High blood pressure is often called “executive’s disease.” The overburdened, high-pressured executives of our competitive society become easy prey for high blood pressure, circulatory crisis, angina pectoris, “nervous breakdown,” and heart attack.
Stress in the form of continuous worry, psychic pressure, fear, emotional strain, constant tension, combined with regular pick-meups in the form of coffee, cokes, cigarettes, and cocktails, will eventually throw the whole system off balance, physically and emotionally. A devitalized diet of over-processed foods adds to the total picture of constant stress. Insomnia, discontentment, restlessness, weak concentration, headaches, chronic fatigue and irritability will be the first symptoms, eventually followed by high blood pressure and cardiac failure. Nature strikes back in revenge for the violation of the basic biological laws. The body raises the blood pressure to cope with the adverse condition of physical and emotional stress.
It has been clinically demonstrated that any form of stress can increase blood pressure. Anger and fear, smoking, many modern drugs such as cortisone and ACTH, even some vitamins (vitamin E) can raise blood pressure. Unexpressed negative emotions or suppressed hostile feelings can cause blood pressure to go up.
It is self-evident that the underlying causes of emotional origin must be corrected before high blood pressure can be treated successfully. Often, a long holiday “away from it all,” free from responsibilities and business pressures, will do more than any drug in the world. This is why European Spas, mineral baths, and reconditioning centers are so effective in restoring the health of tired and over-stressed executives.
If the biological treatments outlined in this chapter are not successful, it would be wise to look for possible emotional causes of high blood pressure and eliminate them in order to achieve a complete recovery.
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