Hi, I’m worried about my mother - she’s in her late 60s and recently found out she has very high blood pressure. She’s not overweight or a smoker but it’s something that runs in the family and she’s never exercised much or been particularly diet conscious so probably these are contributing factors.
The thing that’s bothering me is she wants to solve it through diet alone as she is adamant she’s not going on medication. Having seen a private consultant who has advised her she can’t do it purely through diet (and exercise when/if her BP lowers) I’m concerned she’s not taking this seriously enough and is jeopardising her health/life. However there is a lot of literature out there about the power of diet (which I do believe in), and I do have a vague mistrust of private advice and throwing long-term medication at things which may cause unwanted side effects. So I’m not entirely sure what to think. Also if she is playing a risky game here I have no idea how to convince her as she is incredibly stubborn and difficult to reason with. I can’t force her to take pills at the end of the day.
All I want is for my mum to be ok. Any advice or thoughts from people in a similar position would be gratefully received. Thanks in advance.
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BlueRabbit
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It's a difficult situation and I sympathise, you must be anxious.
If your mum could wind the clock back to her childhood, and relive her life with a radically different lifestyle, then maybe she could have avoided this particular health issue completely, who knows?
But she doesn't have that option, she's in her late 60's and her present condition has been shaped by the lifestyle she's followed for several decades.
She absolutely should think about diet and exercise, but I've seen massive changes to my critical metrics (such as blood pressure and pulse rate) that were achieved almost overnight via medication. So personally I'm pretty convinced that it's medication plus lifestyle changes that will deliver the "double whammy" your mum needs.
One other thing, maybe worth talking to you mum to find out what specifically she's got against medication? Many people have heard silly scare stories about side effects, if that was the root cause of her concern then the doctor could lay her fears to rest by pointing out that if one particular medication disagrees with her there are plenty of alternatives to try.
Thank you so much - Very sensible advice. I think I’ll gently try to get to the bottom of the medication thing. It’s hard to know with my mum , I think it’s fear of messing with her system and side effects. But good to know there’s options out there. She’s going to get a second opinion soon too so hopefully they’ll confirm what the first doctor said.
I agree: diet, exercise and medication to start with.
Diet: Get the BHF leaflets on diet (downloadable from the BHF website). Cut out processed foods. Reduce animal products to a minimum. Reduce salt to a minimum.
Exercise: You didn't say if she does any. If she is inactive you could give Shibashi a try. It's very gentle and easy to learn. It takes about 20 minutes. Just follow the video: youtube.com/watch?v=aAwbJ9M... "Trust Me I'm A Doctor" found that it gave a good workout without strain or pain. My tutor says it can be done every day. I hope she enjoys it.
BUT she should only come off the meds with her doctor's agreement and supervision.
I am on a Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) diet that has enabled my doctor to reduce my meds to 1 tablet per day.
I watched a documentary a few years back called the “food hospital” and each week they hadn’t different patients on with various illnesses and complaints and gave each individual a diet based on their condition.
There was a lady who had high blood pressure and they put her on a “Dash diet” which consisted on low salt foods from what I can remember and it actually lowered her blood pressure. She had to completely stick to and I agree with moonflower that beetroot is another good one to use!
The GP should be able to send her to an exercise class like cardiac rehab which should help with her lack of exercise. Diet is important but please do research and not just take NHS guidelines as gospel as they take a long time to catch up with the latest considerable scientific research!
I had high B.P. and cholesterol but I led a really healthy lifestyle: Mediterranean diet including lots of beetroot; exercise 6 days a week; never smoked and moderate drinker. I wasn't prescribed medication and was pleased because I was quite proud that I was 65 and didn't need medication. In mid-October I had a heart attack and am now on 9 tablets a day, all at high doses. Although the H.A. and tablets have shaken my self esteem and confidence I am extremely grateful for the medication. I am sensitive to lots of different tablets but so far have had only very minor side effects from the tablets.
Quite often family members advice is ignored so perhaps enquire whether she could speak to a cardiac rehab nurse or to one of the B.H.F. specialist nurses.
Hi it must be difficult for to see this aspect of your mothers health, I guess it also brings in to question your own health. I made a pledge with myself that I would not take any medication in my life, apart from the pill as I saw my friends and their families just popping pills and accepting that's the way it is, may be this is what she things also? After a bypass 9 months ago I am now on 4 tablets per day, which is considerably less than some people. What I am trying to say is that things can change and have for her. What I would say is may be try the diet and exercise for 6 months and see if this makes any difference and if she can keep it up. Then decide on the medication if the effects aren't as she expected. You obviously need to consult a Dr about this course of action as I'm not medically trained. May be this could be a compromise? Best of luck xxx
I think maybe hibiscus tea is also good for lowering blood pressure. You can make a pot of it then put it in the fridge and drink it cold like squash . Just some suggestions, not saying she shouldn't take the pills aswell.
Heard Tina Turner talking on the radio not so long ago. She had high blood pressure and was taking medication. But then decided to stop in favour of some alternative approach, I think. It pretty much destroyed her kidneys and she regrets not following medical advice.
Few of us enjoy taking the pills but it's the least worst option.
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