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Understanding blood pressure readings

Understanding blood pressure readings: diastolic and systolic You may have heard such readings like 130/86...

Posted by flmarie

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Blood Pressure monitoring

For those of you that live in Florida or Georgia, Publix Supermarket has "Higi" station by their Pharmacy that...

Posted by DMBYHZ

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Your free personal Blood Pressure Monitor assistan...

Sneak peeks on the new upcoming ad-free User friendly Android app which is practically going to be your best...

Posted by Vivek2134

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Salt or Sugar: Whatâ€™s the Bigger Blood Pressure ...

Your pantry can be seen as a kind of medicine cabinet in your kitchen. Every ingredient contained behind...

Posted by lisacolnett

Your pantry can be seen as a kind of medicine cabinet in your kitchen. Every ingredient contained behind its doors is a contributing factor to your health and wellness. Like any medicine, food can heal, but it also has the potential to cause adverse reactions.

The other day, I was over at my friend's house, helping them cook dinner, and I walked into the pantry to find some spices. Situated on the top shelf, I saw a saltshaker next to a large container of sugar, and I began to wonder—what white crystal is worse for your heart?

You see, science has scrutinized salt for years. Medical researchers have claimed salt and sodium consumption causes high blood pressure, also known as hypertension—which is a precursor for heart disease and stroke. Therefore, many doctors insist that reducing your salt intake can help lower high blood pressure—a condition that affects more than 67 million Americans.

But what about sugar?
Is Sugar Spiking Your Blood Pressure?

New experimental and epidemiological evidence suggests that sugar may be the real culprit. There was a review published in the journal Open Heart. The researchers singled-out added sweeteners and sugars, and the monosaccharide fructose in particular, as a more severe risk factor than salt for hypertension and heart disease. Fructose and high-fructose corn syrup are common sweeteners in processed foods, especially with fruit juices and sodas.

How do fructose sugars raise blood pressure? They lower fat sensitivity to insulin, which would stimulate the sympathetic nervous system. As a result, abnormally high insulin in the blood could lead to hypertension. Increased levels of methylglyoxal, and reduced ATP (adenosine tri-phosphate), may also result in high blood pressure. Overall, there is a strong link between diabetics and a high risk of high blood pressure. Insulin resistance is prevalent in as much as 80% of people with hypertension.

http://www.doctorshealthpress.com/heart-health/sugar-biggest-blood-pressure-threat-than-salt View Thread

Posted by lisacolnett

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Relax

I find sitting down with a magazine or the newspaper for 15 minutes calms me and lowers my blood pressure.

Posted by An_262004

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Walk a Little

Just taking a short walk can help your blood pressure.

Posted by junie58

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3 reasons your iPhone is better than pen and paper...

1. Reminders to help you never miss a reading! When you track your blood pressure (BP) with an App, it's...

Posted by helloheart

1. Reminders to help you never miss a reading!
When you track your blood pressure (BP) with an App, it's always with you. You can easily set repeated reminder to measure your BP and track your readings not just at home, but also at the gym or at work. The first step in taking control of your health is tracking it, and reminders can make your life really easy! Over 30% of Americans with high BP live a happy health life and are able to effectively keep their condition under control.

2. Know when to reach out for help, don't let it happen to you. High blood pressure is the main or secondary cause of 75% of all strokes and heart attacks. When using a good BP app you get an automatic analysis of your info according to the CDC recommendation and easily understand when you are in a hypertensive crisis range and reach out for help.
When visiting your doctor, you always have all your BP readings that he/she needs to see. The best apps also have all your medical data in one place - drugs, lab results and other tests so your doctor always has the full picture of your health. When your doctor can easily access all your medical data, you are making sure you are getting the best care.

