High Blood Pressure

Question: What is the best blood pressure medicine for extremely high pressure? My mother has extremely high blood pressure. Last night she went to the hospital with 233/100. They got it down using Cardizem, and prescribed that to her. She's been on a bunch of different pills over the past few years. She lives in rural West Virginia, and the doctors there have not really been, shall we say, the cream of the crop, so I'm not sure how up to date they are with the available medicines. She's 68 years old and she is a heavy smoker, but otherwise has great mobility, still drives, etc. (And she's a very good cook!) Thanks, John

Answer: Don't worry John, she will pull out of the situation as smokers suffer from COPD and give a tough fight at low oxygen saturation too.The doctor will give her diuretics as she might have retained water in the body and some BP lowering pill (except beta blocker, if she has lung problem). You will be enjoying her hand made cookies very soon.

Question: What are some ways to prevent high blood pressure and heart disease if it is hereditary? My mom and dad suffer from high blood pressure,high cholesterol. It run on both sides of the family,that along with diabetes and heart disease. My mom started taking blood pressure medication young,in her later 20's. My dad suffered from a stroke due to high blood pressure. I am 22yrs old and do not want to suffer this especially while young. Are there any ways I can be proactive about not suffering from those conditions now and later on in life being that it is hereditary? Or do I not have a chance in preventing it?

Answer: Keep your weight down through diet and exercise. And don't have stress in your life. That is all you can do. If the heart disease has been mostly in one form, then consider testing for it now while there are no symptoms. It might provide problems getting health insurance, but you will be able to take steps to limit future problems. And vote democrat to ease the future insurance coverage problem as republicans are against people with heart disease getting insurance. If you have a heredity disease it will probably already be detectable. Some forms of cardiomyopathy will appear in the late teens. Many highschool athletes have died from it. How quickly it advances depends in part on your lifestyle.

Question: What is the best way to lower high blood pressure? My husband has high blood pressure and been prescribed Crestor & Micardis. But, due to high costs, we are unable to afford his medications. What are YOUR food suggestions? Everyone always say "diet and exercise" and we know that. My husband does not have a problem with his weight. He's 38 years old, 165lbs., 5'7" tall. He's still muscular (somewhat) due to years of body building. His siblings (all under 45 years old) & parents are all under medication for high blood pressure & high cholesterol.

Answer: naturally stay off caffeine and salt but I add the following to my diet bananas - we need added potassium to keep our electrolytes balanced celery - I eat 4 stalks a day because one mans bp dropped 50 points in a few weeks doing this 1tablespoon Apple cider Vinegar in warm water and honey eat oatmeal for breakfast of course drink water add walking to his regiment

Question: What are the first-aid for surging High Blood Pressure without using medicines? When my grandmother has her blood pressure high, she tends to have confusion, and maybe the swelling on her feet is associated with that. Is there a first aid that can help lower her blood pressure without using medicines?

Answer: Swelling of the feet indicates that her heart or kidney is involved. High blood pressure may cause heart attack, stroke or acute kidney failure. Check the blood pressure and function of her kidney (for microalbuminuria, creatinine, blood urea nitrogen) and heart (ECG, Echocardiography and X-ray of the chest). Adopt DASH diet (The Mediterranean diet). Consult your doctor.

Question: How high can blood pressure get before a heart attack? I spoke with my mom today. She's in her late 60s and has had high blood pressure for years. She still works regularly but is staying home this week to see if her blood pressure can be moderated after spiking to 236/145. (I'm not 100% sure about the second number--it may be a little off, but I am absolutely positive about the 236.) She was given a new medication, as well as some anxiety medicine. She's always had high blood pressure, but the 236 even scared her. So, how close is someone to a heart attack (or some other major body malfunction) when blood pressure goes that high? I remember my mom's mom had high blood pressure and died from a massive heart attack at age 70 about twenty years ago.

