Medically supervised water-only fasting in the treatment of hypertension
Effective Hypertension Solutions: From Lifestyle Changes and Herbal Medicines to the Science of Water Fasting
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, affects 23% of the Canadian adult population (Padwal et al., 2016). In 2014, antihypertensive medications were prescribed nearly 90 million times in Canada, with Canadians spending $2 billion on these treatments during the same year (Padwal et al., 2016). While standard antihypertensive drug treatments are effective, they can come with side effects, which have been thoroughly reviewed elsewhere (Laurent, 2017).
For those familiar with the limitations of pharmaceutical treatments, lifestyle changes are often preferred, as they can address the root cause of hypertension without negative side effects. Several herbal agents may also benefit hypertensive patients, but before exploring these, it is worth highlighting an intervention that has achieved the most significant therapeutic drop in blood pressure reported in the literature.
A 2001 study conducted at TrueNorth Health Center in Sonoma County, California, demonstrated the remarkable effects of water-only fasting on hypertension. In this study, 90% of hypertensive patients normalized their blood pressure by the end of the program, with an average reduction of 37/13 mmHg (Goldhamer et al., 2001). Among patients with stage 3 hypertension, the reduction was even more pronounced, averaging 60/17 mmHg—considered the largest therapeutic decrease in hypertension ever published (Goldhamer et al., 2001).
Water-only fasting may, therefore, be a valuable intervention for those experiencing hypertension. However, anyone considering a fast should consult with a medical practitioner beforehand. While fasting is generally safe, it is not recommended for certain groups, including pregnant women, children and adolescents, or individuals with specific medical conditions. For those interested in learning more, Steve Hendricks' recent book The Oldest Cure in the World provides an excellent introduction to the science of fasting and its broad health benefits (Hendricks, 2022).
Other effective interventions for hypertension include several herbal medicines, which have demonstrated clinically meaningful benefits in trials (Halma and Saleeby, 2024). Substances associated with significant reductions in blood pressure (≥10 mmHg) include:
Coenzyme Q10 (Rosenfeldt et al., 2007)
Motherwort (Shikov et al., 2011)
Celery Stem Extract (Zafar, Rasheed, and Ismail, 2023)
Ginkgo Biloba Preparations (Yi et al., 2024)
Aged Garlic Extract (Ried, Travica, and Sali, 2016)
Hawthorn (Cloud, Vilcins, and McEwen, 2020)
The blood pressure reductions achieved with these herbal agents—often 10 mmHg or greater—are comparable in magnitude to those achieved with many standard antihypertensive drugs, which typically reduce blood pressure by 10 to 15 mmHg (Baguet et al., 2005).
The Frontline Covid-19 Critical Care Alliance and the Open Source Medicine Foundation, headed by Matthew Halma, the author of this piece, are expecting to publish an overview of the herbal and nutraceutical approaches to hypertension in the coming year. A preprint version is currently available (Halma and Saleeby 2024).
The Open Source Medicine Foundation aims to make available clinically-relevant information for the treatment of all major chronic diseases through accessible and preferentially non-pharmacological means. You may follow their recent work here.
References
Baguet, Jean-Philippe, Stephane Robitail, Laurent Boyer, David Debensason, and Pascal Auquier. 2005. “A Meta-Analytical Approach to the Efficacy of Antihypertensive Drugs in Reducing Blood Pressure.” American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs 5 (2): 131–40. https://doi.org/10.2165/00129784-200505020-00007.
Cloud, Alexa, Dwan Vilcins, and Bradley McEwen. 2020. “The Effect of Hawthorn (Crataegus Spp.) on Blood Pressure: A Systematic Review.” Advances in Integrative Medicine 7 (3): 167–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aimed.2019.09.002.
Goldhamer, Alan, Douglas Lisle, Banoo Parpia, Scott V. Anderson, and T. Colin Campbell. 2001. “Medically Supervised Water-Only Fasting in the Treatment of Hypertension.” Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 24 (5): 335–39. https://doi.org/10.1067/mmt.2001.115263.
