Eating less salt doesn't cut heart risks: study

Low calcium intake has been thought to be more important than high sodium in some people in the causation of high blood pressure.

Potassium has also been thought to help in the modulation of blood pressure.

http://escholarship.org/uc/item/68b658ss

http://www.everydayhealth.com/hypertension/get-your-minerals.aspx

In my 15 year odyssey with hypertension, it seems that Canadian physicians, at least, have sort of gone that way in terms of medication. The first was an ACE inhibitor, from which I had severe side effects, necessitating a change. The second was a beta blocker, which was effective for control for about a year and a half. An ARB was added in conjunction with a diuretic, but both were added together. Then, when that proved insufficient, a calcium channel blocker was added to the other three. While limiting salt has been recommended, I find that a little extra salt every once in a while doesn't raise my BP. I think my point is that, if salt were a main issue, they would have used HCT or a diuretic by itself to start, and that was not the case. In fact, the HCT was added in conjunction with the ARB, probably because the ARB can raise blood potassium a lot, and I think the diuretic is as much to control very high potassium as it is to lower sodium. Just my opinion, as a 15 year veteran of hypertension, starting around age 45.