The High Blood Pressure Solution: A Scientifically Proven Program for Preventing Strokes and Heart Disease

This is a very informative and detailed book about the nature of high blood pressure and why, according to the author's view, it happens. This is a school of thought that an inbalance in the sodium-potassium exchange process occurs in the various cells in the body, including those lining the blood vessels, and causes them to constrict. His solution, based on his many years of researching this process, is that a very low-sodium, quite high potassium diet can help right the problem. He supports this by discussing the many cultures around the globe where HBP is virtually unknown because they follow such a diet. All good info. My problem with it is there are no carefully crafted studies he can come up with that proves the point definitively, other than that his associate researcher dropped his elevated blood pressure way down over a couple of years using the dietary approach. He also says, halfway through the book, that you may not experience any benefit from it at all. So I am calling this a "show me" review. I'm game and will try it to prove it one way or the other to myself as the idea of being "friended" by Big Pharma for a lifetime is not where I want to be. Once you get past some of the technical scientific info, the book is very readable and thought-provoking and this researcher has spent 40 years in the study of the sodium-potassium exchange process in the body so he knows something about the subject. Get a used copy of this book if you don't want to go full throttle. I think it's a keeper. We'll see.

After a few introductory chapters, which are basically a preview of what you will learn in detail in the book, Moore gets into the biochemical aspects of what causes high blood pressure. He talks about the various different "pumps" related to cellular function such as sodium/potassium pump, the calcium pump, and the sodium/hydrogen exchange pump. It is the action of these pumps that he connects to the development of high blood pressure. As Moore sees it, blood pressure is just a symptom that is usually treated with drugs. He contents, however, that just treating the pressure does not get at the root cause of the problem.The crux of the matter is what Moore calls the K-factor. This is simply the ratio of potassium to sodium in your diet. He recommends a K-factor of at least four, that is, you should be taking in four times as much potassium as sodium. Note that the total amounts of each, in addition to the ratio, are also important. This has a beneficial effect on cellular function and produces a blood pressure lowering effect. In the chapter called The Workbook, he provides a table of the potassium, sodium, and K-factor for many commonly eaten foods. I found chapter seventeen interesting where we learn how the kidneys, hormones, and the nervous system work together to control blood pressure.Advice is also given about other things that can help lower blood pressure such as exercise, weight loss, and diet. In fact, he devotes a chapter to each subject. Moore is not a fan of using medications to treat blood pressure. He believes that by following the recommendations in the book, most people will find their need for drugs greatly diminished or eliminated.So, will it work for you? Good question. I can give you my opinion based on reading this book and previous knowledge of the subject. I definitely think following the dietary advice in this book will be helpful. I think that it is a good idea to increase potassium intake via foods and reduce sodium intake. As Moore points out, studies have shown that doing this results in lower stroke-related deaths even if blood pressure isn't lowered. One also needs the required amount of magnesium and calcium in the diet. All these can help with blood pressure. I don't think everyone will get their pressure low enough to eliminate drugs or other interventions, however.

I hope most readers are young enough to change their salt consumption habits to allow it to make a difference before they have damaged their bodies beyond repair. This well supported expose of the role of the sodium pump within our body's cells and what happens when it goes wrong due to excessive consumption of salt, is a monumental eye opener. The cascade of events that occur with all the imbalances in every associated mineral and the biochemical, thus physiological consequences throughout our bodies via the cells, is clearly explained, step by step. It leaves no doubt that it is necessary to limit sodium chrolide in ours diets to the 500mg that the body actually needs to replace each day. Since the kidneys recycle all but that 500mg, even 2000 mg a day is excessive, it reveals, and most people consume way more than that on a daily basis. This has an affect of slowly "poisoning"* us. (*my word)It also goes on to demonstrate that is we consume enough potassium to counter balance some of the excess sodium, we can flavor our food without denying ourselves the pleasue of adding extra taste to our food. The foods to eat and the amounts (such as bananas, and other fruits and vegetables) plus the amounts to consume with the corresponding sodium intake to maintain a healty sodium balance is conveniently provided. Plus education about reading labels on processed foods to assess sodium and potassium content(where provided)is also given. It makes the case that not only high blood pressure is directly caused by excess salt in our diet but also that insulin resistence, ostroporosis, diabet4es mellitus, coronary artery disease and other diseases that occur as we get older could be prevented if we follow the advice provided in the book. If not too late, some of them can be reversed if steps are taken to correct our diet as well. This is not just diet fad stuff, it is supportd by sceintific studies and it is medically valad.

a wealth of knowledge here ...... one only has to apply

good

This book is written by a biophysicist and medical doctor and the effect sodium has on cells in the body is described from physical principals that are scientifically proven. This is then augmented with compelling anthropological evidence and case studies. It makes extremely interesting reading and I got through it very quickly.What you should know:Lowering salt/sodium intake alone is of no use at all unless you can actually decrease the ratio of sodium to potassium that you eat.High blood pressure is just one of the more visible symptoms caused by not getting enough potassium compared to sodium. If you eat too much salt then you can still be at high risk of heart disease and stroke even without having high blood pressure.Blood pressure medicine can lower your blood pressure without significantly lowering your risk of heart disease and stroke (and in some cases increase the rates of mortality).If you change your diet to get more potassium and less sodium, you can lower your blood pressure but more importantly avoid other problems such as insulin resistance/diabetes etc.The published recommended daily amounts for salt are much too high and you should aim for much less.I don't have high blood pressure and I read this book because I have family that do. I have now made changes to my diet and am recommeding the same to other healthy friends. Much better to do it before you have a problem as some of the effects of salt are irreversible if unchecked for too long (like hardening of arteries).

While the K/Na ratio imbalance and it's implications for a host of "diseases" is insightful, the book is too monotonous to enjoy reading. Should have been condensed to 50 pages, instead of 300+.It was published in 2001, a fact not mentioned on Amazon's site. Leaves you questioning how relevant it is in 2019.I am returning it.

This book provides a detailed explanation of the causes of high blood pressure/hypertension and how you can reduce it and lessen the risks of heart attack, stroke or diabetes. It explains how simple dietary changes and exercise can lower cholesterol and blood pressure naturally, without the side-effects associated with the drugs normally prescribed for hypertension. The book contains detailed medical/scientific explanations, but much of this can be skipped if required and you can 'cut to the chase' and start cutting out salt and excess fat and increasing your intake of potassium-rich foods.I would give this book 5 stars but the food-specific tables refer to American foods, but don't let this put you off. An inexpensive blood-pressure monitor (Omron MX2 Basic, available from Amazon, is a good choice) and this book can help see your blood pressure fall to a safe, healthy level and keep it there - providing you follow the instructions!