23 replies to this topic

[Lobotomy]

I am 26 years old, under 200lbs, and I have a regular 160/99 blood pressure, but otherwise relatively healthy. Just a hair under Stage 2 Hypertension. There is no stage 3.

 

There are some doctors who have told me that they are legitimately surprised that I am not dead. I have a feeling that it is a result of very frequent (sometimes more than once a day) Albuterol Sulfate use as a child. As soon as I am able (next month), I'm changing my diet to include more vegetables, less salt, and less processed bullshit, but I'm not giving up red meat. I am also exercising more.

 

What are some (hopefully inexpensive) supplements I should take to drastically lower my blood pressure? It's so bad that I feel my blood pumping at all times in any given area. I do mean drastically, I'm pretty sure that my BP is going to be hypertensive forever, regardless of what I do to aid it.

 

If you could, I'd like facts, figures, percentages of reduction, etc to go with the suggested supplements and I'll build a stack out of them in this post.

[niner]

I wouldn't mess with supplements in this case, I'd use an Angiotensin Receptor Blocker (ARB).  Along with slowing the development of atherosclerosis and end-organ damage, they have independent effects that are pro-longevity.  See for example here and here.  Diovan would be a good starting point.  I used to use it with great success, no side effects.  You could try losing weight- if you lost enough, that would probably pull your bp down.  However you do it, that should be job one.

 

You don't need to quit red meat.  Red meat isn't the problem.  You might want to consider getting rid of processed meat, however.  Just get rid of everything that's processed or pre-prepared for you.  You may have to cook more, but eating real food is way better than eating toxic crap.

 

Just to be on the safe side, you ought to ask your doctor exactly what it was that was supposed to have killed you.  Is there anything else going on besides the hypertension?  What are your doctors suggesting as a course of treatment, anyway?  This is not something that you should screw around with.  Do you still have asthma?  If so, consider c60-olive oil.

[Lobotomy]

I wouldn't mess with supplements in this case, I'd use an Angiotensin Receptor Blocker (ARB).  Along with slowing the development of atherosclerosis and end-organ damage, they have independent effects that are pro-longevity.  See for example here and here.  Diovan would be a good starting point.  I used to use it with great success, no side effects.  You could try losing weight- if you lost enough, that would probably pull your bp down.  However you do it, that should be job one.

Yeah, like I said, exercise and diet are my priority. I wouldn't say I'm overweight, at least not unmanageably, but I suppose there is some work to be done. What are some ARBs you'd recommend that aren't Diovan? I'd like to be able to one day get off it and still have my penis work afterwards. That, and I do not trust Big Pharma. Their products have already done enough damage to my life. But seriously, any supplements or OTC drugs I can take that won't give me ED? That's not even something I want to run a small risk of having.

 

Just to be on the safe side, you ought to ask your doctor exactly what it was that was supposed to have killed you.  Is there anything else going on besides the hypertension?  What are your doctors suggesting as a course of treatment, anyway?  This is not something that you should screw around with.  Do you still have asthma?  If so, consider c60-olive oil.

 

 

I have infrequent asthma attacks, maybe a handful of times a month, and none are life-threatening. Still have an inhaler for those events. Is there any documentation on c60? A quick google search made it look a lot like an overpromising snake oil.

 

You don't need to quit red meat.  Red meat isn't the problem.  You might want to consider getting rid of processed meat, however.  Just get rid of everything that's processed or pre-prepared for you.  You may have to cook more, but eating real food is way better than eating toxic crap.

 
Oh yeah, I absolutely hate how I eat, but I simply don't make enough money to eat as healthy as I want, and half of the year, every year, I'm stuck in an apartment, so I can't burn this processed bullshit off fast enough.

Edited by Lobotomy, 09 April 2014 - 07:13 AM.

[blood]

What are some ARBs you'd recommend that aren't Diovan? I'd like to be able to one day get off it and still have my penis work afterwards. That, and I do not trust Big Pharma. Their products have already done enough damage to my life. But seriously, any supplements or OTC drugs I can take that won't give me ED?

 

If you want your penis to continue working, then you need to treat your *dangerously elevated* blood pressure like the medical emergency that it is. Unmanaged hypertension will eventually render you you impotent. Hypertension will also attack your mind & ability to think by damaging the delicate capillaries in your brain. I.e., you may end up demented & impotent if you don't do something - quickly - about the elevated BP.

 

Erectile dysfunction is not a very likely side effect of ARBs - but it is a (potentially permanent) consequence of hypertension! 

 

Other ARBS include losartan & telmisartan. I like telmisartan because it has a dual action as an ARB and also as a PPAR-gamma & -delta agonist & has been found to stimulate the loss of visceral (abdominal) fat in people with hypertension. My opinion (I'm not a doctor!) is that ARBs are pretty much the appropriate 'first line' drug for hypertensive people. Although, your Doctor may try and force a diuretic on you. Also: initially you may need more than one drug depending on the source of your hypertension.

