Green Tea, Pharmaceuticals and Your Hypertension

Recently an article was published on various online news outlets about green tea and its effects on a certain medication for hypertension. This same study is slated to be published in the journal Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics which will lend it much credibility in the eyes of many in the medical establishment. The study says, in part, that if a person is being treated for hypertension with a drug called nadolol (market name Corgard) they should not drink green tea. After careful consideration of the study findings I believe some of the issues associated with the study itself and the effects of green tea should be discussed.

"The Study"

Let us begin with the fact that this study was conducted with ten (10) people. Yes, you read that correctly and it is not a typo. Only ten people were used for this "study" and they were consuming the drug nadolol for only for two weeks. In addition, the ten individuals used in the study were between the ages of 20 and 30 with no known health issues including hypertension. None of them had high blood pressure so the effect of the green tea's interaction with the drug and its supposed effect on preventing the treatment of hypertension could not be established since it was not (and could not be) studied.

Also, no evidence of a cause and effect relationship between the drug nadolol and green tea was established. The researchers do not know why or how green tea is affecting the absorption of the drug or if it is affecting it at all. The scientist involved in the study "believe" that the antioxidant ECGC found in the tea is the culprit. As far I as can tell belief is a matter of faith and faith belongs firmly within the realm of religion and spirituality not science. If scientist wish to tell people that green tea is hazardous to their health they should diligently provide proof using the very scientific method we were all taught in grade school.

To add insult to injury the "test" subjects drank 3-4 cups of green tea per day. This represents an amount of tea that is double the average amount of green tea consumed by average tea drinking Americans. This fact makes the study dubious and misleading on its own.

Benefits of Green Tea

The sad irony of this study is that one of the many benefits of green tea is its ability to lower blood pressure. Angiotensin-converting enzymes (ACE) contributes to high blood pressure under certain situations and green tea helps to inhibit its production. Many people are on blood pressure lowering medications known as ACE inhibitors that have harmful side effects. Green tea is a natural ACE inhibitor with no known side effects. It should be noted the nadolol is not an ACE inhibitor but a beta blocker, however, the point of this message is the blood pressure relieving powers of green tea. 

Also, green tea helps to do many things like stimulate brain activity for increased clarity, reduce the chances of bacterial food poisoning by preventing the growth of E. coli and other harmful pathogens and helps to maintain proper blood glucose levels for those wishing to prevent or control diabetes. 

There are many more benefits offered by consuming green tea that are therapeutic and pleasing to the body without harmful side effects. It should, in no way, be demonized especially by such a crudely crafted study.

Conclusion

The unfortunate truth these days is that we live in a sound bite world where most people get their news from headlines. Even television news stories have taken on the cloak of superficiality and seldom report the details of anything. Not only is this practice costly but potentially devastating especially to our health. It is important more and more that we move beyond the headlines and peek behind the veil for the full story especially when it pertains to our health!

Estrogen Dominance in Men and Women Part III

Restore healthy by nourishing beneficial cell growth and regeneration

In this article are some keys to avoiding estrogen dominance and other hormone imbalances caused by environmental factors. These keys include what foods to consume and avoid. Also we need to know where to purchase trusted health and personal care products that will not contribute to hormone imbalances.

Organic and Natural Meat

When it comes to what we put in our bodies there is no better place to start than with the meat we consume. One should make an earnest effort to consume meat that is certified organic or meat that is labeled “all natural“ when the source can be verified. Why? The producers of organic and all natural meat would not use rBGH or any other type of growth hormone which could pollute and harm the body. In addition, these meats tend to be less fatty and absent of excess inflammatory material produced in the body of the animal. Less fat and inflammation in the animal leads to less fat and inflammation in ‘we the people’ but I digress. There is no mistaking that residual hormones do find their way into our bodies and affects our lives.

Where to Purchase Products That Do Not Contribute to Hormone Imbalances

It is a rare thing, indeed, to find responsible stewards that care about our health while maintaining corporate profits. In fact, profits are the very reason why we continue to be poisoned without conviction by many major manufacturers. Some of the largest and most well respected manufacturers of personal care products and cosmetics continue to push their merchandise on the market that contain Parabens, TEA, Phthalates, and DEA to name a few despite the health risk. One company in particular has come along, however, to stop the dizzying madness that has gripped the common consumer. Sisel International has stepped in and made their position plain to consumers and industry alike: Poisonous chemicals (including hormone mimickers) in consumer products are not necessary, are irresponsible and will not appear in our products. Sisel International makes over 120 products at its own manufacturing facility where the products assembled are guaranteed to be free of any known adverse chemical and all nutritional supplements are synthetic free all while being affordable to the masses. For too long these types of products have been out of reach of the common man and set aside exclusively for the monied elite. Well no longer. We must take back our health. Whether it is cosmetics, shampoo, lotion, a liquid nutritional or any of the other numerous products expect quality, affordability and above all else expect to not be poisoned! I am proud to have affiliated myself with this wonderful company and look forward to seeing what other products they can formulate that I would confidently support. For more information on Sisel International and our products please visit: mysisel.com/thoughtfulhealth.

A Word about Soy

Soy gained substantial prominence during the 1970’s and 80’s as vegetarianism really began to take off. Soy was seen as a great meat substitute because of its high protein nutrient value and heartiness which helped with satiety. Besides, soy has been consumed by millions of people for thousands of years. There are some things to consider when consuming soy, however. Soy is well known for its strong estrogenic effects. Many cultures, especially those in Asia, often ferment their soy to combat this. Once again we do not want excess estrogen to gain dominance in our bodies even through our food. Another matter to consider is how often and heavily soy crops tend to be sprayed with harmful chemicals that can also serve to mimic hormones and retard our endocrine systems. Many pesticides work directly on slowing the metabolic rates of pest to the point of death and this is what we consume! Who wants to slow down their metabolism anyway? I’m sure you wash all your veggies thoroughly, though. Even still there is another way to get you. Almost all of the soy crops in the U.S. are now genetically modified and are “Round Up” ready which means the pesticides are built in. You couldn’t wash that out if you tried. It all adds up to this: If you are going to consume soy do so in moderation and insure it is organic and not genetically modified in any way.

It is time for us to be mindful of what we put in and on our bodies. It is time for us to wake up from the slickly advertised corporate nightmare that would have us poison ourselves with great loyalty to the poisoners. It is time for us to take back our lives!

Restore healthy by nourishing beneficial cell growth and regeneration