Has anyone in Thailand notiiced a significant and possibly dangerous rise in systolic blood pressure starting mid December? Something going on here, not sure what it is.

Presumably you are asking about your own B/P

How high a systolic pressure?

Rises in BP are not usually related to the calendar

Over indulgence during festive season ?

Too much ya or ice?

I noticed it and ask my GP abt it, she told me that i am holding water when it's warm (seems to be a body feature, so you can better sweat), then the heart has to pump harder to get all the liquid around.

This does not make much sense to me -- a normal healthy body will not unnecessarily retain water. And it is not hot, it is unusually cool, at this time of year in Thailand and in the West. (And, even in unusually hot weather, healthy people will nto experience an increase in BP).

I suggest you continue to monitor your BP and if it remains elevated seek another opinion.

I have noticed this and no, I didn't over indulge during the holidays.

A friend of mine had similar symptoms a couple of days before me and he lives 500km away. He is about 73 and I am 69.

My doctor has been going on at me to diet, lose weight, stop drinking (I don't drink that much anyway) and exercise.

After my friends and my experience I have started exercising 5 minutes twice a day on my epiliptic monster. I will only have a drink at the weekends for a while and start a diet that I know works and see what my doctor says in a couple of weeks.

This does work but it is boring.

The Australian Womens diet.doc

For those who like detail, here is a chart of my bp versus daily mean temp over the cool snap at the end of 2013.

Gday, Have you considered that you might have a problem with your prostate? I was recently diagnosed with a prostate infection and now taking 2 antibiotics for 3 months.

I had diastolic BP issues on and off all year in 2012 and could not work it out. My labido was not good and erections not normal. Then had painfull urination etc and went to the Urologist.

I can confirm that since being on the antibiotics for 1 month I have NOT had any BP issues.

I would highly recommend going to a Urologist and doing urine test and get him to check your prostate. Bumrungrad is best for this.

Prostatitis does not cause hypertension, so I suspect this was purely coincidental, unless the hypertension was mild and due to the pain/discomfort of the prostate inflammation.