High Blood Pressure - recommendations!

[Knuckle Dragger]

1.  Get a dog & be its alpha.  The oxytocin, endorphins & exercise will all help.

2.  No more cereal.  Fruit for brekky.  Maybe unsweetened porridge (oatmeal) once or twice a week for its lipo-absorbtive qualities.

3.  No more carbs.  Even the low Glycemic Index ones like wholemeal or grain bread et. al.  Maybe whole Rye/Pumpernickel is OK?

4.  Treat all sugars (sucrose, fructose, dextrose etc) correctly as the poisons they are.  Antithetic to longevity & good health.  This includes fruit juices, which are concentrations of the worst of fruit (the sugars) with all the good stuff removed (pulp, fibre).  Eat your fruit raw & unprocessed in any way.  Even raw veg is better too!

5.  2 pieces of fruit & 5 veg per day is appropriate for NORMAL health, but for a REMEDIAL diet these quantities should be at least doubled, and carb & lipo intake halved.

6.  Plant a dozen or so fruit trees & your own veg patch.  For fitness' sake, monetary considerations & because home-grown is just so much tastier, cheaper & BETTER.

[Muzz]

If they put you on beta blockers you will probably be on them for life.  They work by regulating amongst other things how fast your heart will pump.  Can be a real bear trying to walk up a hill for example, the heart rate stays much the same and you feel utterly exhausted.  I was put on them to break a cycle of cluster migraine. I was riding a bike 25 miles each way to work at that time and instead of 45 mins it took 1 hour 20. Awful.

[Rough Edge racing]

If they put you on beta blockers you will probably be on them for life.  They work by regulating amongst other things how fast your heart will pump.  Can be a real bear trying to walk up a hill for example, the heart rate stays much the same and you feel utterly exhausted.  I was put on them to break a cycle of cluster migraine. I was riding a bike 25 miles each way to work at that time and instead of 45 mins it took 1 hour 20. Awful.

 I take a low dose beta blocker and another low dose non beta blocker...The side effects are barely noticeable...You need to work with the doc on this stuff..If he won't listen, find one who will..
 I cut out nearly all carbs to control blood sugar a few years ago....My BP remained the same.....I slowly added a few carbs to avoid a slow but steady weight loss  and gravitating towards eating too much fat.... but still like to limit carbs to about 50 grams a day and my blood sugar is normal...I rarely eat fruit other than blackberries but we do consume mass quantities of raw vegetables...A three inch long sweet pepper has more vitamin C than a sugar laden orange..I suck on half a lime every day for citrus goodies...

[Ncdan]

If they put you on beta blockers you will probably be on them for life.  They work by regulating amongst other things how fast your heart will pump.  Can be a real bear trying to walk up a hill for example, the heart rate stays much the same and you feel utterly exhausted.  I was put on them to break a cycle of cluster migraine. I was riding a bike 25 miles each way to work at that time and instead of 45 mins it took 1 hour 20. Awful.

Yep. Exactly what I said in my response. It took me about 6 months to figured out why from one week to the next I couldn't do the same intensity work out I had been doing for years. I finally googled "BP meds and PT" and the internet blew up with the information. That's why I said to do your own research and not just follow doctors orders. They are not always right when it comes to YOUR body!

[Aaron D.]

www.dietdoctor.com

The Keto diet or as I now call it Keto Lifestyle will drop your blood pressure, will likely alleviate type 2 diabetes symptoms and you will loose belly fat. I started 6 weeks ago and have dropped 23 lbs and feel much healthier. I don’t count calories or restrict amount I eat but zero carbs, very little sugar or high sugar content fruit, no beer, lots of natural fats. I have much more energy and I am not hungry and I don’t have the urge to snack. Log into the website and watch the videos, it’s that simple.

This works well-they have great recipes too.

[Petrus Rocks]

I was also told by my doctor to stop taking Ibuprophin.  She said there was a residual effect increasing my BP even on meds.  Too bad- Ibuprophin helped a lot with my arthritis-now I just whine...

[Gliderjohn]

From Knuckle Dragger:

2.  No more cereal.  Fruit for brekky.  Maybe unsweetened porridge (oatmeal) once or twice a week for its lipo-absorbtive qualities.