Halma, Matthew, and Yusuf Saleeby. 2024. “Herbal Medicine for Hypertension: A Review of Potential Therapeutics - [V1].” https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202406.0353/v1.
Hendricks, Steve. 2022. The Oldest Cure in the World: Adventures in the Art and Science of Fasting. Abrams, Incorporated.
Laurent, Stéphane. 2017. “Antihypertensive Drugs.” Pharmacological Research 124 (October): 116–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phrs.2017.07.026.
Padwal, Raj S., Asako Bienek, Finlay A. McAlister, and Norm R. C. Campbell. 2016. “Epidemiology of Hypertension in Canada: An Update.” Canadian Journal of Cardiology 32 (5): 687–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjca.2015.07.734.
Ried, Karin, Nikolaj Travica, and Avni Sali. 2016. “The Effect of Aged Garlic Extract on Blood Pressure and Other Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Uncontrolled Hypertensives: The AGE at Heart Trial.” Integrated Blood Pressure Control 9 (January): 9–21. https://doi.org/10.2147/IBPC.S93335.
Rosenfeldt, F. L., S. J. Haas, H. Krum, A. Hadj, K. Ng, J.-Y. Leong, and G. F. Watts. 2007. “Coenzyme Q10 in the Treatment of Hypertension: A Meta-Analysis of the Clinical Trials.” Journal of Human Hypertension 21 (4): 297–306. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jhh.1002138.
Shikov, Alexander N., Olga N. Pozharitskaya, Valery G. Makarov, Dmitry V. Demchenko, and Evgenia V. Shikh. 2011. “Effect of Leonurus Cardiaca Oil Extract in Patients with Arterial Hypertension Accompanied by Anxiety and Sleep Disorders.” Phytotherapy Research 25 (4): 540–43. https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.3292.
Yi, Yun-hao, Guang-heng Zhang, Shi-meng Lv, Yuan-hang Rong, Hui Liu, and Jing Teng. 2024. “Comparative Efficacy and Safety of Ginkgo-Based Chinese Patent Medicines in Patients with Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials.” Medicine 103 (18): e37927. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000037927.
Zafar, Muhammad Umar, Amna Rasheed, and Huda Ismail. 2023. “Exploring the Effects of Celery Stem on Blood Pressure, and Associated Parameters as Social Determinants in Hypertensive Individuals: A Randomized Control Trial.” Annals of Human and Social Sciences 4 (4): 118–26. https://doi.org/10.35484/ahss.2023(4-IV)11.
Matthew Halma is a researcher with an interdisciplinary and novel approach. He has been involved in groundbreaking research from fundamental molecular biophysics, to systems research, and the development of clinical protocols to eradicate chronic disease. He is currently a PhD Candidate in the Physics of Living Systems Laboratory at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. His work is fundamental in building data-sharing capacity for optical tweezers experiments. Halma has also made seminal contributions to the practice of science, applying the theory of constraints to scientific knowledge production and the adoption of lean principles in science
In addition to his academic endeavors, Matthew Halma is involved in practical applications of his research, such as founding the Open Source Medicine Foundation, which provides evidence-based protocols and recommendations to overcome chronic disease.
Matthew has made major contributions to rare and honest medical science throughout the covid saga. He has generated important advances in medicine, and exposed false and dangerous science. Halma has worked with highly respected scientific leaders including Dr Paul Marik, Dr Tess Lawrie, Dr Peter McCullough, Dr Jessica Rose, the World Council For Health, and the FLCCC.
Here is just one example of Matthew Halma’s work including his presentation to the World Council For Health, where he exposed the history of mRNA injections prior to covid. This revealed the recklessness and predictable danger of C-19 mRNA “vaccines”.
View more of Matthew Halma’s work here.