Higher blood pressure readings may help keep ‘the big A’ at bay
If you’re treating your high blood pressure with prescription drugs, there’s something you need to know before you swallow that next pill.
You’ve probably been told that lowering your blood pressure to a “normal” range will help you avoid a heart attack or stroke.
But what you haven’t been told is that doctors can’t even agree on what a normal range is. They’re using targets that are too low… that have been scientifically debunked… and that may be exposing millions of patients to cognitive decline and even Alzheimer’s disease.
Most doctors still think of blood pressure readings like their golf scores — the lower the better.
They’ll pump you full of diuretics, ACE inhibitors and calcium channel blockers until you hit some “ideal” target like 120/80.
But the science behind what many doctors call normal blood pressure is shaky at best. And treating your blood pressure to ridiculously low levels could literally starve your brain and leave you at risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s.
That’s because as you age, too low blood pressure can cause your brain to get an insufficient supply of blood. Studies out of both Italy and the Netherlands found that seniors who had the lowest blood pressure (which they achieved by taking prescription drugs) were far more likely to suffer from cognitive decline and dementia.
So could skipping those dangerous meds… even if you have blood pressure that’s a little high by today’s standards… be the key to preventing Alzheimer’s? Believe it or not, the answer appears to be yes.
An international research team recently analyzed medical records for nearly 30,000 people and found that those with higher blood pressure were also much less likely to have Alzheimer’s.
“Our results are the opposite of what people might think,” admitted Dr. Paul Crane, a University of Washington associate professor and one of the study’s co-authors.
Allowing your blood pressure to creep north of the 120/80 ideal target may seem frightening. But even some of the country’s top cardiologists admit that what we’re defining as “normal” blood pressure these days was practically pulled out of thin air.
You see, back in the 1950s, a good reading was said to be a systolic (top number) of 100 plus your age. You could be a senior with a systolic reading of 150 or higher and nobody would think to prescribe you a pill.
That all changed a decade later when a VA hospital study claimed to prove that lowering blood pressure saves lives. And the next thing you knew, we lowered blood pressure targets and docs started handing out prescription drugs like Halloween candy.
Of course, we know now that the VA study was deeply flawed. It focused only on the bottom (or diastolic) reading, not the systolic number that is more important and that is targeted with blood pressure meds.
But between the VA study and plenty of slick drug company marketing, doctors were convinced to lower our blood pressure to unheard-of levels. And it looks like our brains… especially seniors’ brains…are paying the price.
Fortunately, some doctors are waking up to the dangers of over-treating blood pressure and driving our levels too low.
A panel convened by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute now claims that people over 60 should never be given a drug unless their systolic number is over 150.
That’s awfully similar to recommendations you would have heard half a century ago. And it proves that millions of Americans are taking blood pressure meds right now that they don’t need.
If you might be one of them, you and your doctor need to think about ditching these drugs for good. While you can still think clearly.
Sources:
“Blood pressure, the mystery number” Gina Kolata, June 22, 2015, The New York Times, nytimes.com
“People with high blood pressure are at lower risk of Alzheimer’s” Rina Marie Doctor, June 29, 2015, Tech Times, techtimes.com
