Post by Steve on Dec 23, 2017 5:17:36 GMT -8
High blood pressure can lead to a stroke! You should be watching your blood pressure (BP) with frequent tests with your own cuff. If [/b]you are depending on the checks you get at the doctor, that won't see a pattern over time. And everyone knows about White Coat Syndrome where your BP jumps up from the reading if you were at home. No matter how relaxed you feel with your doctor, chances are the systolic is going to be up some.
What you really should be doing is checking every day at home, so of course that means having your own monitor. If you need one, I can suggest a wrist cuff rather than an arm band version. It's easier to just slip the wrist cuff on without having to uncover your arm, and the result is measured as quickly and accurately as the strap model. I have taken my cuff model with me to have a comparison to the doctor's and it is always very nearly the same. Doctor's assistants give it good marks. UPDATE: I am told the arm band is more accurate, so now I use one, Nut the difference is slight (IMHO) so I will alternate. It depends on what shirt I am wearing. A sweatshirt? Wrist monitor.
Did you know that standards for what is normal have been lowered? It was okay to have systolic of 130, now it's down to 120. Allowances are made for age-related higher numbers due to aging arteries and less exercise, but don't let that fool you into accepting higher numbers. I have been seeing doctors regularly because of diabetes (Type 2) and since the start of dealing with this (diagnosed in 2012) I have been taking a med for BP control. My numbers were always around 130-136. Everyone accepted that and I thought I was fine. Then in 2016 I had a nurse hand me a sheet of info about pre-hypertension. She was the first person to comment that I should try harder to lower my BP.
I was surprised by that, but took the advice and did some research. I already knew that beets were reportedly good for BP, so I started eating beets every day. Just a brand of cooked beets sold in the produce section, and only a few a day. Within days my BP was dropping, and at one point it was 100 systolic! I was alarmed, called my doc to ask if I was over doing it with beets along with a pill to control BP? Answer: No. Not light-headed on standing? All okay.
If you have a similar history of a higher number and are looking to drop some points, I strongly suggest you start bating beets! Some people think they don't like the earthy flavor, but I choose pickled beets. Raley's carrys steamed Beets in two flavors, but they a a bit expensive. Great taste, but at $4 a pack for six beets? Kind of a treat. I mostly use regular canned sliced pickled beets and they seem to work as well. They are cheap, so it's easy to have them every day. UPDATE: Now I mostly use Beetroot Powder capsules I get at the grocery store. They also work well.
Beets contain a high amount of Nitric Oxide (NO) and NO is a gas our bodies produce naturally, but as we age, less and less is produced. NO is a vasodialator. It relaxes blood vessels and they open up a bit, the heart doesn't have to push as hard, Presto! Lower systolic pressure. (Systolic is the push-it-out pressure, diastolic is the bring-it-back pressure). All the veins are lined with a layer of cells called the endothelium, and that is where NO comes in. Glicose (blood sugar) is transported in the blood and needs to be able to cross out of the veins an get to the organs. As the endothelium ages, it starts to get damaged. There's a lot more going on here but let's just say that nitric oxide is your friend and you need more of it. You can take a beet root supplement, but they are really no better (in my opinion) than a can of pickled beets!
If you're lucky, your doctor should be familiar with nitric oxide and can confirm this information. This is not medical advice, just a report of my experience as a patient. You choose what to do.
What you really should be doing is checking every day at home, so of course that means having your own monitor. If you need one, I can suggest a wrist cuff rather than an arm band version. It's easier to just slip the wrist cuff on without having to uncover your arm, and the result is measured as quickly and accurately as the strap model. I have taken my cuff model with me to have a comparison to the doctor's and it is always very nearly the same. Doctor's assistants give it good marks. UPDATE: I am told the arm band is more accurate, so now I use one, Nut the difference is slight (IMHO) so I will alternate. It depends on what shirt I am wearing. A sweatshirt? Wrist monitor.
Did you know that standards for what is normal have been lowered? It was okay to have systolic of 130, now it's down to 120. Allowances are made for age-related higher numbers due to aging arteries and less exercise, but don't let that fool you into accepting higher numbers. I have been seeing doctors regularly because of diabetes (Type 2) and since the start of dealing with this (diagnosed in 2012) I have been taking a med for BP control. My numbers were always around 130-136. Everyone accepted that and I thought I was fine. Then in 2016 I had a nurse hand me a sheet of info about pre-hypertension. She was the first person to comment that I should try harder to lower my BP.
I was surprised by that, but took the advice and did some research. I already knew that beets were reportedly good for BP, so I started eating beets every day. Just a brand of cooked beets sold in the produce section, and only a few a day. Within days my BP was dropping, and at one point it was 100 systolic! I was alarmed, called my doc to ask if I was over doing it with beets along with a pill to control BP? Answer: No. Not light-headed on standing? All okay.
If you have a similar history of a higher number and are looking to drop some points, I strongly suggest you start bating beets! Some people think they don't like the earthy flavor, but I choose pickled beets. Raley's carrys steamed Beets in two flavors, but they a a bit expensive. Great taste, but at $4 a pack for six beets? Kind of a treat. I mostly use regular canned sliced pickled beets and they seem to work as well. They are cheap, so it's easy to have them every day. UPDATE: Now I mostly use Beetroot Powder capsules I get at the grocery store. They also work well.
Beets contain a high amount of Nitric Oxide (NO) and NO is a gas our bodies produce naturally, but as we age, less and less is produced. NO is a vasodialator. It relaxes blood vessels and they open up a bit, the heart doesn't have to push as hard, Presto! Lower systolic pressure. (Systolic is the push-it-out pressure, diastolic is the bring-it-back pressure). All the veins are lined with a layer of cells called the endothelium, and that is where NO comes in. Glicose (blood sugar) is transported in the blood and needs to be able to cross out of the veins an get to the organs. As the endothelium ages, it starts to get damaged. There's a lot more going on here but let's just say that nitric oxide is your friend and you need more of it. You can take a beet root supplement, but they are really no better (in my opinion) than a can of pickled beets!
If you're lucky, your doctor should be familiar with nitric oxide and can confirm this information. This is not medical advice, just a report of my experience as a patient. You choose what to do.