Thai Food And Bp

[John K]

I was wondering if anyone knows what Thai food and spices do for hypertension and water retention. I am looking for a connection. Do any of the things they put in cause both to go up?

[BambinA]

I was wondering if anyone knows what Thai food and spices do for hypertension and water retention. I am looking for a connection. Do any of the things they put in cause both to go up?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

IMHO , , hypernatremia (high Na) from food as salt ,fish sauce, soy suace, MSG ,bakery (Baking Soda) ..etc make water retention and then hypertension

(bio chem stuff , about vasopressin , nepron unit , henle's loop and Na-K pump..i wont talk in deep detail ..)

about spicy , as chilli .. just stimulates the circulation

Edited November 29, 2005 by BambinA

[sbk]

Fish sauce and shrimp paste are highly salty. Also, coconut curries are very bad for your arteries as coconut is one of the highest in saturated fats.

[BambinA]

Fish sauce and shrimp paste are highly salty. Also, coconut curries are very bad for your arteries as coconut is one of the highest in saturated fats.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

chai ja

make fatty accumulate in arteries, and make it narrow... induce , hypertension

[John K]

It sure is a possibility. It was quite sudden increase in both systolic and diastolic, virtually inside a week up +35/+15 from normal. I went and had it all check out at the hospital and they said everything looked fine and no visible blockages. I did seem to have a bit of a virus that was or is going around, and it lasted 3 weeks plus. Almost felt like a head cold with no fever, and a stiff neck. I am just trying to rule out some of the obvious. Muscle relaxant and anti inflammatory medications sent it back to normal for a day but it went back up again. Considering one of the side effects of the medication was raising BP, I think I am on the right track. I am hopeful this is just a temporary thing. I am not one for taking medications and I suspect it is a simple cause as hypertension come on over time and not sudden like this was. The stiff neck and sore shoulder is still around and I suspect a adjustment may be in order. Is there any way of knowing what is in each Thai dish? I don’t vary much from the foods I eat. I like the hot Thai food, but the feeling is not mutual so I tend to stay to the basics, and the occasional visit to Subway.

[BambinA]

Is there any way of knowing what is in each Thai dish? I don’t vary much from the foods I eat. I like the hot Thai food, but the feeling is not mutual so I tend to stay to the basics, and the occasional visit to Subway.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

if u dont eat much of richy fatty as curry(with coconut milk) and too much Na so i think it'd not come from food

maybe from age , heart disease, cholesterol (from somekind of food as squid, oyster..etc)

[Bobcat]

I went and had it all check out at the hospital and they said everything looked fine and no visible blockages.

What tests did you have that they were able to visualiz your heart? Did you have an angiogram or some other test? I'm thinking of going in to check my heart as well, as I have had a few brief and wierd pains in my chest over the past few weeks and evrytime I have been to the doctor for the last 6 months or so my bp has been quite high - sometimes as high as 160/90. Wierd, becuase if I take my bp at home it is always around 120/70 or thereabouts.

Cheers,

Bob

[Guest endure]

I went and had it all check out at the hospital and they said everything looked fine and no visible blockages.

What tests did you have that they were able to visualiz your heart? Did you have an angiogram or some other test? I'm thinking of going in to check my heart as well, as I have had a few brief and wierd pains in my chest over the past few weeks and evrytime I have been to the doctor for the last 6 months or so my bp has been quite high - sometimes as high as 160/90. Wierd, becuase if I take my bp at home it is always around 120/70 or thereabouts.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's called 'white coat hypertension'. Your blood pressure goes up because of the stress of having your blood pressure taken by a Doctor. I have hypertension and take medication. If I measure my own BP it's about 140/80 - if the Doc measures it, it's about 170/90.

Edited November 29, 2005 by endure

[solo siam]

Yup, I get that as well - may be exasperated by a virus that may kick your body into a fight or flight response at any stimuli.

[Buff-horns]

I was wondering if anyone knows what Thai food and spices do for hypertension and water retention. I am looking for a connection. Do any of the things they put in cause both to go up?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

as well as the food it might be the high temps and humidity causing high BP./

do you booze a lot as well ? american breakfast ? all puts a strain on the heart .

[Buff-horns]

is the noise getting to you ??

Noise linked to heart attack risk

24 November 2005

Working in a noisy office can increase the chances of having a heart attack, scientists have revealed.

A major study involving more than 4,000 men and women found startling associations between long-term noise exposure and heart attack risk. Both sexes were vulnerable, but affected in very different ways.

General environmental noise, such as traffic, made women three times more likely to have a heart attack, but increased the risk for men by less than 50%. In contrast, workplace noise increased the risk for men by nearly a third, but did not seem to have an impact on women.

Heart attack risk rose with increasing noise levels until a threshold point above which it remained constant. This appeared to be around 60 decibels - the level of noise typically experienced in a large, busy office.

