Namaste change

Dear Reader, Each class of blood pressure medications has different side effects and causes for concern. But that's not what I want to talk about. Not today, at least. I realize that blood pressure drugs are a necessary evil for many. So I simply want to encourage you to take a closer look at the drug you're taking... and see if you might be able to at least reduce your dosage by trying a different treatment approach. Because there are so many ways to reduce blood pressure without resorting to the use of potentially harmful medications. I've already discussed many of these approaches in more detail, both here and in my monthly newsletter. Things like losing weight with my New Hamptons Health Miracle. Or taking nutritional supplements like taurine and magnesium. And of course, there's the ultimate blood pressure balancer, exercise. Which brings me to today's topic--an approach that has new research to support its use. And something that's readily accessible to just about everyone. I'm talking about yoga. As part of a recent randomized clinical trial, researchers assigned 120 subjects--with an average age of 50 and a baseline systolic blood pressure (that's the top number) of 134 mm Hg--to one of three groups. One group practiced yoga two to three times per week. Another participated in a supervised diet and weight loss program that featured walking. And the final group was assigned a combo of yoga and diet intervention. Lo and behold, at 12 weeks, the yoga program was able to significantly cut both systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels. Top numbers had dropped to 129 mm Hg in this group. While bottom numbers benefited from two- to three-point drops, as well. These reductions may not be huge. But coupled with other key lifestyle changes like weight loss, regular yoga practice could be enough to keep you off of blood pressure medication altogether. That should strike a little fear into Big Pharma. I can almost hear their legions of attorneys trying to figure out how to shut down yoga studios. But here's the real kicker. We've known about the benefits of yoga for high blood pressure for decades now. In fact, one of the first articles on this subject appeared in the prestigious journal, The Lancet back in 1975. Yet, the medical establishment has never embraced yoga. I wonder why???? As I mentioned the other day, blood pressure medications are the fourth most prescribed drugs in the country. With so many people doing yoga and enjoying it these days, maybe we'll finally start to see less of these pills on peoples' shelves. Hard target While we're on the subject of medication risks, here's another one for you: If you happen to be on blood pressure drugs, low levels of vitamin K1 may pave the way to arterial calcification. (That's artery hardening, in plainer language.) High blood pressure speeds up the process of stiffening arteries. So this may seem like a counterintuitive discovery. But the numbers don't lie. Researchers reviewed data from almost 300 subjects with arterial calcification and compared it with data from more than 500 healthy controls. They also tested blood levels of vitamin K1 in both groups. Results showed that subjects with extreme coronary artery calcification were 34 percent more likely to have low vitamin K1 levels. But the link was only statistically significant in subjects taking blood pressure drugs. Considering how popular these medications are among heart disease patients, well... excuse the pun, but this is a hard finding to ignore. The study authors still don't know if increasing vitamin K1 intake can help to keep your arteries from hardening. But it certainly doesn't hurt to squeeze a little more into your diet. Especially since deficiency might be more common than once thought. Dark leafy greens, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli are all great sources of vitamin K--not to mention a laundry list of other health-boosting nutrients. Until next time, Dr. Fred