3.  No more carbs.  Even the low Glycemic Index ones like wholemeal or grain bread et. al.  Maybe whole Rye/Pumpernickel is OK?

4.  Treat all sugars (sucrose, fructose, dextrose etc) correctly as the poisons they are.  Antithetic to longevity & good health.  This includes fruit juices, which are concentrations of the worst of fruit (the sugars) with all the good stuff removed (pulp, fibre).  Eat your fruit raw & unprocessed in any way.  Even raw veg is better too!

5.  2 pieces of fruit & 5 veg per day is appropriate for NORMAL health, but for a REMEDIAL diet these quantities should be at least doubled, and carb & lipo intake halved.

6.  Plant a dozen or so fruit trees & your own veg patch.  For fitness' sake, monetary considerations & because home-grown is just so much tastier, cheaper & BETTER.

I know what you are saying but jeez...on that diet I would loose a ton of weight quickly due to eating so little. I have had a life long STRONG aversion to most veggies. There are several veggies that even now will trigger my gag reflex if I try to eat them, even just the smell. A few others I can eat a tablespoon or two of if smothered in cheese and well salted. Unsweetened oatmeal...oh my, not as bad a veggies but close. I can do most fruits quite a bit better.
At least I formally exercise five days a week and that helps a lot and I an less than 10 pounds over from ideal weight but that is usually only a winter time concern.
Staying healthy ain't easy anymore.
GliderJohn

[Ncdan]

If one has the  genetic make up to have issues like diabetes, high  cholesterol and high blood pressure there is no diet that will totally control those issues and least for myself. I have always eat a well balanced diet and a regular exercise regime for the better part of my 66 years. Even now I am 5'10" 160lb, 16% body fat and 32" waist and must take meds for sugar,  cholesterol and blood pressure. I came of the meds at least twice and although I could produce a slight reduction was unable to bring the numbers to an acceptable level. I realize there are folks who will testify that they have accomplished this feat and I think that's great however my doctor and medical science disagree. Not getting into any arguments on the subject just saying peoples  genetic makeup are different and what works for one may not work for thousands and visa versa.

[wyno]

When I turned 50 I found out I had high blood pressure. I got a blinding pain in the back of my head, so off to the hospital I went. I had to wear a monitor for 24 hours and was told do everything I normally do. Well it was the night I played tennis wasn't it. I played in 2 competitions 1 after the other, so about 5 hours of playing. The next day I went back to the hospital and they took the readings and then asked me why I wasn't dead. Apparently the highest reading was 250 over 170. I'm still here though.

[Muzz]

. Apparently the highest reading was 250 over 170. I'm still here though.

Shite!!!!!

[Randown]

The top 3 causes of death are 1, heart attacks,  2, cancer,  3, strokes. Most of those who die from cancer have heart disease but the cancer got to them first.
Heart attacks and strokes are the same disease, the only difference is which artery got blocked, one to the heart or one to the brain.
Almost everyone has heart disease. High blood pressure is just a symptom. Don't treat the symptom, go after the underlying cause.
I was well down the same path in my 50's when confronted with heart disease in my parents.
I just started researching as to what could be done that was non-invasive and came across a couple of studies using lifestyle intervention. I thought, what have I got to lose?
I changed cold turkey about 13 years ago. within a few months my blood pressure dropped from 138 over 80 something to 110 over 70. Cholesterol went from 208 to 149.
Both markers have remained at these levels for more than a decade, all with no medication. My stamina has increased.
Sure it is difficult to eat and live healthy in this world. The alternative is having your chest split open for bypass or to have stents inserted and being on multiple medications for the rest of your life.
Still these are only patches and do not address the underlying cause. Re-stenosis usually happens in another 5-15 years and you are in the same boat but maybe with no veins to harvest for another bypass.
The things that are important to me are being able to be physically active like when I was young, ride my motorcycles, and be mentally alert.
I don't care much if I can't have a piece of cheese cake or a burger and fries or what ever rich fatty, sugary salty daily meal or snack.
Seems like an equitable trade.
   