Answer: There is no number that causes a heart attack. So if your BP is say 236/120 for a few days nothing will happen. Or a brisk run or stress that drives up blood pressure for a few minutes or an hour is normal. Its the prolonged high blood pressure for YEARS that damages permanently damages one's heart. Yes, its the length of time that the heart sees this kind of a load that in the end causes damage to the hearts muscles, arteries, veins, valves and nearly every part of the heart. The liver, the kidneys and internal organs get damaged with high blood pressure for a prolonged period of time. This is irrepairable, so it is important to do everything possible to lower it to at least the160/100 mark . That includes a crash diet to get off any extra pounds like now. It is possible that if your mom has had this kind of a blood pressure for years, she has already damaged her heart and her liver and kidneys and of course that will geatly shorten her life. I dont mean to scare you, but I do want to scare you sufficiently to get mom to a Cartiologist immediately. Yes, a Cartiologist, not some Family Practice Doctor. What your mom needs is a new medical advice and treatment of kind. . Even if you have to drive a long distance, go to somewhere like the Cleveland Clinic for treatment or in Minnesota, the Mayo Clinic. These are examples, so find the best Heart Hospital around. I am mentioning this because your mom needs special kind of help to combat this high blood pressure. Not some oridinary doctor or even an ordinary Cartiologist. It is that important to get treatment right now at the level ive mentioned above.

Question: What are things that people with high blood pressure & high cholesterol should eat? My mom has really bad high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The doctors told her she needed to make a change and she doesn't. She said its because she doesn't have money & needs to eat whats available so i decided i would take over her grocery shopping for her & pay for them all. What sort of things should i get? I have no idea and would appreciate some help. Thank you :)

Answer: First only use grape seed oil for cooking and what ever. No salt you can get a salt tasting produce made of vegetables and third No fat, of any sort on meat or Chocolate bars and what ever, and no butter, you can get a olive margarine that is made special for people with health problems. Fresh is best, no deep frying, steaming and dry baking (no oil), use a little water when baking a chicken and herbs, add fresh herbs to lots of things it gives a great taste, also use juice orange/lemon. She must eat the good fats, they are the ones that do cause cholesterol like grape seed oil, fish oil as in tuna and sardines. You should be able to get information also from you doctor/hospital for diet and ways to cook. Good luck

Question: What is considered high blood pressure for a 19 year old? When I was at school, my university doctor diagnosed me with high blood pressure. I took medication (Atenol sp?) for a while before running out and summer vacation starting. I saw my family doctor at home now 3 months into summer vacation, and he said my blood pressure is fine. I recently decided to log my blood pressure over the past month. Thus far in the morning it's averaging at 135/79, and at night 136/85. Hypertension starts at 140/90, which it looks like I'm just beneath. My family doctor says im in the 95th percentile for my age in blood pressure, but 95 still in the range that it's normal... Should I be getting a third opinion? Could it be higher because of the stress at school? Should I be taking blood pressure meds? I really dont wanna die of a heart attack when I'm 35, so advice is appreciated here.

Answer: there is a lot of factor about u hbp, family gen, u dad or u mam has hbp too?? or bad diet , u have a hbp for sure and u have to take the atenol for a while in conjunction with a strict diet, try only vegetables, no salt, no sugar, change the white sugar for the brown, no sweets, change the sweets for fruits, no rice, change the rice for steam potatoes, on Saturday and Sunday eat meat white and red, avoid the fish and crab ..ah for sure avoid the coca cola and other sodas, avoid the orange juice and other no natural juices change for natural juices -avoid the sugar-. Avoid the alcohol and dont smoke. Do exercises Monday to Friday if you get tired only Monday to Thursday and rest Friday Saturday and Sunday, with 30 minutes run in the tread mil -4- is enough, and do abs and lift weight. Well i think is not the stress at the school maybe a little bit but for sure is about your body, maybe when u go to the doctor u get a little bit nervous, try to use u own bp machine at the school or in u free time anytime and u can check or usually at the supermarket. But for sure take u meds and keep u diet this is for long time, but dont worry everything is g b OK, u dont need to go to another doc is OK is not the end of the world.

