Tag Archive for: hypertension

Does Nature Improve Health?

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One of my favorite places during the summer is on our deck. I just love sitting out there in the cool of the morning. On a calm day with little humidity, it’s great even when the temperature hits the mid-80s; the shade sail helps. Working or relaxing, it’s my favorite place. The flowers. The trees. The birds, especially the frequent visits by hummingbirds. This patch of nature didn’t happen by accident. Over the 15 years we’ve been here, Paula has created a space that soothes the mind, helps creativity, and lifts the soul. That’s . . .

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The Silent Killer

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On Tuesday, I told you about an article sent to me by a long-time reader. Today’s message is about an email sent to me the same day as the other, but it’s quite different.

In the second email, a woman let me know that her husband had passed away in his sleep several months ago. He was not overweight and seemed healthy. When the medical university nearby did an autopsy, they found he had an enlarged heart, most likely due to high blood pressure. That’s one of the reasons hypertension is called the silent killer.

I . . .

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Blood Pressure: Lifestyle First

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Today I’m going to share a caution from one of the lead authors in the Mayo Clinic arm of the study and tell you what I think is the biggest mistake the researchers made in announcing the preliminary results of the SPRINT Study.

The Mayo Clinic posted a video from Dr. William Haley, a lead researcher in the SPRINT Study; remember there were 102 different clinical sites that provided data for this study. What he said was significant. Here’s my interpretation: The results of a large study such . . .

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Blood Pressure: More Drugs

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Continuing our look at the SPRINT Study from Tuesday, the study showed a significant reduction in mortality from cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and strokes in subjects older than 50. I can’t argue that those are important results. The question is how did they do it? Here’s how: The group of subjects whose target systolic blood pressure (SBP) was less than 140 were treated with an average of two antihypertensive medications. What did they do with the group whose target SPB was less than . . .

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Blood Pressure: A Moving Target

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In a press release this past weekend, the National Institute of Health released preliminary results of the SPRINT Study (Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial) sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. It reported that lowering the target systolic blood pressure (SBP) from 140 mm Hg to 120 mm Hg in people over 50 years old significantly reduced the death rate and cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and strokes.

The subjects were recruited from 102 clinical centers throughout the U.S. (1). The conditions for inclusion in the trial were that men and women must be 50 or . . .

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Taurine and Caffeine

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Today we’re wrapping up our look at the potential benefits of adding more taurine to your diet. One of the topics I get asked about most often is the effect of caffeine and taurine in combination on the heart. The concern is that energy drinks contain both nutrients; would that have negative effects on people with heart issues such as hypertension? Let’s take a look at a recent research review.

The authors of the review paper examined the available research on the potential interactions between caffeine and taurine because of the increase in energy-drink consumption. The effects . . .

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