Vitamin C and blood pressure—an over-view. J Human Hypertens 1997;11:343–50.

Fotherby MD, Williams JC, Forster LA, et al. Effect of vitamin C on ambulatory blood pressure and plasma lipids in older persons. J Hyper-tens 2000;18:411–5.