Question: What can cause high blood pressure in a female who was perfectly fine before she gave birth? An associate of mine of normal weight and blood pressure, got pregnant and developed high blood pressure throughout her pregnancy. The moment she gave birth, the BP went back to normal. The doctor told her she should never get pregnant again. Against his advice, she got pregnant again and the high blood pressure not only came back but it stayed and has been with her since. Still a fairly normal weight, her BP can be normal one day and way the next. Any ideas on what could be causing this? It even has her doctors stumped.

Answer: A lot of times high bp is idiopathic, meaning doctors don't know the cause of it. A lot of women get preeclampsia or high bp during p/g it's quite common. As to why the high bp stayed with her after p/g there's no telling. Even just a 10% weight gain can affect bp as well as salt, caffeine ect.. If your friend loses a bit of weight, cuts salt out of her diet and stops any and all caffeine she might see improvement. But otherwise she may just need to take a simple bp med from now on. I myself have high bp and have had it for 6 years and i'm only 28. My weight is a factor and my history as a bulimic affects it too, but even when i was skinny i still had high bp. I just accept it and work to keep it down with medication,diet,exercise, and no salt or caffine. People can live long healthy lives on bp med sif necessary. It's not a huge life altering crisis..

Question: What are the causes of high blood pressure? Can birth control be one? I am 22 and today I had a doctor's visit. I had my blood pressure high today and the doctor wants to check my blood pressure five times before he can diagnose it. I asked him if my overweight can be a cause of it and he said probably not and that it may be linked to the birth control method I was using (nuvaring). My height is 5'4 and my weight is 175. my blood pressure was like 142/90

Answer: Stress is a major reason for high blood pressure. There are so many reasons for high blood pressure, it could be your diet, weight, do you smoke. Try loosing a little weight and see if it helps you at all. My Dr. also said my weight probably had nothing to do with my problem, but I lost 45lbs and went back and my pressure was total normal so don't exclude being overweight out even if your Dr.said that.

Question: Can someone advise best natural remedy for high blood pressure? My mom has essential high blood pressure sometimes reaching over the 200/160 mark. As her blood pressure has been high for a while she has an enlarged right ventricle which will and is leading to CHF. Her breathing is already heavy. Her doctor has given her Betaloc, Plendil, Inhibace, Dosan, Cartia a blood thinner, Lipex for high cholesterol and Quinine for night cramps. She's in her early 70's and she complains of head aches, extreme fatigue and loss of energy. She has increasing dark circles around her eyes as if she hasn't slept in months with shortness of breath like she's gasping for air. I would like her to try natural remedies because these synthetic drugs don't appear to be doing much for her overall health. Can anyone advise some really good and effective natural remedies to treat both high blood pressure and CHF? I know Celery is good for lowering blood pressure.