3. You can finally understand what happens to you, effortlessly. Once you start using an app, you don't need to work to organize the data, your BP will be automatically organized on a visual time line with average and peak values. Research shows that every 10 mm/Hg increase in BP increases your risk for stroke by 11% and cardiovascular disease by 10%. The best apps will let you know if your average BP is higher or lower using simple color icons and periodic summaries that will help you understand if your BP is stable. Understanding your condition is the first step in taking control of your health. It's super easy to start with Hello Heart on the App store

Hello Heart (http://helloheartapp.com ) is a new app that empowers people to take control of their health. It is designed to help people with high BP, chronic patients, and women or men working in stressful environments, to easily manage all of their medical data and track their blood pressure and understand if their cholesterol levels are too high. It has built in notification to track your BP and simple reassuring explanations that help you understand your medical data and always feel calm. Your health is finally in your hands!

View Thread

Posted by helloheart

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Amlodipine and nausea

I had taken amlodipine for about a week and it was giving me a nauseous feeling and a little dizziness for...

Posted by An_259593

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Top 17 Home Remedies for Low Blood Pressure

One of the leading causes of deaths, not only in America but worldwide, is heart complication. This may...

Posted by tulipflower0801

One of the leading causes of deaths, not only in America but worldwide, is heart complication. This may pertain to heart attack, hypertension or anything that is heart-related. However, despite the many advertisements and campaigns about heart awareness and the percentage rate keeps buzzing up. Low blood pressure is part of the family. This is also one condition to worry about, where it actually makes someone feel dizzy, stressed and frequently palpitating. These are early symptoms of the hypotension; the blood pressure continuously slows down and may even cause blurred vision, breathing difficulties and fainting. It is best to maintain your body physically active and fit to avoid excessively over or low blood pressure. Even if you go below the normal blood pressure of 120/80 mm, you will still be okay so long as you don't experience the symptoms. Now, be careful if you hit 90/60 mm or anywhere lower, as that would cause inadequate flow of blood to your vital organs such as heart, kidneys and your brain. There are many reasons that could lead to low blood pressure such as nutritional deficiencies, pregnancy, heart complications, neurological conditions and medications like alpha and beta blockers, antidepressant and more.

If you wish to resolve your blood pressure problems, you can do simple adjustments like increasing you fluid and salt intake. You may also avoid alcoholic beverages and lessen your carbohydrates. This means you can lessen you bread, potatoes, rice and pasta. Now, we will help you with the remedies for low blood pressure that can simply be found inside your home. Let's go and get to know them.

1. Salt Water is probably the easiest solution you can use. The idea is to use salt in increasing the blood pressure and provide neutralization. Half a teaspoon of salt would be sufficient enough to be mixed in a glass of water, be careful not to overdo it as that would be unhealthy.

2. Coffee can also be a good temporary solution in order to neutralize the blood pressure. What is suggested is to take a cup of coffee in the morning. Make sure to control the intake so you don't get dependent on caffeine as it has its own side effects.

3. Holy Basil is rich in potassium, magnesium, pantothenic acid and vitamin C, all essential to help heighten the blood pressure. You may extract basil leaves till you get the juice. You may add honey to neutralize the taste and ensure you drink it on an empty stomach. Optionally you may chew four to five basil leaves also, on an empty stomach.

4. One of the Ayurdevic treatments that relates to hypotension is raisins. The suggested method of intake follows a certain method. Make sure to soak 40 pastilles of raisins in cup of water overnight. The next day, eat them on an empty stomach and you can also optionally drink the water it was soaked at. You can continuously follow this treatment until you notice changes on your blood pressure.

5. Licorice root helps boost adrenalin functions allowing cortisol to go through. It normalizes our blood pressure and helps with fatigue syndrome. You can either take licorice root capsules or take a licorice tea that can easily be done by mixing a cup of water with a teaspoon of dried or powdered licorice leaves.

To be continued
Source: Healthcare Corner View Thread

Posted by tulipflower0801

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White Coat BP tip

Everyone is different. I showed this. I quit drinking coffee on mornings when I go to the Dr. or when doing...

Posted by Sculptor253

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5 STEPS

1. Put the right amount of nutrients in the body and keep the body properly hydrated.2. Proper...

Posted by colemaninc

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Student looking for Opinions

I am a student at Brown University in Providence, RI, USA doing a project on constant blood pressure...

Posted by avia1117

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Hair Loss Common Side Effect

I've had two MD's tell me that only 1% of people taking Lisinopril have a side effect of hair loss. I have...

