Natural Help for Hypertension

Doctors routinely treat hypertension, or high blood pressure, with daily medication, but you may want to consider a natural option. The Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine -- which has been operating for 30 years -- uses a combination of a low-carbohydrate diet and nutritional supplements to lower blood pressure and bring patients off medication.

Dr. Robert Atkins says most cardiovascular drugs mask symptoms but do not deal with heart problems, such as hardening of the arteries. A high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet and nutritional supplements can help normalize blood sugar and encourage weight loss, reducing cardiovascular risk factors, he says.

Atkins Center physicians use Chelation therapy to help lower blood pressure -- this mixture of vitamins and minerals removes harmful metals from the body, restores blood flow and improves calcium and cholesterol metabolism. They also use magnesium, which clinical studies show works as a calcium channel blocker similar to hypertension drugs.

Atkins, a cardiologist and graduate of Cornell University Medical School, says coenzyme lowers blood pressure and is an essential nutrient that provides energy to the heart. He says taurine also is important because it helps the heart get rid of excess fluid, which raises blood pressure.

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