High Blood Pressure - Natural remedies

Heart health and blood vessels
1

Hi Guys,

After a visit to local Pharmacy to check cholesterol and blood sugar (back in April), I was told my blood pressure was very high and I should go see a doc as soon as possible which I did (cholesterol and blood sugar were fine). 

At the time, my doctor said my BP was high at around 170/90 which was similar to the pharmacy readings and put me on 20mg of Olmersartan per day. Anyway, I decided to make some lifestyle changes and have lost 10kg since May (I am well over weight) and I continue with my change in eating habits to hopefully get down more weight. Anyway, after a recent visit to the doctor for pulsatile tinnitus (which is scary but turned out to be hardened wax which needed unblocked), my doctor checked my BP and said it was still high at 166/90 and then said I needed to double my Olmersartan dose to 40mg a day to get it under control. However, I explained to him that I read my BP at home regularly and most of the time it is around 125/80 altho it has gone up to 150/90 the odd time but he said it should still not go up to 166/90.

So after some research I am now finding out that my arthritis medication has a side affect of high BP and also Ibuprofen. The same doctor prescribed arthritis medication (diclofenac) which seems strange when he was also given me Olmersartan to reduce BP. My doctor also kept saying Olmersartan 40mg per day is a small dose which I am not sure is true?

So, to my question, have any of you guys used natural remedies to get BP down? For the last 4 days I have stopped taken diclofenac and Ibuprofen (I was taken them alternatively) and I had already started taken magnesium citrate about a week ago which I read helps lower BP. Now I have started to use more ginger, garlic and cayenne pepper in my cooking which are all suppose to help. I have also read so much about Turmeric (and Curcumin) and how strong it is as a anti-inflammatory so will be starting to use that in cooking. I started taken a curcumin supplement (anti-inflammatory) as well to replace diclofenac/Ibuprofen with it and see how it works out.

My BP is now 109/66 so not sure which is kicking in first, maybe the higher dose of Olmersartan but wondering if some of the other changes. Anyway, I am now worried with so many changes will my BP drop too low? My BP readings are starting to average around 110/70 but I am frightened it will drop too low as I only made changes around 5 days ago so sure some of the changes I have made have not kicked in yet. 

 

2

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.  

3

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...

4

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

5

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. 

6

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.

7

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.    

8

You are absolutely right, I forgot about beet juice as an option. Before I went on meds, I managed my high blood pressure by juice beets, celery, an apple and ginger together. I did these every few days as the juice only stays fresh for 2-3 days. Obviously it's a pain so that why Instipped. But it did work and it was suggested to me by my naturopathi dr. 

9

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 

 

10

You can check the beetroot juice cartons but I'm sure it does not have added sugar as it tastes so vile:-)

I had my BP checked at a cardiology appointment last week. I was quite relaxed and at ease and had been sitting for half an hour as I had arrived early. It took five attempts to get a reading and it was then 184/91. I checked it when I got home and it was 121/70.

My GP now accepts my home readings.

11

Thanks derek76, I will check beetroot juice out, fresh beetroot is actually often on promotion here, I might try to boil some up and add it to my veggie drinks.

I am going to randomly check my BP more often for the next few weeks, I have no high readings lately like the one I had at the docs so I think I may have WCS too with my doc visits. 

12

"Traditional" doctors are not trained in medical school about diet, and therefore their first line of defense is drugs..they know very little else.... if you read through this thread you will find posts about foods which lower bp..  Good luck and best of health to you..

13

Thanks ann c.04098, I totally agree with you, I am not sure if it is the placebo affect but I do not feel such much pain from arthritis this afternoon. I will continue my research into different foods for overall health but especially for lowering BP, arthritis and Psoriasis. I will start looking through the forum to pick up more tips 

BTW guys, I just been and bought a new BP monitor, I thought I would get myself a back up and after checking against each other readings are similar 114/76 and 115/78 so I guess they are both working. 

I still need to decide when to drop back from 40mg to 20mg Olmersartan, I will monitor my BP and if my average drops much more than I will drop back to 20mg. 

14

I'm told that arthritis and Psoriasis often go together.

Did you buy a monitor that shows irregular heart beats ? My one does but if it is too irregular it gives an error message as do the ambulatory ones.The first one I had used to bleep with my heart beat and that was when I first realised I had ectopics. I said to my GP he should have one like it and he said that they did but it frightened the patients :-) Actually I still have that one and after 16 years it corresponds with my newer one.

 

15

Yes I have been told my arthritis is probably Psoriactic arthritis although never bothered with the tests to confirm. I have Psoriasis for 30 years, and have got used to it, tried all sorts of treatment and the best thing for it is sunny holidays . I have tried real strange remedies for it but none have worked, the strangest remedy was a concoction of crushed charcoal, engine oil and frog!! And, I was told not to eat chicken! I lived and traveled in Asia a lot and I was often approached by little old ladies who had some kind of remedy for it, but none ever worked, although I must admit I never followed through with them, especially the moonshine with horse dung in it 

My monitor does not show irregular heart beats but I do have one, had it for as long as I can remember. I was diagnosed with a heart murmur many years ago but  was told nothing to  worry about and it would settle. And apparently irregular heart beats are quite common, mine skips a beats now and then. 

 

16

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. 

17

Are you using Turmeric powder or taking the expensive capsules? I mix a teaspoon full in milk and pour it in my cereal. At night I mix it in a mug of hot milk.

18

derek76, I started on the curcumin capsule 500mg a day at first which I continue to take. I also tried a 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric in a cup of mushrooms soup but it was terrible so then decided to make the golden paste which I have started using and add it to a curry, ommelette and smoothies etc. I do not think I could eat it off a cereal . 

I will be experimenting with the dosages of golden paste, and may gradually up it to try and ease my sciatica a bit. 

19

My doctor screwed up his nose when I told him how I used turmeric. Anyway I don't like Weetabix but take it as it has a bit less sugar than others and has more fibre.

I found it helped but then had to take Warfarin so had to stop it. Now off warfarin I have been taking it again for about three months but have not noticed any improvement this time.

20

I never mentioned it to my doc. 

I think you have to keep tweaking the amount to get it right, also read you need to take with black pepper as it boosts it affect by 2000%. So I use golden paste which is mixture of turmeric, pepper and a few extra ingredients