A Guide to Lowering Blood Pressure

What is high blood pressure?

This is from Remedy magazine's website. "Blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of arteries. Blood pressure rises and falls throughout the day. When blood pressure stays elevated over time, it’s called high blood pressure.

"The medical term for high blood pressure is hypertension. High blood pressure is dangerous because it makes the heart work too hard and contributes to atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). It increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, which are the first- and third-leading causes of death among Americans. High blood pressure also can result in other conditions, such as congestive heart failure, kidney disease, and blindness." (Read the whole rather lengthy article, of which I paraphrase briefly below, here.)

It took me years to wrestle my blood pressure into normal territory, years I shouldn't have spent. I didn't realize that it takes a whole approach, a whole process, to deal with hypertension. I'm much better off, my numbers are much better, when I exercise regularly and when I eat in a nutritional way. As I exercise more, my blood pressure has lowered and stablilized more.

But I can't kid myself that I could conquer it with diet and exercise alone. I couldn't, and I can't. I am currently on three blood pressure medications, and those, along with diet and exercise, are finally doing the trick.

Remedy's guide to controlling your blood pressure, in short:

1. Monitor your weight.
2. Eat right.
3. Be active (exercise).
4. Less sodium (salt).
5. Manage your prescribed drugs.

Lowering My Blood Pressure

Today I went to see my doctor. Today was also the 30-day anniversary of my time on a new medication to lower blood pressure, Lisinopril.

The assistant who first took my bp (and my temperature and weight) found a reading of 116/65. I was sure it was a mistake. Then the doctor took it again half an hour later: 116 over 68. Unbelievable. It was the lowest blood pressure reading I’ve had in my adult life.

Finally, after over 15 years of high blood pressure, we seem to have found a combination of things that work for me: Three medications plus behaviors on my part which include weight loss, eating a healthier diet, and exercise.

Normal blood pressure is less than 120 over 80. High blood pressure increases our risk for developing heart disease or having a stroke. And once you contract high bp, you’ll most likely have it for a lifetime. Of course, I wish I had known about that some 20 years ago.

The government website for the National Heart Blood and Lung Institute (NHBLI) makes a pitch for prevention and tips for all of us:

“You can take steps to prevent high blood pressure by adopting a healthy lifestyle. These steps include maintaining a healthy weight; being physically active; following a healthy eating plan, that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and lowfat dairy foods; choosing and preparing foods with less salt and sodium; and, if you drink alcoholic beverages, drinking in moderation.”

The NHBLI also suggests adding more potassium to your diet with these foods to control blood pressure:

Food, followed by Serving size and Potassium amount (in milligrams)
Apricots, dried 10 halves 407
Avocados, raw 1 ounce 180
Bananas, raw 1 cup 594
Beets, cooked 1 cup 519
Brussel sprouts, cooked 1 cup 504
Cantaloupe 1 cup 494
Dates, dry 5 dates 271
Figs, dry 2 figs 271
Kiwi fruit, raw 1 medium 252
Lima beans 1 cup 955
Melons, honeydew 1 cup 461
Milk, fat free or skim 1 cup 407
Nectarines 1 nectarine 288
Orange juice 1 cup 496
Oranges 1 orange 237
Pears (fresh) 1 pear 208
Peanuts dry roasted,
without salt 1 ounce 187
Potatoes, baked,
flesh and skin 1 potato 1081
Prune juice 1 cup 707
Prunes, dried 1 cup 828
Raisins 1 cup 1089
Spinach, cooked 1 cup 839
Tomato products,
canned, sauce 1 cup 909
Winter squash 1 cup 896

Take a look at the NHBLI website to see other issues concerning blood pressure.