Re: Blood Pressure Advice?

[Guest guest]

>Does anyone have any advice on lowering blood pressure naturally? Mine

>is quite high and my doctor is trying to help me with natural

>solutions (e.g., using liquid potassium drops, reducing B vitamin

>supplements, switching to less powerful adrenal glandulars, changing

>thyroid meds in case I might be allergic to the fillers, etc.). But at

>the same time he is pressuring me to take medication. I keep hoping

>that as I improve my diet and my health improves that the blood

>pressure will take care of itself, but no success yet. Any

>perspectives would be appreciated.

>Sharon

>

How about regular progressive exercise?

Deanna

[Guest guest]

how about garlic

Re: Blood Pressure Advice?

>Does anyone have any advice on lowering blood pressure naturally? Mine

>is quite high and my doctor is trying to help me with natural

>solutions (e.g., using liquid potassium drops, reducing B vitamin

>supplements, switching to less powerful adrenal glandulars, changing

>thyroid meds in case I might be allergic to the fillers, etc.). But at

>the same time he is pressuring me to take medication. I keep hoping

>that as I improve my diet and my health improves that the blood

>pressure will take care of itself, but no success yet. Any

>perspectives would be appreciated.

>Sharon

>

How about regular progressive exercise?

Deanna

[Guest guest]

Sharon-

>Does anyone have any advice on lowering blood pressure naturally? Mine

>is quite high

What do you and your doctor call " quite high " ? " Normal " keeps being

redefined to expand the market for blood pressure meds, so you might

not have anything to worry about.

-

[Guest guest]

Sharon,

More veggies. Pick ones high in Potassium, Calcium and Magnesium.

The Potassium broth in the back of NT (pg 609) is a good recipe for

Potassium (Magnesium too if you can find potatoes without the little

dips in them), just make sure you use organic potatoes so you can put

the skins in too. I like to add a small amount of celery root into

this recipe too.

More stock. The broth above is good with a little stock added into

it. It takes a little getting used to plain, IMHO.

I also find Winter Root Soup excellent (pg. 213), although not as high

in potassium as the broth.

-Lana

On 1/11/06, sharflin <sharflin@...> wrote:

> Does anyone have any advice on lowering blood pressure naturally? Mine

> is quite high and my doctor is trying to help me with natural

> solutions (e.g., using liquid potassium drops, reducing B vitamin

> supplements, switching to less powerful adrenal glandulars, changing

> thyroid meds in case I might be allergic to the fillers, etc.). But at

> the same time he is pressuring me to take medication. I keep hoping

> that as I improve my diet and my health improves that the blood

> pressure will take care of itself, but no success yet. Any

> perspectives would be appreciated.

> Sharon

[Guest guest]

Thanks so much for all your suggestions - I included them all below with my

replies:

> How about regular progressive exercise?

Yes, that has always helped my BP in the past. For almost 8 months, I have

been exercising 30 minutes a day/ 3x week (combining strength & cardio).

When I've tried to add more in I've become quite exhausted so that may be

all I should be doing now. Though I do plan to add a Meridian stretching

program next week as soon as I get the book.

> how about garlic

The only garlic I can eat without severe gut pain is powdered and a small

amount of really well cooked fresh. So that option is not open to me.

> What do you and your doctor call " quite high " ? " Normal " keeps being

> redefined to expand the market for blood pressure meds, so you might

> not have anything to worry about.

Recently it was 155/95. Sometimes lower at home when lying down. Sometimes

higher, up to 170/110. Cause for concern?

> More veggies. Pick ones high in Potassium, Calcium and Magnesium.

I've always been confused by the potassium approach: The powers-that-be have

realized that sodium only causes a small fraction of people to have

meaningful increases in BP (though they won't retract their dietary

recommendations to cut salt because it might 'confuse' us and make them look

capricious). But then potassium is recommended for reducing PB, I believe

because it balances sodium. But if the sodium wasn't causing the problem,

how could balancing it with potassium be the solution?

Thanks again folks!

Sharon

[Guest guest]

> More veggies. Pick ones high in Potassium, Calcium and Magnesium.

>

> -Lana

I totally agree with what everyone has said so far. My BP was up to

145/95 and the doctor was talking about medicine.

Now it's back down to 125/80 and here's what I did.

Diet: more hi-potassium fruits and veg. Starches moved from low-

potassium to high (like from wheat to squash or quinoa). Meals

spaced evenly with overnight fast. No liquid calories (water only).

Exercise: clubbell swinging every other day. Actually I can swing for

5 minutes in the parking lot before the doc visit and that lowers it

if I want to cheat. this cracks me up somehow it's such a simple

tweak.

