Have you checked your blood pressure recently? It probably would be a really good idea to do so. Why? Because you may, in fact, be one of the 103 million Americans who are at risk for heart attacks and strokes.
According to the American Heart Association’s Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics–2018 Update published in the journal Circulation, nearly half of American adults are in this risk category. In 2013, more than 360,000 deaths included high blood pressure as a primary or contributing cause.1 That’s a shocking statistic of almost 1,000 deaths each day.
In November 2015 another major study called the SPRINT trial published important findings in the New England Journal of Medicine. It led to a new re-definition of high blood pressure or hypertension. The standard used to be a reading of 140/90. The SPRINT study found that health risks from hypertension increased if the readings were over 130/80.2
The Blood Pressure Risks 101
The tricky thing about hypertension is that fact that 20 percent of people have no idea that they even have high blood pressure. Your blood pressure can be quietly creeping up without any obvious symptoms. So it certainly makes sense to check your blood pressure on a regular basis.
Healthy arteries should be flexible, strong and elastic. In a healthy artery, the lining is smooth allowing an adequate blood flow to supply nutrients and oxygen to vital organs and tissues. Hypertension gradually increases the pressure of blood flowing through your arteries. According to the Mayo Clinic, this can cause many health issues including damaged arteries and increased risk of an aneurysm. It can damage the heart causing coronary artery disease and heart failure.
But, high blood pressure is a risk factor for more than just heart disease.
Hypertension can be a serious risk factor that damages the brain. This can lead to a TIA (mini-stroke), strokes, mild cognitive impairment or dementia.
Healthy blood vessels are necessary for optimal kidney function. Hypertension can injure both the blood vessels in and leading to your kidneys, impairing kidney function. Thus, hypertension can cause kidney failure, kidney scarring or kidney artery aneurysm.
Blood vessels leading to the eye can also be damaged by impaired blood pressure. Retinopathy often referred to as retinal vascular disease, and nerve damage to the optic nerve are potential health issues.
Poor blood flow causes erectile dysfunction, and sexual dysfunction in women including low libido, vaginal dryness or difficulty achieving orgasm.
It’s no surprise that the maintaining the health of your blood vessels and blood flow is critical for just about every aspect of your wellbeing.
The Problem with High Blood Pressure Medications
High blood pressure medications are usually the first thing that your doctor will prescribe if your blood pressure meets the new hypertensive guidelines.
There are many pharmaceutical options to choose from i.e., ACE inhibitors, Alpha blockers, Angiotensin II receptor blockers, Beta blockers, Calcium Channel Blockers, Central-acting agents, diuretics, and vasodilators. Sometimes, a combination of these medications will be prescribed.
But none of these are without side effects. A partial list of side effects includes dizziness, persistent cough, rashes, kidney failure, headaches, allergic reactions, fatigue, constipation, swelling in lower legs and feet, dry mouth, depression and too much potassium.
It is also important to remember that there is not one hypertensive medication that can truly heal high blood pressure. The best that the medications can do is merely regulate it.
Natural Solutions to the Rescue for High Blood Pressure
Hypertension is a symptom of an underlying physiological imbalance due to a variety of factors including poor nutrition, stress, lack of sleep, sedentary lifestyle, being overweight, and having heavy metal toxicity.
New research suggests that the hormone insulin plays a primary role in raising blood pressure. A high carbohydrate diet along with medications that raise insulin levels may be key root factors in high blood pressure.
For women, the risk of hypertension increases with the use of oral contraceptives and Hormone Replacement Therapy.
Researchers have found that long-term estrogen exposure generates excessive levels of a compound, superoxide, which causes stress in the body. The build-up of this compound occurs in an area of the brain that is crucial to regulating blood pressure, suggesting that chronic estrogen induces a buildup of superoxide that in turn causes blood pressure to increase.3,4
A consistent blood pressure reading above 130/80 is an early warning alert. It is the flashing red light letting you know that it is time to make significant changes to a healthier, low carb diet, regular exercise, meditation, and other stress reduction programs and weight loss.
It is also time to look for safe, effective and natural solutions with proven blood pressure lowering benefits.
It’s time to get to back to nature!
The 120/LifeTM Story
Bad health news can often lead to a new discovery for healing the problem. This is the story behind the formulation of 120/LifeTM, the first functional drink created from a blend of six natural blood pressure lowering ingredients. Based on clinical studies, each one of these ingredients demonstrated the ability to support the body to manage hypertension and normalize blood pressure.
Ira Antelis, at 57 years old, had a big shock when during a routine check-up his cardiologist told him that his blood pressure was dangerously high. Like so many people who never think of themselves of being at risk of high blood pressure, the news caught him unaware. This was especially upsetting since Ira’s father had died from a stroke, a known condition caused by high blood pressure.
