High Blood Pressure - Natural remedies

Your readings sound very strange and I am wondering if you suffer from White Coat syndrome which is very common.  It means your BP reading will always be very high if taken by a GP, a chemist or other health professional.  Have you had your home machine checked to see if it is recording your BP accurately?   My BP soars to 190/90 and even higher when officially checked but remains around the 140/70 mark at all other times (which I am very happy with at my age!)  I do not take any medication            except for paracetamol or ibroprufen when needed for arthritic pain.  

You didn't state your age Phileas.  but I assure you one size does not fit all when it comes to bp.  Don't you realize what your doctor is doing?  He's creating a patient IN YOU.  Research the benefits of Hawthorn and for goodness sake don't take your doctor's word where your health is concerned...

Hi, Phileas, like autumn.witch, i also wondered about white coat syndrome.  Cant help re meds as i cant take many of them, and not on any at moment, but i do know, for myself, that i can be 150/93,  and make an effort and have a meal with lots of cabbage  and carrots, or greens, and a glass of beetroot juice, or a large watercress, grated beetroot and carrot  salad, with sunflower seeds, and in less than an hour my blood pressure can be around 128/78.  It is just hard to eat so many veg all the time - lots more than one would have if one ate out. My advice would be to have meals and use your home monitor and find out how you react. Remember that if you are ill, or even just have a cold, your blood pressure may be higher than usual. Best of luck

I will sometimes use the essential oil petit grain. It is distilled from the bark and stems of bitter orange tree.  It lowers my blood pressure immediately. I will put one drop under my tongue as needed. Also, ylang ylang can be helpful if applied topically. I do this along with my BP meds when it has risen. Other essential oils for pain are copaiba, margoram, wintergreen,etc. Suitable for using topically.  Let me know if you want more info. 

You may have white coat hypertension where your BP rises when taken at a surgery or hospital. It is vey common and usually can't be accounted for.

You are taking plenty of things that should reduce it without the medication, Another you can try is beetroot juice but I found it disgusting and did not finish the first carton.

Hi Phileas,

Three years ago my BP was too high (166/90) and my GP started me on low medication to reduce it.  My cholesterol and blood sugars were fine.  But I was overweight, into the obese BMI range.  I stayed on the medication for around 18 months, but did not enjoy taking it - made me feel fuzzy, and I didn't want to be on medication for the rest of my life.

18 months ago I started the 8 week blood sugar diet, which is mostly used by folks who have Type 2 Diabetes or pre-diabetic.  I don't have either of those conditions.  I'd seen a TV programme about this  and read a lot about the research at Newcastle University - on which the diet is based.  I lost 14 kg in weight following the diet - mostly cutting out sugar and carbs, and eating more fruit and veg, pulses, protein etc. A really healthy Mediterranean type diet.  In addition to losing weight, the main benefit was that my BP dropped to a consistently normal rate, and I was able to come off my BP medication.  (A beneficial drop in BP was one of effects noted in the Newcastle University research).

There is a book 'The 8 week blood sugar diet' which was written by Dr Michael Moseley - available from all good bookshops and online.  Hundreds of thousands of people all over the world are now following the diet, and there is an excellent online support group on Facebook.  The diet is encouraged by Diabetes UK and The British Heart Foundation, as well as many GPs and other health professionals.  

The diet worked well for me, and reduced by BP so I no longer need medication.  I lost weight, still losing weight, and I've never felt better.  So I recommend it highly.  No need for various supplements, just a healthy Mediterranean diet, no sugar, and, initially, no carbs.

Good luck.    

Thanks autumn.witch, yes I suspect WCS but I felt quite relaxed with the doc this time round so surprised it is WSC. I am thinking that maybe the BP monitor altho seems fine with my wife and kids, I may get another one though as a back up. I have arthritis and sciatica (herniated disc), my arthritis is in hips and knees and is the family. I used to take quite a bit of Ibuprofen for the arthritis but since I stopped taking that and diclofenac my BP has dropped but could be to do with increased BP medication. 