I am 65 and need no medications. I can not think of a single person my age who is not on several meds.
This is what I do. I have for the last 13+ years.

https://www.amazon.com/Ornishs-Program-Reversing-Heart-Disease/dp/0804110387

https://www.amazon.com/Prevent-Reverse-Heart-Disease-Nutrition-Based/dp/1583333002/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=XBWC62VRCRC4JCN5S4SJ

Recent interview with Q & A...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2HYXzmjkY8

A chance at reversing heart disease...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb1_kY7sWZk

The presenter of that channel is on a whole food, no oil vegan diet - it's seems tough, I'd say most won't be able to hang with that.

Possibly start with that as the ideal to work towards but for now add fish + the more healthy oils + ???

Exercise; Start out easy & work up, consider a personal trainer or some regimen designed for people in similar situations.

[nick949]

Walk, walk, walk Tris. Make it a permanent part of your lifestyle. Always take the stairs. Park as far away from the shops as you can.  Follow a sensible diet but dont stress over it. In fact remove whatever stresses you can from your life.

Carry aspirin with you at all times. In the unlikely event you have a heart attack, chewing two or three 80mg aspirin may make all the difference.

It saved a friend of mine......

Nick

[Randown]

Walk, walk, walk Tris. Make it a permanent part of your lifestyle. Always take the stairs. Park as far away from the shops as you can.  Follow a sensible diet but dont stress over it. In fact remove whatever stresses you can from your life.

Carry aspirin with you at all times. In the unlikely event you have a heart attack, chewing two or three 80mg aspirin may make all the difference.

It saved a friend of mine......

Nick

Half measures may or may not be enough - including that 80 mg baby aspirin.

Harvard med...

"Take a regular-strength (325-mg) aspirin pill that is not enteric-coated. Don't swallow it; chew it, and then swallow it with a glass of water.

[nick949]

Half measures may or may not be enough - including that 80 mg baby aspirin.

Harvard med...

"Take a regular-strength (325-mg) aspirin pill that is not enteric-coated. Don't swallow it; chew it, and then swallow it with a glass of water.

True...my friend chewed 4 x 80mg, so close to the Harward rec. Saved him from the 'widow maker' (blocked LDA). Stented.

[tris]

......In fact remove whatever stresses you can from your ......

Nick

Difficult to get away from stress just now. My wife was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma before Christmas and is now on imuno therapy
However after 4 treatments the lump has shrunk so we're hopeful

So the stress will be around for some time to come, but I can still attack everything else that IS in my control - it can only help

[normzone]

All the above is good - my experience:

I'm the poster boy for medication side effects - if there's an effect that only one person in a hundred gets, I get it.

So experiment, experiment ... get a good doctor, possibly a cardiologist if you don't easily get results.

I have a list of ten drugs I cannot tolerate or were not effective, but eventually found a combination that works for me that I can tolerate.

Recently my cholesterol numbers crossed over from acceptable to unacceptable for the first time ... a new challenge. No statins for me ...

[Penderic]

Hello. Interesting and timely topic. My blood tests and blood pressure have been normal, since I went on a crazy elimination-type diet last July in 2018. Lost 48 lbs as a side benefit. Lost about 7 - 8 lbs a month without trying hard. Never looked better!

Not for a lot of people though. Basically beef, water, and salt. The Carnivore diet. Vegans hate it, vegetarians are disgusted, and people eating the Standard American Diet (SAD) don't believe it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isIw2AN_-XU

The above link explains it well. Last year I searched online for as many pro and con articles about the carnivore diet that I could find. You should do the same if you are looking for a 'last' chance attempt dealing with some health issue. This may help you. I took a 30 day 'challenge' to see if it was good for me. It was really good for me - going to stay on it. Benefits beside lower blood pressure: blood sugar levels improve a lot, blood sugar doesnt bounce up and down during the day - and no cravings! Also: no more acid reflux, leaky gut, better skin and gums (really) and better sleep.

Another good vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8P92UstbJM



Inflamed blood vessel tissues? Here comes the cholesterol to patch up the leaky bits. The inflammation may be caused by some cooking oils.

This is a very good vid on the history and health benefits of modern cooking oils: https://youtu.be/Q2UnOryQiIY?t=30 

Got lots more - anyone want more info, send me a message.

Gotta go. Time to eat!

[Rough Edge racing]

Walk, walk, walk Tris. Make it a permanent part of your lifestyle. Always take the stairs. Park as far away from the shops as you can.  Follow a sensible diet but dont stress over it. In fact remove whatever stresses you can from your life.

