Has anyone positively affected high blood pressure through diet/other non medication means?

[Bemyclementine]

Disclaimer- I am taking the meds and will continue to do so.

I'm interested to know if there's anything I can do, diet or otherwise, to have a positive impact on my high BP.

Reducing stress is my biggest hurdle. Stressful job that I can't change atm, divorce, house/mortgage difficulties.

Other than that, I'm reasonably active (13k -21k steps a day) could lose some weight, I'm trying. Don't smoke. Significantly reduced wine intake (see above re stress was using wine as a daily crutch)

My sister lost 3st and her BP has gone down so much she is going to trial coming off BP medication. She was also pre diabetic but that is now normal.
Meanwhile my BP is going up with stress, thanks to my lovely elderly mother!
I have lost several pounds and exercise most days but hasn't made any difference yet ,but i will persevere as i don't want to be on increasing amounts of BP tablets.

I'd be interested in this too. Covid has left me with moderately high BP and I would love to come off medication.

Regular exercise, not just steps will help and is very effective and lowering BP.

@NK346f2849X127d8bca260 do you mind me asking, if your sister was very /a bit overweight? I mean, I could lose 3st I guess but it would be more likely 1 and half or 2.

@Hotchocfudgecake I'll be honest, I struggle with exercise. I used to do a lot , pre children and divorce. But am a single parent and really struggle with the motivation to exercise at home.

Weirdly mine has come down through walking. But not daily walking - longer endurance walks. I have to take readings three times a day for a week every couple of months so that I can give the average to my GP for a prescription renewal for my HRT. My triple figure diastolic is an issue with me.

I noticed that it didn’t really come down when I did four or five miles a day every single day. But I got back from a weekend walking in the Lakes where I did 12 hilly miles on the Saturday and 8 on the Sunday and it had dropped from around 110 to around 90. And as long as I do a 10+ mile long walk at least once a week, plus a couple of cycle commutes to work (9 miles each way) it stays down. I got a “really well done” off my GP (who can’t explain why this happens either), and I’m now off my meds.

I think there has been some research into the impact of beetroot juice on blood pressure. Obvs check with your medical professional etc etc (I don't know if there are any contraindications and suchlike) x

I would LOVE 10 Mike's walks but 2 small DC in tow it would take me a week I think. 🤣

Yes but I don't honk it's easy. Husband is very healthy and does lots of fast swimming (very technical term)

He swims 5 x a week. He is BMI 23 and was headed to a crisis. Off the scale in home monitor.

It think it's diet. No alcohol no red meat no salt. Lots of veg. Nothing processed. Low carb ,lean protein. Lots of veg no sugar etc

A clinical pharmacologist told me earlier this year I’d need to lose weight if I wanted to take fewer BP medications. I was on 4 then.

I’m now under the obesity service at the same hospital, have already stopped the beta blocker (hurray!) and am on a lower dose of a second pill. So I’m now on 2.5 medications, following a weight loss of about 20 pounds. As I lose more weight I hope to further reduce the medication I’m taking.

@PauliesWalnuts , that’s very good to read.

DH managed to do it - he had HBP in his early thirties, with every grandparent having died with HBP of either stroke or heart attack.

He was very slightly overweight and managed to lose the excess weight through just snacking less and eating more veg.

He took up regular exercise - not just light activity but proper, out-of-breath-and-sweating cardio, and weights.

He has pretty much given up drinking (has a small glass of wine maybe once a month) and has completely given up caffeine.

Yes, I lost a significant amount of weight and my blood pressure meds were reduced drastically

I asked my GP whether losing weight would have an impact and he said no, not at my weight. He also said that Drs used to advise losing 1kg lowered your BP by 1 point (or similar) but they do t anymore as its not true!

In any case, I do want to lose weight so will keep at it. My BP was very high a couple of weeks ago and it's scared me somewhat

I'm interested, in anything to help lower HBP. I ended up in hospital recently as my readings were also off the charts.
I've been started on a low dose of Amlodipine and making a daily record. Although luckily I didn't feel terribly ill it did worry me that I could have had a stroke.

@ibe what were your readings?

@Bemyclementine it was 216/126

Thank you. Mine was high at home, still high at the GP but not as high. It was 190/115 at home

It's so hard not to get stressed about it.

Yes I have, mine was borderline high enough hat I was told I might have to stop HRT. I never add salt to food but was told that that for some people salt isn't as issue anyway. Never smoked and don't drink alcohol.

I started work as a supermarket online picker, so pushing a heavy trolley and walking for 6 hour shifts. The store I was working in was huge, so I would often have to go from one end to the other.

I was diagnosed with HBP ten years ago. At the time I was drinking between 4-6 litres of Pepsi max a day. My BP was 175/110.

I quit the Pepsi max, my BP dropped to 140/90. Still HBP but not so dangerously high.

Now I maintain with meds, smoking and caffeine definitely make it higher so I avoid both (with admitted difficulty sometimes!)

When I fell pregnant, my BP dropped to 125/90 unmedicated. It's gone up now I'm in 3rd trimester and I'm on betablockers.

Dunno if any of that helps 😁

Ah just adding - I'm very fit and active, my resting heart rate is 60 and I work out 5 times a week. Didn't lower my BP though, I still needed meds. Docs said it was idiopathic/hereditary

Yes my husband’s blood pressure was too high. We adopted two dogs which he walks daily and his blood pressure returned to normal, in fact it’s now slightly on the low side.

Check out Whole Food Plant Based Diet. Films: the game changers, what the health. Doctors Ornish, Pritkin, Macdougall.

No. Was already slim, healthy etc etc etc. Pills are good though.

Regular runner, bit of a gym bunny, very fit and active. Normal weight and decent diet. But stressful job, regular night shifts and family history of high bp (although dad lived til his 80s, mum to 90s). I'm on a small dose of 2 drugs and bp is fine. I treat it like any other chronic condition. I do what I can to stay healthy but have come to terms with the fact that I need medication much like someone who needs thyroxine for an underactive throid..