High Blood Pressure is NOT a disease!
Brown leaves and Check engine lights.
Imagine you were a gardener, and one day while walking through your garden, you happen to notice that one of the leaves on your kale plants were starting to turn brown. As a gardener, would you then:
A.) Pull out a can of green spray paint and paint the brown leaves back to green? or
B.) Would check the soil, look for insects, make sure it has water, you know, check for the typical things that may lead to a browning leaf, and actually get to the ROOT of the problem?
My guess is you would choose B.
How about this one? Let's say you were driving home one day, and your check engine light came on. Would you?
A.) cut the wires leading to the dashboard; that way, you no longer see the check engine light? Or would you
B.) take the car to your mechanic or try to figure out the problem yourself and fix it?
Once again, I'm guessing you would choose B.
Two very different scenarios, but the same logical thought process applies. That logical thought process understood that the effect has a cause and that the cause was not the effect.
In the first scenario, it's easy to understand that painting the leaves only provides temporary aesthetic relief but does nothing to improve the actual function nor any other benefit of the plant as a whole. In fact, because you have solved the wrong problem, which wasn't a problem in the first place, the leaf is now toxic if eaten.
In the second scenario, we understood that cutting the wires to the check engine light does not solve the problem that the light was trying to inform us of. Not only that, now that the wire is cut, but we also are not even sure what the initial problem was. In fact, the very reason you have the check engine light is to warn and raise awareness that something is wrong or not optimal with your engine. With all the potential damage that the check engine light could be informing you about, it safe to say that the check engine light is actually an ally. However, by cutting it, you have now treated an ally like an enemy.
This thought process is something that I could continue to use examples for over in over. However, I think you get the point.
When I think about high blood pressure, along with many other so-called "diseases," and how they are "treated," I can't help but think of these scenarios.
What is the root cause? Is it really a "disease," or is it a sign denoting other underlying factors? Should it be really treated, and if so, how? These are just a few questions that should be asked with all "disease." Why? Because not asking them may lead you down the road of aggressively treating a problem that is not a problem, but rather a sign or symptom. And like I said before, treating signs and symptoms is just like painting brown leaves green and cutting the wires to the dashboard check engine lights.
This topic and more is something that I discussed in my book, "The Blood Pressure Manifesto", which you can now get for free here.
What is a DISEASE? dis·ease dəˈzēz/
As defined by Oxford's dictionary- Disease- a disorder of structure or function in a human, animal, or plant, especially one that produces specific signs or symptoms or that affects a specific location and is not simply a direct result of physical injury.
As defined in medicine- A pathological condition of a body part, an organ, or a system resulting from various causes, such as infection, genetic defect, or environmental stress, and characterized by an identifiable group of signs or symptoms.
Let’s go through this by covering some very basic anatomy and physiology.
Disorder? Where at?
In my book "The Blood Pressure Manifesto", you will see me repeat what the function of blood is and it's importance. Quite simply, without blood, our cells simply could not survive. In medicine, we call this process "ischemia" or hypoperfusion. Your body will adapt and regulate as much as it can to prevent this from happening, including increasing your pressure.
Therefore, whenever there is an increase in vascular resistance, this increased vascular resistance must be met with an increase in blood pressure in order for you to survive. So your body overcomes the resistance and ADAPTS to the environment, by increasing the pressure, giving you high blood pressure.
When you now look at high blood pressure this way, you will learn to see and appreciate the intelligence of your body. There is nothing "disordered" about adaptations, regulations, and homeostatic mechanisms.
By definition, these are very organized systems. Nothing is occurring as an accident. This is an intelligent physiological response to vascular resistance. For a deeper understanding of how all of this works, be sure to get your Free copy of "The Blood Pressure Manifesto".
Signs and symptoms
To meet the criteria to be classified as a disease, the pathology must have both signs and symptoms.
A symptom is a phenomenon that is experienced by the individual affected by the disease. At the same time, a sign is a phenomenon that can be detected by someone other than the individual affected by the disease.
An example of a symptom would be a person feeling unwell or feeling pain. An example of a sign would be edema, heart rate, temperature, and blood pressure.
So what are the signs and symptoms of high blood pressure? Well, there is none.
We have all heard high blood pressure is referred to as the silent killer. Why? Because there is no consistent sign or symptom, and someone could have high blood pressure for years without any idea.
Some say that they experience headaches; however, high blood pressure does not cause headaches, but instead, headaches increase blood pressure. Why, because headaches are painful, and pain increases blood pressure.
Some report feeling lightheadedness. However, lightheadedness is a symptom of hypoperfusion and low blood pressure.
The list of possible symptoms can go on and on, but one thing for sure is that there is no consistent symptom.
What about a sign for high blood pressure? I know what you're thinking, blood pressure measurement, right? Wrong!
You can't use a sign for the sign of that "disease" to be qualified as a sign... Did you catch that? You can't use a "high blood pressure" measurement as a supporting sign for high blood pressure, which leads me to my next point.
If there are no signs or symptoms of high blood pressure, then how do you diagnose it and treat it?
Well, 90-95% of people who have hypertension, have what they call "essential hypertension." What does this mean? This means that it has no "identifiable cause." Treatments are supposedly designed to treat the cause. Well, if it doesn't have any identifiable cause, then what-is-being-treated??
I'll wait...
Finally, let's look at the definition of diagnosis. Diagnosis is the identification of the nature and cause of a particular phenomenon. Once again, essential hypertension has no "identifiable cause." Therefore, it can't even be diagnosed.
So let's gather up all the stated facts I have listed for High blood pressure NOT being a disease:
- It is not a disorder or derangement
- there is no consistent symptom
- there is no sign (can't use a sign for a sign)
- there is no identifiable cause
- It can't be diagnosed
What's the big deal? You're splitting hairs.
Ok, so high blood pressure is not a disease. So what's the big deal?
The reason this is a big deal is that you have now just been enrolled in a potentially sophisticated, abusive, lopsided, and non-beneficial relationship.
Billions each year are spent on high blood pressure management, medications, or the complications that are said to be associated with high blood pressure. Most people taking BP med, although they are placed on it for life, will not benefit from them at all, but many will suffer from unnecessary side effects. Overall these medications won't even improve their health.
Be sure to get your free copy of "The Blood Pressure Manifesto", where I go more in-depth about why this is problematic.
Also, if you would like a natural way to improve your blood pressure WITHOUT the side-effects, be sure to check out our Pressure-T Birthday Packs.
However, in the meantime, comment below and let me know what you think about all of this. What has your experience been?
Until next time P.E.A.C.E.
