Question about High Blood Pressure

[Hope Shimmers]

No, "everyone" doesn't know that, or anything else for that matter.

 

That said, I wasn't discussing BP or cholesterol being related to cardiovascular disease. I was discussing BP and cholesterol's relation to each other, which in your previous post that I quoted, made it sound as though they were not related. The two posters before you mentioned high cholesterol as potential causes of her high BP, and your response to them was that her cholesterol would have nothing to do with her BP.

 

But obviously, the two are linked. Where there is high cholesterol, high BP will usually be found as well. So to dismiss her cholesterol as being a cause or contributing factor, as you did, is confusing to people reading.

 

You say that's not what you were discussing, yet that's what your quoted article stated - the link to atherosclerosis.

 

No, it is not "obvious" that the two are linked in the way that you are stating. I do know what I am talking about, believe it or not.

 

I don't know why you constantly find it necessary to attack me, but if you have anything additional to say directly to me, please do it by PM. This is not helping the OP. All posters here are entitled to their opinions; me just as much as you. Thanks.

[Hope Shimmers]

Stress can certainly give overdone blood pressure readings. Take it from me. I have alot on my mind concerning the woman I have a crush on and blood pressure hits 170 over 110 sometimes.

 

Absolutely.... I have the same problem. Although 170/110 is very high!

[kenmore]

Absolutely.... I have the same problem. Although 170/110 is very high!

 

I agree, that's very high!

 

HS, where was that post? I didn't see it and didn't remember it.

 

I agree that high cholestrol is a vascular issue in the long run and can cause a buildup of plaque which can lead to high BP, it's unlikely in the OPs case. I think jacg89 will find that with a better diet and more exercise, her BP will be just fine and most likely her Dr will just tell her to keep doing what she's doing, not put her on meds yet, and will ask her to come back for a checkup in about a month. My take on her BP is that it's something good for her to be aware of and keep an eye on, but not serious enough by a long shot to get crazy with.

 

BP meds like most meds lose their effectiveness after awhile. A person's body will build up a resistance, so Drs are loathe to prescribe meds if they are not absolutely necessary. Doing so prematurely reduces the effective life-span of the medication.

 

jacg89, I hope you were able to relax and not be too upset about these numbers. Truly, I would be happy with every reading you posted except the last, and that was most likely a freak reading. It will change wildly throughout the day, so what you need (if you're really concerned) is a graph. Take your readings, put them in excel and plot a graph. That will reveal what you need to know, especially as the decades go by...or like me, you will grow bored with it and wait for the surprise reading someday. So far, it's ok. Hugs!

 

Ken

[kenmore]

BTW, if you want to talk high, my SIL has had readings as high as 200/150. She has been rejecting "western medicine" (which is odd since she's western), and has gone the natural path. It has slowly worked for her but it's a struggle constantly. Odd diets, constantly reading labels, tinctures etc. I prefer to take a stupid pill once a day and get on with my life! The wonders of western medicine!!

[Clarence_Boddicker]

Wow, next we'll be hearing that the Atkins diet or the new trendy versions of it will reverse all the damage caused by years of a high cholesterol diet. Some are deluded into believing that carbs causes plaque & hardening of the arteries, not cholesterol. Some think that cutting out carbs will remove all the plaque from the arteries. Crazy. During the Vietnam war, it was noticed that young soldiers had a lot of plaque in their arteries. Growing up & living in the '40-'60s people had a very high cholesterol diet. Steak & eggs for breakfast, lots of milk drinking even as adults, limited veggies, etc had a measurable effect on their arteries.

[kenmore]

Wow, next we'll be hearing that the Atkins diet or the new trendy versions of it will reverse all the damage caused by years of a high cholesterol diet. Some are deluded into believing that carbs causes plaque & hardening of the arteries, not cholesterol. Some think that cutting out carbs will remove all the plaque from the arteries. Crazy. During the Vietnam war, it was noticed that young soldiers had a lot of plaque in their arteries. Growing up & living in the '40-'60s people had a very high cholesterol diet. Steak & eggs for breakfast, lots of milk drinking even as adults, limited veggies, etc had a measurable effect on their arteries.

 

I know! Everyone should know it's vinegar that dissolves plaque...geesh!

[fitnessfan365]

121/82 is perfectly fine!

 

But your BP didn't start going up until you started obsessing and getting anxiety about it. There is a condition called "white coat syndrome". It was originally named after people who freak out taking their BP in doctor's offices, hospitals, etc.. They worry their BP will be high so it is. The principle is the same here. Your stress over it in the moment of the testing is what's causing it to be high.

 

My advice OP? Stop taking your blood pressure. You're only 26. But if you don't make changes to your daily living habits now, it will have bad effects in the long run. So take this new found obsession and put it into - eating healthier (junk food once a week in moderation is fine though), drinking a ton of water, and exercising 5x a week. Dropping 20-30lbs combined w-better eating habits will go along way.

Edited August 13, 2015 by fitnessfan365

[Hope Shimmers]

I agree, that's very high!

 

HS, where was that post? I didn't see it and didn't remember it.

 

I think it was a troll and he got booted.

 

BP meds like most meds lose their effectiveness after awhile. A person's body will build up a resistance, so Drs are loathe to prescribe meds if they are not absolutely necessary. Doing so prematurely reduces the effective life-span of the medication.

 

Um, I'm just going to let that one go.

 

Regarding low-carb and cholesterol... low-carb diets have been shown to raise HDL (the "good" cholesterol), it is controversial what it does to LDL ("bad" cholesterol). In some studies it goes down, in some it stays the same, and in some it goes up.

 

It depends. It's complicated. For example, in a patient with metabolic syndrome, a low-carb diet can totally reverse the syndrome, and that reversal leads to a much better lipid profile overall.

 

But no, a low-carb diet won't get rid of atherosclerosis that already exists.

[Els]

BP isn't something that can be taken in isolation in a few readings - it's the long-term BP that counts. And the numbers you mention aren't excessively high.

 

Go to a doc if you're worried, but seriously, life is too short to be sitting around obsessing over an individual BP reading and trying to figure out what caused it. It's the long-term lifestyle and average readings that matter.