Had a 70 yo relative with very high resting blood pressure, 180/80.
Read up on nutrients and weak chemicals that may work for it and had him try them.
First he tried 500mg-1g nicotinic acid for some months for its blood thinning and very significant cholesterol and triglyceride lowering properties, among other things. This did not alter his blood pressure at any time. Though he did not cease supplementation.
Then I had him try 1g taurine, 450mg+ magnesium and 1g arginine for months. This did not alter his blood pressure at any time. He only ceased the arginine supplementation due to uncomfortable side-effects.
Then I had him try the Pauling therapy. He took first small dosages of 1g each of proline, lysine and vitamin C for a month. This mildly dropped his bp to around 160/80 but because of its efficacy I decided to pursue it.
Then I had him use 1g proline and 3g lysine, though his vitamin C stayed at 500mg on most days due to bowel issues. After a month of the higher dosages his resting bp dropped first to 140/70 and then now on to around 120/60 another month later.
I did not know about this before but it turns out that there is actually a forum for this and of those who try it it does work almost everytime.
If it doesn't work, it's either due to a nitric oxide deficiency, excessive coagulation, calcified arteries or poor heart function, or perhaps something else. But calcified arteries may be even easier to resolve by simply using vitamin D, K2 and perhaps other calcium-transporting nutrients.
I realize that the causes are many, including diabetes. I don't know if the therapy helps diabetic patients but I assume it would if diabetes-induced hypertension merely is another cause of atherosclerotic plaque deposits.
The proposed mechanism of action for this therapy working is via lipoprotein(a) production reduction and via decoupling the lipoprotein(a) protein from the cholesterol molecule at the site of the deposit, but to me it doesn't matter much as long as it truly works. Since nicotinic acid is also a lipoprotein(a) "inhibitor" with many other positive effects for atherosclerosis patients, it's a smart choice to incorporate it into the therapy, but know that it doesn't seem to work on its own for this purpose.
As far as I've understood, the reason for the 3 nutrients being taken together is as follows:
Plaques are deposited to "fix" tiny tears in the arteries due to mechanical stress.
Vitamin C in conjunction with proline and lysine produces collagen which "seals" those gaps, reducing the further need for lipoprotein(a).
Vitamin C and proline and lysine then both reduce the production of lipoprotein(a) so less is available to be deposited, though it needs to be said that Vitamin C doesn't seem that effective at all for reducing lipoprotein(a) production.
And finally, lysine decouples the lipoprotein(a) protein from the artery wall where it is attached.
