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In a recent University of Washington study of 2,600 patients with high blood pressure, Professor Bruce Psaty reported that the risk of a heart attack increased up to 60 percent in patients taking calcium channel blockers, another widely used hypertension medication.
In a survey published in the New England Journal of Medicine, less than half of the patients surveyed reported that blood pressure medication had improved their livesand 98 percent of their friends and relatives reported that the patients' quality of life had deteriorated. According to long-term clinical studies published in 1985 by the American Journal of Cardiology and the Journal of the American Medical Association, people who do not take medication fare better over time than those who do.
Weighing the risks, outcomes and alternatives, a growing number of scientists, physicians and patients are considering other approaches.
Preventing Heart Disease
When it comes to heart disease, the best outcome is preventionnever getting it in the first place. Second-best is reversing heart disease in its early stages, before its symptoms cause problems, which can be done with changes in diet (plus herbs and supplements), exercise and lifestyle.
It's more difficult, but still possible, to reverse and

 
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