Blood Pressure Drugs Could Increase Stroke Risk By Up To 33%

Between calcium channel blockers, ACE inhibitors, beta blockers and diuretics, you may be taking two or three different drugs to keep your blood pressure under control. All because you’ve been promised that loading up on these hypertension drugs is the best way to prevent a life-threatening stroke.

However, a major new study has shown that these blood pressure drugs may more than double your stroke risk, even if they’re successfully lowering your blood pressure.

Triple trouble

The medical mainstream has been shoving hypertension drugs down the throats of millions of people all across the globe. Many official guidelines advise blood pressure patients to take more than one type of prescription medication, even if it means taking the drugs every day for the rest of your life.

Now some mainstreamers are beginning to find these guidelines a bit hard to swallow. Dr. Suzanne Oparil, who once ran both the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Society for Hypertension, has just led a study that warns that combining hypertension drugs could be a dangerous – and even deadly – idea.

The study tracked over 26,000 people for more than six years. The researchers found that taking even one blood pressure drug increased the risk of a potentially fatal stroke by 33 per cent.

Worse still, people who were taking three or more blood pressure drugs – which is shockingly common – were two and a half times more likely to suffer a stroke as those who controlled their blood pressure naturally.

In fact, one of the researchers, Dr. George Howard from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said taking at least three blood pressure drugs leaves you in just as much trouble as not treating your hypertension at all.

He added: “We want to raise the issue that relying solely on this approach is going to come at a dear price of people’s live.”

This isn’t the first big study to highlight the risks of hypertensione drugs. Recent research has shown that older people taking blood pressure drugs were more likely to suffer from dementia. And those who managed to achieve the lowest systolic (top) numbers showed the most memory loss.

Blood pressure drugs can also cause life-threatening facial swelling, dizziness, falls, lupus and even glaucoma. And that’s just the short list.

Of course, having high blood pressure isn’t healthy either – it’s how you get to that lower reading that makes the difference. Researchers of the latest study say that doctors need to start focusing on non-drug, early interventions.

Even if you already have high blood pressure, there are plenty of ways to bring it down without being joined at the hip with some of the most dangerous drugs out there – for life.

Here are three easy things you can start doing today:

• Increase your potassium: Not only does potassium work to lower blood pressure, but previous research found that men who consumed the lowest amounts of potassium had a significantly higher risk of stroke. Potassium-rich foods include bananas, chicken, lima beans and spinach.
• Ditch the fructose: Numerous studies have linked fructose to high blood pressure. I’m talking about added fructose (not the fructose naturally found in fruit)… but high fructose corn syrup found in many processed foods.
• Dust off your walking shoes: Exercise, especially brisk walking, is one of the best ways to control your blood pressure, and it’s free.

One more thing: quit worrying about salt. Strict low-sodium diets have been proven to do very little to lower your blood pressure and they can even be dangerous for your heart.

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Bear in mind all the material in this email alert is provided for information purposes only. We are not addressing anyone’s personal situation. Please consult with your own physician before acting on any recommendations contained herein.

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Sources:

“Blood pressure pills fall short on stroke prevention” The People’s Pharmacy, June 4, 2015, peoplespharmacy.com

“Is blood pressure control for stroke prevention the correct goal? Stroke, May 7, 2015, stroke.ahajournals.org