Study leader Dr Stefan Willich, director of the Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics at the Charite University Medical Centre in Berlin, said: "Our results demonstrate that chronic noise exposure is associated with a mildly to moderately increased risk of heart attack. The increase appears more closely associated with actual sound levels rather than with subjective annoyance. However, there were differences between men and women and these need further investigation."

Dr Willich's team recruited 4,115 patients admitted to the trauma and general surgery departments of 32 hospitals in Berlin between 1998 and 2001. The patients had an average age of 56 for men and 58 for women. Roughly half had been admitted to hospital after suffering a heart attack.

Interviews and independent environmental and work noise assessments were carried out and the results for both groups compared. The analysis revealed a statistical link between noise exposure and heart attacks.

Men appeared to be generally more affected by work noise and women by environmental noise. Dr Willich said some of the gender differences may be explained by the fact that women tend to spend more time at home and are less exposed to loud workplace noise. But the possibility that men and women were programmed to respond to noise differently could not be ruled out.

The study did not look at short-term noise exposure, such as driving to work, or include rural populations or people aged over 70.

But the findings convinced the team that the current European safety level for workplace noise was set too high. Throughout western Europe ear protection is required for employees when noise levels reach 85 decibels, the typical volume of noise produced by construction equipment. "We should definitely be looking at something lower," said Dr Willich. "The exact value is unclear, but somewhere between 65 and 75 decibels."

©2005 Associated New Media

[John K]

Bobcat

It is best to let them decide what tests to do. Your symptoms are not the same and they have a so many options as what to do. Other than blood work and a EKG you may have other tests. One good thing is I went to Bumrungrad around 6 A.M. and I was out at 8:30 A.M.

[leisurely]

Sorry don't know the name of the poster. You say that you check your BP at home. If you are using an electronic one you may as well get the man next door to guess what your BP is. Battery operated sphygmanometers are notoriously poor and are largely discrediteed in the UK (except for hypochondriacs of course!)

[Guest endure]

Sorry don't know the name of the poster. You say that you check your BP at home. If you are using an electronic one you may as well get the man next door to guess what your BP is. Battery operated sphygmanometers are notoriously poor and are largely discrediteed in the UK (except for hypochondriacs of course!)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's strange. My GP (and all his fellow GPs at my practice) uses a battery operated sphygmomanometer. In fact he recommended the model to me. The British Hypertension Society publishes a list of validated monitors on its website:

http://www.bhsoc.org/blood_pressure_list.htm

[John K]

Sorry don't know the name of the poster. You say that you check your BP at home. If you are using an electronic one you may as well get the man next door to guess what your BP is. Battery operated sphygmanometers are notoriously poor and are largely discrediteed in the UK (except for hypochondriacs of course!)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The unit I use was purchased in the states and I have it calibrated regularly. It is simple to do, just have a doctor or a nurse check one arm while the unit is doing the same on the other. This one is a Lumiscope, and it reads within 1 or 2 of the calibrator consistently. The only problem it is a wrist unit and you must be sure it is at heart level to be accurate.

[Buff-horns]

accurate measurement needs to be done at regular intervals thruout the day . then you take an average of the days readings. a snapshot single is not the way to do it.

[John K]

accurate measurement needs to be done at regular intervals thruout the day . then you take an average of the days readings. a snapshot single is not the way to do it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually I take it in the morning before I get out of bed, and I have actually found it to be higher. After I move around for a few minutes it is lower. This is why I suspect it my be related to some sort of muscle spasm that may be related to the virus I had or may still have. I disagree with you to a certain extent. I know it can go up and down a lot during the day, and be high after activities like sex. Taking it the same time every would be fine. In a hospital setting they may do it more as it certainly helps to diagnose and track your condition.

If there is not some sort of physical blockage I have the ability to change it significantly from 8 to 42 points with 22 to 30 points roughly the average on both Systolic and diastolic. However this was the first time I actually tried it on myself. That is another reason why I decided to go to the hospital and started this thread. because it was not moving at all and that was of concern to me.

Edited November 30, 2005 by john Krukowski

[Guest endure]

The most accurate test is an ambulatory 24 hour test. They fix a sphyg to you which takes your BP every 30 minutes over a 24 hour period. They then download the readings to a PC to calculate averages etc. One of the things that you might find surprising is that when you go to sleep your BP drops quite a lot and can drop to a level which, were you to be awake, would make you collapse. Full instructions for taking your BP are available here:

http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/guides/homebp.htm

[John K]

The most accurate test is an ambulatory 24 hour test. They fix a sphyg to you which takes your BP every 30 minutes over a 24 hour period. They then download the readings to a PC to calculate averages etc. One of the things that you might find surprising is that when you go to sleep your BP drops quite a lot and can drop to a level which, were you to be awake, would make you collapse. Full instructions for taking your BP are available here:

http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/guides/homebp.htm

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That may be good for someone who sits at a desk all day, not for a person who’s activity level changes from moment to moment. Nevertheless good to know, but I would let a doctor advise me because in short it is his diagnostic tool and not mine.

