Can I lower my blood pressure without taking medication?

Posted June 28, 2013, 2:00 am

My blood pressure medication has side effects that are difficult to tolerate. What else can I do to lower my BP?

If you’re a regular reader of this column, you’ve heard me say more than once that diet and exercise sometimes can eliminate the need for medications for a variety of conditions. That’s true — and it surely is true for high blood pressure.

However, sometimes diet, exercise and stress management lower blood pressure only part of the way. Medications may still be necessary. Every medicine ever invented can cause side effects in some people. But the other side of that coin is that medicines often do not cause side effects. And just because one medicine causes side effects does not mean that another will.

Fortunately, there are many different medicines to treat high blood pressure. In my experience, you can usually find a blood pressure medication that is both effective and free of side effects. But even when that’s true, it’s still important to get back to basics: a healthy lifestyle.

A healthy lifestyle is the cornerstone for preventing and treating hypertension. It may allow you to lower your medication dose or stop taking medication altogether. At the very least, you’ll feel better:

First and foremost, if you smoke, quit. Your blood pressure will start to decrease within hours after your last cigarette. Your doctor can recommend resources to help you quit.Another important step is to reach and maintain a healthy body weight. Being overweight or obese itself raises your blood pressure.Even if you don’t need to lose weight, eating the right foods can make a difference. The key features of a blood-pressure-friendly diet include plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains; several servings daily of low-fat dairy products; some fish, poultry, dried beans, nuts and seeds; and minimal red meat, sweets and sugar-laden beverages. Also try to limit your sodium intake to less than 1.5 grams of sodium per day. You can find the sodium content of prepared foods on the Nutrition Facts label.Limiting alcohol can help. Have no more than two drinks per day if you’re male, or one drink per day if you’re female. That’s drinking in moderation. Drinking in moderation may even help lower blood pressure, while drinking more can definitely raise blood pressure.Regular exercise lowers high blood pressure. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise on all or most days of the week. Examples include walking or riding a stationary bike. Regular exercise is a potent tonic for lowering your blood pressure — even if you don’t lose weight.Finally, relax. Ongoing stress raises your blood pressure. Learn relaxation techniques, such as meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing or yoga. I have a patient who took up tai chi several years ago and does it daily. I can’t prove there’s a connection, but I can tell you that her blood pressure has never been so low, and she says she feels great. window.fbAsyncInit = function() { FB.init({appId: "199616670120169", status: true, cookie: true, xfbml: true});}; (function() { var e = document.createElement("script"); e.async = true; e.src = document.location.protocol + "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js"; document.getElementById("fb-root").appendChild(e);}());

View the original article here

starting at 153, 5'2.. taking prescription steroid for illness

I'm back! It's been at least a year and I have never successfully lost more than 10 pounds in my life. Lack of confidence I guess.. I need help. I'm on a steroid due to the inflammation in my inner ear which causes buzzing and pressure all day long. Med causes bloating and crazy weight gain.. Oh like I need to gain more... Any suggestions

:)

View the original article here

More Men Taking Testosterone, But Risks Unclear

Study finds upsurge in use among men worried about 'low T,' but research suggests the drug has hazards

By Mary Elizabeth Dallas

HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, June 3 (HealthDay News) -- Those late-night ads telling aging men that "low T" may be the reason they've lost the spring in their step appear to be reaching their audience. Use of testosterone therapy has increased dramatically over the past decade, according to a new study.

But experts worry that too many men may be taking the supplements without understanding the potential risks.

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston pointed out that the development of new drugs, particularly topical gels, also likely played a role in this trend.

The study, published in the current issue of JAMA Internal Medicine, involved more than 10 million men aged 40 years and older. The researchers found use of testosterone therapy was three times higher in 2011 than it was in 2001. Over the course of the decade, testosterone therapy increased from 0.81 percent to 2.91 percent.

The investigators noted that 2.29 percent of men in their 40s and 3.75 percent of men in their 60s were taking some form of testosterone therapy by 2011.

While sales may be booming, the risks involved with supplements of the powerful male hormone remain uncertain. One study presented last month at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association suggests that use of testosterone might be an underappreciated cause of male infertility.

The study, from the University of Alabama, found that sperm production bounced back to healthier levels when some men being treated at fertility clinics stopped using testosterone supplements.

Another study published at the same meeting found that many online vendors of testosterone supplements accentuate supposed benefits from the drug, but minimize the risk.

The study, which looked at 70 websites from companies across the United States, found that just 27 percent of the online vendors described potential side effects, which experts say can include liver problems, male breast growth, increased male pattern baldness, possible harm to prostate health, raised risks for blood clots, congestive heart failure and a worsening of urinary symptoms.

One expert added that, due to these risks, men should be cautious before succumbing to "low T" advertisements. According to Dr. John Amory, professor of medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle, the supplements -- which can cost between $75 to $300 per month -- are currently "being oversold to patients."

In the new study, hypogonadism -- a condition that affects a man's ability to produce normal levels of testosterone -- was diagnosed in about half of the men treated with testosterone therapy, the study indicated.

