| I was diagnosed with high blood pressure | | | | doctor's supervision. Quickly discontinuing |
| (hypertension) when I was in my early thirties. I was | | | | hypertension medication can be FATAL. |
| always overweight except for a brief time in my | | | | Nutritional Supplements and Food |
| early adulthood when I was lifting weights and going | | | | There are several things that are out there which |
| to the gym every day like it was a religion. Then | | | | they claim can help with hypertension. I have tried |
| came cubicle work, marriage, and fatherhood. Lack of | | | | them all with some effect, but nothing compared to |
| exercise, fat genes, and too much of the wrong | | | | modern pharmaceuticals. There are various herbal |
| kinds of foods spells disaster in this realm. Now, I do | | | | concoctions that are said to mimic what many of the |
| believe that certain blood pressures are predisposed | | | | aforementioned drugs do, but I have found this to |
| in some people based on some as yet not | | | | be mostly hype. Also, if you can get a generic drug, |
| understood or known about genetic factors. Why do | | | | it's probably cheaper to get the drug than the |
| I believe this? I believe it because I have known very | | | | expensive supplement, as long as you go to the |
| heavy people with perfect blood pressure. I also | | | | doctor and get a new prescription every so often. |
| know skinny people with high blood pressure. There | | | | DO NOT attempt to buy prescription drugs over the |
| is also the stress factor and how each individual | | | | Internet. You might be getting the wrong dose or |
| handles it. There are also stimulative substances like | | | | the wrong medication, or both. They might not be |
| caffeine. | | | | manufactured to the same specifications, or they |
| Blood Pressure Measurement. | | | | might come from China and have plastics and other |
| Blood pressure is the measurement of the pressure | | | | industrial waste in them. Don't take such a chance |
| that your blood places on your arteries and other | | | | with your body. |
| blood vessels. The top number, the Systolic pressure, | | | | There are several natural things that I say can't hurt |
| is the measurement when your heart pumps the | | | | and might show some promise. Even if they do not |
| blood. That is why it is a higher number. The Diastolic | | | | work as a blood pressure lowerer, they can have |
| pressure is the force in between heart beats, which | | | | pleasant side benefits associated with keeping your |
| is why it is (or should be) lower. It has been | | | | circulatory system working as best as it can. There |
| accepted for a long time that normal blood pressure | | | | are vitamins like natural Vitamin E. It is a great |
| is 120/80. Now some drug companies and others are | | | | antioxidant and is great for keeping the fish oils fresh |
| trying to push that lower. This is controversial | | | | in your system. Vitamin E has to be natural (d-alpha |
| because more and more data shows that not | | | | tocopherol vs the man made dL-alpha) to have the |
| everyone can or should have the same pressure. | | | | most benefit. That is why natural is expensive. If you |
| Some people are normal with 115/70, or 110/60, while | | | | get it, get one with d-alpha as well as mixed |
| others are 120/80, 125/85, 135/85, etc. As a matter | | | | tocopherols like d-gamma, etc.... It has been shown |
| of fact, 140/90, which has long been considered | | | | that it works better in this mixed form. Now, I buy |
| pre-hypertension is actually normal for many people | | | | fish oil capsules that are molecularly distilled to |
| and no reason to panic, only to monitor. Recent data | | | | remove mercury and other impurities and they are |
| has shown that the lower pressures that some are | | | | also laced with d-alpha Vitamin E, so I personally do |
| pushing for would actually be detrimental to some of | | | | not take extra E. That is up to you. I take fish oil |
| our older people, resulting in confusion and light | | | | because I feel that it offers protection against |
| headedness. | | | | dangerous clots without the side effects of aspirin. |
| So you see, there is a lot to these numbers and you | | | | Also, once you are on daily aspirin therapy you are |
| should measure yours and try to track what is | | | | on it for good. It has been shown that discontinuation |
| normal for you. You should monitor it because if it | | | | of aspirin therapy can be fatal. The blood clots can |
| spikes often or goes too high you are damaging your | | | | come back with a vengeance. Fish oil also has a |
| blood vessels and organs like your heart and kidneys, | | | | myriad of other benefits mainly due to the EPA and |
| among others. It can lead to strokes, blood clots, | | | | DHA fatty acids, which are Omega 3 fatty acids. We |
| aneurysms, and even aortic dissection which killed | | | | need these to offset the overabundance of Omega |
