A COMPEDIUM OF DRUGS: BETA-BLOCKERS

Propranolol, metoprolol, atenolol, and timolol are some of the many beta-blockers. Beta-blockers interfere with the effect of adrenaline on the heart, preventing an unnecessary increase in the speed and effort of the heart. Aside from the effect on angina pectoris and hypertension, beta-blockers can prevent and control certain kinds of abnormal heart rhythms. They can be used alone or in conjunction with digoxin, qui-nidine, or disopyramide. Usually, they are taken from one to four times daily. They slow the pulse, and some people may develop an inordinately slow heart rate. In patients with asthma or chronic bronchitis, beta-blockers may exaggerate wheezing. And in certain individuals, they may aggravate the symptoms of heart failure.

A new class of medications has become available for the treatment of angina pectoris. The calcium antagonists or calcium blockers add a new dimension to the control of angina pectoris. Many older people with anginal pain benefit from the use of nifedipine, diltiazem, or verapamil.

Medications used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure) often overlap with those used for various forms of heart disease. Diuretics (“water pills”) are medications that cause the body to lose salt and water. In people who suffer from heart failure, there is an excessive accumulation of fluid because of impaired pumping of the heart. Diuretics allow the excess fluid to be passed through the kidneys and thereby decrease the shortness of breath, bloating, and swelling.

It may be necessary to use diuretics with other medications when high blood pressure is difficult to control. The most common diuretics, the thiazides, come in many forms, as individual medications and sometimes in combination with other drugs. They are slow acting and rarely create an urgency to urinate, as do the faster-acting diuretics, such as furosemide. The fast-acting diuretics are more potent than the thiazides for the treatment of heart failure but are not more effective in treating high blood pressure. The diuretics spironolactone, triamterene, and amiloride are often combined with other diuretics to enhance their effect and prevent excessive loss of potassium, which is often a problem with the other types of medications. Sometimes potassium tablets or syrup may be given with thiazides or furosemide. Potassium should not be taken if you are receiving spironolactone, triamterene or amiloride.    r

Medications for hypertension may cause an excessive loss of salt and water, which can lead to dizziness and fainting, or they may decrease the efficiency of the kidneys. In people who have a tendency to diabetes mellitus, diuretics may increase the level of sugar in the blood (see chapter 18, section on diabetes mellitus). In certain individuals gout may occur. If you are taking diuretics, expect to have periodic blood tests to measure electrolytes, blood sugar, and kidney function.

Some drugs used to treat high blood pressure act on the blood vessels, on the heart, or on the brain. Propranolol and other beta-blockers, as well as methyldopa, hydralazine, prazosin, and clonidine are effective antihypertensive medications.

Often, a combination of medications is given simultaneously. Each medication can have its own side effects. The main problem is the excessive lowering of the blood pressure, which often leads to dizziness and fainting. This can usually be reversed by decreasing the dosage. Medications known as ACE inhibitors, such as enalapril and captopril, can be prescribed for some people to lower blood pressure and/or treat heart failure. The use of these drugs must be carefully followed by your physician because they are usually started in very small doses and then gradually increased.

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CALCIFICATION AND CALCIUM PREPARATIONS – REMEDY

Whatever the case, calcification is a sign of ageing which appears as a result of a disturbance in the general metabolism and an unhealthy diet, primarily one containing too much protein. But by no means can we hold the calcium in food or a biological preparation responsible for the pathological process of calcification. The bones of the skeleton contain reserves of calcium that would be quite sufficient to calcify all our blood vessels, yet in practice, such a contingency never arises.

As far as possible, naturopathy treats arteriosclerosis with remedies that restore some elasticity to the vessels. The blood pressure will thereby drop, for it previously had to rise because of constriction, with the lack of elasticity of the vessels compelling the heart to generate greater pressure to keep the circulation going. Of course, for arteriosclerosis we do not prescribe any medicines containing calcium. What we do indicate are arnica and Crataegus, as well as Viscum album, garlic perles, Arterioforce capsules and bear’s garlic tonic. These remedies have an excellent effect. At the same time care should be taken to minimise the salt and protein intake. One of the best foods for preventing hardening of the arteries, or helping to reduce an existing condition, is brown rice. For this reason, anyone with arteriosclerosis should eat brown rice several times a week; it can be served morning, noon or evening and prepared in various appetising ways. The blood pressure will then fall, because a diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, together with plenty of brown rice, will gradually halt the disease and improve the condition.

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ARTERIOSCLEROSIS, CORONARY THROMBOSIS AND HEART ATTACKS

Raw vegetables and soft white cheese (quark) should supplement the rice diet. Be sure to eat fresh salads every day, preferably dressed with Molkosan (whey concentrate) and unrefined oils.

For their curative properties, include in your diet wheat germ oil or wheat germ oil capsules, Sojaforce and Kelpasan, as well as any foods that contain seaweed. However, keep off Kelpasan if your blood pressure is high.

Instead of any other favourite cheese, eat only mild white soft cheese (quark) or cottage cheese. If it is difficult to give up the old habit of eating meat, eat very little of it and infrequently. The same advice holds true for eggs, which should never be eaten hard-boiled.

For seasoning, use salt very sparingly, It is best to change over to sea salt and Herbamare herbal seasoning salt. It is of the utmost importance to provide the body with plenty of oxygen. So take long country walks at a good pace to stimulate deep breathing. If it is not possible to do this on a daily basis, at least use the weekend for that purpose. Instead of spending time in one’s favourite cafe, bar or restaurant, sitting in front of the television or behind the wheel of a car, get out and exercise your legs in the countryside, in the woods and through the meadows.

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THE IMPORTANT FUNCTION OF THE ARTERIES – INTRODUCTION

When I think about the enormous amount of traffic that passes incessantly over the highways leading to and from major cities such as New York or London, I must say that the expression ‘arterial roads’ indeed seems appropriate and justified. If for some reason those traffic arteries were paralysed, life in those large cities would soon come to a standstill. The importance of the ‘arterial roads’ in our bodies, the arteries, will only begin to dawn on us when we study them closely. Even the most attractive human body, with shapely limbs and perfect muscular build, will begin to deteriorate and degenerate, just as the gifted and trained brain will begin to fail, when the walls of the arteries thicken and harden and thus lose their elasticity.

Even the anatomical structure of the arteries tells us a great deal about their importance. Imagine a pipe made up of various layers, the inside being a smooth, elastic tube. This tube is covered with other layers that consist of elastic, or loose but tensile, connective tissue. The tube can withstand a pressure of about 20 atmospheres (1 atmosphere equals 14.72 pounds to the square inch).

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OUR ALL-IMPORTANT CIRCULATION – STIMULATING CIRCULATION

Every cell is a miniature factory and needs raw materials and fuel for its processes. Only if it is supplied with all it needs, on schedule, can it be expected to perform as reliably and marvellously as it does. Shortages of the required quantities and flaws in the quality of raw materials force the cells to find a make-shift solution. It is only under the most trying conditions that the cells look for shortcuts and thereby suffer in their performance. A case in point is seen when the body begins to build giant cells, known as cancer cells. Of course, the cell itself cannot be blamed for the defect, for it fights and resists desperately to the point where failure can no longer be avoided.

We must, therefore, ensure that the ‘mail trains’ of our arterial system can keep their schedules by stimulating circulation through exercise and proper breathing. Furthermore, we must see to it that all the necessary raw materials are provided in the right quantities and quality. Only then can the laboratories of our cells perform their wonderful work in harmony with the divine purpose and programme assigned to them. We can then reap the full benefits of the cells’ willing performance on our behalf.

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