High Blood Pressure and Menopause

High Blood Pressure and Menopause

Fifty Million Americans have High Blood Pressure and if you are one of them, then your doctor has probably suggested medication.

The first time I had my annual check up after my period stopped, my doctor suggested that I should be concerned since my blood pressure had risen. With low blood pressure my whole life it struck me that since nothing else in my life had changed; there must be a connection to the hormonal changes associated with menopause.

Her normal suggestion to patients with hypertension was to:
1. Lose excess weight
2. Eat a more heart healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables
3. Reduce my salt intake
4. Exercise daily
5. Avoid alcohol
6. Stop smoking

Since none of these applied to me I decided to research a natural alternative.

I was shocked to learn via a survey, reported in the July 9 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), that "Almost 30 percent of people with high blood pressure are unaware of their illness and 42 percent are not being treated". The reason high blood pressure is bad for you is that it can damage the arteries causing heart disease, kidney damage, and stroke.

Blood pressure is regulated by the renin-angiotensin system. When blood pressure is too low the kidneys secrete renin, which stimulates the production of angiotensin, which causes your blood vessels to constrict thus raising your blood pressure. Angiotensin also caused the adrenals to secrete aldosterone, which makes the kidneys absorb more water, also increasing blood pressure. If this system is too active then your blood pressure becomes too high and your doctor will prescribe one of many drugs that will interfere to lower it.

Either you have low renin hypertension in which case you would be prescribed a diuretic medication often worryingly associated with a loss of magnesium and potassium; or high renin in which case you will be prescribed a Beta blocker.

I also discovered that there are a few natural ways to regulate your hypertension: one using Coenzyme Q-10 and Nattokinase and another containing an herbal blend with Eleuthra:
Recommended by Stephen Sinatra, M.D. in his books, "The Sinatra Solution, Metabolic Cardiology" and "Lower Your Blood Pressure in 8 weeks", Co-Enzyme Q-10 has also been credited with protecting your heart and brain. He also mentions that statin drugs deplete CoQ10 in the body.

In 1987 Japanese researcher, Hiroyuki Sumi, accidentally discovered that a traditional Japanese soy cheese, called “natto”, had the ability to dissolve blood clots, published a paper. 

Many Japanese clinical trials in 1995, at MiyazakiMedicalCollege and KurashikiUniversity in Japan have shown the positive effects of nattokinase on blood pressure in both animal and human subjects that were studied.  This soy product naturally inhibits angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), this lowering blood pressure.  In one Human Study, Nattokinase ingestion was associated with a 10 percent drop in blood pressure.

My naturopath and dietician recommended Pressu-Norm, which contains Eleuthero, Hawthorn berries, valerian, Yarrow, garlic, rutin and spirulina, suggested the other product. Eleuthero is a Siberian plant related to the ginseng family, used as an adaptogen to regulate stress. Hawthorn berries have been long used to treat high blood pressure and cholesterol and Valerian calms the nervous system. 
 
Check your own blood pressure: if it is consistently higher than 120 over 90, you may want talk to your doctor.

Personally I found that both Natto BP and Pressu-Norm helped to normalize my own hypertension.

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