High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is one of the most common health concerns in the world. It affects more than 3 million people each year in the United States alone.
While most patients with hypertension are advised to change their diet, sometimes, high blood pressure persists. For instance, some patients who experience hypertension due to underlying medical issues or lifestyle factors can encounter difficulty in reducing their blood pressure.
Fortunately, chelation therapy has been shown to be a potentially effective treatment for hypertension caused by lead exposure. Read on to learn more about the causes of high blood pressure and how chelation therapy can help.
High Blood Pressure: Causes and Diagnosis
Hypertension is diagnosed when a patient has continuously high blood pressure readings. A healthy blood pressure reading is a systolic measurement under 120 mmHg and a diastolic measurement under 80 mmHg.
High blood pressure is any reading in which the systolic measurement is above 120 mmHg and the diastolic measurement is above 80 mmHg. In severe cases of hypertension, systolic readings can be as high as 140-160 mmHg and diastolic readings as high as 100-120 mmHg.
High blood pressure can have many causes. The most common cause is a combination of poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle. A lesser-known cause of high blood pressure is prolonged lead exposure. Patients who had lead exposure in childhood may develop hypertension at an early age.
Chelation Therapy and High Blood Pressure
Treating high blood pressure depends largely on the underlying cause. Many cases can be resolved with dietary and lifestyle changes. For patients who struggle with hypertension due to lead exposure, treatment can become trickier. Lowering blood pressure in these patients relies on treating the underlying cause, which is elevated levels of metal in the blood. These patients may benefit from chelation therapy.
Chelation therapy involves a medical procedure that administers chelating agents to remove heavy metals from the body. The heavy metals bind to the chelating agents and are then filtered through the kidneys and removed from the body as waste. Chelation has been used for a long time to resolve certain ailments. This includes heart disease, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and many others.
Recent trials have shown that chelation therapy can potentially lower blood pressure in patients who have hypertension associated with lead exposure. In a study of 780 children, blood pressure was effectively lowered when blood lead concentrations were decreased.
For patients who have limited success with other hypertension treatments, exploring the possibility of prior lead exposure may be indicated. When used appropriately, chelation therapy has the potential to reduce blood pressure and improve hypertension symptoms.
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