My blood pressure is still high

[Tunisia1]

Six weeks ago I decided to stop eating sweets and cake (which I did daily) went on healthy eating with lots of fruit and veg. I had my blood pressure checked 2 days ago and it was 161 although I feel better for eating healthy, I thought my blood pressure would have gone down or does it take a lot longer. I am 73 yrs. old.

[Activity2004 Administrator]

Please consult your doctor about your blood pressure and see if they want you to start medication.

[Tunisia1 in reply to Activity2004]

Hi, i am already on medication for it.....I have only been on it for 6 weeks....also I started my healthy eating plan 6 weeks ago...maybe I am expecting too much too soon.

[andyswarbs]

Just eating more fruit and veg per se will not bring blood pressure down. Yes it will help, but you need to adapt to a whole-food plant-based lifestyle approach to achieve the blood pressure drop. Once you do that then blood pressure comes down reliably, and for some people quite quickly (measured in weeks).

But as Activity2004 says keep your doctor informed because if you are on blood pressure reducing medication then you will need to carefully reduce intake that as change happens. Otherwise you could end up with low blood pressure and that is dangerous. Also if your blood pressure does not drop then that could signify other health issues.

Otherwise as far as I know reduction in blood pressure is not age-dependent.

My advice is to continue in your approach and steadily increase your intake of whole & plant foods and reducing intake of meat, dairy & fish as you get to know the new lifestyle. Taking the change slowly and steadily yields best success for most people. Yes, some people can make the change overnight but they are few and far between.

For a more professional perspective please take a look at this webpage with eight ways to lower blood pressure pcrm.org/health/reports/eig....

[Tunisia1 in reply to andyswarbs]

Hi, The page you give me has been very helpful....thank you.

[Hidden]

If you are over 70 and you have been eating a lot of sugar on a regular basis for the past several decades (?), 6 weeks would be a little early to expect anything drastic. . . The sugar damage could well be cumulative over the years on top of natural ageing.

Older age is never easy. I read an article of late that even the benefit of exercises in older people isn't going to be as good as those in much younger people, let's say, up to about 35-40 years old. I was quite shocked by this but I guess we cannot expect our body to be as good as let's say, 10 years ago. We could do our best to delay the process but any "short-term fix"? Best to be realistic whilst we continue to resist the horrible ageing. Do we notice far more article on anti-ageing food or anti-ageing that, lately?

[Tunisia1 in reply to Hidden]

Hi anothermember, I think my problem is that I have always been very healthy, so got a shock when the Dr. said I had high blood pressure and cholestrol....I am 73 now and will have to accept things do happen when your older.

[Hidden in reply to Tunisia1]

You must have been very healthy, not having any major issues until you are 73 years old. You must have been very well. I must say, "you have done very well!" compared to some of us.

[das_vikas]

I would suggest that you take doctor’s advice. Salt intake also is a factor in blood pressure and so are various other that a doctor will be best to assess

[Penel]

Hi Tunisia

You could try taking Omega 3 or garlic capsules, which may help to reduce BP. See if you can increase your exercise.

This article has some useful ideas

healthline.com/health/high-...

Six weeks may not be long enough to see a difference, but you do need to be guided by your doctor.

[Tunisia1 in reply to Penel]

Hi Panel, I do a lot of walking each day (my dog sees to that lol) I will try garlic tablets...I do eat a lot of fish, chicken and loads of veg....not overweight (8 st 7 lbs) and never have been...I will be seeing the Dr. in 4 weeks...hopefully my blood pressure will have come down a bit by then.

[Hidden in reply to Tunisia1]

My mom always gets them to check her bp twice she now has a home...monitor. Because when doctors do it you can have raised bp just looking at a doctors office. So when she gets the second one they take an average and she has much lower bp. Since you sound as fit as a fiddle...maybe that? My mom was pretty fit too and cycled and hiked a lot up mountains... Only that she broke her hip things got all messed up from that and took time to heal. But she's managed to get off all but two tiny doses of meds one for diabetes one for bp. It took her a couple of years to get there but then she had a massive injury.

[Janvi10]

Have you considered trying yoga classes? My friend who is in her late60's and overweight tried it and her blood pressure came right down. Sometimes it's other pressures in life that contribute to high blood pressure so yoga or meditation might help but consult your doctor first before starting anything like this.

[Tunisia1 in reply to Janvi10]

Hi Janvi, I used to do yoga a lot and really enjoyed it, just done it at home with a dvd....I also used to do a lot of stretching exercises....will have to start these again.

[PhilFreeToAsk in reply to Tunisia1]

Deep abdominal breathing can help bring down BP. There are bio feedback machines that are sold that can help.

My yoga teacher always reminded us that the main purpose of yoga is the ability to sit still and meditate. It is that awareness and that will bring calm. Now as part of your yoga practice are you meditating and using the breathing techniques learnt in yoga? The meditation and relaxation maybe your most important parts of practice and use the poses to prepare your body to be relaxed.

BTW, I no longer practice yoga as I prefer Tai Chi and Qigong. Yet the same principles exist about breathing and awareness.

[Marion_63]

Hi Tunisia1

My blood pressure came down after changing my eating habits, but I had lost a significant amount of weight too. My body told me when it was time to come off the medication I had been on for a long time, when it dropped drastically. It was all to do with the changes I have made over the last 8-9 months or so. I am 63 and had high blood pressure and an underactive thyroid. (can't do anything about my thyroid problem, but healthy eating and weight loss changed it all for me).

Hope you get the results you want, but get the blood pressure checked out.xxx

[Reeniem in reply to Marion_63]

👍👍

[Tunisia1 in reply to Marion_63]

Thank you for your reply Marion...I probably need to give my healthy eating more time to get good results...I am on medication at the moment for high blood pressure, but would eventually hope to get of it.

[Marion_63 in reply to Tunisia1]

I hope you can resolve your blood pressure problem in the same way I managed to do it. You just have to do it little by little and believe me you will get there.

We will be here to help you and as time goes by I am sure you will love the changes. My husband watched the changes in me this time round and has been encouraged to persevere and make changes too, so this healthy eating lark gets you hooked when things start to change.

My only regret is I was not in the frame of mind I needed to be to succeed years ago.

Good luck!

[Tunisia1 in reply to Marion_63]

Thank you Marion.

[Lantyrn]

Hi Tunisia1,

Great to hear that you've said goodbye to the cake and sweets!

I would cut down on the fruit (and rice), as one of the waste products produced when fruit sugar (fructose) is broken down by the liver is uric acid. Uric acid drives up blood pressure by inhibiting nitric oxide in our blood vessels. Think of nitric oxide as the stuff that keeps our blood vessels squeaky clean. It helps them maintain their elasticity; so suppressing nitric oxide leads to an increase in blood pressure.

Supplements I would take:

If you only take one, I would make it magnesium glycinate (400mg in the morning and again in the evening.)

Vitamin C, Vitamin D3 (not D2); omega-3 (fish oil)

[Tunisia1 in reply to Lantyrn]

Hi Lantyrn, I will def. cut down on the fruit...you have given me so much information.....thank you.