How Do I Lower My Blood Pressure Without Meds.

[mommysboy]

The basic info I would like is in the title and sub heading.

But I'm just going to have to lay bare my thoughts as I can't make head or tail of it:

I'm late 40's 5'11" 74kg slim athletic

I've tended towards normal blood pressure, my heart is healthy usually 55 at rest, and lungs clear with high capacity. I run 2 or 3 times a week and am quite active. I suffer from acid stomach quite a bit for which I've started treatment, and lots of minor chemical allergies to pollution,etc. Since giving up smoking my weight has gone up from 68 to 74 kilos.

Poor diet I guess even though I eat my greens, particularly partial to salt, sugar and huge caffeine intake (up to 20 cups of coffee/tea) a day. Also I'm quite active, and very hard working, and starting to drink every night.

I have routine check ups and lately my walk in BP has been 140/87, once even 150. My doc. doesn't seem that bothered saying I am nervous, and not rested. But it's a quite a rise from the 120/70 I had earlier this year.

I'm hoping this is just white coat syndrome- I'm the sort that is prone to this sort of thing.

But as my heart and lungs are sound, I wonder if I can get my arterial health checked. How do I go about this? and how do I improve arterial health? Is it possible?

Also, can anyone advise a practical diet that will help to lower BP? you know what to eat, what not to, hopefully without drastic dietary changes or great expense.

Thanks from a very flustered Mommysboy.

[percy2]

The basic info I would like is in the title and sub heading.

But I'm just going to have to lay bare my thoughts as I can't make head or tail of it:

I'm late 40's 5'11" 74kg slim athletic

I've tended towards normal blood pressure, my heart is healthy usually 55 at rest, and lungs clear with high capacity. I run 2 or 3 times a week and am quite active. I suffer from acid stomach quite a bit for which I've started treatment, and lots of minor chemical allergies to pollution,etc. Since giving up smoking my weight has gone up from 68 to 74 kilos.

Poor diet I guess even though I eat my greens, particularly partial to salt, sugar and huge caffeine intake (up to 20 cups of coffee/tea) a day. Also I'm quite active, and very hard working, and starting to drink every night.

I have routine check ups and lately my walk in BP has been 140/87, once even 150. My doc. doesn't seem that bothered saying I am nervous, and not rested. But it's a quite a rise from the 120/70 I had earlier this year.

I'm hoping this is just white coat syndrome- I'm the sort that is prone to this sort of thing.

But as my heart and lungs are sound, I wonder if I can get my arterial health checked. How do I go about this? and how do I improve arterial health? Is it possible?

Also, can anyone advise a practical diet that will help to lower BP? you know what to eat, what not to, hopefully without drastic dietary changes or great expense.

Thanks from a very flustered Mommysboy.

Lose the weight , cut out the alcohol and caffeine.

I'm sure your BP will drop down.

Cheers

[Jingthing]

Yeah, cut the coffee and be sure to do aerobic excercise often, not just any activity, but aerobic. I must say your comment about white coat syndrome might well be denial (I speak from personal experience). Buy a BP machine and check it yourself when you are more relaxed and test that often and compare to your office readings. Good luck.

[Sheryl]

Good advice above.

BAD advice from the doctor. It is now recognized that BPs in the "pre hypertensive" or "mild hypertensive" range do need attention, but this seems not to have made its way into Thai medical practice yet.

Definitely get a BP machine and monitor your readings at hoem, at rest.

If still high then do as suggested above (lose weight, reduce caffeine greatly, stop or reduce drinking) and in addition, cut back on salt. (I don't mention exercise a sit sounds like you laready have that covered).

Of all of these, from what you say, the caffeine is the most important as your intake is very excessive. My BP would be through the roof if I consumed even half the coffee you do. Cut your 20 cups down to 10 immediately and then continue cutting gradually each day until you are down to no more than 2 cups, or switch to tea.

If these measures (or as much of them as you are able to implement) don't work, then you may need to go on medication, but try these first. Good luck.

[R123]

Recently saw this re the benefits of garlic:

http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/54938

This item may be quackery and I am not a doctor so anyone with the relevant medical background here may like to comment on the accuracy of the benefits of garlic as suggested by the newspaper story?

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

Sheryl has it pretty well covered but would like to add the importance of cutting way back on the salt (hard to do but important). I've noticed it makes a big difference in my BP. that and your coffee cutback may be enough to solve your problem.

Good luck

[Jingthing]

Reducing salt is easier said than done. It is everywhere and unless you prepare all your own meals, good luck with that.

