Anyone managed to reduce blood pressure naturally ?

[Mr_P]

Not been to the Doc's for a while so was summoned and being a good boy went along today for a quick check-up.

Eek blood pressure very high.

Me, I'll look into it and come back back in 6 months, Doc NOOO come back in a month, me OK.

Sure I've heard of a machine that can help ? Did i dream it ?

Not overwieght and the Doc was impressed with the amount of exercise I get thanks to my hairy canine friends. Maybe I should try something more intense ?

Drink alcohol rarely so can't cut down on that. Guess I could try and get a bit more fruit and veg in my diet.

Maybe all the salt in my brown bread ?
I'm a big coffee drinker and i've just read that more than 4 cups per day is bad for blood pressure, I'll have to wave a sad good bye to the morning pint then and its many refills throughout the day.

I'm early 40's so a bit early to go on medication.

Any thoughts, ideas , suggestions greatly received.

 

[bourbon]

I would be interested In this as well as my girlfriends Daughter has It at 26

 

[Lons]

Get a monitor and check every day at the same time for a couple of weeks. Keep a chart so you can take to the doc if necessary and take the machine with you so he can check it against his.

Blood pressure can go up and down like a yoyo even within minutes and the only way you can be sure is regular monitoring, ( you might be able to borrow one which will monitor you over 24 hours).

If it is high then you have to do all the stuff you know already.

My blood pressure rockets at the sight of a medical person and even my GP has that problem in fact he tells me he has to take his own for that very reason! :lol:

 

[RobinBHM]

You could buy a blood pressure monitor, the Omron ones are very good

For the prices, its worth having so you can monitor your pressure over a period of time and at diff times of day. Being at a doctors can make your reading higher

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Omron-Basic-Up ... re+monitor

If its a long way out of the healthy 120/80 range then if you lead a reasonably healthy lifestyle could it be inherited, but of course more exercise etc still helps.

You could try testing your blood pressure and see if caffeine is having an effect

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-cond ... q-20058543

 

[beech1948]

Idea to help that helped me.

1) Cut out caffeine...all of it
2) Lose a bit of weight and add in some more intense exercise than dog walking maybe a bit of cycling say 10 miles per day or 1 hour if you can spare the time
3) Remove stress from your life. Try to identify areas of stress and one by one eliminate them
4) Cut out salt and look at how much processed foods your are eating because of the hidden sugar and salt they contain. Try buying foods with LESS than 7% sugar per 100g of food and set a low limit on the salt contents. Replace processed foods with home cooked from raw ingredients.

You may do some of these already I know but all of them can help.

 

[MrTeroo]

Good idea to get a monitor but always take two or three measurements one after another. You will spot that your GP probably does that.

First measurements are often out.

If you like broccoli, bad news, you need to cut that out along with all the brassicas.

Good luck!

 

[AJB Temple]

How high is very high? This is a silent killer and there is no upside to taking chances. I had high BP and to reverse naturally requires really radical effort.

White coat syndrome is well recognised - but can also be an excuse. Ambulatory monitoring is usually prescribed and will give an accurate result.

 

[Kalimna]

Don't let your age discount you for taking mess if necessary. Hypertension and its consequences don't really care how old you are.
Good advice above, especially about reducing caffeine. No need to stop entirely, but it can make a difference.
If you already exercise and are of a good weight, then don't sweat any change there.
If, after checking your own BP several times at home and it is still high, then have a chat with your GP. If your Bp is *very* high, then you really need some investigations to rule out any serious, correctable causes.

Cheers,
Adam

 

[bugbear]

Not been to the Doc's for a while so was summoned and being a good boy went along today for a quick check-up.

Eek blood pressure very high.

Me, I'll look into it and come back back in 6 months, Doc NOOO come back in a month, me OK.

Sure I've heard of a machine that can help ? Did i dream it ?

Not overwieght and the Doc was impressed with the amount of exercise I get thanks to my hairy canine friends. Maybe I should try something more intense ?

Drink alcohol rarely so can't cut down on that. Guess I could try and get a bit more fruit and veg in my diet.

Maybe all the salt in my brown bread ?
I'm a big coffee drinker and i've just read that more than 4 cups per day is bad for blood pressure, I'll have to wave a sad good bye to the morning pint then and its many refills throughout the day.

I'm early 40's so a bit early to go on medication.

Any thoughts, ideas , suggestions greatly received.

Try talking to your GP

BugBear

 

[RobinBHM]

I see this has become a rather timely thread as there has been a press release today saying there are many people with high blood pressure that dont know.

I havent checked mine since last year, so Id better get it done this week!

 

[Mr_P]

Thanks all,

Thought caffeine reduction might be an easy solution but reading the link above it says heavy users develop a tolerance so might not the problem. Easiest way is order a bp monitor and start keeping track, I've put the pint pots away at the back of the cupboard out of sight.

