Lowering Blood Pressure Tactics

Human Heart

Lowering Blood Pressure Tactics
How to Lower Your Blood Pressure

If you are truly serious about lowering your BP,

Buy and use a wrist blood pressure monitor daily.
Graph your results, as I have below.

KNOW your risk factors.

120/80 ("One-twenty over eighty")

The 1st Number: Systolic pressure is the pressure generated when the heart contracts.

The 2nd Number: Diastolic pressure is the blood pressure when the heart is relaxed.

140/90 is considered borderline hypertension.
Is your blood pressure higher than this?

Normal Blood Pressure Range

Diligence

Use A Digital Blood Pressure Monitor

Buy a digital blood pressure monitor, and use it daily. Become aware of your blood pressure range, and how it varies throughout the day. Graph your BP readings. Find out the influence of foods, and moods. I really like my Omron Model HEM-608 digital wrist blood pressure monitor. It's getting old now, but still performs like a champ.

Wrist blood pressure monitors are inexpensive and accurate, if used according to directions. The wrist monitor must be carefully positioned at "heart height", to achieve accurate results. Relax a few moments after you sit down, before you take your reading. Don't move or talk while measuring.

MOST Importantly :
Use appropriate dictionaries, pillows, of whatever to get your wrist level exactly even with the nipples on men, or the same height that an upper arm sphygmomanometer cuff would be, if it were being used.

Costco currently sells a newer model digital wrist monitor, the Omron HEM-637 for $80. It has "A.P.S. technology", which confirms that the monitor is at heart level (Advanced Positioning Sensor).

The means to easily check your blood pressure and blood pressure range are available.

How much do you care?

Record your blood pressure monitor data over time, in MS Excel format.
Here is a sample from my personal
Blood Pressure Data, and Heart Rate Variation (HRV) data -

The V.A. Method of Heart Health Self-Monitoring and Analysis

(Primary assumptions - Low Systolic is good, low Diastolic is good, and low Pulse rate is good.)
1. At least two measurment sessions are performed EVERY DAY.
2. At each measurement session, I take 4 readings (consistency and repeatability check - both monitor and patient).
3. The 8 BP readings are summed in the Pressure Checksum column.
4. The 4 pulse readings are summed in the Pulse Checksum column.
5. The "Pulse delta Beats" column gives HRV - the delta between the lowest and the highest of the 4 readings. Excel does not do this, I do this by eye and by hand.
6. The "Overall Heart Health Index" column gives an "OVERALL HEART HEALTH INDEX" consisting of both BP and HRV data combined, using the formula : BP Checksum plus Pulse Checksum, divided by 100.
My OHHI has varied from 15 (very bad) to 9 (very good) - a value of 12 is borderline. This index is weighted toward BP, since it is usually considered more important than pulse rate (2 BP readings vs. 1 pulse reading). A simplified 2-reading system could be employed, but that would be inadequate for HRV sampling purposes. There is far more variation between 4 readings than 2 readings, if there is any inconsistency in the measuring device, measuring technique, or high HRV (i.e., atrial fibrillation, as in my case) is present.

(You would never be expected to study your blood pressure in such detail as I have done above. I just wanted to show you my system of monitoring my own BP, HRV, and any trends. I go overboard with the HRV study, because I am in Permanent Atrial Fibrillation. - my heart has had no "sinus rhythm", or "built-in pacemaker", since March 2003.)

Lowering High BP Diet
Foods to lower blood pressure

High Blood Pressure
Diet

Natural High Blood Pressure Foods

"NO" FOODS

High-salt
Medium salt
Reduce protein
No hydrogenated oils
Reduce saturated Fat
White Sugar
White Flour

"YES" FOODS

(High K, Ca)
Apples
Avocados
Bananas (K)
Broccoli
Fish
Grapes
Oats
Orange Juice (K)
WATER
81 mg aspirin (thinner)
Lecithin-Psyllium drink
(K = potassium,
Ca = calcium)

Amino Acids
CO-Q10
L-carnitine
L-arginine
L-lysine

Foods
Flax seed oil
Fish oil
Lecithin

Herbs
Garlic

Minerals
Calcium
Magnesium
Zinc

Vitamins
B-complex
Vitamin E
Vitamin C
Folic Acid
Niacin

Amino Acids
2 x 120 mg
1 g
4 g
2 g

Foods
2 tbl.
6 g
2 g

Herbs
2 g

Minerals
666 mg
266 mg
120 mg

Vitamins
200% MDR
200 mg
500 mg
120 mg
10 mcg

High Blood Pressure Notes
Blood Pressure Readings Defined

HIGH Blood Pressure Symptoms -
Stressed
Sedentary, Bloated
Weak, Failing

Systolic - Diastolic
210 - 120 - Stage 4 High Blood Pressure
180 - 110 - Stage 3 High Blood Pressure
160 - 100 - Stage 2 High Blood Pressure
140 - 90 - Stage 1 High Blood Pressure
140 - 90 - BORDERLINE HIGH
130 - 85 - High Normal
120 - 80 - NORMAL Blood Pressure
110 - 75 - Low Normal
90 - 60 - BORDERLINE LOW
60 - 40 - TOO LOW Blood Pressure
50 - 33 - DANGER Blood Pressure

LOW Blood Pressure Symptoms -
Weak
Tired
Dizzy
Fainting
Coma

Summary
Lowering High Blood Pressure Tactics

1. AWARENESS (Use a wrist monitor frequently - the higher your pressure, the more often you should check it, to get it down.)

2. DESIRE - Do you want to live? Live better?

3. ACTIONS
Stop Smoking
Exercise Daily
Reduce Weight
DIET:
Reduce Salt Intake
Reduce Saturated Fat
NO "hydrogenated anything"
NO TFAs (trans fatty acids)! ("partially hydrogenated anything")

4. Clothing
Do not wear tight-fitting clothing, especially socks. When you remove your socks, is there a fairly deep impression where the elastic has just been? This constriction can raise blood pressure substantially. Make your own blood pressure measurements, with and without the tourniquet socks. I have cut the elastic bands on all of my socks.

No Caffeine
Mild Sedation
Sufficient Rest
Don't Oversleep
Use a wrist blood pressure monitor, frequently

Disclaimer
The author is not a doctor.
NO MEDICAL ADVICE IS OFFERED OR IMPLIED.
Statements on this page may NOT be correct. These are just my personal thoughts. The sole purpose of this page is to encourage further research on your part. I hope that you have found this blood pressure information page helpful. Buy and use a blood pressure monitor, to track your own heart health.
Thank you very much for your time.

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This Blood Pressure lowering tactics webpage was updated on 2008-04-23.