High blood pressure - the "silent killer" - strikes without warning. And at least 20 percent of Americans with this condition don't even know they have it. Once patients are diagnosed with high blood pressure, U.S. doctors are the most aggressive in the world at treating it, according to a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. They prescribe drugs earlier than doctors in other countries and are the quickest to prescribe more than one drug at a time. A remarkable 64 percent of American patients are on two or more blood-pressure drugs. And those medications have side effects, including:

° Impotence
° Fatigue
° Congestive heart failure
° Memory loss
° Weakness
° Depression
° Persistent cough

Most patients don't need dangerous drugs. One of the most powerful ways to combat this epidemic is completely natural and without serious side effects.

Garlic naturally widens your blood vessels and lowers your systolic pressure (the top number) by 20 to 30 mm Hg and your diastolic pressure (the bottom number) by 10 to 20 mm Hg. A German study revealed that garlic also lowers your cholesterol and triglycerides (blood fat). Look for a supplement that contains at least 3,600 micrograms of allicin (the active ingredient in garlic) per dose.

Vitamin C is another proven way to lower your blood pressure. One 10-year study showed that the lower your levels of vitamin C, the higher your blood pressure and risk of stroke. Another study found that taking as little as 250 mg a day cut the risk of high blood pressure by almost half - and it's very safe to take much more. I usually recommend starting with 1,000 mg of vitamin C daily.


By Al Sears, MD