Thanks ann c.04098, I am coming up to 48 years (male), I often think the doctor is given me meds that do not really need, he has never mentioned diet to me. He also give me a prescription for my Psoriasis which would of cost 374 euros (340 quid) for a months course! I decided not to use it! I heard about Hawthorn but not checked it out properly, will research it. 

Thanks annie78444, yes it sounds like WCS, I have started drinking veggie shakes with spinach and kale with a bit fruit but will start adding some beetroot juice to it, is it best to use fresh beetroot? I eat a lot of salads and have done for a while as trying to lose more weight too so will keep on track with that and I will be adding more herbs and spices. I will start using my monitor more to see how my changes affect BP. 

Thanks Kim43807, some interesting remedies there which I have not heard of some, I will do some research and check them out. 

Thanks derek76, yes it sounds WCS, my doctor may suspect it too although did not admit it, I forgot to mention earlier he suggested I went on a 24hr monitor in 3mths time to check it out. I think beetroot definitely sounds like a good benefit, something I can add to a veggie shake. I am not sure about cartons though  as full of sugar which can play havoc on my arthritis. 

Thanks rdgfootyfan, interesting your history sounds very similar to mine. I have done low carbing in the past, and lost 25kg at one stage but then put it back on after been stressed out for a while and suffering from anxiety attacks. I know cutting carbs helps a lot for my arthritis and it is great for losing weight so I am back on it now altho not as strict as before but still lost 10 kgs since around May. I could lose more but decided to lose it slower this time so it hopefully stays off. I know carrying less weight will help my BP and arthritis big time, so that is my main goal. And, eating more healthier and getting more of the right remedies/nutrients in me to lower BP and to help my arthritis/sciatica (and Psoriasis). 

Thanks so much for all your replies, I am hoping to get off all medication by eating better and using natural remedies. 

BTW, my BP is reading 104/76 this morning, I took 40mg Olmersartan last night as doc advised but I have also cut out my anti-inflammatory medication. I am considering going back to 20mg Olmersartan as I think 40mg is far too much but thinks it should be fine to take? However, I am going to get my BP monitor checked out first before doing so, maybe the doctors BP monitors were not working properly 

 

Hi Guys,

I have been reading some reviews about Olmesartan and there seem to be LOTS of side affects, some which do not come on until you have been taking it for years. It seems the side affects of Olmesartan can be pretty severe so I would like to get off it as soon as possible. 

Anyway, I wondering if any of you guys went against your docs advice? My doc advised me to up my dosage from 20mg to 40mg based on readings at the docs office which I suspect now to WCS. I do not feel comfortable taking 40mg, I have upped it for the last 4-5 days now as advised but thinking to drop back to 20mg. However, my BP readings have dropped to an average of 110/70 but they were already averaging around 125/80 most of the time on 20mg.

I am now wondering if the Olmesartan dropped my BP so quickly, although I am pretty sure when I first start Olmersartan it did not work that quickly. And, I am wondering if dropping my arthritis medication and then changing to doses of Turmeric instead has had a bigger affect. I have read how Ibuprofen and Diclofenac can raise BP, so I think cutting them out would create a drop in my BP.

Anyway, I wondering if I should experiment a bit, and try dropping my Olmersartan back to 20mg, I have only been taking 40mg for 4-5 days so I doubt will have a huge impact. I know most of you guys will not want to advise me what to do with dosages  but I wondering if anyone else experiments with their different dosages of traditional medication when moving to more natural remedies. 

BTW, my arthritis has improved loads over the last few days. I am hoping it is the turmeric which is doing it and NOT the increased dosage of Olmersartan (I read one review where one guy's arthritis improved after going on Olmesartan). I have seen big improvement arthritis but not my sciatica yet, so may need to increase turmeric dosage for that.