What is the best way to lower your Blood Pressure? Please let me hear your thoughts.?
My family has a history of high blood pressure. I am 34 and mine is starting to go up. I know eventually I will have to go on meds, but I would like to control it as long as I can without the med. So let me know what has worked for you guys.
What your doctor measures near your elbow is NOT your blood pressure. Your blood pressure is the level generated within the left ventricle of your heart, before it’s ejected into the aorta and thus into the large arteries, and how much of that pressure is absorbed by the elasticity of your aorta and arteries determines the readings your doctor gets.
So it’s perfectly possible your true (generated) B/P isn’t changing at all….it’s only the condition of your blood vessels and how much they expand giving the illusion of apparent "raised B/P". Everyone’s goes up with age, and your AVERAGE through the day should be roughly "100 + your age." Now, because this is an average, clearly it must rise and fall throughout the day, for lots of reasons, so, if you are 34, then your readings (at the upper arm) will vary from roughly about 160 (max) to about 105 (sleep).
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These are perfectly natural, normal, readings, and if you look up records for the whole of Western Europe and US B/P figures, you’ll find you’re probably dead average. (Ref. Prof. C.F. Levick "Introduction to Cardiovascular Physiology" – the section on "Aging"……it shows it well. If you didn’t show this rise with age, it would mean that you were in some way differrent from other people, and I’m sure you’re not. I’m 80. My figures vary over the day from well over 200/ 120-ish down to 130/90-ish…and I’m still here. I work out, and swim, and if I believed the doctors I wouldn’t be here. I threw away all my pills ages ago.
Above all, the most important warning I can pass on to you is don’t ever let them put you on beta-blockers. Most of the medications they give you will probably do no harm (not much good, either!) but beta blockers will raise your systolic pressure.
November 11th, 2009 at 9:18 am
Exercise, diet, cut salt.
References :
November 11th, 2009 at 9:31 am
Sometimes when genetics are to blame there isn’t much you can do but take medication.
If you are overweight, lose weight & exercise.
You have to watch sodium, there is so much in processed foods, you are only supposed to have up to 1500 mg a day of sodium, when you start paying attention to that you will be amazed at how much you were eating.
Get the book, High blood pressure for Dummies, it is very helpful.
References :
November 11th, 2009 at 9:57 am
What your doctor measures near your elbow is NOT your blood pressure. Your blood pressure is the level generated within the left ventricle of your heart, before it’s ejected into the aorta and thus into the large arteries, and how much of that pressure is absorbed by the elasticity of your aorta and arteries determines the readings your doctor gets.
So it’s perfectly possible your true (generated) B/P isn’t changing at all….it’s only the condition of your blood vessels and how much they expand giving the illusion of apparent "raised B/P". Everyone’s goes up with age, and your AVERAGE through the day should be roughly "100 + your age." Now, because this is an average, clearly it must rise and fall throughout the day, for lots of reasons, so, if you are 34, then your readings (at the upper arm) will vary from roughly about 160 (max) to about 105 (sleep).
These are perfectly natural, normal, readings, and if you look up records for the whole of Western Europe and US B/P figures, you’ll find you’re probably dead average. (Ref. Prof. C.F. Levick "Introduction to Cardiovascular Physiology" – the section on "Aging"……it shows it well. If you didn’t show this rise with age, it would mean that you were in some way differrent from other people, and I’m sure you’re not. I’m 80. My figures vary over the day from well over 200/ 120-ish down to 130/90-ish…and I’m still here. I work out, and swim, and if I believed the doctors I wouldn’t be here. I threw away all my pills ages ago.
Above all, the most important warning I can pass on to you is don’t ever let them put you on beta-blockers. Most of the medications they give you will probably do no harm (not much good, either!) but beta blockers will raise your systolic pressure.
References :
It’s what I do. I’m a cardiovascular physicist, survivor of heart attack (1992) and triple bypass.
Also see British Hypertension Society Guidelines for the management of hypertension "Report of the fourth working party of the B.H.S, 2004. (Williams, Poulter, Brown, et al…)
November 11th, 2009 at 10:26 am
Now is certainly a good time to be asking about what you can do to control your BP. All the answers you have recieved here are very helpful, and I would add that you need regular feedback. Without it, how will you know what helps and what doesn’t?
There is no "one size fits all" solution to hypertension. For some people, cutting sodium might make a huge difference. For others, it doesn’t matter a bit. For some, it’s weight loss, or quitting smoking, reducing alcohol intake, or increasing their potassium intake. (For some, it might be all of the above!) So given that you’re working at this early, you can take it one step at a time. Focus on one change at a time and see (over the course of several weeks) if it helps reduce your BP.
So I recommend getting a digital BP cuff, if you don’t already have one. You should be able to find one in your local drug store for about $50 (ask your pharmacist to recommend an above-the-elbow model… cuff fit is important, as are the features that make it easy to use.)
Take your BP every day and log it, along with notes on what you changed or focused on that day. It’s a good idea to take it a couple of times in the morning, when variations are at a minimum. Sit in a chair, with your feet on the floor, having rested for a few minutes before hitting the "start" button. This will give you the most consistent readings, free from "white coat syndrome" that many people experience in a doctor’s office and at the time of day when your BP is the most stable and repeatable.
As for what worked for me, I am in about the same boat as you. I’m 41. I don’t have any major issues, but I do have a family history of hypertension. I joined the bloodpressureline Yahoo! group, which has been helpful (it is run by a thoughtful and pragmatic doctor who is very responsive to questions from the group.) I have been trying sodium restriction, and that has been pretty easy. It seems to be keeping my BP in line. I check my BP once/week or so, to get a sense of any situatioins where it goes up.
My father was on a beta blocker for 7 years and had a host of side effects. During that time, he had surgery to cure his sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is known to cause elevated BP, but his doctor didn’t try to scale down on the beta blockers after the surgery. It was only when I recommended weaning off of them that he talked to his doctor about it. He’s now almost off of them completely, his BP is fine, he has more energy, and many of the nasty side effects appear to be going away!
So I wholeheartedly support your desire to stay off the meds (especially beta blockers) as long as possible. I also encourage you to understand as best you can what your family members with hypertension have done about it, and what damage hypertension may have done to them. The better you can understand your family history, the better you can tailor your own lifestyle and treatment.
References :
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/bloodpressureline/
November 11th, 2009 at 10:51 am
long moderate exercise, lower salt intake, maintain hydration properly.
Some high anti-oxidant fruits and juices help a lot. TrueBlue BlueBerry Pomegranate is so good for BP, I dilute it about 3 to one with water, and can only drink it a few times a day at the most.
Foods with arginine help with chemicals that relax blood vessels walls, improving their flexibility and lowering BP.
References :