Watch out for checking BP on a cuff that's too small for a fat arm.

The reading will be artificially high.

Connie

[Guest guest]

> But if the sodium wasn't causing the problem,

> how could balancing it with potassium be the solution?

Potassium is the principal positively charged ion (cation) in the

fluid inside of cells, while sodium is the principal cation in the

fluid outside of cells. Potassium concentrations are about 30 times

higher inside than outside cells, while sodium concentrations are more

than 10 times lower inside than outside cells. The concentration

differences between potassium and sodium across cell membranes create

an electrochemical gradient known as the membrane potential. A cell's

membrane potential is maintained by ion pumps in the cell membrane,

especially the sodium, potassium-ATPase pumps.

[http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/potassium/index.html]

Here's a diagram:

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/potassium/nakpump.html

The membrane potential is what determines the strength of electrical

signals. The better your membrane potential, the more effective the

signals will be. Thus, it will take less effort to send the same

message.

While reducing sodium might help the potassium:sodium ratio to some

degree, it won't help nearly as much as adding in more potassium

(especially if you are already potassium deficient). However,

temporarily reducing sodium while loading potassium might be a quick

way to force your system to reset - thus explaining some of the

positive results " low sodium " (/high potassium) diets have shown.

-Lana

[Guest guest]

> But if the sodium wasn't causing the problem,

> how could balancing it with potassium be the solution?

>

> Thanks again folks!

> Sharon

Personally I think it's because looking for a single cause to be

yes/no, like sodium, in HBP which has a zillion interlocking

mechanisms, is silly.

I do the potassium thing because I believe the Paleo folks when they

talk about how our ratio of potassium-to-sodium was way higher before

modern foods. also because I think adding sodium to processed foods

can't be good - maybe good for manufacturers, and taste, and

profitability, but I figure it can't help but make imbalances.

Connie

>

[Guest guest]

> also because I think adding sodium to processed foods

> can't be good - maybe good for manufacturers, and taste, and

> profitability, but I figure it can't help but make imbalances.

Not to mention most of the sodium in processed foods is in the form of

preservatives such as: sodium nitrite/nitrate and sodium

sulfite/sulfate. Yuck.

-Lana

[Guest guest]

> Not to mention most of the sodium in processed foods is in the form of

> preservatives such as: sodium nitrite/nitrate and sodium

> sulfite/sulfate. Yuck.

>

> -Lana

Yuk is right. Thanks Lena, I never realized that.

I do like supermarket bacon though. Most of the time real food tastes

better but there's something about bacon.

I knew a kid in culinary school who got an A by making bacon straws fo

Bloody s. cool idea huh

Connie

[Guest guest]

> Yuk is right. Thanks Lena, I never realized that.

I only realized it because I'm allergic to it.

> I do like supermarket bacon though. Most of the time real food tastes

> better but there's something about bacon.

Wegmans has a brand that's nitrate/nitrite free that has a lactic acid

starter in it. I bought some, I'll let you know if its any good!

> I knew a kid in culinary school who got an A by making bacon straws fo

> Bloody s. cool idea huh

Ooooh. That sounds good!

I've always liked bacon wrapped around avacado slices. Mmmm.

-Lana

[Guest guest]

Lana,

Ok, got it! Well, only sort of. But I got the spirit of it and I will be

upping my potassium starting with that NT soup you recommended previously.

Thanks so much to you and all the other posters - I appreciate you applying

your time and brain power to my problem!

Sharon

>> But if the sodium wasn't causing the problem,

>> how could balancing it with potassium be the solution?

>

> Potassium is the principal positively charged ion (cation) in the

> fluid inside of cells, while sodium is the principal cation in the

> fluid outside of cells. Potassium concentrations are about 30 times

> higher inside than outside cells, while sodium concentrations are more

> than 10 times lower inside than outside cells. The concentration

> differences between potassium and sodium across cell membranes create

> an electrochemical gradient known as the membrane potential. A cell's

> membrane potential is maintained by ion pumps in the cell membrane,

> especially the sodium, potassium-ATPase pumps.

> [http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/potassium/index.html]

>

> Here's a diagram:

> http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/potassium/nakpump.html

>

> The membrane potential is what determines the strength of electrical

> signals. The better your membrane potential, the more effective the

> signals will be. Thus, it will take less effort to send the same

> message.

>

> While reducing sodium might help the potassium:sodium ratio to some

> degree, it won't help nearly as much as adding in more potassium

> (especially if you are already potassium deficient). However,

> temporarily reducing sodium while loading potassium might be a quick

> way to force your system to reset - thus explaining some of the

> positive results " low sodium " (/high potassium) diets have shown.

>

> -Lana