Hypertension

[Iggy Dalrymple]

My most effective technique to control my BP reading is to breathe long, slow, and deeply.

 

[Xania]

My most effective technique to control my BP reading is to breathe long, slow, and deeply.

Iggy, my bank account would prefer your method!
The Blockbuster All Clear looks like a good product, but, oh my, the cost!
£35 - about $70 for 120 capsules, lasting seven days.
There must be a more economical way to buy this?? Does anyone know one?

https://www.goodhealthnaturally.com/pd_blockbuster.cfm

 

[bifrost99]

My most effective technique to control my BP reading is to breathe long, slow, and deeply.

And there's actually a $300 gadget which is designed to train us in just that.

https://www.resperate.com/
https://www.resperate.com/discover/what_is_resperate.aspx
https://www.resperate.com/discover/clinical_evidence.aspx?src=wir.next2

But why spend? :roll:

All the gadget does is train us to breathe less than 10 breaths a minute and have exhalation times twice as long as inhalation times. (This is really reminiscent of some Chinese qigong, Japanese haragei, and yoga pranayama technics.)

Maybe we're paying for the discipline to do it 15 minutes or so a day?

Well, okay. A $300 one-time expense can be a LOT LESS than months or a lifetime in BP meds. It would be a lot safer, too.

Gerry

 

[Iggy Dalrymple]

Iggy, my bank account would prefer your method!
The Blockbuster All Clear looks like a good product, but, oh my, the cost!
£35 - about $70 for 120 capsules, lasting seven days.
There must be a more economical way to buy this?? Does anyone know one?

https://www.goodhealthnaturally.com/pd_blockbuster.cfm

I save a lot by buying bulk powders from Beyond-a-Century.com.
Don't know if they ship to UK.

Nattozimes®
• Proprietary fungal proteolytic enzyme blend that matches the unique fibrinolytic activity of the natto fermentation processes. A 1:1 alternative for Nattokinase.
In a base of inositol. 200 doses per bottle, 65mg Nattozimes® per dose (1,000 FUs/dose). 50 grams, $13.50 Code 779.1

SERRAZIMES® is a blend of enzymes derived from edible fungi, provides the enzymatic equivalent, unit for unit, to Serrapeptidase (aka Serrapeptase), protein digesting enzyme originally isolated from silkworms. If currently taking blood thinning medications, please consult a health care practitioner prior to use. 20,000 units per 33mg dose. 50 grams, $9.25 Code 761.5

 

[Mad Scientest]

A lot of great information on reducing hypertension. I don't have it but my mom does. She has tried the garlic but with vinegar and honey. We were not sure if it helped because she was also taking BP medication at the same time. She is currently not taking the garlic mixture. Can you suggest other better tasting herbs than garlic?

[FONT=&quot]When talking about high blood pressure just what should it be? I recall reading somewhere that people who had higher PB pressure also had slightly sharper mentally abilities. I know the current standard is 120 over 80 and this is what everyone is shooting for. But just how high is too high? I seem to recall at one time your high side was considered normal, if it was approximately 100 plus your age. This appears to have been discarded and we now have one set of standards that is suppose to fit all. Was this done by being based on good science or was it done similar to the reductions in [/FONT][FONT=&quot]cholesterol levels as a means to increase the sale of PB pills? [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Sometime back when my family witch doctor determined my PB was too high. He prescribed 80mg Diovan HCT this appeared to be working, but not fast enough for him, so he increased the dosage to 160mg. This worked. At this point he was content that I should remain at this dosage forever. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]However I don’t like the word forever and I don’t like the idea of taking any more medicine then is absolutely required. So I got a PB monitor and started experimenting with smaller doses. Found that once I got to reasonable levels I could maintain them by going back to the 80mg dose once every other day! Also found that moderate exercise is a good way to reduce PB. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]As a side note after one checkup visit for a prescription refill he inadvertently gave me Diovan without the HCT. The Diovan is the super duper drug that that is supposedly doing all the work and the HCT, a diuretic, it is added as a just a helper. Of course without this helper my PB slowly started to rise. As I understand it in the past diuretics were the main treatment for high PB. This raises the interesting question which part of Diovan HCT is actually doing the majority work and what part is the helper and which one has the major effect on its cost? [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Just checked my pressure, 146 over 76, which is a little high, so I guess I should go take a pill. :yuck: [/FONT]

 

[JonB]

In TCM, the kidneys control the heart, so, the kidney tubles clog up, the fluid builds up putting pressure on the heart, voila, high BP. Now if you cleanse your kidneys and the tubles, the pressure is reduced and the BP comes back to normal. Diaretics help remove fluid hence they also help to reduce BP. If you take herbs to to clean your kidneys, then you will reduce your BP. Normal BP should be a 3:2 ratio. The figures don't actually matter, as long as the ratio is 3:2.

