How I lowered my blood pressure without giving up butter
<p><strong><em>Sue Van Gaal is 77 years old and lives in Koo Wee Rup, Victoria. As well as her golfing interest, Sue passionately supports her children, Louise and Phillip, in breeding magnificent Warmblood horses for Dressage and Showjumping.</em></strong></p>
<p>With a family background in nursing and medicine I understand all about healthy living. I have been an avid golfer for the past 18 years, an activity that has helped me cope with stressful jobs and family matters, and I have supported my body with natural supplements. However, I have one weakness… I’m a self-confessed butter-holic!</p>
<p>I use animal (saturated) fats in most of my cooking, mainly because I don’t digest oil well, but also because I prefer the taste. Unfortunately, however, my preference likely contributed to my cholesterol and blood pressure levels creeping into the above normal range. At its highest, my total cholesterol reached 6.8mmol/L and by blood pressure reached 158/85mmHg, placing me at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease.</p>
<p>I wasn’t keen on changing my dietary habits to improve these levels I have, however, always believed in taking natural supplements to support a healthy body, so my interest was piqued when, two-and-a-half years ago, my daughter suggested I participate in a clinical research trial for Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract (KAGE) to improve cardiovascular health – something she heard about after a visit to our naturopath.</p>
<p>The study was being run by Associate Professor Karin Ried at the National Institute of Integrative Medicine in Hawthorn, Victoria. My high cholesterol and blood pressure levels made me a perfect candidate to participate. The clinical trial lasted 12 weeks after which time I found out I was actually in the placebo treatment group. Despite this, my total cholesterol level dropped to 5.8mmol/L and my blood pressure to 138/80mmHg – a pretty impressive placebo effect!</p>
<p>The result inspired me to try taking the KAGE daily at the recommended dose, and to my delight, 6 months after using KAGE, my cholesterol levels improved further, dropping to 5.2mmol/L along with my blood pressure, dropping to 130/75mmHg. That was without making any dietary changes.</p>
<p>Since seeing these amazing results, taking KAGE has become part of my daily natural supplement intake. I was really pleased to find a natural medicine option, I am delighted I can still eat all my buttery treats too!</p>
<p>The advice I would give others is to find out whether there are natural medicine options that can benefit your health as it has mine.</p>
<p><em>This advice is not meant as a substitute for professional medical advice. Before you change your diet, speak to your doctor. </em></p>