Dr. Eva Obarzanek, one of the NHLBI researchers involved in the sodium study, has some tips for cutting back on salt.:

# Buy unsalted or low-sodium versions of foods and condiments

# Eat fewer processed foods

# Don't cook with salt

# Use herbs, spices, lemon, lime or vinegar instead of salt to flavor food

# Avoid fried dishes -- the batter contains salt

# Order children's portions in restaurants -- smaller portions have less sodium

# "Bank" your sodium -- eat less at breakfast and lunch if you know dinner will be high in sodium

Weight loss is a big issue, and it is not easy to accomplish in adulthood.

Also, some people have genetic factors.

Bottom line: there are millions of people taking BP meds for good reason (and they don't have to be that bad or expensive either)!

Of course, try the natural methods first but be realistic about how far you are willing to go with these changes. I see hints in your profile (the coffee addiction) that you are a probable medication candidate.

Edited August 2, 2008 by Jingthing

[Cuban]

Small changes are possible and easier to maintain that making a life change overnight.

Reduce salt intake - takes a while to ween your taste buds off of salt but when you do you taste the real food again, watch hidden salts in processed foods.

Switch ¹/₄ to ¹/₂ of your coffees to green tea or plain water.

Monitor BP at home - keep a record - measure at the some time each day - allow ten minutes or so rest before taking the measurement so it is not being affected by just having rushed home or watching an exciting movie.

[percy2]

Of all of these, from what you say, the caffeine is the most important as your intake is very excessive. My BP would be through the roof if I consumed even half the coffee you do. Cut your 20 cups down to 10 immediately and then continue cutting gradually each day until you are down to no more than 2 cups, or switch to tea.

Some teas have just as much caffeine as coffee.

So do many other drinks.

The best drink to replace the coffee is water.

This ,although mainly American drinks, is an interesting comparison.

Cheers

[mommysboy]

Thanks Percy2, Jingthing, Sheryl, R123, Beenthere..., and Cuban. A real help. thankyou again.

The advice seems pretty univocal, and I'm instigating some changes straight away to my poor diet. I'm cutting out the coffee, and weakening the tea. Alcohol is out too. I think these are the major players here and to be honest I find moderation near on impossible. It's going to be tough but I'll see this as a training opportunity.

Other than that, I'm just doing subsitutions, eg, baked pots for chips, dry crackers for crisps, that sort of thing. And I just added a lot more fruit to the basket than normal.

I kind of assumed that as i was in good shape and exercised a lot that I couldn't possibly have a problem. And I'm still puzzled? How does one check arterial health?

Possibly more importantly can anybody tell me where I can buy a blood pressure monitor.

[seagull]

Of all of these, from what you say, the caffeine is the most important as your intake is very excessive. My BP would be through the roof if I consumed even half the coffee you do. Cut your 20 cups down to 10 immediately and then continue cutting gradually each day until you are down to no more than 2 cups, or switch to tea.

Some teas have just as much caffeine as coffee.

So do many other drinks.

The best drink to replace the coffee is water.

This ,although mainly American drinks, is an interesting comparison.

Cheers

Yes, that caffeine stuff. Even though I drinked only three cups of coffee each morning, I follow-up thru with 2 glasses of water. Not immediately though, but within an hour.

[Old Man River]

Good advice above.

BAD advice from the doctor. It is now recognized that BPs in the "pre hypertensive" or "mild hypertensive" range do need attention, but this seems not to have made its way into Thai medical practice yet.

Yes it has, but of course it depends on which doctor you talk to. Some at Bamrungrad want it as low as possible and that means below the old standard of 120/80 as long as the patient still feels strong.

[Tolley]

Hard to believe you can drink so much coffee in one day....you must have a cup in your hand all day...do you ever drink water?

Heavcy alcohol use is no good.....

Lots of foods lik..garlic especially for normalising blood pressure

Meditation is also beneficial

[thaibeachlovers]

Hi OP,

I am alarmed that you say you will stop the coffee straight away. Do not do that, as you will go into withdrawal symptoms. Please cut down gradually.

<late 40's 5'11" 74kg slim athletic>

As someone who works in the health field, to me you do not seem to be particularly overweight, and you apparently get plenty of exercise.

Certainly, high caffeine, alcohol and salt intake can have an effect, and should be reduced to a "normal" intake. Remember most processed foods have a high salt content.

<My doc. doesn't seem that bothered>

Personally, I'd agree with the doc, but it never hurts to have investigations, if only to put one's mind at rest, as worry can worsen symptoms.

To my mind, your symptoms could be stress related. There are many ways/ techniques for reducing stress.

Of course, if you are concerned, you should see a specialist to rule out any serious condition.

Perhaps you could start by having a test for your cholesterol level.

BP monitors are available from pharmacies or mail order.

My BP is high too, but if I'd gone with the medical option I'd have been on drugs for years, and I am so glad I didn't go down that road.

