Long-term use of commonly used blood pressure medications can increase your risk of ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and skin cancer. When prestigious journal Lancet Oncology found that people who took blood pressure meds had a significantly increased risk of new cancers occurring, concerns began to grow. The Journal of the American Medical Association published a study that discovered women who had been taking calcium channel blockers for 10 years also increased their risk of developing breast cancer by 2.5 times.
A study at Kaiser Permanente in California shows that some antihypertensive drugs can make a person very sensitive to sunlight. Nifedipine (calcium channel blockers) and hydrochlorothiazide (diuretics) are associated with cancer of the epithelial cells known as squamous cells, which are the main part of the outermost layer of the lips and skin. Now we have to worry about lip cancer too? If that’s what you have to deal with to take blood pressure medications, it might be worth considering other options.
Clear calcium from your arteries
If you really want to lower blood pressure, it’s vital to know how blood vessels become lined with layers of calcium deposits. The diameter of veins and arteries affects the amount of pressure blood must exert to pass through. A larger opening requires less pressure. But when blood vessels become lined with calcium deposits, blood has to squeeze through narrowed pathways, and blood pressure soars.
The natural way to flush these deposits is by increasing your intake of a form of vitamin K called K2. K2’s ability to protect us from heart disease has been clearly established. Some researchers even have redefined heart disease as primarily a deficiency of vitamin K2.
The role of Vitamin K2
K2 works with vitamin D to increase Matrix GLA Protein, the protein responsible for protecting our blood vessels from calcium buildup. K2 also directs calcium to the skeleton while preventing it from being deposited where it is not needed, like your arteries.
Vitamin K2 activates a protein hormone called osteocalcin, produced by bone cells called osteoblasts. This hormone is needed to bind calcium into the matrix of the bone. At the same time, osteocalcin appears to help prevent calcium from depositing into the arteries.
Getting adequate Vitamin K2
Most K2 supplements are in the form of MK7. MK7 is extracted from nattokinase, which comes from the Japanese fermented soy product called natto. It’s essential to remember that this is not processed soy, and not ALL soy is bad. So if you want, you can get loads of MK7 (K2) by consuming natto, which is relatively inexpensive.
To supplement with vitamin K2, you need more than the 20-40 mcg you might get in a good multivitamin, or even an average K2 capsule. You need around 180 mcg a day to increase arterial elasticity and get rid of arterial calcium. Supplementing with the appropriate amounts of Vitamin K2 can help reduce the need for blood pressure medications and reduce your risk of cancer associated with these medications.
Other ways to lower blood pressure
While increasing your intake of Vitamin K2 is an essential step in lowering blood pressure, it’s also crucial to focus on other aspects of a healthy lifestyle. Eating a balanced diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins can help. Reducing sodium intake and maintaining a healthy weight are essential factors in lowering blood pressure.
Regular physical activity can also significantly impact blood pressure levels, aiming for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, such as brisk walking, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise like running per week.
Incorporating stress-reducing techniques, such as yoga, meditation, or mindfulness, can also help with blood pressure regulation. It’s also essential to monitor your blood pressure regularly, either with a home blood pressure monitor or regular visits to your healthcare provider.
By implementing these lifestyle changes, and ensuring adequate Vitamin K2 intake, you can aim for a healthier life free from the risk of cancer-causing blood pressure medications.
