Customer Reviews

Reversing Hypertension: A Vital New Program to Prevent, Treat and Reduce High Blood Pressure

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I have been recently been diagnosed with severe hypertension at the age of 37. After being prescribed several drugs right away, I began a quest of knowledge on alternative treatments. I found Mr. Whitaker's book the most informative and well documented on research literature. His analysis on the different prescribed drugs and their long term effects was the best I have read.He describes the benefits and failures of these drugs that my own doctors did no inform me with.

He describes in length the many factors for hypertension which are easy to read and understand.

What I liked also about his book is the multi-step programs that one can follow. The reader can do a number of things that will lower blood pressure. Dr. Whitaker takes the approach that hypertension is absolutely reversible in most cases, and when you read the book it is hard not to believe him.

I have started his program and have found it to be the best so far.

Was diagnosed with High Blood Pressure at 39 2001. 160+ over 100+. Came on very rapidly. Father had heart problems at 46 years old. I was a person who was exercising quite regularly (4-5 times per week swimming) It was not changing my blood pressure. My physician prescribed atenolol. First 25 mg then when it didn't work 50 mg. I thought that was that for the rest of my life.

I was at the library and I saw this book I was not looking for it. March 8 2003 read it and on March 9 went on the plan. Within three months I was down to 12.5 mg of atenolol. BP hovering around 120 over 75. I lost 25 pounds from 185 to 160 in four months. Waste went from 34 to 32. I weigh five pounds lighter than when I graduated HS. I was not expecting this but it was a great bi-product of the plan.

Today January 20, 2004 almost eleven months later I have maintained the same body weight 160. I am off all medicine for three weeks and my Blood Pressure is at 120 over 78. If it goes back up I will go back to the 12.5 mg but my Physician is amazed.

My Cholesterol was 212 with Triglycerides of 370 in July. At the end of December cholesterol was down to 173 and trig now 125. My LDL has stayed about the same at 110 which isn't to bad. My HDL is still low at 29. Not sure what I will do about that since I continue to swim 5 times a week anywhere from 6 to 10 miles per week. HDL is a much harder thing to move unfortunately and in my case it is familial as my father still alive at 78 has never been able to get his above 30 (tracked since 1972). He had six bypasses at 62 which is what I hope to avoid.

No matter this plan has given me great hope that I can avoid or at least limit the drugs. I feel great physically and I feel good about myself having lost the weight. It can be a tough plan to be on but I consider it to be my lifestyle now. One can still eat an awful lot of good food you just have to know what your eating and really avoid the salt and fat.

I think Dr Whitaker should market it as a diet plan as well because from what I can see the diet plans out there nobody can stick to long term. More people should know about this and Doctors should be promoting it. Thank you Dr Whitaker!

Many people have "high normal" blood pressure and what they hear is only the "normal" and disregard the high. I am one of those.
I had a bad reaction two two blood pressure medications and am tolerating a third. My case is a classic one: high bp has caused an enlargement of my heart and the beginning of cardiac disease. My mother dies of an MI at 61 and my father had his first heart attack at 74. I have no desire to follow in their footsteps.
This book makes a strong case for hypertension being a lifestyle disease and accordingly, he prescribes serious lifestyle changes as well as a ton of supplements. Some people will not be amenable to the latter suggestion. Dr. Whitaker allows more fat than Pritikin or Ornish and his food program is a bit more strict than the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension). It is a sane and sensible program, but not without the need for some clarifications.
He recommends herring and salmon, but most salmon sold today is farm raised and does not have the same nutritional content as wild salmon. Herring is almost impossible to find fresh. The bottled herring is loaded with sugar and/or high fructose corn syrup and salt, making it an inappropriate choice, but Whitaker glosses over this. He says it's okay to have decaf coffee, but decaf coffee has the same amount of trans fatty acids as regaular coffee. How come he doesn't know this?
It would have been helpful for him to include a chart showing how many daily calories one needs to maintain a specific weight. This book is an excellent choice for those wanting to try lifestyle changes to bring down their bp without drugs, despite my reservations. I am trying his approach and expect to discontinue my medications (including Lipitor) by the summer.

Ever wonder about the mechanics of hypertension - what is it and how is it affecting your body? James Whitaker discusses how someone like me who worked out in the gym 3-4 times a week, has eaten right for years and had normal cholesterol readings could have a stoke. You could have knocked me down with a feather when it happened - and I mean that literally.

No one ever told me about aldosterone, antidiuretic hormone (ADH), Angiotensin II, or Nitric Oxide, or the role the renin-angiotension-aldosterone system(RAAS) played in regulating blood pressure. Seems there are at least two types of hypertension and that stress is a major factor that can affect your body and shorten your life. As I never used Cocaine, that must be the cause of my secondary hypertension and why my physician has prescribed an ACE inhibitor and a BETA blocker. (By the way, you might want to read this book for no other reason than to discover the danger of taking a BETA-Blocker with an anti-diuretic for an extended period.

