Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a medical condition where the force of the blood against the artery walls is consistently too high. Over time, this increased pressure can cause health issues, including heart disease, stroke, and can even affect kidney function.
Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg) and is given by two numbers. The first, or top number, is the systolic pressure, which measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats. The second, or bottom number, is the diastolic pressure, which measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart rests between beats. A normal blood pressure level is less than 120/80 mmHg.
Causes of hypertension can include genetic factors, unhealthy lifestyle choices such as lack of physical activity, poor diet, and smoking, certain health conditions like diabetes and kidney disease, and even aging. Many people with high blood pressure do not show symptoms, which is why hypertension is often called the “silent killer.”
Management and treatment of hypertension typically involve lifestyle changes and, if necessary, medication. Lifestyle changes can include eating a healthier diet with less salt, exercising regularly, quitting smoking, limiting alcohol consumption, and managing stress. In some cases, medication may be prescribed by a healthcare professional to help control blood pressure if lifestyle changes alone are not effective.
It’s important for people to have their blood pressure checked regularly, as early detection and treatment can help prevent complications.
The pathophysiology of hypertension, or the functional changes that accompany high blood pressure, involves complex interactions between the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, and various hormonal systems. These interactions result in increased peripheral resistance (narrowing of the blood vessels) and/or increased volume of circulating blood, both of which contribute to elevated blood pressure. Several key mechanisms play roles in the development and maintenance of hypertension:
Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System (RAAS) is achormonal system critical in blood pressure regulation. Renin, released by the kidneys, converts angiotensinogen to angiotensin I, which is then converted to angiotensin II by the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) primarily in the lungs. Angiotensin II is a potent vasoconstrictor, narrowing blood vessels and increasing blood pressure. It also stimulates aldosterone secretion, which leads to sodium and water retention by the kidneys, increasing blood volume and further raising blood pressure.
The sympathetic nervous system, which helps control the body’s reactions to stress and emergencies, can increase heart rate and cause the blood vessels to constrict, leading to higher blood pressure. Chronic overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system is linked to hypertension.
Anxiety and hypertension are mutually linked, with anxiety affecting and being affected by high blood pressure. The relationship between the two involves a complex interplay of physiological, psychological, and environmental factors. Anxiety can lead to activation of the sympathetic nervous system, as part of the “fight or flight” response, which results in an increase in heart rate and constriction of blood vessels, thereby raising blood pressure. Anxiety triggers the release of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones prepare the body for a quick reaction by increasing heart rate and blood pressure.
The endothelium is the inner lining of blood vessels. It produces substances that control vascular relaxation and constriction as well as enzymes that regulate blood clotting, immune function, and platelet adhesion. Dysfunction of the endothelium leads to less production of vasodilators like nitric oxide and prostacyclin, contributing to vasoconstriction and hypertension. The endothelium is indeed a crucial component of the cardiovascular system, lining the entire circulatory system, from the heart to the smallest capillaries. Its role goes far beyond merely serving as a barrier between the blood and the rest of the vessel wall. The endothelium plays a pivotal role in the regulation of vascular tone, which refers to the degree of constriction or dilation of the blood vessels. A potent vasodilator, Nitric oxide is produced by endothelial cells and helps in the relaxation of the smooth muscles in the blood vessel walls, leading to vasodilation and increased blood flow. In contrast to nitric oxide, endothelin is a vasoconstrictor produced by endothelial cells, which causes blood vessels to constrict, reducing blood flow.
Excessive sodium retention by the kidneys increases blood volume, which can increase blood pressure. This can be due to genetic factors, kidney disease, or high sodium intake through diet.
Chronic inflammation can lead to changes in the structure and function of the blood vessels, making them stiffer and more resistant to blood flow, thereby increasing blood pressure. Vascular remodeling involves the thickening of the muscular wall of arteries and the loss of arterial elasticity.
Insulin Resistance and Hyperinsulinemia are conditions associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes and have been linked to hypertension. Insulin resistance can lead to increased sodium retention, sympathetic nervous system activity, and changes in the arteries that raise blood pressure.
Phytochemicals are naturally occurring compounds found in plants that can have various effects on human health, including both beneficial and harmful effects. While many phytochemicals are known for their positive health benefits, such as antioxidant properties, some can influence blood pressure. The relationship between specific phytochemicals and hypertension is complex.
There are some phytochemicals that may contribute to elevated blood pressure when consumed in excessive amounts or under certain conditions. Glycyrrhizin compound found in licorice root can cause sodium retention and potassium loss, which can increase blood pressure. Ephedrine found in the Chinese herb Ma Huang, increase blood pressure and has been linked to significant cardiovascular risks, leading to its ban in many countries. Caffeine resent in coffee, tea, and cocoa plants, can cause a short-term spike in blood pressure. The long-term effects of caffeine on blood pressure are still debated, with tolerance developing in regular consumers. Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, psychoactive component in cannabis can have varied effects on blood pressure, potentially causing temporary increases. Tyramine is a naturally occurring monoamine compound that plays a significant role in the regulation of blood pressure. It is derived from the amino acid tyrosine and can be found in a variety of foods, particularly those that are aged, fermented, or preserved. The primary concern with tyramine is its potential to cause a hypertensive crisis in individuals taking certain medications
It’s important to note that for many individuals with primary or essential hypertension, no specific cause is identified. Primary hypertension is thought to result from a combination of genetic factors that affect blood vessel and kidney function, environmental factors, lifestyle choices, and other conditions like obesity. Secondary hypertension, which accounts for a smaller percentage of cases, results from identifiable causes, such as kidney disease, hormonal disorders, or the use of certain medications.
