The health of the blood determines the age of the body and whether or not hypertension will develop.

• Hypertension affects 4 in 10 Americans?
• An estimated 40% of adults worldwide have hypertension according to the World Health Organization.
• Hypertension has been shown to account for 58.3% of deaths from hemorrhagic stroke and 54.5% of deaths from ischemic heart disease.

The statistics reflect the seriousness of hypertension worldwide and demonstrate that hypertension is at the root of many other ancillary diseases.

The burden and concern associated with hypertension is its effects on the cardiovascular system and the related implications on all the organs of the body. One of the most problematic related diseases is diabetes, which often results from chronic hypertension. Hypertension is directly correlated to heart disease, heart attacks, and stroke.

Elevated blood pressure puts increased force on arteries, stretching them. This action of contraction and retraction results in scar tissue that leaves a sandy textured patch on the arterial wall. The sandy texture then becomes the perfect catch point for plaque to accumulate. As plaque takes up residence within the tiny arteries, a narrowing of the artery occurs and sets in motion the perfect conditions to create blood clots and cardiovascular disease.

The blood must be clean and healthy in order to reduce the risk of hypertension.

While hypertension is most often the cause of many serious diseases, what is worse than the ancillary diseases are the ramifications and side effects of the medications prescribed to artificially lower blood pressure.

Most often, doctors prescribe blood pressure medication in response to elevated blood pressure. These medications come with serious side effects. The best-selling blood pressure medications can cause harm including, in some cases, death.

Patients report dizziness, fatigue nausea, and light-headedness. The truth is these medications do nothing to correct the underlying problem that causes hypertension.

The most concerning medications are Lisinopril, Metoprolol Succinate, Amlodipine and Chlorothiazide. Note that Lisinopril has well over 400,000 complaints to the FDA in under 10 years. It’s also sold under the names Prinivil and Zestril. It can cause nausea, vomiting, fainting, kidney failure, and even heart attacks, the very thing the drug is supposed to prevent.

Lisinopril is an “ACE inhibitor.” ACE inhibitors are derived from the venom of the Brazilian Pit Viper, which causes a rapid loss of blood pressure, literally knocking its prey out.

This drug blocks the enzyme that constricts blood vessels as part of the natural regulation of blood chemistry and pressure.

When Lisinopril works a little too well, it can cause a rapid loss of blood pressure that leaves patients foggy and dizzy and even pass out. Feinting could result with a broken bone or a fractured skull.

Another side effect of this drug can be a bad cough, which may last for month after discontinuing the drug. Lisinopril makes a byproduct called “kinnins.” Many patients have trouble clearing kinnins. The kidneys have to break down these chemicals and eliminate their toxic byproducts. This puts additional pressure on the kidneys, which are already adversely affected by high blood pressure.

Then there is the drug Amlodipine, marketed as Norvasc, Takamlo, and Amturnide, which are calcium channel blockers.

As a “calcium channel blocker,” it lowers blood pressure by dampening the electrical signals to the muscles.

So, while blood vessels constrict less, causing a drop in blood pressure, so motor skills and energy are often diminished. There are many more commonly prescribed medications, all of which have very serious negative side effects.

These drugs are well-known for causing headaches, diarrhea, hair loss, and intestinal upset.

Amlodipine can also wreak havoc on the emotions, perhaps not at first, as this is a side effect that develops over time. But it can cause anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Amlodipine is also notorious for causing swelling in the ankles and wrists, making it hard to wear shoes and perform simple tasks.

All of this may be avoided with a proper diet, exercise, and taking a nitric oxide supplement. Nitric oxide is the single most important natural ingredient in regulating elevated blood pressure.

Best of all, the body produces nitric oxide naturally. Nitric oxide is a key signaling messenger in the cardiovascular system. It’s a gas that’s produced in every tissue and organ of the body, from the muscles to the brain. This gas signals the cells that line the arterial wall to relax and allow more oxygen into tissues by increasing blood flow. Nitric oxide is responsible for signaling and modulating thousands of processes involved with every organ in the body.

The body is as old as its arteries. Nitric oxide keeps arteries clean and healthy. It plays a key role in regulating blood pressure, maintaining the blood fluid, and preventing the clumping of platelets to mention just a few effects.

One of the reasons blood pressure tends to become elevated as one ages is due to the fact that nitric oxide production decrease with ages. The blood starts to thicken and blood flow becomes sluggish causing the heart and organs to work harder which also causes an elevation in blood pressure. Lack of oxygen and nutrients is the root of all disease.

By the age of 50, a person is producing about 35% of the nitric oxide the body produced at 20. When circulation decreases the health of the body deteriorates rapidly. The role of nitric oxide in transporting nutrients, oxygen and essential repair factors to every part of the body is critical to maintaining health.

And while eating healthy and exercising is important for maintaining good health, it isn’t enough. When the nitric oxide deficit is as great as 50%, supplementation becomes critical.

The question is: Why aren’t cardiologist in America prescribing a properly formulated nitric oxide supplement as the first line of defense against cardiovascular disease and hypertension before pulling out a prescription pad and dooming a patient to the horrific side effects of blood pressure medication? Rather than covering up the problem with medication, shouldn’t doctors be focused on the source of the problem and offering natural solutions like nitric oxide which have been proven effective with over 150,000 scientific papers researching this miracle molecule?