Think my BP has gone up again.Any diet/lifestyle changes that will help me?

[HarrietJones]

I had lots of problems with meds so want to avoid as long as possible.

I'm trying to lose weight but I'm still struggling with SPD so limited in terms of exercise.
I'm vegetarian , don't drink or smoke, don't drink tea or coffee.

Any suggestions please?

What is SPD?

A friend had good results with reflexology.

Reduce your salt.

Definately salt - it makes a big difference.

information here.

Already on low salt diet due to BLW dd3. I'm not one for adding salt either.

SPD- symphis pubis disorder. It's weakness in my hips/pelvis left over from pregnancy. I have been seeing an osteopath & Physio but have plateaued(sp?) at a 20-25 min walk. Went swimming at the weekend but was in pain afterwards so not a great idea! I've been trying to build it up for about 6 months.

From what you have said there really isn't much wrong with your lifestyle other the increasing exercise (which isn't possible) or weight loss.

If your BMI is over 28 you could try Alli from your pharmacy or GP. If your BMI is under that then you are looking at a 1000-1250 calories a day diet that will reduce your weight by about 2lbs a week.

My pregnancy SPD was helped by acupuncture and gentle swimming, and resolved itself over time, after birth. Yoga may be worth a try, and a daily teaspoon of cold-pressed Nigella sativa oil.

www.greenlife.co.uk/greenlife-direct/product/a-vogel-crataegus-hawthorn/33527/

I had a stroke a while ago due to high bp. I had bad reactions to drugs (and prefer natural remedies where possible). This 'hawthorn' remedy did lower my bp..admittedly not by much and not straight away but worth trying in my opinion.
all the best :)

Thanks. Sorry to hear of your stroke Kaytee , we gave a string family history of strokes and it terrifies me.

If your BP is resistent to changes then actually I think you need to look at medication sooner rather than later because high BP is a risk factor for a number of medical problems.
Talk to your GP about the problems you've had before and see what they suggest.

Oh and if you're looking at natural remedies as well make sure you make your doctor aware as natural does not mean benign and they can interract with drugs and have an impact on other parts of your body too - such as kidney function.

I think it's only gone up inthe last few weeks. I've been off meds for over a year as it improved ( got too low) inpregnancy and after.

Dh has suggested it's gone up since I started the pill & wants me to stop.

I'm breastfeeding too which will be a problem with medication.

Try some yoga classes. They teach breathing techniques that will reduce your blood pressure. I know they work because I have low BP and very nearly passed out after doing a bit too much controlled breathing!!

In that case I would definately stop the pill (and use something else!)
Are you having symptoms? Maybe get booked in to the GP for a review in any case?

Oh and have you tried cycling? You need a bike that's easy to get on to - proper ladies bike but then when you're on your pelvis is well supported. Much easier than walking.

Got an appt with the nurse for a BP check this afternoon.
Had it done yesterday in Asda chemist but I wasn't v relaxed so will try again today. 126/102 yesterday which is what it used to be like.
I've just been feeling a bit odd, overheating/shaky/v tired which is similar to before

Cattleprod- I got sent out of yoga for passing out a few years ago ( when I had low BP!)

Oh I couldn't take the pill either, definitely go off of it if your bp is high.
Swimming is a good exercise that is easy on the body.

Hope you get it under control.

The pill is to combat the PMt/PND Because I had side affect to anti-ds so it's more than contraception.

If it high this pm I'll stop & see GP next week.

I'm a wreck

There has been some interesting discussion re Beetroot juice and lower BP. It's alleged to contain dietary nitrates, and hence has an effect on cardiac pressure...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20585108

Otherwise:
lowfat low sugar diet
plenty of water and fibre
gentle excercise - but talk to your GP first (and ask him about beetroot!)

Thats interesting!

BP was /99. Nurse wants to check again next week.

Harriet - there are two measurements of BP - the top figure, the systolic, is your pressure when the heart is contracting; the bottom figure, the diastolic, is when your heart is relaxed. All the evidence suggests that a sustained systolic >160 or, as in your case, a sustained diastolic >90 is not good for you in the long-term (increased risk of stroke, heart disease, kidney damage, etc.).
All the things I am sure you are doing already are excellent at keeping blood pressure down - getting your BMI down to between 22 and 25; regular exercise (at least half an hour every day of exercise sufficiently string you make you a wee bit puffed); low salt (very important), healthy diet, low alcohol and caffeine, etc
If you are worried about you pill then switching the progestogen-only pill should not affect you blood pressure although it's not as effective a contraceptive in younger women.
But it would be worth looking at you family history because the biggest risk factor for hypertension, and the one you can do nothing about, is your genes. If you have a strong family history of hypertension then it's possible you may end up the same way.
That being the case medication is likely to ultimately be the only way of keeping your blood pressure under control and, more often than not, it requires more than one anti-hypertensive drug to achieve that.
Good luck!

I am on the progesterone only pill. I've had bad reactions in the past to BP meds but the last pregnancy lowered it and kept low until the last month( period returned then/started pill).

When my BP is high I have a high diastolic figure , systolic usually around 125-130. I usually have a high pulse too ( when I was pregnant it was 120 sitting in the hospital). When it all started I had scans of heart/BP monitor/ other tests on kidneys & all sorts of stuff, but they couldn't find a cause.

I'm now over weight ( no idea how much , but size 16 ish so quite a bit) but I'm eating a fairly healthy diet, breastfeeding( 5+ a day) but still limited re exercise as a 30 min walk leaves me in a lot of pain and I can't do anything for a while so I stick to 20 mins a couple of times a day ( pushing a pram!).

My Mam has high BP but controlled better than mine was. 3/4 grandparents and at least 2 g-grandparents have had strokes.

I'm also returning to work in 2 months to a stressful job which won't help!

do you cook from scratch? just there can be a lot of hidden salt in sauce jars, cuppa soups etc..if pill is progestogen only I would keep taking it, my bp is borderline high so had to come off combined pill but every gp has been happy for me to stay on progestogen only pill.