I take Losartan (12mg) + HCTZ (12.5 mg) as well. I take them separately though because I don’t need the HCTZ all the time and sometimes need more in the summer. For some reason hot weather makes me retain fluid like crazy. I have one kidney (other removed due to cancer) so my aim is to protect it to the greatest extent possible from damage caused by diabetes and high blood pressure. Works fine without any side effects.
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Do you mean when your cholesterol was over 200? A statin is a cholesterol medication.
I would consider asking your doctor about doing a renal doppler. It is possible you could have renal artery stenosis that is causing the high blood pressure.
Tim, you forgot to add the most basic risk for heart disease: You’re male
My blood pressure isn’t that bad without meds. About 140 over 75. Once every few weeks it will climb to 160 over 80. I think this is just age. I will be floored if it is something more serious. All of my blood test results are good. Of course I never dreamed that I would need 2 stents either. Wish I would have started my very low fat plant based diet decades ago. My dad stopped eating fat in his mid 60’s and his arteries in his mid 80’s were amazingly clean.
I just googled renal artery stenosis. I have none of the symptoms thank goodness.
The natural items that I know have been successful for some people, hibiscus, Kyolic garlic they have 2 formulas, (which is Phyllis Balch’s recommendations, she is a well accepted natural CNC), magnesium and potassium, arginine, Michaels blood pressure formula has most of that in it but it was pretty big tablets. Unfortunately age does play a big factor.
Hi Marilyn
I have a lot of natural blood pressure lowering methods for you that have been clinically tested (I’ll post the links too so you can read them and decide if any are right for you) and shown to have benefits. Anecdotally, all of these combined helped drop my average blood pressure by 22/12 points without any medication or negative side effects.
The first is increasing fiber intake. You’re on a plant based diet so presumably you’re hitting the recommended 30 grams daily intake of fiber. However, in studies done on rural populations in third world countries like Africa where high blood pressure is literally nonexistent, they are eating upwards of 80+ grams of fiber a day and have an average blood pressure of 105/67 to show for it.
The second is salt intake. I know you said you use very little salt which is great! It would be worth your while to track your salt intake for a few days just to make sure you are staying under the 1,500 to 2,000mg recommendation by the AHA. A lot of sauces or processed foods sneak in a ton of salt without tasting salty and tipping you off to it. I thought I had good control over my salt intake and then I tracked it and found out I actually was eating 6,000mg of salt a day, and I barely ever added salt to meals at that time. A good rule is to read the nutrition label and if it has more milligrams of salt than there are calories per serving, then it has too much salt in it. The reasoning here is that if you eat a diet of 1,500 to 2,000 calories a day and you only eat foods that have less salt than calories, you will always end up eating the same or lesser amount of salt as you do calories, coming in under 2,000 a day.
2-3 tbsp of ground flax seeds per day rivals some blood pressure meds.
4 tea bags worth of hibiscus tea per day has been shown to drop blood pressure.
The following are things that have been shown to “enhance endothelial function” (meaning your arteries are able to be more compliant and maintain a healthy blood pressure):
2 tbsp of vinegar per day. Most kinds of vinegar seem to have at least a little effect but I personally use balsamic or apple cider vinegar since they have more palatability for salads and homemade sauces.
An ounce of walnuts or pistachios per day. I saw that you were on a very low fat vegan diet, hopefully not so low that you’re excluding healthy nuts. Walnuts/pistachios have been shown to improve artery function, prevent strokes, and lower cholesterol.
1.5 cups of blueberries per day.
2 tbsp of cacao powder, basically just chocolate without the milk/fat/sugar added to it. Great for smoothies. Avoid the dutch processed stuff, it loses a lot of nutrients when it gets processed.
Nitrate rich vegetables. I usually go for arugula, beets, or spinach since they are so easily incorporated into meals. These veggies are some of the highest supply sources of the precursor that our bodies use to make nitric oxide, which is what keeps our arteries healthy and allows them to respond and relax to high blood pressure.
Hope some of this helps.
Sources:
Fiber:
Flax:
Hibiscus:
Vinegar:
Walnuts/pistachios:
Blueberries:
Cacao:
Nitrate Vegetables:
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Good…It just came to mind because often the first signs is sudden hypertension.
Wow kpsilop, what a great and generous first post!! I have never added up my fiber, but most everything I eat has fiber. The only thing I eat that has a nutrition label is nutritional yeast which I use for a bit of cheese like flavor and B12. I eat great quantities of organic leafy vegetables, coniferous vegetables, legumes, a bit of rice, lots of potatoes, lentils and fresh fruit. I use no sauces, oils, or prepared foods. I do not eat nuts because of the fat content, but have been thinking of including a walnut or two. I eat a T of flax and chai seeds every morning. I don’t put anything on salads but about 1 tsp. of pumpkin kernels. I think I am ready to change to non salted. It is amazing how much my taste buds have changed in the last 2 1/2 yrs. I haven’t had a meal out since Thanksgiving and I think I will have a problem with all the oil and salt when I next have a meal out. I can’t believe how different food tastes now. I never thought I could do without salt, but now I don’t want it.
I already drink 2 teabags of hibiscus tea daily, but will try increasing the amounts.
Also now drink beet juice which includes apples and fresh ginger root which my husband makes me every few days. It is great at bringing up low glucose levels.
I use cacao in the garbanzo bean cookies which I eat daily, although I don’t eat amounts you mentioned.
I have read about vinegar being helpful, but haven’t incorporated it into my diet yet.
I eat a cup of blueberries every morning. I can increase that amount to 1 1/cups.
I will read more of the info you sent. It looks like I need to increase my amounts of what I already have tried.
Thanks so much.
Marilyn
Thanks Marie, I will order the Michael’s BP med.
Wow - thank you so much for this kpsilop - I am struggling a bit with high blood pressure and now my doc has put me on a statin. I have tried a statin before but it made my blood sugar go crazy. This new one is called Teva-Fluvastatin and I used it yesterday for the first time and I did feel rather weird all day. I am going to give it a fair shot, a colleague mentioned that you do get used to it eventually.
I am curious if others had similar responses to a statin. But now I am going to incorporate all your tips! Thanks so much, very appreciated!
Sheryl
From what I have read, this risk factor changes once diabetes enters the picture. I’ve read that women with diabetes are at increased risk of heart disease and other diabetes complications compared to men with diabetes.
Agree with others - very important to get BP to normal or face kidney, eye, and all kinds of other problems. Natural remedies include high-potassium foods (e.g., bananas) or dark chocolate (>75% cacao). Losartan is a bp drug that has the side benefit of providing some protection to the kidneys, so that might be a good choice for a diabetic.
Last but not least, consider buying your own bp machine and checking your bp from home periodically. You might see a pattern that can help you manage it without meds. If you do that, I also suggest calibrating your machine with the one at the doctor’s office next time you go.
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I am on losarton. I am not pleased with the drug. It makes my throat sore. I did not Have a problem the first year. But the second year coughing and sore throat. ,
Pulled a pectoral muscle, initially thought it was a heart problem, sent to Er, had a cardiac catheterization done due to high risk factors although no previous heart issues.
Although no need for stents and excellent cholesterol numbers, i left with a script for Lipitor due to diabetes. My primary doc said it was preventive. .
So far so good. Have not noticed any side issues yet