No Pills For Mild BP

A new review of almost 9,000 patients by the esteemed Cochrane Collaboration found that pharmacologically lowering blood pressure in individuals with moderately raised blood pressure (140-159 mmHG/ 90-99 mmHG) in individuals with no previous history of cardiovascular disease confers absolutely no benefit. No reduction in deaths, no reduction in coronary heart disease, and no reduction in stroke. The only thing that gets healthier by us taking these drugs is the coffers of the pharmaceutical industry.

So convincing was the evidence that these drugs do not work David Cundiff, one of the reviewers, suggested that patients, "throw away their blood pressure pills and focus instead on far more effective as well as evidence based approaches, such as exercising, smoking cessation, and eating a DASH (diet against systolic hypertension) or Mediterranean diet" - under a doctor's guidance of course.

ToI: 'No pills for mild BP' advice sends doctors' pulse racing