Monday, November 30, 2009

High Blood Pressure - A Solution Without Drugs

By Anju Mathur, MD

Most older adults know that blood pressure over--0/90 is considered high blood pressure and that healthy blood pressure is 120/80 or lower. But what does that mean? The first number is the systolic blood pressure, which means the pressure of blood against the artery walls when the heart beats. The second number is the diastolic blood pressure - the pressure of the blood when the heart is at rest (in between beats). Blood pressure goes high when the flow of blood encounters resistance in the arteries.

If blood pressure continues to be high it can cause all kinds of havoc in other systems of the body, such as kidneys and other delicate tissues. It can also cause heart attack or stroke. The heart can be enlarged because it is working harder to pump blood. Yet 30% of people who have high blood pressure don't even know they have it, because there are no symptoms. .

As we age, cholesterol, calcium, and other minerals accumulate on the inside lining of our blood vessels and, over time, clog them. This process is referred to variously as hardening of the arteries, atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis, and arterial plaque buildup. It makes it more difficult for the heart to pump blood and thereby increases blood pressure.

Traditional medicine tends to prescribe drugs for lowering blood pressure, with no attention to the cause of high blood pressure. If results are not forthcoming with drugs, more drugs are prescribed, with little or no regard for the side effects of the medications. Certainly drugs can lower blood pressure. But at what cost in side effects and neglect of the cause of the high blood pressure?

Chelation therapy is a solution that produces little or no side effects. Chelation therapy involves the use of chemical compounds injected into the blood stream with an IV drip. This therapy was originally used to remove heavy metals from the body, and it still is. The chelator (chemical compound) used for heart health and high blood pressure is ethylene diamine tetra-acetate acid, or EDTA

There are two theories for why chelation therapy works. One is that EDTA binds to free radicals, highly active molecular fragments that can damage tissue and perhaps the lining of the blood vessels. The other is that it binds to calcium and other minerals in the bloodstream, resulting in a series of actions that improves cellular and vascular health.

As an added benefit, EDTA chelation has blood-thinning effects and discourages the formation of potentially dangerous blood clots that can cause a heart attack or stroke.

Chelation can increase circulation and reverse effects of deteriorating arteries and thereby lower blood pressure. It has little or no side effects. Much testing and research has proven it to be an effective and healthful therapy. - 14130

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