Edited November 30, 2005 by john Krukowski

[John K]

Is there a link to what is in Thai foods? As I only order them, I don’t see what goes in. Then I can sort that part of the puzzle out.

[Guest endure]

The most accurate test is an ambulatory 24 hour test. They fix a sphyg to you which takes your BP every 30 minutes over a 24 hour period. They then download the readings to a PC to calculate averages etc. One of the things that you might find surprising is that when you go to sleep your BP drops quite a lot and can drop to a level which, were you to be awake, would make you collapse. Full instructions for taking your BP are available here:

http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/guides/homebp.htm

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That may be good for someone who sits at a desk all day, not for a person who’s activity level changes from moment to moment. Nevertheless good to know, but I would let a doctor advise me because in short it is his diagnostic tool and not mine.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's good for everyone. That's the way that a Doctor will measure your BP if s/he suspects hypertension problems. The figures that Doctors use to decide whether you have hypertension are predicated on the fact that they're measured in the resting state as explained at the UMich website. Momentarily high measurements caused by stress or activity are irrelevant. It's the underlying resting rate that causes problems if it's too high.

[zzap]

Is there a link to what is in Thai foods? As I only order them, I don’t see what goes in.

It's mostly rice, veges, and meat or seafoods.

Read the menu before you order, and you'll know what you'll get.

Edited November 30, 2005 by zzap

[zzap]

Sorry, on a more 'constructive' note, check out this site for what is used for cooking.

http://www.yummytaste.com/ingredient/thaiherbs.htm

Again, check the menu, ask questions, go to a market to see what's available, peep into different 'kitchens' to find out what "they" use for cooking. Obviously different herbs and spices are used for different dishes. It's not like "Thai food" has this or that effect. Do you understand this, John?

[John K]

Sorry, on a more 'constructive' note, check out this site for what is used for cooking.

http://www.yummytaste.com/ingredient/thaiherbs.htm

Again, check the menu, ask questions, go to a market to see what's available, peep into different 'kitchens' to find out what "they" use for cooking. Obviously different herbs and spices are used for different dishes. It's not like "Thai food" has this or that effect. Do you understand this, John?  

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes thanks I will check it out and others if there are any.

[Davey]

I was wondering if anyone knows what Thai food and spices do for hypertension and water retention. I am looking for a connection. Do any of the things they put in cause both to go up?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hypertensions can be induced from a variety of factors, I could imagine Thai food (fish sauce and the likes) would be a credible attributor. However, I would think that the temperature (loss of plasma, higher blood viscosity, higher blood pressure) and humidity in Thailand may be the cause, as well as other things possibly.

[Gary A]

I have always had a problem with high blood pressure. My California doctor had me on three different drugs and it was still high. I felt bad every day. After I moved to Thailand and found those drugs were not available I talked to a friend of mine and he took me to Bangkok Pattaya hospital to see his doctor. We had a nice chat and the doctor asked me what I was taking. I showed him the drugs and he said nothing, just shook his head. He told me to throw them all away and take a 20 mg Enaril and a baby aspirin every day. Within a couple of days I felt great and for the first time my blood pressure is under control. My wife uses too much fish sauce and other salt containing flavoring but it doesn't seem to have any affect on me. To say that I had a MAJOR change of diet would be putting it mildly. She is a great cook and as long as my blood pressure stays well under control I see no reason to ask her to use less salt. We eat a LOT of fruit and vegetables, VERY little beef and moderate amounts of pork and chicken. I feel great.

[John K]

On the note that food can affect BP, I had recently changed just one small thing in my diet. Because it is said the Mediterranean diet is the healthiest, I started to use olive oil a bit more. I don’t know if this is good thing or not without changing completely to that diet. Does anyone know? Also my BP is nearly back to normal. The pain is nearly subsided and the swelling in my arm is nearly gone. However at the same time I stopped the oil, so I don’t know if it is one or both.

[zzap]

It certainly is a good idea to change from standard cooking oil to olive oil.

The 'real' stuff, high in unsaturated fatty acids and a few other things which are supposed to be good for you is called "extra virgin cold pressed" olive oil.

Available in some supermarkets (try Carrefour).

In order not to destroy it, you'll have to adapt your cooking method as well, i.e. low temp shallow or stir-frying.

Best used for salads.

[John K]

To be very honest I was very surprised on how much pain and swelling could effect BP. I am now back to about 116/70 after being nearly to 200/110 for a week. My BP continued to drop as the swelling subsided. The only lingering problem is I suspect there may be some underlying problems in the area of my shoulder. Perhaps some damage to soft tissue. I am not quite sure who to see on this (Outside of a chiropractor) in Bangkok. Does anyone have a clue who to see? I suspect if it happed once it will happen again.