However, about one-quarter of the men given the hormonal treatment did not have their testosterone levels checked first. Of the remaining 75 percent of men who did have their hormone levels tested, it remains unclear what percentage had low testosterone levels.

"This trend has been driven, in large part, by direct-to-consumer marketing campaigns that have targeted middle-aged men and the expansion of clinics specializing in the treatment of low testosterone or 'low-T centers,'" the lead author of the study, Dr. Jacques Baillargeon, an associate professor in preventive medicine and community health at the University of Texas Medical Branch, said in a university news release.

View the original article here

Healthy Older Women Advised Against Taking Calcium

Title: Healthy Older Women Advised Against Taking Calcium
Category: Health News
Created: 2/25/2013 6:36:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 2/26/2013 12:00:00 AM

View the original article here

Healthy Older Women Advised Against Taking Calcium

By Barbara Bronson Gray

HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Feb. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Healthy older women should not take calcium and vitamin D supplements to prevent fractures, according to a final recommendation issued Monday by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

In healthy adults, lower doses of calcium and vitamin D seem to be ineffective. As for higher doses, it's still up in the air, the government group said.

The new recommendations do not apply to people who are known to be vitamin D-deficient or who already have osteoporosis, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) noted.

Every year about 1.5 million fractures in the United States are attributed to osteoporosis, which is caused by a decrease in bone mass and density that makes bones fragile and more susceptible to a break. Almost half of all women older than 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime, according to the USPSTF.

Calcium is one of the main building blocks of bone growth, and vitamin D (sourced via sunlight's action on the skin, or through diet) helps bones absorb calcium. But at issue is whether people receive enough of these nutrients in their daily diet, or if supplements would help protect them.

Dr. Virginia Moyer, chair of the USPSTF, and a professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, said experts know that a "medium dose" of supplements -- less than 400 international units (IU) of vitamin D and less than 1,000 milligrams (mg) of calcium -- does not work.

As for higher doses? "We simply don't know. There are reasons to think they could work, but unfortunately, even though there are a bunch of studies, there are problems with them," Moyer said.

"We know these recommendations will be very frustrating to both physicians and patients, but it's a call to action to the research community," she added.

The USPSTF analyzed a wide range of studies on the effects of supplementation of vitamin D and calcium levels for bone health and the adverse effects of supplementation. The report, published online Feb. 26 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, makes these points about preventing fractures:

Don't take low doses of daily supplements: Less than 400 IU of vitamin D and less than 1,000 mg of calcium after menopause have no benefit.For higher doses: The task force doesn't have sufficient evidence to make a recommendation on daily supplements.For men and women younger than 50: The task force also doesn't have enough evidence to make a recommendation on vitamin D and calcium supplements.

The report notes a downside to low-dose supplementation: Taking 400 IU or less of vitamin D and 1,000 mg or less of calcium increases the risk of kidney stones, which can be painful and may require hospitalization.

View the original article here

Eat Too Much While Watching TV? Try Taking Smaller Bites

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Ever find yourself wolfing down snacks as you're watching your favorite sitcom? Studies have shown that people eat more when distracted by TV or other pastimes.

A new study finds, however, that there may be a simple way to slow down food intake in these situations: take smaller bites.

In the Dutch study, participants were given a meal of soup to consume as they watched a 15-minute animated film. Two groups ate pre-measured volumes of either small or large sips, while another group was free to take whatever size of sips they wanted.

All the participants could eat as much as they wanted and were later asked to estimate how much they had eaten.

In all three groups, the distraction of watching the film led to a general increase in the amount of soup consumed. The people who ate the pre-specified small sips of soup, however, consumed about 30 percent less than those in the other groups.

The other two groups -- who took bigger sips -- also tended to think they ate much less of the soup than they actually had consumed, said researchers led by Dieuwerke Bolhuis and colleagues from Wageningen University.

"The idea that taking smaller bites would potentially counteract the effects of eating while distracted makes sense from a physiologic standpoint," said registered dietitian Rebecca Solomon, who was not connected to the study.

"We know that it takes approximately 20 minutes for the sensation of 'satiety' or fullness to kick in," explained Solomon, who is nutrition coordinator at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. "When we eat too quickly, we tend to overeat -- whether distracted or not -- because we unknowingly may eat past the point of what I call 'gentle satiety,' an appropriate level of after-meal fullness."

"Taking smaller bites necessarily makes the meal or snack take longer to eat, therefore reducing the amount one would eat within that initial 20 minutes when the feeling of satiation is not yet registered by the brain and stomach," Solomon said.

Another expert agreed.

"The old advice of taking small bites in order to lose weight may have more evidence," said Nancy Copperman, director of public health initiatives in the Office of Community Health at North Shore-LIJ Health System in Great Neck, N.Y.

Her advice? "Avoid inhaling large bites or gulps," she said. "Focus on what you are eating and drinking, enjoy the taste of the meal or snack, and try to avoid distractions when eating."

The study was published Jan. 23 in the journal PLoS One.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases offers advice about food portions.

View the original article here