The Vast Overtreatment of Blood Pressure. What evidence actually underlies blood pressure management? By A Midwestern Doctor (11/07/24)
NOTE: This is an abridged version of a longer article:
The Great Blood Pressure Scam. Exploring the Forgotten Causes and Treatments of Hypertension and the Dangers of BP Medications. (07/29/24). Article summary in Substack Note provided below
Story at a Glance (copied below with minor edits):
This article discusses the limitations of conventional blood pressure perspectives and the actual causes of high blood pressure (hypertension).
High blood pressure is increasingly common.
At least 25% of hypertension diagnoses are due to inaccurate measurements.
The cause of hypertension is unknown for over 90% of patients.
Aggressively treating blood pressure has only a limited effect on strokes, not heart disease.
The correlation between high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease is often misinterpreted; impaired circulation causes blood pressure to rise, not the other way around.
Main topics:
Conventional Blood Pressure Perspectives
Variable Blood Pressure
What Affects Blood Pressure?
What Causes High Blood Pressure?
Atherosclerosis and Blood Pressure
Zeta Potential and Blood Pressure
Does High Blood Pressure Cause Heart Disease?
Blood Pressure Mortality Studies
Conclusions
The rush to market blood pressure-lowering drugs began with minimal proof of long-term benefit and was based on a few short-term studies for very high blood pressure.
Without solid evidence, the threshold for treatment has been continuously lowered over time, resulting in many more prescriptions for the drugs.
Around 23% of Americans (60 million) — and particularly the elderly — now take blood pressure drugs, despite the elderly being more vulnerable to low blood pressure due to calcified arteries.
