Keeping my blood pressure low

I did go see my doctor, took all of my data with me. The BP data clearly showed that my BP would rise significantly, and that I could get it back down quickly if I 1) walked or jogged for a bit or 2) drank a few ounces of red wine. The BP would go from 115 Systolic to 165 Systolic with same change in Diastolic. And it would go back down to "normal" with exercise or wine.

My doctor was very nonplussed. I go back on Monday for more lab work. But he frankly said that he did not believe the lab work would reveal any significant problems.

So, I have now refined my theory - my belief. I have determined that simply STANDING will keep my BP low. I really don't need to walk or run. But if I SIT DOWN, my BP will increase, significantly. I am typing this on my computer as I am standing. I have purchased a standing desk. My BP right now is 107/75 st 83. All morning, by mostly standing, moving.

I find that my blood pressure is higher in the mornings and drops to the 120's as the day goes on even before I take the one daily Atenolol 25 mg tablet.

My opthomologist (glaucoma specialist) tells me there is no connecting between eye pressure and blood pressure however eye pressure is higher in the morning and goes down as the day progresses. This seems to be true as the eye pressure drops between the first examination by a techie and lower when examined 1/2 an hour later by the doctor.

I have noticed that if I take a blood pressure reading when my body is cold, it is higher than when I am warm. My primary care doctor told me that when a person is cold the blood vessels become constricted causing the blood pressure to rise.

My primary care doctor is a geriatric specialist and tells me that at my age (91) as long as my blood pressure stays under 140 systolic he is satisfied that I don't need more medication. The last time I saw him my blood pressure was 124/73 after I sat waiting to see him for about 15 minutes and that was when he said to stop taking the Lisinoprol as it was making me dizzy and lightheded. Actually my blood pressure has been consistantly lower since I dropped taking the Lisinoprol.

Whatever works for you, do that @clark711, even if your doctor is nonplussed and doesn't confirm your personal conclusions.

I'm not 100% sure that it's working for, but it's the best thing yet, so I am do-ing that. Actually, although my doctor is nonplussed, I believe that that all the medical team, including me, are about all equally nonplussed.

But my doctor did confirm some of my personal conclusions, and did not disagree with any. He agreed that CO2 is a much better vasodilator than NOx, and said that it's entirely plausible that breathing for a few minutes with a paper bag over my head could lower my blood pressure.

I also had a good conversation with the Physician's Assistant. She was very informed about blood pressure mechanisms. So I asked her what causes Diastolic pressure to go up. Or down. She quickly said that no one knows, and discussed a recent medical symposium in Geneva, in which Diastolic pressure was a major topic of discussion. Although several theories were brought up, there was insufficient data/research/answers to reach a conclusion among the experts.

I told her that I had a theory, at at least half a theory. She was intrigued, maybe. I said that I believed that my Diastolic Pressure moved up/down first and that my Systolic pressure had to change to keep a constant blood flow. That part was my half theory. The other half was the mystery body mechanism that caused my Diastolic pressure to go up or down.

Her reply was that my theory was indeed interesting and that it was just as good as the other Diastolic pressure theories. So, both doctor and PA sorta confirmed by theories and definitely did not disagree.

So, where does that leave me for now ?

More on my feet.

Eating yogurt may reduce cardiovascular disease risk
Date:
February 15, 2018
Source:
Oxford University Press USA
Summary:
A new study suggests that higher yogurt intake is associated with lower cardiovascular disease risk among hypertensive men and women.
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FULL STORY
A new study in the American Journal of Hypertension, published by Oxford University Press, suggests that higher yogurt intake is associated with lower cardiovascular disease risk among hypertensive men and women.

High blood pressure is a major cardiovascular disease risk factor. Clinical trials have previously demonstrated beneficial effects of dairy consumption on cardiovascular health. Yogurt may independently be related to cardiovascular disease risk.

High blood pressure affects about one billion people worldwide but may also be a major cause of cardiovascular health problems. Higher dairy consumption has been associated with beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease-related comorbidities such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and insulin resistance.

For the current analyses, participants included over 55,000 women (ages 30-55) with high blood pressure from the Nurses' Health Study and 18,000 men (ages 40-75) who participated in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study.

In the Nurses' Health Study, participants were asked to complete a mailed 61-item questionnaire in 1980 to report usual dietary intake in the preceding year. Participants subsequently reported any interim physician-diagnosed events including myocardial infarction, stroke, and revascularization. Permission was requested to access medical records to confirm all reported new diagnoses.

Higher intakes of yogurt were associated with a 30 percent reduction in risk of myocardial infarction among the Nurses' Health Study women and a 19 percent reduction in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study men.

There were 3,300 and 2,148 total cardiovascular disease cases (myocardial infarction, stroke, and revascularization) in the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, respectively. Higher yogurt intake in women was associated with a 16 percent lower risk of undergoing revascularization.

In both groups, participants consuming more than two servings a week of yogurt had an approximately 20 percent lower risks of major coronary heart disease or stroke during the follow-up period. When revascularization was added to the total cardiovascular disease outcome variable, the risk estimates were reduced for both men and women, but remained significant.

Higher yogurt intake in combination with an overall heart-healthy diet was associated with greater reductions in cardiovascular disease risk among hypertensive men and women.

"We hypothesized that long-term yogurt intake might reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems since some previous small studies had shown beneficial effects of fermented dairy products," said one of the paper's authors, Justin Buendia. "Here, we had a very large cohort of hypertensive men and women, who were followed for up to 30 years. Our results provide important new evidence that yogurt may benefit heart health alone or as a consistent part of a diet rich in fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, and whole grains."

Story Source:

Materials provided by Oxford University Press USA. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Justin R Buendia, Yanping Li, Frank B Hu, Howard J Cabral, M Loring Bradlee, Paula A Quatromoni, Martha R Singer, Gary C Curhan, Lynn L Moore. Regular Yogurt Intake and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Among Hypertensive Adults. American Journal of Hypertension, 2018; DOI: 10.1093/ajh/hpx220

Why Do Anxiety and High Blood Pressure Go Hand-In-Hand?

Fortunately, here's more than a dozen no-pills options that can fix both.

A Mayo Clinic doctor writes in Psychology Today about the connection between anxiety and blood pressure.

Read more at
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/resolution-not-conflict/201802/why-do-anxiety-and-high-blood-pressure-go-hand-in-hand

Hi @ladybugmg,

You may notice that I moved your messages and combined it with this existing discussion on blood pressure as I thought it would be beneficial for you to be introduced to other members who have discussed the same.
If you are replying by email, I suggest clicking on VIEW & REPLY so that you can read through some of the earlier messages, and meet some of our other members talking about their or their loved ones' experiences.