| actor John Ritter. I do not know if his came from | | | | 6 fatty acids in your grain rich (right down to the |
| untreated high blood pressure or some other cause, | | | | animal feed) food supply. This is why grass fed beef |
| but anything that puts frequent high pressure on | | | | lamb/dairy/etc is nutritionally superior to the grain fed |
| your blood vessels can result in ruptures and other | | | | majority. You may like your corn fed steak, but the |
| catastrophic events. | | | | corn fed is what makes the fat saturated and |
| I can say that many times I get perfectly normal | | | | unhealthy to consume. Grass fed beef fat is okay, in |
| readings. I have had readings of all of the already | | | | moderation. This is why wild caught salmon and other |
| mentioned pressures, but at the same time I have | | | | fish are good to eat. Farm raised fish suffer the |
| had dangerous spikes like 160/100, and as high as 200 | | | | same problem as most farmed terrestrial animals. |
| 120 during panic attacks and other stressful times. I | | | | They are fed Omega 6 rich feed and that ends up in |
| am on 3 powerful medicines and the doctors have | | | | the meat. This is why I will not eat farm raised |
| not been able to narrow down my "all over the map" | | | | Tilapia. It is loaded with Omega 6 fats which while |
| blood pressure. Maybe it's normal for me, but I am on | | | | essential, are overrepresented in our food supply and |
| the medicines just in case. My current doctor is the | | | | implicated in diseases of inflammation, like arthritis, |
| head of cardiology at his hospital and he even told | | | | artery disease, and other nasty conditions. |
| me that it's not my weight, although of course losing | | | | Potassium and magnesium can help, as long as you |
| it couldn't hurt. He said it's just too sporadic and leans | | | | do not have kidney disease. people with kidney |
| on the side of stress coupled with something | | | | disease can build up dangerous potassium levels so |
| unknown. A few years ago I had a stress test and | | | | they have to watch their intake. Many of us are |
| an echo cardiogram and those came out okay, as | | | | deficient in these important minerals which regulate..... |
| well as frequent EKG's. Get these tests if you can. If | | | | blood pressure. You need them both. As a matter of |
| any ting they can spot clogging of your arteries early | | | | fact I have had several blood tests that claim that I |
| on so it doesn't end up in a heart attack or stroke. | | | | am low in potassium, despite eating a diet high in |
| There are several blood pressure measuring devices. | | | | vegetables and fruits. The doctors so far just tell me |
| There are the cuffs at some drug store and | | | | to eat bananas, but I already do, as well as avocados |
| supermarket chains. They say that the doctor's | | | | and other potassium rich foods. I have resorted on |
| office arm cuff measuring devices are the best. I | | | | occasion to taking supplemental magnesium to get |
| never liked them. They seem to squeeze way too | | | | enough of that. Do not take supplemental potassium. |
| tightly. A word here about cuff tightness. If you are | | | | It can cause stomach problems. By the way, taking |
| a large person like me, you might need a larger cuff. | | | | these minerals in diet form, or in the case of |
| Don't be afraid to ask for one. A cuff that is too | | | | magnesium in a pill with food, also helps to alleviate |
| small will result in false high readings. they also sell at | | | | painful muscle cramping. |
| home electronic models with an arm cuff, but these | | | | Salt has been shown to aggravate hypertension in |
| are too small for my arm. I am muscular and | | | | some people, and many people have had success |
| overweight so my arm is just too big for them. | | | | with the DASH Diet. I have to say that I just do not |
| I use an Omron wrist model. It is pretty accurate | | | | agree with the high grain part of that diet for |
| with doctor's office models (I have tested this on | | | | reasons of Omega 6 pro inflammatory response. Use |
| numerous occasions) and they are compact and easy | | | | your judgment after your research. The bottom line |
| to use. They pump up, count it out, and spit out your | | | | is that you can lower your salt intake and see if that |
| pressure in a few seconds. While you do not want to | | | | helps. Start reading the sodium content of your |
| take your pressure all the time, for brief "measuring | | | | foods and you will be surprised at how much salt is in |
| windows" it can provide you with a larger picture of | | | | many things, especially fast and convenience foods. I |
| your pressure. Many people get nervous when in the | | | | was lucky enough to find organic hot dogs without |
| doctor's office and get higher than normal readings. | | | | nitrites or preservatives, made wholly from the beef |
| This is very common and is labeled as "white coat | | | | of grass fed cows, and with only about 330mg of |
