The high blood pressure myths you should know

[Soroush Ebrahimi]

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WHAT DOCTORS DON'T TELL YOU READERS' BROADCAST
- 28 June 2006
Beta blocker warning
The great myths you must know about your high blood pressure
Millions of Britons and America woke up today to the news that beta blocker
drugs they're taking for their high blood pressure (hypertension) are
suddenly not safe. Drug watchdogs in the UK have announced – out of the
blue – that the drugs may cause heart attacks, the very thing they are
supposed to prevent.

Instead, doctors should be prescribing newer generations of
antihypertensives – such as ACE inhibitors and calcium channel blockers –
which are supposed to be far safer.

But research from What Doctors Don't Tell You reveals that hypertension
treatment is one of the most dubious areas of medicine, riddled with
misdiagnosis, inappropriate treatments, and myth.

a.. DIAGNOSIS MYTH No. 1: High blood pressure is a permanent condition.
It's not. Your blood pressure reading fluctuates dramatically throughout
the day – especially if you are about to see your doctor for a blood
pressure reading! Indeed, it's not uncommon for blood pressure to change by
as much as 30 mmHg in a typical day, especially if you're under stress or if
you’ve been exercising.
b.. DIAGNOSIS MYTH No. 2: Any blood pressure that is 'high' is a danger.
That's not so. Mildly high blood pressure is not dangerous if you are over
55 years of age. It's a natural process, and the drugs are far more
dangerous than the condition at that stage. A reasonable blood pressure
reading for an older person is 140/90.
c.. DIAGNOSIS MYTH No.3: Blood pressure diagnosis is accurate. Actually,
it's hopelessly inaccurate. Prof William White at Connecticut University
has described it as "medicine’s crudest investigation".
YOU NEED to understand all the facts about high blood pressure if you're
going to deal with it safely and appropriately. Everything you need to know
is revealed in our special 'Heart Pack'. The pack consists of an
eye-opening book, Your Healthy Heart, together with four special reports on
heart health. The pack normally costs £24.99 – but it's FREE today to every
new subscriber to What Doctors Don't Tell You (WDDTY). WDDTY is a monthly
health journal that's been lifting the lid on medicine since 1990. It quite
literally has saved the lives of many of its readers, and improved the
health of many more. It’s a 'must-read' for anyone who wants to know more,
and who doesn’t just blindly follow the advice of the doctor. To take up
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a.. TREATMENT MYTH No. 1: ACE inhibitors are the answer to hypertension.
They’re not. ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitors are
increasingly seen as the new front-line treatment for hypertension, even
before the UK drugs watchdogs came out against the beta blockers. They're
often given to patients who have just suffered heart failure – for the very
reason that they don't affect blood pressure.
b.. TREATMENT MYTH No.2: Then try calcium-channel blockers. This class
of drugs is almost as popular as ACE inhibitors. They work by relaxing and
dilating the blood vessels, so reducing blood pressure. But they're not a
cure-all for everyone. They can cause serious skin disorders, and diabetics
shouldn't take them. One Swedish study found that the drugs increased the
risk of suicide, and one of the calcium-channel blockers is so dangerous
that doctors in America have been told to stop prescribing it.
c.. TREATMENT MYTH No. 3: At least diuretics are safe. A diuretic is
seen as a safe drug without any adverse effects. It's effectively a water
pill, and it encourages the body to expel excess water, which, in turn,
reduces blood pressure. Unfortunately, the drugs are linked to an 11-fold
increase in diabetes, a condition that can be far more dangerous than high
blood pressure.
Don’t despair! There's so much you can do to treat high blood pressure, and
it's safe and effective. The action plan is explained in the special 'Heart
pack' we've prepared, and which we're giving away FREE to all new
subscribers to What Doctors Don't Tell You (WDDTY) today. WDDTY has been
described as "the world's best consumer health journal", and you'll quickly
see why. It's full of insights and discoveries that can make the difference
to even a chronic 'incurable' condition, and it keeps the healthy that way,
too. To take up this special 'heart pack' offer, click here. Remember to
put the pack in your trolley to make sure you receive it as a free gift.
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