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William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.

The Douglass Report

Why Worry About

High BloodPressure?

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Copyright 2008, Healthier News, L.L.C. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, includ-ing recording, photocopying, or via a computerized or electric storage or retrieval system without permission granted in writing from the publisher. The informationcontained herein is obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.

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Why Worry About High Blood Pressure?

1

For more than three decades now, Ive been telling any-

one wholl listen that high blood pressure DOESNTCAUSE HEART DISEASE.

Yes, you read that right. Despite what unbiased con-

ventional medicinewhich generates millions from the

treatment of hypertensionmaintains, evidence showing a

conclusive linear link between elevated blood pressure and

the incidence of heart disease is almost nonexistent. In fact,

the data from most studies on the subject suggest that hyper-

tension is a symptom of cardiovascular disease, not its cause.

Just about everyone in the medical community agrees

that cardiovascular disease is due in large part to a buildup

of plaque in the arteries, reducing their diameterwhich inturn causes the blood that flows through them to increase in

pressure. Heres a good analogy: When you turn on the

spigot outside your house, the water shooting out of your

garden hose squirts 30 feet or more. Why? Because its

under a lot of pressure after being forced into a tiny one-

inch hose. But what would happen if that hose were, say, a

foot in diameter? The exact same volume of water would

slosh out at a very low pressure.

Its the same way with your heart and arteries. Your

blood pressure increases in response to arterial constric-

tionit doesnt cause the constriction. Elevating the bloodspressure is your hearts way of compensating for clogged

up hoses to make sure your organs, brain, and extremities

are adequately supplied with blood. When you look at it

this way, it just doesnt make sense to try to artificially

lower your blood pressure by using expensive, potentially

harmful prescription drugs.

Everything you everwanted to know about

blood pressure drugsand how to avoid them

I met Bobby when I was about 35 years old. It was

love at first sight. She was a redhead and weighed

about 100 pounds. We remained friends through the

yearsmarriages, divorces, children, and now grand-

children. The last time we saw each other, about 10years ago, she looked pretty much the samestill tiny and

beautifulbut she had a medical problem: high blood

pressure.

But because of her physiology, Bobby couldnt tol-

erate the powerful anti-hypertensive drugs. So she,

unwillingly, became an interesting experiment in:

What happens to a patient with seriously elevated

blood pressure if you do nothing?

I checked in with her recently, and shes doing just

fine. Shes 50-something (I think close to 60, but I

didnt dare ask) and still has very high blood pressure.

So if someone like Bobby can do just fine without

medication for over a decade, why are the health

experts out there suddenly so hot and bothered to get

even more people on them by lowering the already

ridiculous hypertension guidelines?

I think that most doctors are forgetting (if they ever

knew at all) that hypertension isnt actually a disease in

itselfits only a symptom of some other malfunction

in your body. Its possible that the elevated blood pres-

sure is a protective effect enabling the heart to get theblood to all the tissues in spite of the disease, whatever

that may be. But since we still havent figured out what

that disease is, most physicians just throw drugs at the

symptom and consider the problem solved when the

high blood pressure goes down.

The REAL problem here is that just because the

drugs have made the hypertension go away, it doesnt

mean youre curedor even safe, for that matter.

People taking blood pressure lowering medications

inevitably feel worse on the drugs. You would think this

would signal to the doctor that hes making the patient

worse and that the pressure is elevated for some good

physiological reason. But most likely, hell just contin-

ue to prescribe away.

There are four major types of drugs prescribed to

lower blood pressure: diuretics, beta-blockers, ACE

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The Douglass Report

2

inhibitors, and calcium channel blockers. Remember, these

drugs are only masking one symptom of an unknown dis-

ease. Anti-hypertensives have no healing properties.

Why so many medications for the same health

problem? Because drug companies make most of theirmoney via the exclusive patent rights to a drugwhich

they hold for 20 years from the time they first start

developing it. After that, anyone can market a generic

version of the same drug and the original manufacturer

loses its monopoly on that section of the market.

What that means is this: If every drug company can

patent a new and different hypertension drug (or if the

same company can do it three or four times in a row),

they ensure themselves of total market dominance and

control over the drugs priceat least temporarily. Its

simple capitalism. Theres just one small problem: Arethe new drugs any better than their predecessorsor

just different enough to warrant a separate patent?

Its a good questionone that more doctors should

be asking their drug reps. When it comes to blood pres-

sure medications in particular, the evidence is inconclu-

sive. The truth is, all you may really need to fight cardio-

vascular disease is a diet rich in omega-3 fats, lean on

carbs and trans-fats, and drinking water thats devoid of

chlorine (which causes microscopic arterial tears that trap

and hold cholesterol, boosting blood pressure). And the

fluoride in the water is not exactly Vitamin F. It is proba-

bly a major factor in cardiovascular disease.