Posted by bunnyphoo

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Hydration

At age 45 I had a hysterectomy which threw me into menopause. They tried different kinds of estrogen...

Posted by ChoctawGirl42

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Don't be afraid...you're not alone

For all who stumble upon this thread, I can feel the pain of trying to quit (and yes, quitting smoking will...

Posted by marklowell

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Lisinopril 10mg

I am a 44 year old man in good shape. Over the past year I have lost 30 pounds and been going to the gym 4...

Posted by Donovan1969

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Sleep Apnea and Uncontrolled hypertension

Greetings!! I have had about all the symptoms, testing that you all are talking about. Go to a good Sleep...

Posted by desertrose52

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0 Replies| Share this:Sleep Apnea and Uncontrolled hypertension Greetings!! I have had about all the symptoms, testing that you all are talking about. Go to a good Sleep...

Sleep Apnea and Uncontrolled hypertension

Greetings!! I have had about all the symptoms, testing that you all are talking about. Go to a good Sleep...

Posted by desertrose52

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Corelation between spinalchord and blood pressure

Blood pressure and spinal chord are inter related and for this reason must be in touch with Dr. Charchian...

Posted by BradPitt

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lowering blood pressure

Recently, I took the survey which, of course, made me think about my blood pressure and what I was doing for...

Posted by An_250051

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WARNING! - Grapefruit and meds (heart and others)

This will probably show up in a day or two, but I felt that it should be posted now. For a long time there has...

Posted by billh99

This will probably show up in a day or two, but I felt that it should be posted now.

For a long time there has been a warning about the consumption of grapefruit juice and a few meds. The package insert for simvastatin warns against a quart or more.

But new study indicates that many more drugs are affected and it can happen with a small glass of juice and probably a 1/2 of whole grapefruit. And the affect can last over 24 hrs.

Also some meds for cancer, inflammation, diabetic, and several other conditions are also affected.

From a blog on theheart.com here is a list of the heart related meds.
http://blogs.theheart.org/melissa-walton-shirley-blog/2012/11/27/grapefruit-forbidden-fruit-or-juice-or-both

For now, there are enough data to support the recommendation for banning grapefruit and grapefruit juice altogether from the diets of those on certain cardiovascular medications. For laypersons who read my blog, I'll add the names under which these compounds are marketed. (For a more complete list, check abcnews.com.) They include:

Rhythm agents:

Amiodarone (Pacerone).
Dronedarone (Multaq).
Quinidine (not commonly prescribed).

Cholesterol agents:

Atorvastatin (Lipitor).
Lovastatin (Mevacor).
Simvastatin (Zocor).

The new anticoagulant rivaroxaban (Xarelto), prescribed in placed of warfarin in some.

High-blood-pressure meds:

Nifedipine (Procardia).
Verapamil (Verelan).
Felodipine (Plendil).

Antiplatelet agents:

Ticagrelor (Brilinta).
Clopidogrel (Plavix)—in this case, it completely nullifies the effect of Plavix instead of exaggerating it, as in the other meds listed above.

In addition, there is an interaction with the heart-failure diuretic eplerenone (Inspra).

I note that sirolimus is also listed here, and I'm curious about patients with stents coated with sirolimus (the older Cypher stents), but I don't know of any data or case reports that directly address this issue.

Here is a news story about this. http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/11/26/grapefruit-medicine-interaction-warning-expanded/

And here is a list of the meds, the effect, and possible alternates from the Canadian Medical Journal.
http://www.cmaj.ca/content/suppl/2012/11/26/cmaj.120951.DC1/grape-bailey-1-at.pdf View Thread

Posted by billh99

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Variation in Blood Pressure

When I wake up in the morning my BP is high 158/100 with pulse rate 75. In 30 minutes or so it reduces to...

Posted by smilingdesi

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Lisinopril Cough

Wow, I know this is an old post but maybe some 'Lisinopril Cough' sufferers, like myself, are still visiting...

Posted by Patsy19320

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Salt or Sugar: What’s the Bigger Blood Pressure Threat?

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