MIT HOMEOPATHY PRESCRIPTIONS FOR HYPERTENSION
MIT or Molecular Imprints Therapeutics refers to a scientific hypothesis that proposes a rational model for biological mechanism of homeopathic therapeutics.
According to MIT hypothesis, potentization involves a process of ‘molecular imprinting’, where in the conformational details of individual drug molecules are ‘imprinted or engraved as hydrogen- bonded three dimensional nano-cavities into a supra-molecular matrix of water and ethyl alcohol, through a process of molecular level ‘host-guest’ interactions. These ‘molecular imprints’ are the active principles of post-avogadro dilutions used as homeopathic drugs. Due to ‘conformational affinity’, molecular imprints can act as ‘artificial key holes or ligand binds’ for the specific drug molecules used for imprinting, and for all pathogenic molecules having functional groups ‘similar’ to those drug molecules. When used as therapeutic agents, molecular imprints selectively bind to the pathogenic molecules having conformational affinity and deactivate them, thereby relieving the biological molecules from the inhibitions or blocks caused by pathogenic molecules.
According to MIT hypothesis, this is the biological mechanism of high dilution therapeutics involved in homeopathic cure. According to MIT hypothesis, ‘Similia Similibus Curentur’ means, diseases expressed through a particular group of symptoms could be cured by ‘molecular imprints’ forms of drug substances, which in ‘molecular’ or crude forms could produce ‘similar’ groups of symptoms in healthy individuals. ‘Similarity’ of drug symptoms and diseaes indicates ‘similarity’ of pathological molecular inhibitions caused by drug molecules and pathogenic molecules, which in turn indicates conformational ‘similarity’ of functional groups of drug molecules and pathogenic molecules. Since molecular imprints of ‘similar’ molecules can bind to ‘similar ligand molecules by conformational affinity, they can act as the therapeutics agents when applied as indicated by ‘similarity of symptoms. Nobody in the whole history could so far propose a hypothesis about homeopathy as scientific, rational and perfect as MIT explaining the molecular process involed in potentization, and the biological mechanism involved in ‘similiasimilibus- curentur, in a way fitting well to modern scientific knowledge system.
If symptoms expressed in a particular disease condition as well as symptoms produced in a healthy individual by a particular drug substance were similar, it means the disease-causing molecules and the drug molecules could bind to same biological targets and produce similar molecular errors, which in turn means both of them have similar functional groups or molecular conformations. This phenomenon of competitive relationship between similar chemical molecules in binding to similar biological targets scientifically explains the fundamental homeopathic principle Similia Similibus Curentur.
Practically, MIT or Molecular Imprints Therapeutics is all about identifying the specific target-ligand ‘key-lock’ mechanism involved in the molecular pathology of the particular disease, procuring the samples of concerned ligand molecules or molecules that can mimic as the ligands by conformational similarity, preparing their molecular imprints through a process of homeopathic potentization upto 30c potency, and using that preparation as therapeutic agent.
Since individual molecular imprints contained in drugs potentized above avogadro limit cannot interact each other or interfere in the normal interactions between biological molecules and their natural ligands, and since they can act only as artificial binding sites for specific pathogentic molecules having conformational affinity, there cannot by any adverse effects or reduction in medicinal effects even if we mix two or more potentized drugs together, or prescribe them simultaneously- they will work.
Based on the pathophysiology and biochemistry involved in hypertension as discussed above, MIT Protocol suggests following homeopathic drugs in 30c potency for managing hypertension.
Drugs: Renin 30, Angiotensin 30, Aldosterone 30, Insulin 30, Natrum mur 30, Endothelin 30, Adrenalin 30, Cortisol 30, Caffeinum 30, Tyramine 30, Tetrahydrocannabinol 30, Cannabis sativa 30, Ephidrine 30, Glyzherrriza glabra 30. These drugs could be used as single drugs, or more effectively as combinations.
All these drugs in crude form contain chemical molecules that are capable of producing a pathology of hypertension. In post- avogadro potentized forms or 30c, these preparations will contain only molecular imprints of constituent drug molecules, which can act as artificial binding pockets for the concerned drug molecules, or any other molecule having similar functional groups. By binding with the molecular imprints due to conformational affinity, the disease-causing molecules are deactivated, thereby reducing the blood pressure. Since molecular imprints cannot produce any harmful effects in biological system, these preparations are completely safe.
REDEFINING HOMEOPATHY 