The Medications

If you take blood pressure medications to address hypertension, you will need to take a blood pressure lowering drug for the rest of your life. These medications do not change the underlying reason that the blood pressure is high and so you have to take the medications continuously for them to work.

These drugs are attempting to address the reason for hypertension, which is the small smooth muscles inside your arteries that tense up. When these muscles tense up, the arteries become narrower, more rigid and less flexible. These medications will lower pressure by slowing your heart beat, or interfering with nerve impulses to your arteries, or removing water from your body, or blocking biochemical reactions, or preventing calcium from entering the cells that make up the walls of your arteries.

Blood Pressure medications alter basic body functions not only in the blood vessels but other parts of the body as well. Because all of the body’s systems work together, these drugs can create a wide array of side effects.

There are different types of blood pressure medications.

Beta-blockers: Are used to control irregular heartbeats. These drugs limit the ability of the heart to beat faster and as a result they reduce the ability of the person to physically respond to "fight or flight" during an emergency. Fatigue is a side effect. Beta Blockers can increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes.

ACE Inhibitors: Lowers blood pressure by decreasing certain substances in the blood that tighten the blood vessels. It will dilate the blood vessels so the blood will flow more smoothly and the heart can pump blood more effectively using less pressure. Common side effects are violent cough, dizziness, fatigue and flu like symptoms. It can also produce a pounding or uneven heart beat.

Diuretics: Stimulates the kidneys to flush excess fluid and sodium out of the body. Less blood volume allows the heart to move the blood easier. Side effects are loss of potassium, dry mouth, dehydration, and raised blood sugar levels.

Calcium Channel Blockers: Keeps the blood vessels and heart from absorbing calcium, which causes the blood vessels to contract. Common side effects are headache, nausea, constipation, rash, dizziness and fluid retention.

Alpha Blockers: Stops certain nerve impulses to the blood vessels causing the vessels to relax. Common side effects are low blood pressure, dizziness, headache, pounding heartbeat, nausea, fatigue, fluid retention and an increase of the cholesterol levels in the blood.

Vasodilators: Cause the muscles in the blood vessels to relax, preventing the muscles from tightening and the walls of the blood vessels from narrowing. Side effects are headache, nasal congestion, chest pain, rapid heartbeat, pounding heartbeat, fluid retention and dizziness.

It is often recommended to take two or three of these drugs at the same time, which creates even more side effects as a result of the chemical interactions between the medications.

Natural Treatments: Addressing the underlying cause of the high blood pressure

Since blood pressure is affected by the small smooth muscles that line the inside walls of your blood vessels, the reason that these muscles tense up needs to be addressed.

The Reason: The loss of vital minerals by poor diet, nutritional deficiencies, being overweight, alcohol and caffeine in excess, emotional and physical stress and being diabetic results in these small muscles tensing up.

It is the replacement of vital minerals to your body that is essential to the natural and effective control of blood pressure by relaxing the blood vessels and making them supple again.

Taking the vitamins and minerals your body is deficient in will naturally relax the muscles, relax the blood vessels and lower the blood pressure.

Magnesium is a key mineral. The body needs a proper balance of potassium, sodium and calcium. When the body is deficient in magnesium, the balance is disrupted.

We can’t get enough magnesium in our food supply as the soil is depleted of magnesium, and other vital minerals. Thus, supplementing your diet with whole food nutrients that will nourish the cells of your arteries will naturally lower blood pressure.