This Drug Can Lower Your Blood Pressure in Just Hours, Study Finds

According to the American Heart Association, nearly half of American adults have high blood pressure, also called hypertension, and many don’t even know it. Called the “silent killer,” the damage it can do to your circulatory system, if left untreated, is a major contributor to heart attacks, strokes, and other health threats. Fortunately, the condition is treatable with methods ranging from diet and lifestyle changes to pharmaceuticals. Now, after a groundbreaking discovery, researchers are adding another potential treatment. Read on to find out what it is – and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss out on these 19 Ways to Ruin Your Body.

Medical cannabis can lower blood pressure in older adults, study says

A new study published in the European Journal of Internal Medicine by researchers from Ben Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and the affiliated Soroka University Medical Center found that medicinal cannabis can be effective in lowering blood pressure in older adults. It is the first of its kind to test cannabis for its effects on blood pressure, heart rate and metabolic parameters in adults aged 60 and over with high blood pressure.

“Older adults are the fastest growing group of medical cannabis users, yet there is little evidence of cardiovascular safety in this population,” Dr. Ran Abuhasira from the BGU Faculty of Health Sciences, one of Israel’s leading medical faculties, and the BGU-Soroka Cannabis Clinical Research Institute explained in an accompanying press release. “This study is part of our ongoing effort to provide clinical research into the true physiological effects of cannabis over time.”

The patients involved in the study were treated with cannabis therapy and examined using 24-hour outpatient blood pressure monitoring, EKG, blood tests and body measurements both before and three months after treatment. The researchers found that systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels were significantly reduced in just 24 hours. In fact, only three hours after ingesting cannabis, either orally via oil extracts or from smoking, blood pressure fell most dramatically. The medicinal cannabis was effective in lowering blood pressure during the day and night, although it was more dramatic at night.

The researchers believe that lowering blood pressure may have something to do with pain relief. “Cannabis research is in its early stages and the BGU is at the forefront of evaluating clinical application based on scientific studies,” added Doug Seserman, chief executive officer of American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. “This new study is one of several recently published by the BGU on the medical benefits of cannabis.”

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Cannabinoids have other benefits as well

According to the National Institutes of Health, “drugs containing cannabinoids can be helpful in treating certain rare forms of epilepsy, nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy, and loss of appetite and weight loss associated with HIV / AIDS,” they explain on their website. “Also, some evidence suggests modest benefits of cannabis or cannabinoids in chronic pain and multiple sclerosis symptoms.” And for the healthiest way through life, don’t take this dietary supplement, which can increase your risk of cancer.