Carry aspirin with you at all times. In the unlikely event you have a heart attack, chewing two or three 80mg aspirin may make all the difference.

It saved a friend of mine......

Nick

 Yes, we do as much manual labor as possible...mostly because we have time and are cheap.......I can say this, nearly all the people I know that are healthy and active at around 80 years old do nothing special..None are vegetarian, none follow a strict low carb or any other  diet, none use tobacco, but some do smoke pot occasionally and none use much alcohol.They vary from slightly  thin to slightly overweight.They all see a doc for a check up once a year or whatever.. Everything in moderation. But one thing they do have in common is a passion for something that is a bit of exercise for mind and body like gardening, working in a home shop, craft work and so on...
  You can't reverse your genetics but you can make it as good as possible using common sense...

[wrbix]

 All I can say here is, I urge caution to those who get their health/dietary/medical advice on YouTube.....

There are decades worth of thousands of well controlled studies of essential hypertension management that give us real scientific guidance here.

Not as much on WG, but on an aviation discussion board I frequent the N=1 health recommendations are frightening.
Let us not fall into that abyss.
 

[Randown]

All I can say here is, I urge caution to those who get their health/dietary/medical advice on YouTube.....

There are decades worth of thousands of well controlled studies of essential hypertension management that give us real scientific guidance here.

Not as much on WG, but on an aviation discussion board I frequent the N=1 health recommendations are frightening.
Let us not fall into that abyss.
 

No disagreement here, it's a problem when people don't vet the information presented or they have difficulty discerning fact from fiction.
My mother will believe anything that's in print - Good Lord! 

[Randown]

Hello. Interesting and timely topic. My blood tests and blood pressure have been normal, since I went on a crazy elimination-type diet last July in 2018. Lost 48 lbs as a side benefit. Lost about 7 - 8 lbs a month without trying hard. Never looked better!

Not for a lot of people though. Basically beef, water, and salt. The Carnivore diet. Vegans hate it, vegetarians are disgusted, and people eating the Standard American Diet (SAD) don't believe it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isIw2AN_-XU

The above link explains it well. Last year I searched online for as many pro and con articles about the carnivore diet that I could find. You should do the same if you are looking for a 'last' chance attempt dealing with some health issue. This may help you. I took a 30 day 'challenge' to see if it was good for me. It was really good for me - going to stay on it. Benefits beside lower blood pressure: blood sugar levels improve a lot, blood sugar doesnt bounce up and down during the day - and no cravings! Also: no more acid reflux, leaky gut, better skin and gums (really) and better sleep.

Another good vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8P92UstbJM

Inflamed blood vessel tissues? Here comes the cholesterol to patch up the leaky bits. The inflammation may be caused by some cooking oils.

This is a very good vid on the history and health benefits of modern cooking oils: https://youtu.be/Q2UnOryQiIY?t=30 

Got lots more - anyone want more info, send me a message.

Gotta go. Time to eat!

I watched the Nina Teicholz video (at X1.5 speed it was suffer-able) I know you're convinced b/c you've seen results in a short time, which I don't doubt, but for the sake of anyone contemplating this diet...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmKv1m2SVio

[JeffOlson]

After decades of high blood pressure, I have finally had a breakthrough. I am now down to around 120 over 80 after being closer to 160 over 100.

Diet and exercise are the keys.

Several years ago, I lost 40 pounds by taking up running and "starvation," but my BP remained stubbornly high. BP medication did not work.

Recently, my wife and I went on a SUGAR DETOX for several weeks, cutting out bread, pasta, ice cream, cake, cookies, pie, added sugar... You know, all the things that taste good! We replaced our pre-packaged, sugar-laden, cancer-causing diet with a more Mediterranean/Paleo diet.

I lost another 10 pounds in less than a month, and my BP dropped to around 120 over 80. And I am not even running like I used to, just getting moderate exercise (walking, building stuff around the property, and gardening mainly).

[stubbie]

A guy at my work has been doing this for about 4 years and he says it's been fantastic.
https://thebloodsugardiet.com/the-52-bsd/

[ratguzzi]

when I first learned I had it years ago, my advice was simply "Put your head between your legs and kiss your ass goodbye"