Integrative Medicine Approach to Hypertension

Hypertension is a consequence of the interaction of genetics and environments.1 Essential hypertension largely results from various lifestyle abuses. Factors leading to glucose intolerance, hyperinsulinemia, oxidative stress, environmental toxins (especially heavy metals), autoimmune dysfunction, atherosclerosis, obesity, and nutritional deficiencies seem to coalesce to produce hypertension. Several of these factors lead to endothelial dysfunction that can initiate and perpetuate essential hypertension. The target organ disease of hypertension includes: the heart (myocardial infarction), cerebrovascular (TIAs, stroke, dementia), peripheral vascular disease (claudication), retinopathy, and renal disease.