Having been part of these boards since the beginning of the month, I notice that a common practice among physicians is to try out classes of medication one after another to figure out “what works.”

Because I went back to my MD after years being treated by a naturopathic doctor (an option with my insurance at that time), I brought with me a different approach to the path of “figuring things out.” I wonder how many people go to their physician with a log of their activities as well as drink and food taken just before they take their BP? When I was going to my ND, I was given a form that helped me jot down food I was taking and activities related to my symptoms. I now use that same approach dealing with more conventional health care practitioners.

This was well received. My current MD, for example, appreciated knowing that coffee does not seem to affect my BP but levels of stress during the day cause my measurements to remain elevated throughout the evening. He also was able to see that I can get into an agitated state right after I try a new medication. These and many other details give him an individualized picture of who I am as a HBP patient.

This is my way of making it easy for my MD to make me a partner in my treatment and keep the diagnosis as well as treatment as “natural” and collaborative as possible. While there are no guarantees, I hope that this would keep the "hit and miss" process of finding the right medication at a minimum. By the way, by medication, I also mean herbs.