My doctor says my blood pressure is high at 160/100 and wants to start me on blood pressure medication.
I was shocked because I do everything right. I eat lots of kale, exercise everyday, and have a normal BMI. How could I have high blood pressure? My doctor explained that as people get older, their blood vessels stiffen and blood pressure rises in response… and she expects me to believe that something that happens in the normal course of aging is pathological.
I bet she was surprised that I didn’t respond like all the other sheeple and accept her explanation and take the prescription for medication. I, unlike those fools who simply follow their doctors’ advice, refused. I have done my research and I know that the doctor is simply fear mongering.
I can’t really blame her. She’s been socialized by a medical system that insists on viewing the normal changes of aging as pathological. She probably thinks she has my best interests at heart when she warns me that high blood pressure increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes, but have educated myself about blood pressure and I can’t be fooled. I, like many of my friends on the Home Blood Pressure and Unassisted Blood Pressure forums on Narcissism.com, are no longer going to respond with fear when a doctor plays the “dead-person” card.
From my extensive research on Google and at various blood pressure blogs, I’ve learned 10 reasons to reject blood pressure medication:
1. My body is not broken. Even my doctor acknowledged that increased blood pressure is often part of normal aging and I am sick and tired of doctors pathologizing aging bodies.
2. The human race has survived tens of thousands of years without blood pressure medication. If high blood pressure were really as dangerous as my doctor claims, we wouldn’t be here now.
3. I know plenty of people who never treated their high blood pressure and lived to old age. My own grandmother refused to take the blood pressure medication prescribed by her doctor and she died at age 85.
4. Treating high blood pressure is big business for drug companies and doctors. Did you know that 3 of the top 10 most prescribed drugs in the US are high blood pressure medications? If that doesn’t indicate a conspiracy between Big Pharma and doctors, I don’t know what does.
5. Have you ever read the package inserts for high blood pressure medications? Look at all the possible side effects. Why would I want to risk that?
6. My doctor insists that high blood pressure leads to heart attacks and strokes, just because it is far more likely to have a heart attack or stroke if you have high blood pressure. But the fact is that most people with high blood pressure don’t have a heart attack or stroke. Many of them die of cancer, or diabetes or Alzheimer’s so it is wrong for doctors to play the “dead person” card to every person who has high blood pressure.
7. The US spends a massive amount of money on high blood pressure medication, but all older Americans eventually die anyway showing that treating high blood pressure is ineffective.
8. Heart attacks and strokes don’t necessarily lead to death or even to permanent damage. I know plenty of people who have had heart attacks and didn’t die. I know plenty of people who had strokes and didn’t die either. Yes, some of them have partial paralysis and others can’t speak, but some people are just meant to be paralyzed and aphasic and it would have happened whether they followed their doctors’ advice or not.
9. Since most people with high blood pressure don’t have heart attacks or strokes, there is no reason to over treat everyone who has high blood pressure. We should wait to treat only the people who do have heart attacks or strokes. We can do angioplasties, bypass surgeries or give clot busting drugs once we know exactly who has had a heart attack or stroke.
10. Everyone knows that the first hour after heart attack or stroke is a “golden” hour. Heart attack and stroke victims are much more likely to survive if they get treatment in the first hour. Since I live only 10 minutes from the hospital there is really no reason for me to treat my high blood pressure. If I have a heart attack or stroke I have plenty of time to get to the hospital before that hour is over.
So that’s why I am not going to respond to the “dead person” card, contribute to the profits of Big Pharma and follow all the other sheeple who take high blood pressure medication for no better reason than that they have high blood pressure. I may be old, but my body is not “broken” and if I am one of those unfortunate few who does have a heart attack or stroke I can transfer quickly to the hospital since I only live 10 minutes away.
There is way too much fear surrounding blood pressure these days. It hasn’t always been this way. For countless generations we have survived without blood pressure medication and I intend to die live the way nature intended. I personally feel empowered by rejecting blood pressure medication; I feel empowered by ignoring my doctor; I especially feel empowered by boasting to my friends on Narcissism.com that we are the truly educated and that everyone else is an idiot.
I will conclude with a shout out to to natural childbirth and homebirth advocates who, through their rejection of modern obstetrics, have convinced us to reject modern cardiology and neurology as well. It’s time we take back blood pressure from doctors in the exact same way that they have taken back birth. I’m sure we’ll be every bit as successful at preventing death and serious injury as homebirth advocates are, since our logic is just as impeccable. And if we’re not, we’ll take yet another page from their playbook and simply hide our death rates!
This piece is satire. The inane “reasoning” of homebirth advocates, however, not satire.
I know plenty of people who never treated their high blood pressure and lived to old age. My own grandmother refused to take the blood pressure medication prescribed by her doctor and she died at age 85. If any need more knowledge interventional radiology chicago
This was satire?! Phew, I was real scared for a second there…
I love this!
Have you ever checked the AskAPatient website? You’d be amazed to read all the bad press about Lisinopril. I got rooked into taking that killer BP drug for three days until I told the doc “no more.” Drugs of any kind. http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.asp?drug=76180&name=LISINOPRIL
No this is not satire. You might of meant it to be but it is not. Far too many Doctors are working hand and fist with BIG FORMA. I have been forced to deal with a few of these clowns just in the past number of mouths. I will not take BP meds for many reasons. Many were among the 10 reasons you listed. I am tired of the harassment these doctors try to use. They love to try the fear game. I know better what is right for my body. I have state law in my side. I can’t be forced to take anything and i can refuse. But these doctors act like they don’t know we have rights. Or they don’t care. BP may cause some things to happen later or not as we age. There is far too much nonsense out there trying to make aging in to a disease. Well it is not. Aging is what everything does. I am, 55 and am in good health. If more people do have some HP I feel it is caused by the times we live in and all the growing levels of stress we are being forced to deal with. No drug will fix that. So like O and a few below have said. This wasn’t satire. You said so much that was just so damn spot on. I wish a lot more out there would say the same and more..
I’m sorry–what is BIG FORMA?
I like your attitude. Getting old isn’t a disease, we should stop treating old people like they are sick, they aren’t sick, they are just old.
It’s normal for old people to have hypertension, become blind, have osteoporosis and break their hips, develop dementia, get cancer, heart problems and all of those. Why are we trying to make them think they are sick? Let’s just embrace their natural state of oldness.
You don’t get to decide intent of someone else’s writing.
how are get cured
Lifestyle goals should be determined by your health care team. If needed, weight loss and following a meal plan such as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (Dash) diet is sometimes recommended. This plan stresses reducing sodium (from table salt and processed foods) and increasing potassium containing foods.
Get More Info : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-z8v6cZlA0
Good Afternoon!
My name is Stephanie and I am reaching out on behalf of The
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Are you interested in turning your life around
so you can live longer for your family (children/grandchildren)?
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I find it really fascinating that in this day and age our science still “does not have answers” as to why some people have high blood pressure. I have had high blood pressure for as long as I can remember, probably around age 18 was the first time the doctors had pointed at it. Now in early 30’s it is consistently around 145/95. I am not obese, made some lifestyle changes like quitting smoking 3 years ago, keeping up with excercises and not eating junk food. Absolutely no changes in blood pressure. I think the lifestyle changes advices are horseshit. I know there are people who do not take care of themselves and live a lifestyle quite opposite to mine and still have no problems with their BP. There HAVE to be real reasons behind that. And they either really do not know themselves or just not telling us for the “Big Pharma” reasons, which is even worse of course…
LOL