The causes for this dramatic rise:

• An aging population
• Population growth particularly in the African-American sector who are prone to high blood pressure
• The ever-growing obesity epidemic

Because most previous studies focused on patients whose blood pressure surpassed 140 (the top number in blood pressure readings) or 90 (the bottom number when the heart is at rest) or those being treated for hypertension.

Research was based on Census Bureau data and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999-2000. Previous studies show domestic blood pressure rates reached an all-time high of 36 percent in the 70s and hit a low of 20 percent between 1988-91.

USA Today August 24, 2004

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

With the factors cited above--particularly the obesity epidemic that affects all ages in this country--it's extremely important for you not to ignore the warnings that a high blood pressure reading is telling you. Dr. Rosch provides an excellent summary of high blood pressure, and if you have high blood pressure this would be important to review.

High blood pressure is a serious issue that can kill or permanently impair you, and it should not be ignored. However, it is important to remember that high blood pressure normally kills you slowly over time. If your systolic blood pressure is over 160-180, though, there is a danger that you could have a stroke so you need to be very careful about stopping your blood pressure medications without monitoring your blood pressure--strokes can be very devastating.

How to Treat High Blood Pressure Without Drugs

Successfully treating high blood pressure without medications is really very simple. It is actually one of the easiest things that I do in the office, and we are able to help nearly all of the patients that see us discontinue their blood pressure medications.

The first step is to stop all grains and sweets until your blood pressure and weight normalize. Insulin is a major player as to why high blood pressure persists, and these foods will only make your insulin levels worse. Another way to lower your insulin levels would be to use exercise as a drug.

Most overweight hypertensive patients require about six to nine hours of relatively intense exercise per week (hard enough where you have problems comfortably talking to someone). This intensity is required to decrease the sensitivity of the insulin receptors.

Most hypertensive patients have insulin receptors that are blunted; they don't work very well anymore. Therefore, the body needs to generate more insulin to get them to work. This can lead to devastating consequences, as insulin is quite toxic when elevated--even more so than blood sugar--and is one of the major reasons why people suffer complications from high blood pressure and diabetes.

It is also important to understand that if you are seriously overweight you will need a larger blood pressure cuff to accurately measure your blood pressure. Using an average-size cuff will give you a falsely elevated and incorrect reading.

It is my experience that changing one's diet and exercise will normalize blood pressure in over 85 percent of people. However, there are clearly some individuals where unresolved current or past stresses are the primary culprit in high blood pressure. Additionally, many individuals are unable to make the lifestyle changes necessary to normalizing their blood pressure because of emotional self-sabotaging behavior.

This is where energy psychology tools are absolutely invaluable. We use the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) in our office--it's a simple tool that can help you in this area.

You can learn how to let go of your stress naturally by reviewing my free EFT manual. Many people initially are skeptical about EFT because it is so different than other treatments, but it is clearly one of the most helpful tools that I have ever used in taking care of patients. If your emotional challenges are more serious, you will certainly want to consult with an EFT professional.

Finally, another natural option is CardioEssentials, which contains nattokinase -- a powerful enzyme derived from the food natto. Nattokinase has been used successfully for circulatory problems for over two decades, and CardioEssentials can significantly restore normal blood flow that may impact blood pressure functionally in as little as seven to 10 days (so blood pressure should be carefully monitored during this time).

© Copyright 2008 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.