A national antihypertensive (high blood pressure, or HBP) medication survey was released on November 10 in a symposium sponsored by the Association of Black Cardiologists, Inc. (ABC) It revealed that nearly four out of every 10 patients (38 percent) being treated for high blood pressure may stop taking their medication due to drug tolerability problems. The study also gave a glimpse of how ineffective the pharmaceutical drugs prescribed for HBP actually are.

With apparently no sense that he was admitting a major failure of conventional cardiovascular medicine, Dr. Frank James, President of the ABC, said, "This survey highlights the extent of the tolerability problem in hypertension, which is widespread among all patient populations, and underscores the need for the medical community to continue searching for pharmacological alternatives." And with apparently no sense of irony he continued, "Surprisingly, the survey also presents some new challenges in treating high blood pressure, because the findings show that elevated systolic blood pressure is not being controlled to the recommended levels." That is to say, the drugs aren't working.

HBP medications include diuretics, to reduce fluid retention; beta blockers, which inhibit certain actions of the sympathetic nervous system; ACEs, which inhibit the formation of blood vessel-narrowing enzymes; and calcium channel blockers that reduce oxygen utilization and interfere with the normal constriction and relaxation of coronary arteries.

The first thing to notice about these approaches is that they do not even attempt to address the causes of hypertension. Instead they block the normal functioning of your body so that your heart will not have to—or be able to—work harder in a natural reaction to exciting or stressful circumstances. But in so doing, they disrupt fundamental biological functions that are essential for good health or even survival.

Diuretics, for example, such as the commonly prescribed hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ), eliminate sodium along with fluid from your body, and so can cause an imbalance in the body's crucial sodium/potassium ratio. Calcium channel blockers, such as verapamil hydrochloride, upset the calcium/magnesium balance, and can cause tissue cells to lose their calcium. Beta blockers, such as propranolol, counter the normal effects of adrenal hormones on heart action, in effect turning people into zombies. ACEs, such as captopril, interrupt the normal hormonal functions of the kidneys and affect how they filter sodium and water.

It is no wonder then that this latest survey of hypertensive pharmaceutical drugs found that among patients being treated for hypertension, 36 percent have changed medications at least once because of the severity of side effects. Also, 13 percent of respondents stated that their current medication dosage had to be adjusted, at least once, because of adverse events. The most commonly reported side effects were fatigue (22%), and dizziness (21%).

• Of patients treated with beta-blockers, the average percentage of patients having fatigue as a side effect is 34 percent.
• Of patients treated with diuretics, the average percentage of patients experiencing electrolyte imbalance as a side effect is 30 percent.
• Of patients treated with calcium channel blockers, the average percentage of patients having edema (excess fluid in the tissues) as a side effect is 26 percent.
• Of patients treated with ACE inhibitors, the average percentage of patients having cough as a side effect is 21 percent.

Aside from dangerous, even lethal, side effects, the fact is that oftentimes these medications do not do the job for which they are intended. In the present study, 35 percent of the patients reported elevated or uncontrolled systolic blood pressure above 140 mm Hg in other words, they still suffered from high blood pressure. Other studies have reported success rates of only 50 percent to as low as 30 percent.

The tragedy in all this is that these dangerous, toxic, ineffective drugs are not even necessary. Well-known MDs such as Jeffrey Bland, Eric Braverman, Jonathan Wright, Michael Schacter, Garry Gordon, and W. Lee Cowden have achieved a high degree of success in lowering their patient's HBP using totally natural supplements, diet and lifestyle changes, and nontoxic alternative therapies with no side effects. In fact, hundreds, if not thousands, of alternative physicians routinely lower their patient's blood pressure to safe levels without resorting to pharmaceuticals.

There are over 200 articles on how to naturally prevent or reverse high blood pressure on our website. To find out about these effective therapies, click on the link below to get to the Alternative Medicine Search Engine, and type in the keyword "Blood Pressure."