Whitaker lists some controllable risk factors most of us need to know more about including obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes, diet, smoking and drinking. I have never smoked and I don't drink alcohol, and I am using a variant of the DASH diet (also discussed in this book). Living with smoker has probably affected (passive smoking - if you have kids stop for their sake!!). Read this book and learn more about hypertension, prescription drugs, and how you can lower your blood pressure, improve your memory and enjoy life again using various natural techniques.

I went to the doctor about 4 weeks ago and he told me that my blood pressure was high. I was shocked. My mom started taking high blood pressure pills 3 years ago and I didnt want to believe that I could be effected by high blood pressure so early in life. Well I began to panic and my blood pressure continued to rise. My doctor scheduled a follow up appt for me 2 weeks after my initial appt. He wanted me to measure my pressure on my own. Well I panicked so much my pressure was up and down the whole two weeks so he prescribed high blood pressure pills for me. I took one pill and it made me feel awful so I searched on the internet for anything else and I found Dr Whitakers book and I bought it. I started applying the principles in this book and I never took another pill and my blood pressure has been normal every since. I thank God that I found this book and read it in time before I started taking those high blood pressure pills.

This book seems be based on research done by other doctors who do not own a supplement company.
I bought this book because I could not get good advice on supplements from my doctor.
The advice is very good, although copied, but the supplement advice points the reader toward the Whitaker Institute, which seem to do more research on how to sell vitamins for more moeny than research on curing heart disease
The supplements sold by Dr. Whitaker's company are much higher priced than the exact same supplements sold by other reputable supplement comapanies like Puritan's Pride, The vitamin Shoppe, Swansons vitamins etc.
I prefer other books on this subject sold by amazon, particulary one written by Dr. Houston, who runs a hospital research institute and does not own a supplement company.
I find it hard to believe the advice on supplements from a man who is charging triple prices for the supplements that he reccomends in his book.

Elwin Bagley

Your doctor may have never told you that most blood pressure medicine is dangerous, that for some people, reducing salt intake and drinking more water is as effective as diuretics and much safer, and that in most cases hypertension is caused by an unhealthy lifestyle. This information, and much more, is backed up by 28 pages of references.
I have followed some of the guidelines for about two weeks and have already seen a decrease in both my systolic and diastolic pressures. I have not yet started eating tofu, and have not given up beef, but am reducing salt intake, choosing complex carbs over simple sugars, and eating fruit rich in potassium, calcum and magnesium. Some of the recommended changes are difficult, some are refreshing.
This book is intended for people who are "proactively involved in their health...and highly motivated to modify their diets and make other lifestyle changes..." It's not for everyone. It calls for changing eating habits and exercising regularly, as well as reducing stress. But even if one does not follow the book's advice to a tee, they can probably benefit from it.
I recommend Reversing Hypertension to anyone who needs to reduce their blood pressure, doesn't want to risk taking medicines that can be more dangerous than hyertension ,and is willing to make the necessary lifestyle changes.

Reading this book was life changing for me. Finally I got an explanation for what happened to me and how I can fix it. In a matter of a couple of months, I went from being a fit size 4 to gaining 35 pounds and a huge belly plus having high blood pressure and high blood sugar for the first time in my life. In my HMO, my doctor simply told me I'm aging, I'm 'not that overweight,' avoid sodium and quit worrying. She would not put me on B P meds or send me to an endocrinologist as I'd requested. This went on for years and eventually I was hospitalized with very high blood pressure. I felt desperate. In reading this book I finally found out why and how I can help myself. And so I am. Already I've lost 18 pounds, changed my diet and started exercising again. My blood pressure has dropped like a stone, muscle mass is revitalizing and so is my energy levels. Skillfully written for the laymen, this book is very absorbable and should be read by all adults.

Reversing Hypertension: A Vital New Program to Prevent, Treat, and Reduce High Blood Pressure
There are items the good Doctor did not mention.
First: Never eat foods or drinks made in a factory. Consider a "drive through window" at a fast food joint "death row" Outside of oatmeal, don't eat anything from a box.
look into Braggs Organic Apple Cider Vinegar. Jack LaLanne swears by it.
Follow the books guide line and stick with it. This diet/exercise plan has no experation date. It's a lifestyle. Read it, believe it, live it
Dump all sodas and beer NOW! I bought the book last year: BP 210/120 One year later 126/74. Not bad for a 58 year old guy.
Everyday, take the best possible care of yourself. The rest will take care of itself

I purchased this book for my husband and myself, who both have high blood pressure. Dr. Whitaker's simple, straight-forward explanation of this killer makes people sit up and take high blood pressure very seriously! I would recommend that anyone with this disease consider taking the supplements and vitamins he suggests in this book. You will be amazed how they make you feel. AND...did you know that eating just 4 stalks of celery a day can significantly reduce your blood pressure?!? He provides so many more helpful suggestions in this must-read book!