Hypertension? -

I just came back from the doctors office, and he told me that if my blood pressure didn t drop by the next time he saw me, he would have to diagnose me with hypertension. It was at 150/87 I m 25, athletic build. It runs in my family. He said to exercise and cut back on salt. Anything else I should know to help drop it?

Think very calm thoughts when you visit the doctor, be early, do not exert your self with anxiety or rushing around, move slowly. The more your mind and body is at rest or even semi comotose state the lower your blood pressure will be. Think I am joking, I have done it and been successful. They say the Far East have people that can actually stop their heart beating with concentration, that may be going too far, but illustrates the point. Regarding the salt suggestion, what is that, standard Doctor phrase no. 3 (right after do you have insurance and take two asperian and call me in the morning ).

Athletic build or are you an athlete? You need to start some mild cardio work. Nothing to heavy. Treadmill walking for 30-40 minutes. Lay off ALL processed foods and fast food, sodas--- salt, salt, salt! Drink plenty of water. Stay away from alcohol. More lean protein, whole grains and veggies.

The best way to get blood pressure back under control is to drop 10 lbs. Of course at 25 yo and if you already exercise (20 min three times a week) I would be highly suspiscious of a secondary cause. Make sure the blood pressure cuff the nurse is using is the right size. Make sure they check blood pressure in both arms. DO NOT smoke or drink coffee before your doctor s appointment. And relax as best you can while they are taking the measurement.

I have it mine is from boozing and smoking and I use to do a lot of cocaine back in the day

I have hypertension. I m not a doctor, but I can give you some pointers. Increase your intake of water. ...and do as your doctor suggested. You might also consider taking vitamins (my dad and I buy from Swanson Vitamins...link is below. Good product and great price). I take a multi and a few supplements for the heart and blood pressure. CoQ10 (most doctors won t tell you about it), garlic, soy lecithin, and Metamucil will all help. I take 100mg CoQ10, 1000mg garlic (equivalent to 1 clove) along with other vitamins once a day, every day. The soy lecithin and Metamucil...if I remember. I m bad about that.

some OTC medications can increase blood pressure - psuedoephedrine, many herbs, weight loss drugs, ibuprofen in large dose - check with your pharmacist before taking ANY medications. stress reduction can also be beneficial. laugh all you want, but yoga and meditation have been shown to reduce blood pressure. like the doc said, try to cut back on salt (there is a ton of salt in processsed foods - check the labels) and exercise.......unfortunately, for some people this won t be enough and they will end up on medications anyway. if this happens it doesn t mean you failed - continue with these lifestyle modifications but remember to take your medication regularly. high blood pressure isn t something most people can feel, but it is doing damage to your blood vessels and organs - take it seriously.

Avoid black licorice. Licorice root raises blood pressure.

Keep a blood pressure check journal. Check your blood pressure 3 to 4 times a day. Note what you were doing at the time you took it. If your blood pressure goes up during stressful situations, like going to the doctor s office, note that. Exercising and keeping your weight down by eating healthy foods is the best way to avoid high blood pressure; and of course no smoking. Please try all these alternatives before going on pills. I know that hypertension can run in families; but that is still no reason that you should get it. 150/87 in my opinion does not warrant going on pills.

I started taking daily medication when I was 22 years old. After 17 years, I am still taking medicine. I have no history of high collesterol, uric acid or any other tests that will relate to hypertension. It runs through my family also. Both from My father and mother side. A lot of doctors were perplexed about my condition. Their common findings were due to stress and hereditary factor. Even though, they cannot specifically point the reason why. I think the solution will be, exercise. Try to start with brisk walking everyday and montior your blood pressure everyday. I am saying this because strenous exercises will shoot up your blood pressure. Do it gradually. Brisk walking then a little of strenous exercises as you go along. Do not go straight to harder exercises without monitoring your blood pressure. If your blood pressure is okay everyday after doing exercises, you can do more exercises. My blood pressure was already normal 3 years ago but doctors, still, do not want to take away my daily medication. Just take it easy and face the fact that you will have a probability of getting hypertension but make all the necessary actions like the following but not limited to: less salt, avoid smoking/smokers, coffee, softdrinks, oily foods, alcohol and stress. (I just do not know if you can avoid the last one.) Just hoping this will help you a bit.

I have had it for a few years, runs in my family too. The cutting back on salt and exercise may do the trick. However, it may just be time it caught up to you. It didn t hit me until about 37 and my sister at about 42.