Should I go the full hog and get a heart rate monitor at the same time ? Make sure my dog walking stays in the brisk territory as opposed to stroll. No push bike here and can't see me taking it up again, swimming pool not far away so will get some trunks.

Older, heavier, regular alcohol drinking sister has started on meds last year. Doc did ask about this and said it could be genetic. Doctor did suggest an overnight blood pressure monitor, wasn't taking it seriously until I read a bit more when I came back. My Doctor usually takes my blood pressure twice but I haven't been for a while. Think the first number was ok but it was second number that was worrying, 110 ?

 

[Jacob]

The good news is that it can be simple and easy, the bad news is it's not much fun!
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Blood-pressure-(high)/Pages/Prevention.aspx

 

[John Brown]

Good idea to get a monitor but always take two or three measurements one after another. You will spot that your GP probably does that.

First measurements are often out.

If you like broccoli, bad news, you need to cut that out along with all the brassicas.

Good luck!

Really?
Is that a recent discovery?

 

[MrTeroo]

No, it seems I was half asleep when I typed that (homer)

It's the exact opposite, it is good for reducing high blood pressure.

Sorry.

 

[Jacob]

Skipping is good! Gets your heart and lungs going in no time. Seriously knackering! No worse than eating broccoli.

I wouldn't know this except a grandchild made do it for the first time in probably 60 years. Probably trying to kill me and get his hands on my stuff.

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/ ... -workouts/

 

[John Brown]

No, it seems I was half asleep when I typed that (homer)

It's the exact opposite, it is good for reducing high blood pressure.

Sorry.

I see.
"Alternative fact"

 

[skipdiver]

I'm currently on 2 different medications for high BP and it took a while to get my readings to an acceptable level, trying different medications in different doses. I also self monitor as my readings are always high at the surgery, partly due to white coat syndrome and partly because i walk to the doctors and it is mainly uphill. I bought a monitor and take 2 readings in the morning and 2 at night over a week period. It's important that you do it correctly and follow the instructions. I did a set of readings in the summer and took them to the surgery. They rang me while i was on holiday and said the doctor was very pleased with the results and to do the same again this year to keep a check on me. I also have regular blood tests to make sure the medication is not causing any damage and so far so good. This has been a process that has gone on over a 3 year period. I decided in Sept 15 to totally change my lifestyle and have since lost 3 stone, which is obviously helping and i spoke to the nurse about coming off the medication eventually when i hit my target weight, but she said that i'll likely be on this medication for life now. I'm not so sure about that and am doing my own research because as ever, there is conflicting advise. It may be that the cause of my high BP is being overweight but it could also be hereditary as my Dad died of a heart attack. I may at some point come off the medication and see what transpires. I know someone who got his under control by weight loss and stopped taking the tablets and he is fine but everyone is different. I'm convinced that my medication is causing ongoing stomach problems but i've been assured by my surgery that it isn't the case. Funnily enough, the other person i know that was on the same medication also had stomach problems which have since ceased since he stopped taking it. There are plenty of opinions online from people about their experiences but as ever, different people will have different views. Another big help for me is that i no longer work as a jobbing builder/joiner and have all the stress of pricing jobs, sourcing materials and hitting deadlines, trying to please all my customers all the time. I'm lucky in that regard that i now work from home to my own schedule and don't have the pressure that i used to.

 

[WoodMangler]

My blood pressure rockets at the sight of a medical person and even my GP has that problem in fact he tells me he has to take his own for that very reason! :lol:

Me too. This actually has a name, it's known as 'White Coat Syndrome'.

 

[Jacob]

......... I'm convinced that my medication is causing ongoing stomach problems but i've been assured by my surgery that it isn't the case. Funnily enough, the other person i know that was on the same medication also had stomach problems which have since ceased since he stopped taking it. There are plenty of opinions online from people about their experiences but as ever, different people will have different views......

I was on Atorvastatin but am fairly certain it was the cause of a lot of muscle pain and possibly headaches. Both on the side effects list and the pains stopped immediately I stopped taking it and haven't returned.* But not everybody the same.
Have taken note of this thread and bought a heart pressure monitor - might make more effort to do it naturally.

* PS I haven't taken a painkiller for months - it used to be a regular thing.

 

[Woodchips2]

I had a medical when I was still working and was told I was in the top 10% of people likely to have a heart attack because i had very high blood pressure, high cholesterol and was overweight. It was due to stress through working long hours, driving all over the country and lack of exercise.

Now I am retired my blood pressure is normal, my cholesterol is acceptable and I try and walk 4-5 miles a day. Plus I am not stressed in retirement. So a natural remedy for me but not available for everybody so I would say try and reduce the stress in your life.

Regards Keith