Ira knew he had to get his blood pressure under control right away. But, concerned about the many side effects of prescription medications, he was on a mission to find a safer solution. Researching the literature on natural blood pressure solutions, he discovered there were many clinical studies showing impressive results for lowering blood pressure from plants. These included pomegranate, cranberry, hibiscus, tart cherry and beetroot. Magnesium, an essential mineral, was one more ingredient that had repeatedly shown significant success in helping to reduce blood pressure.
He began to incorporate all of these foods into his daily regime. Within just weeks, he was pleasantly surprised by how much his blood pressure had dropped.
Dr. Lowell Steen, Ira’s cardiologist was amazed and impressed at his results. “When I read Ira’s blood pressure level after using these natural ingredients, I recommended them to my other patients with blood pressure concerns.”
Rather than take each individual ingredient separately, he looked for a drink that incorporated all of these powerful anti-hypertensive heavy hitters. Unfortunately, there was none to be found.
Thus, the idea for 120/LifeTM was born. With the help of a registered dietician, an effective blood pressure lowering drink called 120/LifeTM was formulated. 120/LifeTM is the only functional beverage that is blended with pomegranate, cranberry, hibiscus, tart cherry, and beetroot juices along with the essential mineral, magnesium. And it is sweetened with stevia, a natural sweetener that also helps to lower blood pressure.
The Rock Star Ingredients of 120/LifeTM
Beetroot has been used since the Middle Ages as a treatment for ailments, especially those relating to blood and digestion. Beetroot contains high levels of dietary nitrate (NO3), which the body converts to biologically active nitrite (NO2) and nitric oxide. Both are powerful vasodilators. A study carried out at Queen Mary University of London and published in the journal Hypertension found the “Inorganic nitrate and beetroot juice supplementation was associated with a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure.”
Dr. Shannon Amoils, a senior research advisor with the British Heart Foundation states, “This interesting study builds on previous research by this team and finds that a daily glass of beetroot juice can lower blood pressure in people with hypertension—even those whose high blood pressure was not controlled by drug treatment.”
Hibiscus has been used to treat high blood pressure in both African and Asian traditional medicine. A study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that hibiscus tea significantly improved lowering blood pressure in the participants. How does hibiscus lower blood pressure? It has diuretic properties, it opens the arteries and it appears to act as a natural angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor. This means that it slows the release of hormones that constrict blood vessels. In addition, hibiscus boosts immunity and is an effective antioxidant.
Pomegranate has been known throughout the centuries for its healing powers. According to a study published in the Pharmacological Research journal, drinking 2 ounces daily can lower blood pressure, improve cholesterol and cleanse arterial plaque. The research found that “Its ability to act as an ACE inhibitor is what allows pomegranate juice to lower blood pressure. Inhibiting ACE helps blood vessels to relax and open up, thus lowering blood pressure and allowing more blood and oxygen to get to the heart.”
Tart Cherry, also known as Montmorency cherry, has proven to be as effective at lowering blood pressure as many hypertensive drugs—such as beta blockers and diuretics. Lead author of the study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported, “The magnitude of the blood pressure lowering effects we observed was comparable to those achieved by a single anti-hypertensive drug and highlights the potential importance that Tart Cherries could have in the effective management of high blood pressure.”
Cranberries have been reported to reduce blood pressure by dilating blood vessels and increasing blood flow. They contain phenolic compounds, which work as anti-inflammatories. According to a 2010 study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, cranberries have an antioxidant called proanthocyanidins, which inhibit synthesis of a compound called ET-1 that plays a role in contracting blood vessels.
Magnesium is an essential mineral that helps to regulate hundreds of body systems, including blood pressure. Magnesium can lower blood pressure by preventing blood vessels from constricting as well as helping to improve blood flow. Magnesium has also been shown to decrease sodium concentrations in RBCs without changing potassium concentration.
A Sip Away to Healthy Blood Pressure
While high blood pressure is a serious problem affecting nearly a third of American adults, you can turn it around by implementing effective lifestyle changes such as a plant-based, whole food diet, regular exercise, daily relaxation and weight reduction.
However, one of your best friends for lowering blood pressure is the functional beverage drink, 120/LifeTM. The synergy from the six natural ingredients, beetroot, hibiscus, pomegranate, tart cherry, cranberry, and magnesium have been clinically proven to safely and successfully lower blood pressure as effectively as the most commonly prescribed blood pressure medications without the side-effects.
Thomas Edison’s quote rings so true. “There were never so many able, active minds at work on the problems of disease as now, and all their discoveries are tending toward the simple truth that you can’t improve on nature.”
Ira Antelis would definitely agree. His unique all-natural functional beverage has helped thousands of people to successfully lower their blood pressure.
One bottle of 120/LifeTM a day can help keep your high blood pressure away!
Let’s all drink to that!
References
- Heidenreich PA, Trogdon JG, Khavjou OA, et al. Forecasting the future of cardiovascular disease in the United States: a policy statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2011;123:933¡V44.
- https://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMoa1511939
- https://www.scind.org/1244/Health/main-reasons-of-higher-bloodpressure.html
- https://www.sciencedaily.com releases/2011/05/110526114533.htm