Answer: It's great that you are concerned for your mother. She has a lot of stuff to be concerned about, and I hope you can take the time to learn about all of the issues. I feel for you and your mother. It's hard to believe that they can't get her BP under control. I'll give you my best answer on natural means for reducing BP, but I strongly recommend you find a hypertension specialist. The bloodpressureline Yahoo! group is a great resource, as well. It is run by a hypertension specialist who can help you to find someone in your local area. On the CHF side, you should find a heart failure specialist, as well. (Not just a regular cardiologist!) Now, as to how to treat it: 1. Do *all* of the obvious things: a. No smoking b. Cut out caffeine and alcohol c. If her BMI isn't < 25, help her figure out how to get it down there. Obesity, more than anything else, is a huge issue. Check out the DASH diet and the rice diet. d. Reduce sodium intake and increase potassium intake (fresh fruits such as oranges and bananas can help here). -- This is actually a very easy thing to do and might bear fruit, so to speak. e. Make sure she doesn't have sleep apnea. It can cause high BP. f. Get her regular exercise, even if it is just walking around a few times a day or doing water aerobics. Build up her stamina. Create a log for this, if necessary, so that she can visually see her own progress. 2. Take her BP regularly. If she doesn't have a digital BP cuff, get her one and make sure she knows when and how to use it. (They're remarkably inexpensive... around $50 for a good one at your local pharmacy.) Have her log BP as well as exercise. 3. Work with the hypertension and heart failure specialists to determine if her medications and their dosages are appropriate. Is Betaloc the right beta blocker? Is a calcium channel blocker such as Plendil indicated? Is her ACE inhibitor (Inhibace) at the right dosage, and does she understand the best times of day to take it? Cartia is a calcium channel blocker. Why is she on two different CCBs? Quinine is not FDA-approved for the treatment of leg cramps. There should be a better way for that, IMO. And if she has shortness of breath at night, why in the world isn't she on a diuretic to get the fluids out of her lungs?! 4. Check out chfpatients.com for more information on CHF treatment. Start by reading "the manual". You might also be interested in the "nutrient stew" section. 5. Ask your mother if you can sit in on her doctor appointments. Write out as many questions in advance as possible and send them to the doctor beforehand. You'll get much more thoughtful responses this way. Please feel free to contact me if you want to chat about any of this... Good luck!

Question: What could cause high blood pressure and feeling of pressure in vulva? I've been having these symptoms: Bad spots Feeling queasy Erotic dreams Abnormally light periods Feeling of pressure (not painful or itchy) around vulva I have had an STD test and it was clear. Pregnancy test was negative. Today I had my blood pressure taken and it was abnormally high (153/105). Anyone have any ideas as to what could be causing those symptoms?

Answer: Try talking to your doctor. A full history and examination would be needed to assess this properly,

Question: If you have high blood pressure medication can you become an airline pilot? I am on high blood pressure medication and I am wondering can I still become an airline pilot if my blood pressure is under control?

Answer: Depends how bad it is, get a test done before you spend ridiculous amounts of money on lessons

Question: Is Amorgoso or Ampalaya bad for people with high blood pressure? Folks in our town believe that eating amorgoso or ampalaya would make blood pressure high, that is why they recommend it to anemic people. Is this true?

Answer: I wouldn't think so it's usppose to be good for you. I think it tastes good. I know that my taste opion doesn't really count. I mean you already know what it taste like. HAHA Anyway it doesn't really have a lot of salt in it so I would say go for it. The recommend it for people the are Diabetic too. Diabetics deal a lot with blood pressure as well. So with that being said go for it.

Question: What is considered high blood pressure for a 31 year old female? I'm otherwise healthy, currently have a UTI and the nurse said my blood pressure was high, 133 over 95. How high is that? Something to be overly concerned about, or is it just a little high?

Answer: The normal is 120/80. Yours is a bit high. Just ask your doctor about it and stay on top of it.

Question: What are some effective high blood pressure medications? I have untreated high blood pressure (usually around 144/99). I am taking my blood pressure each day to monitor the situation and establish what level I am at. I know I need to go on medication, but I want a medication that will have few side effects. I am particularly concerned about sexual side effects and I would still like to be able to have a couple drinks now and again.

