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 I have the impression that Eric _OH dismisses ethnobotanical knowledge is being out of date and primitive.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.

Sounds like she was using a bulb type & keeps getting it too tight. Never heard of anyone having that problem before but I know some do use the bulb type & they can just keep pumping. I've spent a lot of time in hospitals with friends & parents last 10 yrs & that hasn't happened to anyone. They do however jab & miss veins often & lots of bruises from that, some but the IV line in so they couldn't bend the arm without a lot of pain. Very irritating & they act like patient is the problem. Mom had both arms & both wrists messed up often & took awhile to heal at home. Lucky they didn't get infected. The rubber thing they use when drawing blood is sometimes too tight too. Mom told them not to let one technician come in again & the other 1 did beautiful job & got the vein every time. Some people need a refresher course & perhaps practicing on themselves so they can "feel the pain" they put the patients through.

Seems like it might be a good idea to return that cuff, Schoolhouse, and get a different one. Those reviews are very discouraging. I have an Omron wrist monitor, which I like a lot, easy to use, and pretty accurate. I usually take it with me when I have my check-ups, to check it against theirs. It's always within about 2 points of their reading, which he says is perfectly acceptable. To answer your question, yes, I use mine often, sometimes as often as 3 times a day. Almost always at least once a day. No, I am not a hypochondriac, nor am I OCD about it. I have been on BP meds since 1970. It's a pretty long story, so I'm not going to tell it. Just let me say, I'm very fortunate to be alive. Many MANY tests were done, and the cause was found. Various forms of treatment were used. But I have been under the care of a Nephrologist for the last 40 years or so. Appointments every 3 months and daily (almost) monitoring of BP. My case is unusual, but I think that if your doctor suggested you get a cuff and monitor your pressure at home, do it. And keep a written record of the reading with date and time noted. Take that record with you to your appointments. It can be a big help to your doctor in treating you. It will also help you to know if the BP is causing dizzy spells, headaches, etc. Good luck, Rusty

The dentist that I had when I was young worked without an assistant most of the time. One did not have a hygienist. In both practices if he needed assistance the person at the front desk would come in and do it. But that was a simpler time and neither one of them dealt with insurance or had huge incomes or overhead. When I was in school, there was one main switchboard, and several of the departments had direct numbers. A student took over main switch board when she ate her lunch. She also passed out paychecks and pay stubs. There was one secretary receptionist in each department. There was two people in clinic management. There were three or four people who worked in the insurance office, with one interacting with the students. There is now a call center. There are three to four front desk peoplewho also answer phones as well as a coordinator in each clinic. There are layers and layers and layers of administrative staff that never existed when I was in school. There are probably 200 people doing the job of two dozen. The class size has not increased. The patient pool has not increased. Tuition of course has gone through the roof. Everything is much more complex than it used to be. When I first worked at the practice I have been at for 20 years the owner had an assistant and a front desk person and a part time hygienist. The current owner has two and a half assistants, almost two hygienists, a front desk person and there should be two, and there is a technology person who is not an employee but is probably there for several hours every month. Again, I am not sure that the patient population has increased dramatically.