High blood pressure - how long for low salt results to show up??
davefr
15 years ago
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agnespuffin
15 years agoswanoir
15 years agoRelated Discussions
Herbs for High Blood Pressure
Comments (63)I realize that this is a dated thread. However, the last comment leaves a negative impression about herbal medicines. I have hypertension and an inquisitive and scientific mind and checked out Eric's conclusion that hawthorn is mutagenic. The mutagenic testing in the cited research paper was done with quercetin at 98% minimum purity purchased from Sigma Chemical Co. This study did not look at the many glycosylated forms of quercetin that are very prevalent with hawthorn. There are many publications that explain that hawthorn extract has many medicinal components. One recent summary goes into great detail about hawthorn's 49 distinct flavonoid compounds 5 hydroxycinnamic acids; six sugars; 10 organic or phenolic acids; 26 terpenes; and 56 essential oil constituents. Nature's pharmacy is awe-inspiring! I researched mutagenic testing on the hawthorn extract that is prepared for dosing patients. Sadly, I cannot find published data on the Ames test for hawthorn extract by itself. There is an interesting study where hawthorn is used in combination with valerian and passion flower. This study concludes that there are no harmful effects caused by the herbal mixture. The paper states " this extract does not posess any genotoxic or mutagenicity effect: both the Ames test and the micronuclei test presented negative results". Also, searching Pubmed shows many publications where hawthorn is safe and effective over the long term. I have the impression that Eric _OH dismisses ethnobotanical knowledge is being out of date and primitive. I disagree. I think that many of our ancestors were wise healers and lived long and productive lives with the help of herbal medicines. A 2012 review in Phytochemistry explains that many Indian tribes in numerous First Nations used hawthorn. The Meskwaki, Blackfoot, Ojibwa, Potawatomi, Okanagon, Okanagan-Colville, Iroquois, and Cherokee all used the berries and/or various decoctions of the shoots, roots, and bark of different Crataegus species. The Cherokee and Thompson also used decoctions of the bark as a heart medicine. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), hawthorn fruits are primarily used to improve circulation, remove blood stasis, and treat indigestion, diarrhea, abdominal pain, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension. In Europe, the fruits, leaves, and flowers were traditionally used in the treatment of heart problems for their antispasmodic, cardiotonic, hypotensive, and antiatherosclerotic effects. In summary, it appears to me that hawthorn is a great choice for treating hypertension. I hope to share personal experience once I wean myself off of Metoprolol with the help of my physician....See MoreHigh Blood Pressure
Comments (15)Almost exactly a year ago, I had a similar thing - my bp, which had always been on the low side, started running 145/90 or so. The docs wanted to put me on meds, but I tried them for a week or so and had awful side effects, so I decided I was going to try lifestyle changes. I had really let myself go and gained a lot of weight over the past several years, and I was pretty much a couch potato. And I had a strong family history of heart disease working againast me as well. So I went from halfheartedly exercising once or twice a week to 4-5x/week for 45 mins or an hour at a good clip (usually, I ride the recumbent bike and I'm usually dripping sweat by 20 minutes into it). I also cut back on salt and started eating healthier food and less of it. I've lost 50 lbs in the past year and my bp has been pretty good for the last 8 months or so -- it will still occasionally spike with stress or too much caffeine so I know I don't have the problem licked, but I am at least keeping it at bay. A few things you might consider if your bp is up even though you don't seem to have changed anything (and you don't have 50 lbs to lose like I did, LOL!). Some meds have the side effect of raising bp - these include antihistamines, cold medicines/decongestants and some antidepressants. If you've started any meds since the last time your bp was normal, you might want to talk to your doc about whether that could be contributing to the problem. Also, watch what you drink -- too much caffeine can definitely raise your bp. Also I found that all the diet coke/nutrasweet I was drinking seemed to be contributing -- when I was diagnosed, I was drinking probably 8-10 cans of diet coke a day. While researching high bp, I came across a page that said that nutrasweet breaks down into a chemical very similar to epinephrine and can raise your bp. So I quit diet coke cold turkey and within two weeks, my bp was much improved. I have since had diet coke a few times at parties and such and I always notice a bp spike afterwards (not sure if it's psychological though - maybe I'm just expecting it so nerving myself up). But if you drink a lot of diet soda or eat a lot of artificial sweeteners, you might try cutting them out for a week or two to see if it helps. Also, be sure you are eating enough potassium. Potassium helps remove water from the body in the same way that sodium retains it. Many folks do not get enough potassium in their diets and that in itself can raise bp. Try eating some foods high in potassium or taking some supplements to see if it helps. Finally, try amping up your exercise if you are physiucally able to - walk faster, work harder, and sweat more. Sweating removes excess water from the body and will help to lower bp, while the cardio helps strengthen your heart and overall health of your circulatory system. Good luck - I hope you are able to find something that works for you!...See MoreDASH diet for high blood pressure?
Comments (3)Thanks for the replies. I think you're right about just trying to keep things simple. Congratulations to your mom, Jen. I know losing more weight would help me, too, but it's not an easy process. I managed to lose 10 pounds last year watching fat and calories, still eating a fair amount of fast food. I went to CalorieKing.com, found the seemingly healthiest foods at our usual haunts, and made up a list of "safe" foods I liked. But I hadn't even looked at sodium content. Now I'm looking over those old reliables, and finding tons of sodium wherever I look. It's as if they know they are losing flavor using lower fat, and are trying to make up for it with more salt. At McDonald's, even their McVeggie burger on a whole wheat roll has 1200 mg of sodium! The low fat salad dressing I had yesterday turned out to have over 700 mgs, and the grilled chicken salad by itself had 800. I don't plan on giving this stuff up altogether, but I can sure see how careful you'd need to be to make up for just one fast-food meal....See MoreHigh blood pressure and losing memory
Comments (9)Thank you for taking your time to respond catherinet, agnespuff, and goldy. I am 65 years old female. Yes, I use my own equipment 'OMRON' to check my bp. When doctor checked my bp about week ago, my bp was 130 and he told me it is normal. I was relieved but now my bp is between 160-180 but today, I took for 1 hour walk and few second ago I checked my bp. My bp is 129. I cannot believe it. My pulse is 82, DIA is 79, SYS is 129. I hope I continue to have low bp but I think I start having much higher bp at evening and night. Only thing I needed to lower bp is one hour walking? I am not sure if this much simple or not. If I continue to see bp of over 150,160,170 I am going to see doctor quickly. I am concerned about connection between memory lose and high bp. I know what do you mean goldy. Worry doesn't help us at all and elevate our bp. I just cannot understand why suddenly I forgot how to turn wiper because I was using wiper thousand of times when I was driving in rainy day. Strange part is my dream became reality. I dreamed about my confusion about turning in pool and next day, I experienced exactly what I saw in my dream. I joked with old lady in swimming pool and I said "I am going to drown if I suddenly forget how to swim". When I think about it, it is no laughing matter! I start learning how to swim when I was over 60 years old and I am swimming over 3 years now. I am sorry for my poor English. English is my second language....See Morecatherinet
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