[sfokevin]

I would agree that moderation in ones diet (20 cups of coffee a day!)... is always good advise...

But I would also suggest that some people (like me) are predisposed to high blood pressure... It runs in my family... I am active and eat a sensible diet but still have HBP... So I take very well tested and reliable medication to moderate it.

[zaphodbeeblebrox]

If you can, get into a pool. Swimming is the best of all aerobic exercises in reducing blood pressure.

[Jingthing]

1 to 2 alcoholic drinks per day, everyday, never more than that, are probably BETTER for your heart and circulatory system than no alcohol. The trouble is the drinks have calories so you need to cut down on something else you are eating if you want to partake of these wonderful health drinks, and, yes, I am serious, this is good for you, unless you are alcoholic.

The drinks can be wine (red wine the best), spirits, or beer but of course you want to avoid sugary mixed drinks.

Edited August 3, 2008 by Jingthing

[tracer5050]

Of all of these, from what you say, the caffeine is the most important as your intake is very excessive. My BP would be through the roof if I consumed even half the coffee you do. Cut your 20 cups down to 10 immediately and then continue cutting gradually each day until you are down to no more than 2 cups, or switch to tea.

Some teas have just as much caffeine as coffee.

So do many other drinks.

The best drink to replace the coffee is water.

This ,although mainly American drinks, is an interesting comparison.

Cheers

Yes, that caffeine stuff. Even though I drinked only three cups of coffee each morning, I follow-up thru with 2 glasses of water. Not immediately though, but within an hour.

This has also worked for me. I drink coffee in the AM but drink 8 glasses each day. my weight has gone down. lowered my BP as well.

[mommysboy]

Of all of these, from what you say, the caffeine is the most important as your intake is very excessive. My BP would be through the roof if I consumed even half the coffee you do. Cut your 20 cups down to 10 immediately and then continue cutting gradually each day until you are down to no more than 2 cups, or switch to tea.

Some teas have just as much caffeine as coffee.

So do many other drinks.

The best drink to replace the coffee is water.

This ,although mainly American drinks, is an interesting comparison.

Cheers

Yes, that caffeine stuff. Even though I drinked only three cups of coffee each morning, I follow-up thru with 2 glasses of water. Not immediately though, but within an hour.

This has also worked for me. I drink coffee in the AM but drink 8 glasses each day. my weight has gone down. lowered my BP as well.

In reply to the many so helpful posters. I decided to treat it as if I have prehypertension by western standards.

No I'm not overweight, I'm ideal weight and peak fitness which is why the measurement bothers me, and even 6 months ago I was around 115/70.

But I figure at some point or another I'll need to cut the crap out of my diet so I may as well do it now while I can do some real good.

I just wouldn't do moderation well, so I decided to cut out coffee , added salt, and alcohol- I've got a feeling it is the beer as I only started testing higher since starting drinking again. Because I'm retaning tea I shoudn't suffer too much of a withdrawal. I had to give up a long standing smoking habit so I should last the course.

And looking at it my diet was inadequate despite eating greens, so my fridge now has a mixture of good, sound foods, eg, potatoes, bananas, greens, salads, bread, low fat dairy prod, etc.

A very real possibility is that it is just nerves at the hospital. The doc. thinks this I think and certainly after one of the checks he tested again and it was down to 130.

In a way a BP machine might settle the issue, but I'm the type of person that might get over agitated by bad readings and get even more worked up so it might be best left.

Just had a thought this has also coincided with taking nasocort nasal steroid- would this be a factor here?

[royotto1]

I have been taking Chinese hawthorn powder, (Shan Zha, Crataegus Pinnatifida fruit). It seems to be working. I also heard four stalks of celery a day can lower blood pressure, but I haven't tried it yet.

[Maestro]

I’ve been told that the lower value (diastolic pressure) is a lot more important than the higher value (systolic pressure). At 87, the diastolic pressure is nothing to really worry about.

From Wikipedia:

Typical values for a resting, healthy adult human are approximately 120 mmHg (16 kPa) systolic and 80 mmHg (11 kPa) diastolic (written as 120/80 mmHg, and spoken as "one twenty over eighty") with large individual variations. These measures of arterial pressure are not static, but undergo natural variations from one heartbeat to another and throughout the day (in a circadian rhythm); they also change in response to stress, nutritional factors, drugs, or disease. Hypertension refers to arterial pressure being abnormally high, as opposed to hypotension, when it is abnormally low. Along with body temperature, blood pressure measurements are the most commonly measured physiological parameters.

You are doing the right thing by not looking at just one measurement, but a comparison with earlier measurements. The change over time is a factor not to be neglected.

