Blood Pressure
Since late fall of last year I've been trying to monitor my health better. Mostly it's tied into my training and wanting to return to local amature bike racing. So I weigh myself and check my resting heart rate regularly. A little more difficult to check is blood pressure, as I don't have the equipment. Whenever I'm at Target, Sam's or someplace that has one of those blood pressure kiosk, and I remember to so, I'll take a blood pressure reading.
Well the trend has been that it's a little high. If I average all of them together I seem to be pre- to stage 1 hypertension. There is a family history of high blood pressure in my family (I think). Cause I like to think of myself as healthy, I wasn't sure if I should be concerned. I made an appointment to see the doc last week and he prescribed me a low dose of hydrochlorothiazide. It's a diuretic, so I may end up peeing alot at first. There's also the chance that it could throw off my potassium balance.
So i havn't filled it yet. I don't know how this will effect my training (uh hello, as an endurance athlete I need to be able to stay hydrated, and potassium is usefull to keep muscles from cramping if I remember correctly).
Reading around on the interwebs I hear different things that may work to lower blood pressure without meds. Like adjusting diet and stuff. It's not like I add salt to everything and eat crap. But maybe I have to be even more cautious of my sodium intake. Supposedly eating foods rich in potassium can help lower pressure too.
I'm gonna give it a week or two, before I try to go on the meds. They just really make me nervous.
MayoClinic.com info on Hypertension
American Heart Association on meds for high blood pressure
Updates: Wednesday 02/20/2008, Tuesday 04/08/2008
trainingtrainingblood+pressureblood+pressureMayo+ClinicMayo+ClinicDoctorDoctordietdietsaltsaltcyclingcyclingnot+funnot+fun
Monday 01/28/2008 | 01:23 pm
Gunnar on Tuesday 02/05/2008 | 09:15 am
Hey Gwadzilla. Nice to hear from you. Definately see the doc. See what he has to say. High blood pressure has no signs or symptoms, other than the measurements. I've been eating foods high in potassium and attempting to cut salt(sodium) from my diet. It's actually harder than it seems. Especially since I LOVE bread and baked goods. Most baked goods use baking soda and/or baking powder and salt to get some fluffyness out of it. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. Ugh. Sodium. It's in so much stuff.
My dad said that lemongrass tea lowered his pressure enough to keep him off meds for a long time. The trick is to use the leaves, the grass blades and not the stalk, that's usually used in Thai soups and cooking. Cut up the leaves and boil in water to make a tea, that can be kept in the fridge. He said to drink it twice a day (morning and night). My problem... I can't find a source for lemongrass leaves. My dad, in Hawaii, has it growing in his yard. But he think it'll dry out too much if he mailed it to me. I trid the asain food store, but only found the stalks. I'll have to keep searching.
Anyway. My systolic (the higher number) has come down a couple of points but is still high, but my diastolic (the lower number) is in the normal range. This week I'm trying a low dose potassium suppliment. I don't think anyone would recomend doing this unless directed by a doctor. But I'm gonna give it a week and see how it affects me.
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gwadzilla on Tuesday 02/05/2008 | 09:00 am
I need to go to the doctor
I need to do some things to bring my blood pressure down