Answer: Homeopathic Treatment for High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) :- Head remedy; with nervousness (during pregnancy use with care) Rauwolfia S.Q(Mother Tincture) 4 hourly With depression; suicidal tendency; cardiac symptoms Aurum Met 200X or 1M, 10 min (3 Doses) With arteriosclerosis and senile paresis Aurum Iod 30X, 6 hourly With senility and senile behavioural changes Baryta Carb 200X or 1M weekly (3 Doses) Systolic pressure high and diastolic pressure very low Baryta Mur 3X or 6X, 4 hourly With constriction in heart region and anginal pain Cactus G.Q(Mother Tincture) or 30X, 3 hourly For fat and flabby patient; sweat on head, palms and soles, craving for eggs; chilly patient Calcarea Carb 200X or 1M weekly (3 Doses) In old age;old bachelors and old maids Conium Mac 200X or 1M weekly (3 Doses) Palpitations in slight exertion; dyspnoea, insomnia and gastric complaints Crataegus Ox.Q(Mother Tincture) or 30X 4 hourly Due to shock (broken love affair etc) emotional disturbances Ignatia 200X or 1M 4 hourly(3 Doses) Due to congestion in brain; severe headache, lassitude and dizziness Glonoine 3X or 6X, 1/2 hourly Due to syphilitic origin; lancinating pain in head and bones Kali Iod.30X or 200X 4 hourly (3 Doses) Due to gastric origin; flatulence; craving for sweets and warm food; worse 4 - 8 P.M. Lycopodium 30X or 200X, 4 hourly Due to shock or grief; hyperthyroidism, goitre, addision's disease, diabetes ,etc. Desire for salt preparations Natrum Mur 200X or 1M 10 min (3 Doses) In syphilitic cases; angina pectoris; vertigo, dyspnoea and endocarditis Natrum Iod.30X or 200X 10 min (3 Doses) In tall, intelligent, hypertensive people; craves for icy cold things; fear of dark and stroms, etc. Phosphorus 30X or 200X 10 min (3 Doses) With sclerotic degeneration specially of spinal cord Plumbum Iod 30X or 200X, 6 hourly Due to grief; apprehension, dullness, loss of thirst etc. Gelsemium 30X or 200X, 3 hourly During menopausal stage; worse after sleep; great loquacity Lachesis 30X or 200X, 4 hourly Bursting pain in head; better by cold application, pressure, vertigo; palpitation of heart; worse when alone; sleeplessness with heaviness in head; oedematous swelling on face and legs Boerhaavia Diffusa Q (Mother Tincture) or 6X , 4 hourly Take the remedy which is similar to your symptoms. No side effects or complications if taken as directed, please do not exceed the given dosage and under any circumstances do not try to mix any remedies and avoid Chocolates, Mints, Coffee, Red Meat, Alcoholic and Carbonated drinks, Spicy Rich Food while taking any Homeopathic remedies, and keep the medicines away from direct sunlight, heat strong smells and perfumes and do not store them in the fridge. Curing without any side effects or Complications Thats the Beauty of Homeopathic Medicine Take Care and God Bless ! P.S Dr.Schumaker would you please give us the details of the side effects of the medicines you have suggested, for us users information. It would be much appreciated by myself and I am sure by other users too. And are they non-addictive. Thank you very much ! Take Care and God Bless !

Question: What are the symptoms of high blood pressure? I know this sounds ridiculous. i'm 16 years old, and i think i have high blood pressure. only because whenever i just even do the smallest activity like walking up the stairs, i kinda lose my breath. and then when i run i feel like my heart's going to explode and i can't breathe. i've ran cross country and track for two years already too.. do i have high blood pressure? if so, what can i do?

Answer: High blood pressure usually causes no symptoms. Even if high blood pressure does cause symptoms, the symptoms are usually mild and nonspecific (vague, or suggesting many different disorders). Thus, high blood pressure often is labeled "the silent killer." People who have high blood pressure typically don't know it until their blood pressure is measured. Sometimes people with high blood pressure have the following symptoms: Headache Dizziness Blurred vision Nausea People often do not seek medical care until they have symptoms arising from the organ damage caused by chronic (ongoing, long-term) high blood pressure. The following types of organ damage are commonly seen in chronic high blood pressure: Heart attack Heart failure Stroke or "mini stroke" (transient ischemic attack, TIA) Kidney failure Eye damage with loss of vision Peripheral arterial disease Outpouchings of the aorta, called aneurysms Here is a whole article about teens and high bp: http://highbloodpressure.about.com/od/highbloodpressure101/a/high-bp-teens.htm There have been several articles written on the subject. Try Googling teens high blood pressure