You may be able to lower your elevated blood pressure naturally, living without statin drugs and their risks and discomforts.

Statin drugs decrease CO-Q-10 production in your body. And CO-Q-10 is needed for every cell in the body in its mitochondria, including the heart.

A healthy heart needs more, not less, CO-Q-10, a very good reason not to use statins, if possible.

Serious fatigue and muscle pain can result from statin use.

Whats the alternative to statins?

Theres a natural tool box of blood pressure lowering approaches available. Steven Sinatra, M.D. and Gary Null, Ph.D have strong credibility and very specific advice in this area.

Ill combine my own successful hypertension lowering experiences, too, integrating them into Sinatra and Null's sage advice.

As I gained weight 15 years ago, becoming an unpleasingly plump 262 pounds, my blood pressure soared to the 180 over 95.

I rejected statin prescriptions, fired my pill-pushing doctor, joined a Golds Gym, and exercised down to under 200 lbs within two years.

My blood pressure returned to normal. So, I know that in many cases, including mine, natural means can defeat or lessen hypertension.

The best tool in the tool box is Co-Q-10. If you have high blood pressure, then a daily dosage of 300 mg --equally divided and taken with meals-is a good dosage.

If you have no hypertensive problems, a Co-Q-10 dosage of 30 to 60 mg is OK.

I take 300 mg daily, since I've had problems with elevated blood pressure, and I want to keep this under tight control. My blood pressure averages 128/76.

You must take Co-Q-10 for 12 full weeks before attaining the desired benefit--then keep taking it.

Doctor Sinatra also recommends D-Ribose along with Co-Q-10. D-Ribose energizes your cells naturally--it's not a stimulant. A daily amount of three 2,000 mg dosages is good, particularly before or after exercise. I take this, too.

Recent research has found that much larger doses of Co-Q-10 (1,200 mg) can delay the progression of Parkinson's Disease by up to 44%.

And the October 2005 edition of "LifeExtension," the magazine published by the Life Extension Foundation, shows in a small study that Co-Q-10 may also program cancer cells to self-destruct, making Co-Q-10 an invaluable adjuvant therapy for cancer patients.

Other very useful anti-hypertension tools are Vitamin C (3,000 to 6,000 mg daily), Omega 3 fish oils (3,000 mg daily), L-Carnitine (1,000 mg daily), and Hawthorne Berry extract (250 mg three times daily).

If you have high LDL cholesterol, too, try these to lower it naturally: policosanol (20 mg daily divided in two doses), niacin (flush or non-flush, starting with 500 to 1,000 mg daily dosage), and nattokinase (take as directed on the container you buy).

Niacin reduces cholesterol production, which is made in the liver. When you visit your doctor, he or she should do a liver panel as part of your overall blood testing. In a few cases, niacin can cause abnormalities in liver function.

Nattokinase, fermented from soy beans, naturally helps to prevent blood thickening and clotting, allowing for the possibility of lower blood pressure. This was discovered in Japan, and natto, as its called, is availabe in the United States.

So, take action on this. If you take statins now, you may be able to reduce the dosage or get off of them completely by taking this advice and getting your doctor's cooperation.

Your doctor can help wean you from these drugs in an orderly way. If he or she refuses, work with a doctor that will help you in this manner.