| hypertension". The white coat is the doctor or | | | | sodium vs the 600-700 in most brands. They were |
| medical staff's white coat. I know that my readings | | | | right there in my regular supermarket too. If your |
| are usually high at the doctor and lower at home. I | | | | supermarket carries junk, find a local health food |
| have had readings as high as 160/90 at a doctor's | | | | market and you'll likely find something similar there. |
| office only to have a perfect 120/80 an hour later at | | | | Other Conditions |
| home. I have also have scary high readings at home | | | | Do you snore? Why would I ask that? Snoring is |
| which is why I ended up on medication. | | | | usually a sign of sleep apnea, or better known as |
| Medication | | | | obstructive sleep apnea. This is when your throat |
| There are several classes of medications for | | | | closes when you sleep and you can't get air. It takes |
| hypertension. There are beta blockers which cause | | | | effort to get air through that collapsed throat, which |
| the heart to slow the force of it's beats, thus | | | | puts all kinds of pressure on your body, including high |
| lowering pressure. There are alpha blockers which | | | | blood pressure. Get a sleep study done and if you |
| relax the muscles inside blood vessels to keep more | | | | have it get a CPAP machine to treat it. It's awkward |
| blood flowing and the pressure is lower when more | | | | at first, but you will sleep soundly and eliminate at |
| blood can flow through the body unhindered by tight | | | | least one contributing factor to heart attack and |
| vessel walls. There are angiotensin II receptor | | | | stroke, and you might cure your hypertension as well. |
| antagonists, which block a certain hormone that the | | | | It didn't cure mine, but I can now drive to work |
| kidneys produce which causes blood vessels to | | | | without falling asleep at the wheel, and I don't have |
| contract and raise the pressure of the blood. Block | | | | to worry (as much) about dying in my sleep from |
| this out and the pressure goes down. Diuretics are | | | | "the big one". Get tested. Get treated. For some |
| commonly used. The theory here is that when you | | | | people a tonsillectomy and getting the adenoids |
| cause more water to be excreted in urine, blood | | | | removed can fix this, along with fixing a deviated |
| volume decreases thus lowering pressure. There are | | | | septum. They wanted to do that to me and so far I |
| also calcium channel blockers, which also cause blood | | | | have not gone for it. I know someone who did and |
| vessel wall (muscle) relaxation. So, this is what they | | | | he as able to ditch his CPAP machine as it cured his |
| do. They all use different mechanisms to try to lower | | | | snoring. It is tempting though since the machine is like |
| the blood pressure. Some work amazingly well. Some | | | | a ball and chain. |
| work well for some and not in others. They start | | | | This was a really simple article meant to get the |
| you out on one or more and see how they work. | | | | most information out in a distilled fashion. There are |
| they might work at first and then your body gets | | | | many related nuances that I just couldn't get into, |
| used to them. Then the dose goes up or they switch | | | | but you should have gotten out of it: |
| one or more of the drugs to see the effect. I can | | | | 1 - Measure your blood pressure |
| say that I had little effect from these drugs until | | | | 2- Get medicated if it's consistently over 140/90, or |
| recently when I was prescribed a an alpha blocker. I | | | | even over 135/85. |
| still don't know why I am taking the other two drugs, | | | | 3- Lower your salt and see if that helps |
| I guess for some cumulative effect, but this one | | | | 4- Consider eating more foods rich in Potassium or |
| worked for me. It's no panacea, as I still get spikes | | | | Magnesium |
| due to stress and such, but I am much better off | | | | 5- Losing weight and exercise can't hurt |
| than I was before. Also, I am fortunate that all three | | | | 6- Eat more Omega 3 rich foods and lay off the |
| of mine come in generic versions, which is much | | | | empty starches and grains, flour products, and grain |
| cheaper. There are other types of medications that I | | | | fed meats or farm raised fish. |
| left out. You can look up blood pressure or | | | | I hope that my many years of research into this |
| hypertension medications in an online search or in | | | | condition as well as my having to live with and |
| Wikipedia. | | | | through it can be of some benefit to you. I still have |
| A quick note. Blood pressure medications are usually | | | | hypertension, and I have to follow my own advise of |
| introduced in a gradually increasing dose up to the | | | | exercising more, because I am only human. I do have |
| main dose. Also, you CANNOT just go off them. | | | | this knowledge though and I wanted to share it. |
| They have to be weened off SLOWLY under your | | | | |