High Blood Pressure?

[kate_ce1995]

How many of you dieters (and no dieters) have had high (or borderline high) blood pressure before identifying food sensitivities and had them improve once on a diet? Or do any of the rest of you have high bp?

Mine is up from its usual 130something/80something to 140-150/90-100 and has been for at least a month. The chiro thought it could have to do with a mineral imbalance but then hasn't mentioned it again. I just saw my GP (actually nurse practitioner) this morning and she was going to treat it, but then I asked about the drug she mentioned lowering potassium levels, and the chiro/nutritionist had said that I could be low on potassium or calcium or magnesium and that's why my muscles ache. GP said yes, treating with that drug could make muscles ache worse.

So we are going to monitor it for the next month. I'll check at home to see if its better in a relaxed setting (i.e., trying to rule out stress) and I'll make a concerted effort to get more exercise and loose some weight. As she said, she won't force that on me, but Geoff and I have been needing to do that anyway. I've been sitting on my ass for a year now because of the hysterectomy and then just being busy and not making exercise a priority. I think some of the back pain could be lack of abdominal muscle tone as well. I don't think that has come back completely since the surgery. I hate the idea of meds. All meds scare me. But I want to feel good and be healthy too.

We are doing some stool cultures to make sure I don't have a parasite or whatever. I also told her I want to make sure the stomach upset isn't an underlying something. Of course she said it could just be menopausal crap too. But I'm not a candidate for HRT because of my mother's breast cancer. I feel very complicated.

Katy

[starfire]

Katy,
I'll just say that I believe the Paleo Diet will not only make you drop pounds but quite possibly lower your blood pressure.

No pressure. Just what I believe.

I hope you get the answers you are looking for and start feeling better real soon.



Love, Shirley

[MaggieRedwings]

Well now that I am going to do an attempt of the Paleo Diet - my style - Fisherman Gatherer, I cannot afford to have BP go low. My normal BP runs at around 82-84 over 52 to 60. We have tried everything but that is where it stays. Every now and then I get a 90 or 92 and am feeling like one of the rest.

Love, Maggie

[CAMary]

Katy-

Do you consume a lot of caffeine? My friend became a coffee-holic after her second child (a lousy sleeper for the first 3 years of his life...) and was drinking close to a pot a day....she found out she had high BP about a year ago - she cut it out/switched to decaf and it dropped like a rock. "They" say caffeine is not a factor - but she swears it is the only major change she made, and it quickly dropped into the normal range...

Also have you considered anxiety/"white coat syndrome"? I know people who worry about their health often have artificially high readings when taken in a Dr.'s office. I think monitoring at home is a good idea

I think it is wise to look at ways to reduce it w/o meds as a first approach...keep us updated as to how it is going!

Mary

[mle_ii]

Also have you considered anxiety/"white coat syndrome"? I know people who worry about their health often have artificially high readings when taken in a Dr.'s office. I think monitoring at home is a good idea

LOL Well, I hate to say it but if this were the case mine would be 200 over 150. ;)

Mines actually very consistantly low. Like 100 over 80 (I think those were the numbers) with a pulse at around 60. I've never paid much attention as mine have always been low.

[kate_ce1995]

Mary,

I did ask about the caffine because it was the highest I've heard this morning at 150/100 and I had "chugged" my coffee just because I was home instead of at work (I usually get it on the way to work at about 7:30-8:00 and don't finish the cup until 9:30 or so...today I got it at 8:00 and it was gone by 8:40 or so). She did say yes, but that coffee has been shown to be good for us, so not to worry about it. It had dropped to 142/9? by the time our appointment was up so "white coat" syndrome is also a good possibility.

Shirley,

I am trying to get on a more paleoesque diet and am hoping that will help all my bloodwork numbers. So far my cholesterol is okay but it seems to creep a bit higher each time it is checked and given that I've lost my primary estrogen source, I'm at risk for it continuing to climb.

Katy

[tex]

She did say yes, but that coffee has been shown to be good for us, so not to worry about it.

Coffee has been shown to be good for us? When did this happen, I thought anything with caffeine was frowned upon by the white coats.

The "white coat" syndrome is definitely a factor in BP test results for some people. I have a sister-in-law whose BP is always sky high at any doctors office, and it's even elevated somewhat at one of those test sites in malls and stores. At home, though, it's just fine.

Tex

[starfire]

Maggie - Is it possible that the diet may just be a "BP regulator". I think you should keep track and see if yours comes up a bit. Who knows - might work.

Love, Shirley

[harvest_table]

How many of you dieters (and no dieters) have had high (or borderline high) blood pressure before identifying food sensitivities and had them improve once on a diet? Or do any of the rest of you have high bp?

Katy, my BP has been on the low side always. I did register higher than my normal levels at a couple GI visits just prior to my DX. Looking back, I attribute that to the stress of living with MC and my diet. I was ingesting gluten and other things and unaware of the problems they were causing. Now, my bp is back to a normal low.

It's been said here before, when you tweak your diet and eliminate gluten other food sensitivites may come into play and if your eating whole foods now and staying away from processed a coffee jolt, at any time could raise your BP.

I gave up coffee a couple years ago. Teas have replaced that.

Love,
Joanna

[MaggieRedwings]

Hi Shirely,

My doctor told me the "white coat" syndrom hit me bad the last time I was there and he took my BP - it was 104 over 68 and the heart rate which is always high due to the venticular problem was 102. He laughed his head off and told me since it is historically low BP that must be just the way my body works and we need to address the heart rate at this point in time.

Love, Maggie

[Polly]

Hi All,

I have always had low BP - always under 100/60 with a heartrate under 60. I don't think it has ever been elevated. I feel quite lucky, since there are virtually no diseases caused by too low BP (unless one is losing huge volumes of blood acutely). Of course, if you have low BP you have to avoid standing up suddenly, especially if lying down, because you can black out. BTW, I drink regular coffee all morning - probably 2-3 cups.

It looks like the MIs (Maggie and Joanna and I) all have low BP. Maybe that is a good feature that goes along on the same gene responsible for MC/MI.

Love,

Polly

[m]

Katy
I have high blood pressure and am being treated for it as well as high cholesterol. When I started the gfcf diet my cholesterol improved markedly even though I was eating tons of meat. I believe it was the elimination of fats in processed foods. My blood pressure also improved with diet but I still take medication because it's not THAT much better and I have a strong family history of heart disease. I drink alot of coffee and shouldn't. I think the key to improvement was the weight loss resulting from being sick and the diet. Is it possible that your recent hysterectomy has anything to do with your elevated BP? Do you take HRT and could that be a factor??
m