You are also right in considering the possibility of the white coat syndrome. Before starting any antihypertensive therapy it is indeed advisable to take repeated measurements at home, preferably always in the same situation, eg daily before breakfast. Sit relaxed at a table for some minutes, then take your pressure. Do that for a month and chart both the systolic and diastolic values.

Repeat this once a year or every six months or as you feel like, then compare two separate one-month periods. This will be much more informative than a comparison of only two measurements at certain intervals. I certainly would not start a regimen of medication solely based on a comparison of the recent measurement with that at the beginning of this year, or based on the latest single measurement.

--

Maestro

[dougieboy]

Knock the coffee on the head and if you can (like me) also the salt, inc fish sauce lol, easy to self test now, if you dont already, do it now though cos complications of delay can be much more serious. Good luck

[themuse1969]

The best herbal is Hawthorn, 3 tablets daily (am, noon, pm) with meals. Or, Hawthorn Berries liquid, 3mL twice daily (am, pm). If you cannot find, but you can find garlic capsules in a healthfood shoppe, 3 caps daily (am,noon,pm).

And, if not capsules, of course use fresh garlic! To manage its pungent order on your breath, chop one clove finely (do not mince or crush), add to small glass of water, swirl the bits of garlic into motion, then chug-a-lug the lot! Do this upon knocking up in the morning and upon bedding down at night.

While you're at it, learn the causative factor(s) in your lifestyle. Do you have chronic stress? Are you overweight? Do you have "rubber tire" belly fat accumulation? Treating a symptom, rightly, only buys one time to address cause. If one only treats a symptom, and it subsides, if the cause is not addressed, there will be more symptoms. Most medical doctors make a lucrative career out of treating symptoms.

Cheers,

William Comer

Holistic Family Practise

Loveland, CO, USA

[Cuban]

Where to buy BP monitor. Larger Fascino Stores (Drug Store/Chemist Shop) have a selection, some will rave about the fully automated electronic multi storage memory etc. versions but a 'normal' manual one and a notebook & pencil is fine.

The post above have focused on food - do you have any high stress factors in your life?

Noisy accomodation, do you get enough rest, hassle at work/family life.

Sometimes easy to overlook other factors that impact BP.

[cathyy]

For some people salt has an immense effect on blood pressure, and those people need to really control their salt intake. For some people salt has little effect on their blood pressure, and they should just try to keep it within normal dietary guidelines. The trick is knowing which group includes you! Regular blood pressure checks over time will provide the answer.

If you do end up being salt-sensitive, don't forget about all the sodium benzoate in soft drinks. I devised a recipe for very nearly salt-free bread in my bread machine for my highly salt-sensitive father-in-law when he stayed with us post pacemaker-defibrillator implantation. I got him down to his "dry" weight for the first time in 15 years; then he went home and gained all the water again.

[percy2]

No I'm not overweight, I'm ideal weight and peak fitness which is why the measurement bothers me, and even 6 months ago I was around 115/70.

Just had a thought this has also coincided with taking nasocort nasal steroid- would this be a factor here?

Nasacort shouldn't effect BP.

Cheers

[percy2]

Where to buy BP monitor. Larger Fascino Stores (Drug Store/Chemist Shop) have a selection, some will rave about the fully automated electronic multi storage memory etc. versions but a 'normal' manual one and a notebook & pencil is fine.

Many pharmacies also have BP monitors that you can use to check without buying.

It is of course more convenient to have one at home.

Cheers

[Cuban]

In a serious thread I offer a little light hearted (pun intended) warning about hidden caffeine.

[pault17]

Very interesting info in the previous replies. I learned a lot.

Weight: take care with fruit, they contain lots of sugar.

BP: Circure. Has garlic and other herbs. Very effective. See their website. Available in Thailand.

Coffee /tea: soak the tea bags in the hot water a long time.

BP measures/statistics: I developped a computer program (Windows, Access).

[Screws]

1) More sex.

2) Eat brown rice instead of white.

3) More sex. (Pref. at least with somebody else)

4) Eat whole wheat bread instead of white.

5) More sex (as in (3))

6) Good oral hygiene - periodontal disease is as big an indicator of potential heart attack and stroke risk as BP. Also indicates potential / possible dememtia, diabetes, pancreatic cancer, mouth cancer, - more indications being discovered all the time.

Good oral hygiene - floss after each meal but MOST IMPORTANTLY SHORTLYafter last meal of the day. Then brush with soft brush & fluoride paste. Do not eat again before sleeping, take care what you drink - should be low in sugar and in oils (water (best) beer & dry wines o.k., milk shakes, sweet wines. lolly water, liquers NO)

7) More sex. (Pt 6 can help here)

Chok dee (esp with odd pts)

Screws.

PS Pt 6 also guarantees no oral halitosis. (That's how it helps pt 7)

Edited August 10, 2008 by Screws