Lets take a closer look at those four major blood

pressure drugs.

1. Diuretics

The diuretics are basically dehydrators; that is, they

remove fluid from your body by way of the kidneys. This

may cause a drop in blood pressure, but the first question

that should come to mind is: If I dont have edema

(swelling), am I going to accomplish anything by draining

my body fluids? The answer is no. Those fluids containmany vital mineralssuch as potassium, sodium, magne-

sium, and calciumand getting rid of them will cause elec-

trolyte imbalances (loss of minerals) in your body.

But electrolyte imbalance is only the beginning.

Other problems caused by diuretics include cardiac

arrhythmias (irregular heart beats), gout, kidney damage

or failure, uremia, hyperglycemia leading to diabetes,

abnormal cholesterol, anemia, photosensitivity, indiges-

tion, headaches, visual disturbances, and impotence.

And the diuretics are the least toxic type of hyper-tension drug treatment.

2. Beta blockers

Then there are the beta blockers. Beta blockers

reduce the force of the hearts contractions. Basically,

the heartbeat slows in reaction to the drug, and that

lowers your blood pressure. So keep in mind that

youre dealing with a dangerous cardiac drug, not just

blood pressure medicine. Your doctor probably didnt

dwell on this significant fact, but you need to know the

truth. He didnt necessarily lie to you: He just didntwant to spend too much time on unpleasant things that

might have caused you to toss the pills in the trashor

not get the prescription filled at all.

OK, classpop quiz: Being cardioactive drugs, what

might you expect in the way of side effects from beta

blockers?Youve got itsigns of serious heart disease. You

may experience any or all of the following symptoms: con-

gestive heart failure, which will lead to pulmonary edema, a

good old-fashioned heart attack, or arrhythmia. And, of

course, all of these irregularities can be fatal.

Beyond the heart, there are many other possibilitiesfor mischief. Theres also a strong possibility that youll

experience a stroke, which could cause partial paralysis or

death. And asthmatics should never take beta blockers,

since they may trigger life-threatening airway spasms.

All this is a mere sampling of the possible side

effects that you may experience from these powerful

cardiotoxic compounds.

3. ACE inhibitors

ACE inhibitors wage a sort of chemical warfareattack in your body. They lower blood pressure by

blocking the release of angiotensin. Your body releases

this molecule in order to raise your blood pressure. As I

mentioned earlier, the bodys chemical regulatory

mechanisms do things for a reason. Usually high blood

pressure is a protective mechanism designed to main-



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The Douglass Report

There are a number of safe approaches you can try.

(1) My first choice is homeopathy. But dont run

down to the pharmacy or health food store and buy the

little bottles of drops or pills that your neighbor recom-

mendedyoull only be disappointed. Homeopathy is acomplex science and requires the services of an M.D.

who knows pathology, physiology, pharmacology, and

all the other ologies (a traditional medical education

is not all bad, you know). Contact the National Center for

Homeopathy at (703)548-7790 or www.homeopathic.org

for the name of a qualified homeopath in your area.

(2) Acupuncture may be effective, and there are lots

of practitioners who perform it across the country. To

find one near you, contact the American Association of

Oriental Medicine by calling (866)455-7999 or visiting

www.aaom.org.(3) I do have to add that if you have disastrously high

blood pressure, say 180 over 110, you are in serious trou-

ble and will have to try the drugs. But malignant hyper-

tension, as it is called, is not common and your garden-

variety hypertension will not metamorphose into itand

dont let any doctor convince you otherwise.

(4) There are many other approaches, but one I

must mention is simply to do nothing. I know this

sounds radical, but you would be surprised how many

people do exactly that with great success. Consider

Bobby, for example: Shes been living a normal, happy,anddare I sayhealthy life with hypertension (and

without drugs) for years.

So if you try homeopathy, acupuncture, or any other

non-drug approach without success, I recommend that

you follow Bobbys lead and leave well enough alone.

Salt restriction is morethan unnecessaryits

downright dangerousSalt restriction in cases of hypertension has becomeone of those pearls of wisdom that no one questions.

But the truth of the matter is that this little gem is pure

junk medicine. Severe salt restriction in peoplesick

or wellis a dangerous practice and may actually

cause more problems than it solves.

Only about one-third of hypertension patients are

sensitive to salt and have been found to have low levels

of the kidney hormone renin, which regulates blood

pressure. In these people, reducing salt intake raiseslevels of renin. So some, but not drastic, salt restriction

may improve control of hypertension in these patients.

However, for the remaining majority of people

struggling with hypertension who are not salt-sensitive

and actually have high renin levels, restricting salt

intake has the opposite effect and may cause blood

pressure levels to become even more elevated.

