Has anyone used a Resperate breathing aid to control their blood pressure

Molly, Snap! I'm seemingly extremely sensitive to the BP meds too. Got very ill on Ramipril within days some 7 years ago and was diagnosed with an auto immune illness necessitating 5+ years on steroids. Of course, it could have been a coincidence but I feel very hesitant to take Ramipril again. I was then put on Candesartan but the first blood test showed raised Creatinine so that was stopped. I've recently been on Amlodipine but was taken off it after 2 months due to severe ankle swelling and a rash on the bottom back of my legs diagnosed as varicose eczema. Am now on Diltiazem, increasing the dose 6 weeks ago, and have again got very swollen ankles with a consultant yesterday saying they feel full of fluid, suggesting that perhaps I should also start a diuretic to offset the side effect of the BP pill. Hate the thought of adding one pill to combat the effects of the first. Am also concerned about the diuretic causing potassium problems. Did your potassium problem return to normal after stopping the diuretic? I hope you hve better luck with the Candesartan - at least that doesn't cause swollen ankles.

A friend of mine was on bendoflumenthiazide for about 20 years until fairly recently they changed it because she was getting gout. Gout is apparently a well known side effect of that diuretic. What surprised me was that when I was diagnosed with the BP I bought myself a home monitor and she said that wasn't a good idea, though I'm not sure why. More recently still she has had two hip replacements and whilst in hospital they told her that her blood pressure was fine and she no longer needs to take any medication. I felt that had she had a home monitor she perhaps wouldn't have been taking the diuretic for 20> years. I'm sure I would be over medicated if I relied on the surgery readings: they regularly go through the roof! I was given Ramipril then changed to Losartan due to the cough but did particularly ask not to be given amlodipine or similar as you can't eat grapefruit and without my daily grapefruit to start the day I'd be miserable!.

Just to let you know I had high blood pressure - 165/100

Have managed to get it down to 138/80

1. More exercise (daily) - walking/ running/ interval training. Not overdoing it but aiming to be doing something for at least 40 minutes a day.

2. Cutting down on eating rubbish slightly

3. Taking C0q10 enzyme.

4. Reducing amount of alcohol.

but none of those really worked till I gave blood. A couple of days later I was depressed as systolic 150.

So went to Doctor today but systolic was about 138 ( about 3 weeks after donating) - still borderline but much better.

So if you can - stop eating and then give blood. That level of blood pressure will, if untreated, kill you.

Incidentally the loss of blood during the hip replacements might have helped your friend's blood pressure.

Hi again, I'm probably ignorant in these matters but I thought that if you donated blood the body quickly replaced it. I can still remember Tony Hancock and the blood donor!!

Yes it does replace it, but there is something more going on here:

"..All participants had their blood pressure levels checked at the start of the study and one group of them had blood taken. The procedure was repeated four weeks later. Six weeks after that blood pressure from both the non-donating and donating groups was tested. The results showed that the donating group had a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure (from 148mmHg to 130mmHg), as well as reduced blood sugar levels and improvements in cholesterol levels..."

http://www.saga.co.uk/health/news/2012/june/giving-blood-good-for-hypertension-287.aspx

Anyway seems to have had a beneficial effect for me.

Jane

You're right. Any possible reduction in blood pressure as a result of donating it would be only temporary. Any more permanent loss of blood or too frequent donations of it could make someone anaemic.

From the post that is still waiting approval:

"All participants had their blood pressure levels checked at the start of the study and one group of them had blood taken. The procedure was repeated four weeks later. Six weeks after that blood pressure from both the non-donating and donating groups was tested. The results showed that the donating group had a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure (from 148mmHg to 130mmHg), as well as reduced blood sugar levels and improvements in cholesterol levels."

So it lasts at least six weeks which is pretty good. Also blood sugar is reduced. Also Jane if you are post-menopausal then I think you are less likely to be anaemic. So I would be interested to know what the effects of giving blood is on your blood pressure and sugar. I will let you guys know what my b/p is in a few weeks after the effects of giving blood is supposed to wear off.

I am actually beginning to wonder whether the extended longevity of women and their reduced chances of heart disease pre-menopause are, in fact, in part because they are losing a fair bit of blood per month - and that men and post-menopausal women can replicate this effect by giving blood themselves. They test for iron each time prior to giving blood - if your blood has enough iron in it it sinks in this fluid they have. Mine dropped like a stone!

I also vaguely remember reading about some people whose type 2 diabetes have been cured after non-related operations which involved pre-operation fasting and losing blood during the op.

Alternatively cut out potatoes, pasta and bread.

You might also consider C0Q10 - though that costs a bit.

I'm not sure they would want my blood as I'm 71 - too old perhaps!! Sidetracking though - when I was told my BP was high last year, I bought my own monitor on the advice of my son in law and my doctor also and took readings to the surgery as per instructions. Had I not done so I think I would have been grossly over medicated as each time I'm in the surgery it shoots off the page. Doing my own readings it is within safe limits and the dr is happy with that. It still shoots too high in the surgery though.However a very overweight girlfriend told me she has had high BP for over 20 years and in all that time had been on diuretics [Benzoflur.....?] and that taking one's own BP was not a good idea. Latterly they altered her meds as she developed GOUT. SinRecently she has had 2 hip replacements a few months apart and after the second one was told she no longer had hypertension and could come off the medicine. I felt like saying that [a] had she read the leaflets with the pills she would have seen that gout is a well known side effect of diuretics and [b] had she had her own monitor it might have prevented her being over medicated all these years and developing gout in the first place. I also though that once you had hypertension you had it for life and could only control it..

I'm not sure they would want my blood as I'm 71 - too old perhaps!!

65 is the upper limit unless you have donated in the last 2 years, in which case there is no limit. So your other option would be to cut down on carbs for the blood sugar. And possibly COQ10 for the blood pressure.

This carbs business is quite new to me having recently been told I'm prediabetic . I must really get a handbook on the subject as I would rather not become a type 2. My dr thinks that I will though as I've no weight to lose having been on the LCHF diet for months, so carb checking is what I must learn about I think.

Alexsays:

Perhaps we should go back to barbers bleeding us:-)

I am a Naturopath, and I suggested the Resparate to a patient who had high blood pressure.  Their GP wanted to put them on medication, and I wanted to find an alternative, for exactly the reasons that you and other responders make clear - that there are lots of horrible side-effects to medication, but also because by working with breathing rates and helping people to be more calm, the Resparate seems to be tackling the causes of high blood pressure, where the medication is treating the effects.

The Resparate worked brilliantly in this case: the patient's blood pressure came down to normal, and even sometimes below normal.  The patient's GP was happy for them not to go on any medication.  7 years on, the patient has still not been on blood pressure medication, and they now rarely use the Resparate.  Their blood pressure does sometimes go up when they are very anxious, but when this happens they use the Resparate and that seems to deal with the problem.

I have also heard of a case where the Resparate did not work.  The problem here is that there are different causes of high blood pressure.  (It would be great to do a study, and find out why the Resparate works so well for many people, but not for everyone.)  I think it's very sad that this equipment isn't loaned by the NHS, as then at least patients would have a chance to see if it worked for them, before buying one.

My personal suggestion would be to take the risk and buy one, and if it doesn't work for you, then sell it.  Compared with the side effects being resported by many of you on this blog, the cost is not big and the potential benefits are huge.

Best wishes!