Garlic mania and blood pressure

For decades, there has been speculation that garlic is not only good for blood pressure control but also can improve the overall quality of life. However, most of the reports on garlic are anecdotes and the few clinical trials conducted have never consistently shown this herb to be of any great medical benefit. Now there is an Australian study which suggests that “aged garlic” is the key to blood pressure control. 

In a 12-week study involving 50 patients, a team of Australian researchers observed that when taking four capsules day of aged garlic a day, the blood pressure dropped by 10 mmHg compared to those who took the sugar pill. Dr Karen Reid said that only “aged garlic” works. Garlic taken in any other way like raw, fresh or powder does not work. If garlic is cooked, then its health benefits disappear.

Garlic has long been felt to be good for the heart, and traditional Indian Ayurvedic medicine practitioners have been promoting the benefits of garlic as a preventative of high blood pressure for centuries. "Garlic has been used as a treatment to lower blood pressure in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years," said Sundari Ganesh, a practitioner of Ayurvedic medicine.

So what should the consumer do?

First, this study was only done with 50 patients and the study was not randomized or blind. The blood pressure decrease was very mild. It is not even known if the blood pressure lowering is sustained once garlic is discontinued. Moreover, the duration of blood pressure in some of these patients was unknown and some patients were also taking other blood pressure medications at the same time. For the present, pharmaceutical medications are still the gold standard for blood pressure control.  

Garlic is not a substitute for any medication. Even though Orientals have been taking garlic for centuries, these individuals continue to have high blood pressure compared to their western colleagues who take drugs. While “aged garlic” may have some benefits  in lowering blood pressure, you can rest assured that you will never have any friends (and guaranteed no sex) because your breathe will suck like crap- this is the primary reason why “aged garlic” has never caught on in the past.

How accurate are blood pressure measurement devices in malls and pharmacies?

Many individuals have high blood pressure in our society. The majority of individuals only get their blood pressure measured when they visit their physician, which may average about 1-3 times a year. Most of these individuals take several medications to help control the blood pressure but have little idea what the blood pressure is like on a daily basis.

High blood pressure is a silent disease and there are generally no symptoms. When high blood pressure is not adequately treated, serious complications can occur. Besides doctor’s office, blood pressure machines are often found in malls, pharmacies and health food stores. Even though these machines are for free usage, they are simply not maintained, calibrated and have cuffs of only one size.

Right off the bat, these devices are useless for measuring blood pressure in children (or those individuals with a small body size) and large or overweight individuals. The manufacturers of these outdoor automated blood pressure devices install them all over the place and rarely come back to service them. In some cases, parts are missing or the cuffs are ripped. Measuring blood pressure with a small sized cuff in a large individual always gives erroneously low readings.

What is correct cuff size for measuring blood pressure?

To ensure that you are getting a reliable reading the inflatable portion of the cuff should cover more than ¾ of the upper arm. Individuals who routinely rely on these outdoor devices for blood pressure monitoring should always write down the number and compare it with the number obtained in the physicians’ office. If there is a difference of more than 10 mmHg, then the outside machines are useless. For machines to be valid, the difference in blood pressure must be less than 5 mmHg.

Many studies have indicated that automated blood pressure devices do not meet the criteria in terms of accuracy or reliability of measurements. Those individuals who have high blood pressure should get their measurements done at a health clinic or an outpatient medical facility. Today, there are a wide variety of blood pressure monitors available for home use.

All blood pressure monitors are available without a physicians’ prescription. However, before you buy a blood pressure device, it is essential to buy the right device and develop the proper technique of measuring blood pressure. Measuring blood pressure at home has many advantages including making an early diagnosis. Individuals who have had a diagnosis of borderline hypertension or have diabetes or kidney problems are always at risk for developing full blown hypertension in the future.

Routinely measuring blood pressure can help one make the diagnosis much earlier.

Zapping the kidney to control blood pressure!

For some patients with high blood pressure there is good news. Doctors can now successfully treat high blood pressure by blasting the kidneys with a radio beam. The radio beam is aimed at the kidneys and destroys the nerves that are linked to high blood pressure. The doctors who studied this beam therapy say it may offer hope to patients whose blood pressure is now easily controlled with medications.

"This is an extremely important study, and it has the potential for really revolutionizing the way we deal with treatment-resistant hypertension," said Dr. Suzanne Oparil of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

High Blood pressure occurs in close to 30% of the adult population and can cause numerous life threatening complications when it is not well controlled. The treatment of high blood pressure is drug therapy for life.

Recent studies show that more than 50% of patients fail to respond to one medication and often require 2-3 medications to control blood pressure. Other problems with medication include side effects, cost and compliance.

In the current study researchers at the the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute of Melbourne, Australia, inserted a catheter through each patient's leg and into the kidney. The catheter than transmitted radio waves to the kidney. Patients who received this treatment had a significant drop in their blood pressure.

"The impressive results show that this approach has the potential to become a truly revolutionary treatment," said Dr Esler.

So far, this is all preliminary work and it remains to be seen if the nerves will grow back and if the blood pressure lowering will be sustained. The other point is to determine if other patients with hypertension will benefit from this therapy.

Final point: All consumers should know some facts before getting in-line for this radio wave therapy. There are many people who have chronic renal failure and they still have high blood pressure. There are even people whose kidneys have been removed and they still have high blood pressure. 

The majority of people who have high blood pressure have no identifiable cause. The kidney plays a role in high blood pressure in less than 10% of patients. Attempts at opening up blockages and increasing blood flow to the kidney have made no difference in control of hypertension. 

If applicable, this therapy may be ideal for patients in whom the kidney is responsible for high blood pressure- and that in reality is very few patients. Universal application of this therapy has only one benefit- enrich the doctors.