Bonus: “Patrick Stewart looks amazing at 75” (i.reddituploads.com)
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First of all, let me state that I’m not a medical doctor and I’m not prescribing anything, nor suggesting that you follow my personal program.
I am simply here to share my discovery about natural remedies that have altered my life significantly. I am 62 years old, and I have had little or no congenital or chronic health issues over my lifetime.
Imagine my surprise when I went to a Bariatric doctor to lose weight and found that I had blood pressure of 162/120. Granted, I had been going through some stressful events in my life; a broken heart and several million-dollar bankrupt investments would spike anyone’s blood pressure.
There were a lot of other issues I was facing involving adrenal fatigue, excess cortisol, and the excess weight that I went to the doctor for in the first place. So even though I worked out five or more days a week and have always been active, I was wondering what the f*ck was going on with my body.
I was especially sensitive to the blood pressure issue because I watched my father die of high blood pressure and late stage Alzheimer’s Disease. You can always tell someone that is on high blood pressure medicine, they are usually covered with deep red bruises indicative of clotting inhibitors like Coumadin. I did not want to experience those symptoms at any time of my life, but with blood pressure at 160/120 that was where I was headed.
So I did some research and discovered that a simple naturally occurring molecular compound could not only help with my high blood pressure, but it also helps eliminate arterial plaque and a host of other benefits. This compound is known as nitric oxide or NO. (This is not the funny gas you get at the dentist; that is nitrous oxide (N2O)).
According to medical research, the naturally occurring levels of NO in our bodies declines with age, and as a result arteries stiffen and become blocked, and the downward spiral of cardiovascular disease starts. The medical term is endothelial dysfunction (which actually causes erectile dysfunction as well—guys better start paying attention).
Medical researchers have discovered that NO signals to the cells in our arteries to relax and become pliable. This also helps flush LDL (bad cholesterol) and plaque out of the artery. As a result, LDL goes down as well as blood pressure. Both good things in my book. Healing erectile dysfunction is a big one for me as well (enthusiasm can only go so far).
Incredibly, I discovered that people my age have 50 percent less vasodilation than people under 30 years old, and that the reduction of NO levels was directly responsible for cardiovascular disease. Why hasn’t Big Pharma jumped on this bandwagon and started putting out drugs to increase NO in our systems?
The answer is money.
Big Pharma would rather sell you Viagra, Cialis, Coumadin, Wellbutrin, Nitroglycerin, all of which are multi billion-dollar businesses that address symptoms, not the cause. After all, if they healed the cause endothelial dysfunction, they couldn’t sell you all of that other stuff. All you really need is more NO through food, exercise and supplementation.
The following symptoms are indicative of NO depletion:
Fatigue
Insomnia
Erectile Dysfunction
High Blood Pressure and hypertension
Elevated LDL
Poor Memory and Concentration
Depression and Chronic Anxiety
Asthma and CPD
Brittle Bones
It is relatively easy to increase NO levels which would reverse these symptoms. Beets (juice) and dark green leafy vegetables are rich in nitrogen which is converted into NO during digestion. Nuts, beans, seeds, garlic, onions, fish, fish oil and any foods containing L-arginine help raise NO levels. High fat foods reduce NO levels.
Is this starting to sound familiar?
We have been told by natural food experts that these foods are best for any number of health reasons; energy, digestion, immune system support, brain function and others. What I never knew before, was that increasing NO levels eliminated the symptoms of disease listed above. Incredibly, the number of symptoms caused by NO depletion sounds like NO depletion may be the cause of aging and shortened lives.
I started increasing my intake of the L-arginine foods and NO supplements and have found that my blood pressure is now down to 130/90 which is a huge improvement. My doctor is happy, I am happy, my fiancé is happy. I don’t have to go on anti-depressants or blood pressure medication.
According to the Health Sciences Institute the top three dangerous prescription drugs are:
1. sleeping pills (Ambien, Lunesta, Restoril)
2. cholesterol drugs (statin drugs like Baycol)
3. blood pressure medication (beta blockers and calcium channel blockers, Coumadin, Warfarin.)
I watched my father eek out the last few years of his life taking dozens of these medications every day. I wish I had known an alternative for all of these life-threatening prescriptions that he was taking. Perhaps his quality of life, if not his longevity, could have improved with higher levels of NO, but then again, some habits die hard and he may have turned up his nose at the suggestion of using none traditional remedies to correct his maladies.
All I can say is I have avoided all of that with diet, exercise and supplementation. I understand that I have to age, but I don’t have to give up. I am not going to age gracefully, I am going to learn all I can about what really causes aging and address that, not just the symptoms.
All I have to continue to do is say yes to NO.
Resources:
The Nitric Oxide (NO) Solution by Nathan S. Bryan PhD and Janet Zand, OMD
Author: James Robinson
Editor: Sara Kärpänen
Photo: Images Money / Flickr
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