Bottom line: Lowering blood pressure by salt

restriction is inconsistent and unreliable. But it gets

worse: Studies have shown that salt restriction may be

linked to organ damage. If the heart and kidneys aredamaged by hyponatremia (low blood sodium), you

may make the hypertension worse. Salt restriction in

the summer months could lead to heat exhaustion, a

severe mineral disturbance that causes fainting and

sometimes a stroke or heart attack.

Salt is an essential nutrient, just like vitamin A, the

fatty acids, and cholesterol. Your body needs adequate

amounts of it to survive. Most mainstream physicians

think of sodium as if it were some sort of poison. How-

ever, sodium works closely with other important nutri-

ents like calcium and potassium to keep the body func-tioning at optimal levels.

Toxic table salt? Read this before youstart sprinkling it on

Its important that you get the highest quality of salt

in your dietjust as with any nutrient. So lets talk a

bit about which salt is best for you and what the food

companies have done to make commercial salt a toxin

rather than a nutrient.

Not all salts are created equal. Just as Sweet nLow is not sugar, your typical table salt is not saltor

at least not salt thats made for human consumption.

Table saltas you know itis an industrial product

made for the chemical industry, not your table. Over 90

percent of industrial grade salt goes to the chemical



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Why Worry About High Blood Pressure?

industry and the rest goes to the grocery store and your

dinner table. Refined salt has been stripped of its natur-

al nutrients. It contains additives like ferrocyanide and

silicates (which are basically sand) to prevent the salt

from mixing with water and caking, so that it will pour

easily. But if the salt wont mix with water and your

body is made up of 70 percent water, it wont mix in

your body either.

The only salt worthy of your consideration is sea salt

from a clean seabed. Dont be fooled: If the label says

U.S. crude salt, that doesnt mean the contents are pure.

Crude salt is unrefined industrial salt. It may be unrefined,

but it has been mined from a source that is most likely

heavily contaminated with heavy metals. Sea salt is the

only option. For a sea salt to be worthy of your family, it

must meet all three of the following criteria:

The salt will not be the snow-white variety youre

used to. It should be light grey in color. After the

salt sits for a time, the color at the bottom of the

container will be darker. If the salt is crystal white,

it may still be sea salt, but it has been treated and

fractionated to rid it of impurities and, at the same

time, this rids it of essential minerals. If it is not

light grey, it is not a nutritious salt.

Legitimate sea salt is not dry to the touch. It

should be a little soggy. The moistness is due to

the presence of magnesium salts. When kept in

cool storage, it doesnt dry out.

The crystals, under magnification, are small and cubic.

Finding pure sea salt can be rather difficult. There

are plenty of products out there claiming to be pure,

but, unfortunately, they have almost all been tampered

with to some degree. I have only been able to find one

source that I trustThe Grain and Salt Society in

Ashville, North Carolina. I dont get a dime for recom-

mending them, but Ive been so pleased with their sea

salt that Im glad to do it.

For more information on the products offered by

the Grain and Salt Society, call them at (800)867-7258,

or visit them on-line at www.celtic-seasalt.com.

Be sure to store the salt in a cool, dry place in an

airtight container to prevent it from drying out. You

should also mix the salt every few days. When natural

sea salt sits, the moisture settles to the bottom of the

container and the salt will clump.

Low Blood PressureCan have a Big Impacton Your Health

Aside from the fact that theres no evidence that

high blood pressure causes heart disease (its often a

response to the condition, but not its cause), and the

fact that salt intake is only remotely correlated to

hypertension, theres one more widespread myth about

blood pressure that most peopleand their doctors

dont seem to know about:

Your blood pressure can be TOO LOW (115/75 isborderline, if you ask me).

Research from Israel shows just how big an impact

low blood pressure can have on your healthespecially

upon those of us who are getting up in years. A Ben

Gurion University study showed that patients over 70

with what modern standards call mild hypertension

actually thought more clearly and creatively than those

with lower blood pressure.

Both men and women in the nearly 500-subject

study whose blood pressure was deemed high enough

to warrant treatment with prescription drugsand also

those with clinically uncontrolled (untreated) hyperten-

sionperformed significantly better on tests of cognitive

function, memory, concentration, and visual retention.

Those with normal blood pressure tested the

worst of all three groups in the study.

Similar studies in younger test populations yielded

no difference in performance based on blood pressure.

Whats this mean? It means that physicians need to bal-

ance their efforts to control what they perceive as risk

factors for heart disease (namely, BP over 115/75) withpatients quality-of-life concernslike mental sharp-

ness and creativity.

In other words, they should stop meddling with the

body and mind and let it find its own equilibrium.



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