Study sets dangerous precedent for blood pressure numbers

It’s the first thing a doctor or nurse will do when you enter the exam room – take your blood pressure. It’s even done when you go to the dentist now!

But what if you’re told it’s high? Should you be popping pills to reach that magic number of 120/80?

The mainstream’s obsession with sending that number down to the basement has just hit a new low – and I mean that literally.

And that’s something that could put you right in the crosshairs for heart disease, dementia, Alzheimer’s… even death.

Omission accomplished

A new study by a group of international researchers is attempting to make the case that an unbelievably large number of people in the world – around 900 million — are suffering from high blood pressure.

On top of that, they claim that half of the world’s population is teetering right at the edge of the hypertension cliff and needs immediate treatment.

But this “original investigation” by a long list of Ph.D.’s around the world is about as original as a carnival shell game. To up the numbers of people suffering from hypertension, they pulled the oldest trick in pharma’s book: They simply changed the rules.

For this study, anyone with a systolic (top number) reading of over 110 was considered to have elevated blood pressure! And those at 140 or higher were said to be in the red flashing danger zone.

The lead author for this hypertension hysteria made sure to tell the press that there are a “wide array of effective medical therapies” to lower blood pressure. And that part of the reason so many people have hypertension is that the population is aging and blood pressure typically goes up as you get older.

But there’s so much these guys didn’t bother to say about blood pressure numbers – especially for seniors – that it could fill a book.

For starters:

• Two years ago a big study that looked at the medical records for close to 30,000 people found that reducing blood pressure to these low numbers can send your risk of Alzheimer’s disease soaring.
• Yale researchers found that seniors who take blood pressure meds for only three years can up their chances of taking a fatal fall by almost 40 percent!
• A short time ago, researchers from Johns Hopkins discovered that if your diastolic (bottom number) goes below 60, you can be close to 50 percent more likely to develop heart disease and over 30 percent more likely to die from any cause.

But the biggest omission of all concerns findings from some top doctors in the field several years ago who said that for those 60 or over, a blood pressure reading up to 150/90 is A-OK.

And if you’re under 60, a perfectly fine reading was upped to 140/90. Drugs not required.

But of course, Big Pharma has been on the prowl ever since to invalidate those findings. And now with this new research making the rounds, things are heading straight in the wrong direction. It looks like drugmakers won’t be satisfied until everyone is taking meds to get their blood pressure down – whether they need to or not.

Look, even if your blood pressure comes in above those numbers at your next exam, that doesn’t mean it’s actually high. To be sure, monitor your blood pressure at home on a regular basis to get a clearer sense of its overall trend. It’s easy enough to do, and you’ll avoid that “white coat syndrome” that makes it spike in a medical environment.

And then, bring those readings to your doctor and have a talk about how you can ditch any blood pressure meds you’ve been taking.

That may be one of the most important things you can do for your heart – and your brain.

“High blood pressure increasing worldwide” Steven Reinberg, January 11, 2017, HealthDay News, everydayhealth.com