High Blood pressure Cause or Effect? - High & Low Blood Pressure Message Board

bbrodhead · 06-19-2007, 12:17 PM

This is a do not SUE me world. If you go to a heart doctor, if he does not prescribe medicine he is AFRAID of being sued. So it is very hard to determine if his medicine is really helping you, or just preventing him from being sued. High blood pressure may be a symptom of hardening of the arteries. Should we take medicine that unclogs our arteries or lowers high blood pressure? I believe high blood pressure is a symptom. Poor circulation is the cause. So it may be better to dialate your arteries to improve blood flow than just give you a "water pill" to lower your blood pressure. Hold your breath for 4 minutes and then tell me if it is not important to get oxygen to circulate. So lowering blood pressure too much may limit oxygen circulation. So some heart medicines that just lower blood pressure also lower oxygen to the brain. I think many elderly have lowered their blood pressure so much they can not think straight! If arteries are compromised and circulation is limited, what is most important - lowering blood pressure to "normal" or having a little higher blood pressure to ensure oxygen gets to your brain?

acp44 · 06-19-2007, 05:10 PM

I was about to post a related question. We hear that high BP "cannot be cured," and I assume that is due to stiffened/clogged arteries.

OTOH one hears of people who have lowered their high BP through lifestyle, which implies that it was caused by something else (anxiety?) than arterial hardening.

I find it frustrating when doctors say "Oh yeah BP creeps up with age" and then do NOT bother to find out WHY!!! I have had doctors tell me, "Oh it just happens!!!"

BS. Doctors should check for the CAUSE, be it (a) arteries; (b) glandular; (c) anxiety; (d) bad diet, or any other.

Until then, I will take anti-inflammatory supplements for my arteries (and aspirin) as well as stuff like grapefruit pectin that MAY unclog them. I HATE it when BP is discussed as "inevitable" instead of a symptom of something that should be treated.

acp

ms58 · 06-19-2007, 05:43 PM

Well guys all I can tell you is that if your blood pressure consistently runs over 140/90, you increase all sorts of physical problems by ignoring it. If you are relatively young and can lose weight and eat better and it comes down, good for you.

If you are older and other changes have occurred due to age and losing weight and eating right do NOT bring your pressure down you do yourself a great disservice by ignoring it.

Everything is a personal choice, and you should be the prime determining factor in you own health care, but to ignore high blood pressure and hope magic formulas will bring it down is not rational.

Take your pressures at home and if they run high, you have HBP.

flowergirl2day · 06-19-2007, 08:17 PM

Acp,

Quote:

Until then, I will take anti-inflammatory supplements for my arteries (and aspirin) as well as stuff like grapefruit pectin that MAY unclog them.

I'll say this: I don't know where I'd be without them!
My CRP, ESR and a few other elements were very high several months ago. There has been such a huge (gradual) improvement my doctor is totally puzzled. While going over the labwork yesterday, he concluded that the reason for the awesome values MUST be the....ARBs. (!!???) Yeah, right! I was on them for not even a month total. I have never told him about my supplements.

Though the BP meds might have contributed, I believe I accomplished this mainly by using my anti-inflammatory supplements.

Flowergirl

bethsheba · 06-20-2007, 06:13 AM

Ms,

You got to the heart of the real issue, here. Amen.

Bsheba