Given current trends toward obesity, sedentary lifestyles, and poor diets, hypertension is increasingly becoming a disease of the young as well as the elderly, affecting about 1 billion people worldwide. Many patients, especially the younger ones, would prefer alternative treatments. While natural remedies have been used for much longer than pharmaceutical-based treatments, few Western physicians are trained in alternative treatments of hypertension. Written by a dual board-certified nephrologist and internist as well as a Harvard-trained doctor of chemistry, Integrative Treatment of Hypertension: A Clinical and Mechanistic Approach offers an alternative approach to treating hypertension, providing sound mechanisms of action and practical implementation advice.

The author meticulously analyzes the efficacy of treatments based on data from respected medical journals. The book begins with an introduction to the subject and explains the mechanisms of blood pressure and hypertension, describes common causes of hypertension, and reviews standard medications and their side effects. The author examines alternative methods of treatment, emphasizing mechanisms of action, similarities to standard medications, and practical recommendations for employing these methods.

Chapters cover dietary factors in treating hypertension, alternative yet common diets, the efficacy of nonconsumptive methods of treatment, and descriptions of natural supplements in treating hypertension. The book also addresses blood pressure goals and categorizes each standard and alternative method of treatment, suggesting ways of implementing an integrative approach to hypertension treatment. A useful companion to any health care provider, this book presents a unique work that fills a niche within the medical community.

Joel A. Blush, M.D., Ph.D., is a practicing dual board-certified nephrologist and internist in a large community-based practice. He has a particular interest in the mechanisms of blood pressure regulation and in the treatment of hypertension, having academic responsibilities in teaching nephrology in affiliated university hospitals. He was awarded degrees in chemistry, achieving master's and doctorate degrees from Harvard University. He attended medical school at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, followed by residency training in internal medicine at Montefiore Medical Center and fellowship training in nephrology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Dr. Blush is well published with many journal articles in chemistry, physics, and medicine, and has received several academic and research awards in these fields. With deference to his scientific training, he also has a strong interest in natural and alternative treatments of disease. Since his time as a medical student, he has pursued its study spending time in the Amazon rain forest taking courses in alternative medicine and botanical drug use. Dr. Blush brings to his practice a mixed scientific/medical and alternative/holistic approach to treating disease, specifically hypertension, and has successfully integrated this in the treatment of many patients.