 

[Iggy Dalrymple]

As a last resort, there's now an implantable medical device to help regulate blood pressure.

[FONT=arial,verdana,sans-serif][SIZE=-1][FONT=arial,verdana,sans-serif][SIZE=-1] Reported February 25, 2008 [/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=arial,verdana,sans-serif][SIZE=-1] Lowering Blood Pressure - Saving Lives - In-depth Doctor's Interview

Harischandra Karunaratne, M.D., a cardiologist, explains a new experimental device that is implanted in the chest to help lower high blood pressure. Topic- Lowering Blood Pressure - Saving Lives

How does this device work?

Dr. Karunaratne: The device consists of two separate parts. The first part is the implanted battery system that generates electricity and the second part is a set of electrical leads that are wrapped around the part of the body called the carotid baroreceptors, which are attached to the battery.

What does the device do?

Dr. Karunaratne: The battery in the device generates electricity, which then transmits energy through the lead system to the carotid baroreceptors. The carotid baroreceptors function in the body much like what the thermostat functions in controlling the temperature, but instead of controlling the temperature, it controls the blood pressure of the body. When the carotid baroreceptors are stimulated by the battery, the body perceives it as a rising blood pressure. The brain then sends out impulses to the heart, to the blood vessels and to the kidney to lower the blood pressure.

So this device tells your body to make your blood pressure come down?

Dr. Karunaratne: Yes, it makes the blood pressure come down. The device actually utilizes the body’s own blood pressure controlling mechanisms to reduce the blood pressure.

How well does the device work?

Dr. Karunaratne: We have considerable evidence from studies that have been carried out. In patients undergoing surgery where the carotid sinus was stimulated, the blood pressure fell acutely. That was the origin of the studies which were done. Subsequently, there have been implantations of this device carried out in patients with very resistant hypertension. A recently published European study, suggested that in 10 of 13 patients there was a significant reduction in blood pressure in one year.

What do you think this device could mean for someone like George?

Dr. Karunaratne: We are hopeful. George is a patient whose blood pressure has been extremely difficult to control. I struggled with controlling his blood pressure for many years. At the time when we started this device, he was taking nine to ten blood pressure medications everyday and these drugs had significant side effects. Though we did manage to get some control of his blood pressure, it went out of control quite frequently. It was extremely expensive for him and the side effects of the drugs made it almost impossible for him to engage in any kind of activities -- even doing his housework was difficult. We implanted this device some months ago and we have seen in his case a very significant improvement in symptoms. I saw him today and he was able to walk around without getting short of breath, his swelling of his legs had gone down. He said most of the time he took his blood pressure at home, it was 100/120 systolic. He was sleeping on three to four pillows previously and is very happy that he is able to sleep on his back on one pillow.

How excited are you about the prospects of this device?

Dr. Karunaratne: The first two patients that I have seen have had a very encouraging response and I’m excited about it. But you have to understand that this is the early trial of a new device and therefore, you have to be cautious interpreting anything. Also, there is hope that we may actually have a device that can avoid all the side effects of drugs and control blood pressure. For those patients who are resistant to multiple medications and suffer from side effects from blood pressure medications, we might have an alternative to expensive and side effect laden drug therapy.

How big of a problem is high blood pressure?

Dr. Karunaratne: Probably in this country about 40 million people have high blood pressure and I think in the 60 to 74 year age group, about half of the white men and women and about two-thirds of all black men and women have high blood pressure. By treating high blood pressure, we have been able to reduce the incidence of stroke by about 40 percent and that itself is a very significant improvement. But in order to achieve that kind of blood pressure control, we have had to use multiple drugs -- four or five drugs.

How bad was George’s blood pressure at his worst?

Dr. Karunaratne: At his worst, I recorded his blood pressure at 250/130 to140. It was a stroke waiting to happen.

How has this device changed the amount of medications George is taking -- how many was he on at his worst and how many different drugs was he taking?

Dr. Karunaratne: He was taking between nine and ten different drugs. At the moment, the protocol of the trial does not allow us to vary his blood pressure medications but observe his blood pressure while still on the same medications. What we have found in his case, is that his blood pressure has been so lowered that he has been leaving out some of the medications on his own. https://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_channelstory.cfm?storyid=18300

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