 

I agree with niner's advice. Your blood pressure is way too high to try and deal with this solely through lifestyle changes. Diet, supplements, weight loss take months to work their magic. Can you afford to wait?

 

Note: this web page is a decent list of lifestyle modifications (supplements, exercises, etc) for lowering blood pressure:

http://www.peaktesto...d_Pressure.aspx

(The guy who wrote that page is anti-pharmaceuticals and mentions a meta-analysis from 2010 which found a link between the use of ARBs & cancer; however more thorough analyses done since then haven't confirmed the link. Also, you'd likely only be taking BP drugs for a short period - say half a year - assuming you implement lifestyle improvements. Finally, you need to weigh the different risks sensibly. I.e., the real possibility that you could have a stroke if you don't deal with your high BP, versus the remote/ unlikely possibility you'll increase your risk of 'cancer' by taking e.g., an ARB.)

 

 

Edited by blood, 09 April 2014 - 08:02 AM.

[MarcD]

Read in the niagen experiences thread. Niagen is the first supp that really lowers my blood pressure. I was on 160mg Diovan (valsartan) having a blood pressure of over 140 to whatever. Since dosing niagen higher my blood pressure is much better. I tried a lot of supps like resveratrol, curcumin, arginine, fish oil, citrulline-malate, vitamins (D high dosage) and C60-oo but nothing worked like niagen.

Edited by MarcD, 09 April 2014 - 12:49 PM.

[ZHMike]

An ARB as mentioned above, a baby aspirin, and a statin.

[timar]

There are some doctors who have told me that they are legitimately surprised that I am not dead.

 

Why did they say that? Possibly because you refused the medication they have prescribed? Seriously, your blood pressure requires urgent medication. It is much more dangerous than any possible side effects of an ARB (which I agree would be the drug of choice). You can and should improve your lifestyle anyway, and that may enable you to lower the dose you need and possibly one day to get off the drug alltogether. But right now there is to time to lose! Take an ARB as blood, niner, I and probably every single doctor you have seen have urged you to do.

 

When it comes to lifestyle, nutrition and supplements, the most powerful measures you can take are:

 

1. Physical exercise and weight loss (!!)

2. Get rid of refined and processed food (!)

3. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables

4. Get lots of dietary anthocyanins*

5. Eat nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains

6. Drink green tea and eat dark chocolate

7. Further reduce salt intake

8. Supplement with vitamin D and magnesium**

9. Eat fatty fish and/or take a fish oil supplement

10. Take an iron-free multivitamin***

 

* Anthocyanins are purple-black plant pigments which act similar to ACE inhibitors and thus have a powerful effect on blood pressure. Great sources are: Hibiscus tea, red wine, berries (particularly the lesser known chokeberries and elderberries), red grapes, purple cabbage, eggplants, purple carrots and tomatoes, black rice and corn.

** Vitamin D: at least 2000 IU, or enough to get your blood level up to 40-60 ng/ml. Magnesium: 300-500 mg.

*** There are several micronutrients besides vitamin D which may have a beneficial effect on blood pressure for some poeple. Take a multivitamin to make sure you compensate for any deficit.

 

For sound advice on nutrition I always recommend the Nutrition Source by the HSPH. There's one caveat, though: their advice on plant oils is not up-to-date. Olive and canola oils are fine but you want to stay away from the other oils rich in omega-6 fatty acids (e.g. sunflower, safflower, corn, cottonseed, soybean).

Edited by timar, 09 April 2014 - 05:24 PM.

[shaggy]

Great advice from Timar imo..

Only things I would add specifically are:

Cocoa - works better than dark chocolate for me.
Co Enzyme q10
Aged garlic extract
and maybe a decent grape seed extract.

Edited by shaggy, 09 April 2014 - 05:33 PM.

[koala_muncher]

Agree with other posters above.  You will likely require more than one anti-hypertensive medication with ongoing adjustment and control of them. You just aren't going to get the BP drop you need with supplements.  Don't waste your time. Time is running out, end-organ damage may have already taken place. I respectfully advise to go see a doctor and listen to them.  Love your idea or eating better and losing weight, you are dead on track here. Best of luck, Koala

[Brafarality]

NINER: Just to be on the safe side, you ought to ask your doctor exactly what it was that was supposed to have killed you.

 

 

Strongly agree here. I know people who are living well into their 60s with blood pressure in the 160-170/90-110 range. If you are otherwise healthy, it usually is not that quick a death sentence. It's more something that affects you over time, unless your BP is in the 180+/110+ range, then it can be immediately life threatening. My friend's father had a BP attack like that from medicine he was taking and had to rush to the hospital to lower his BP to a more normal 150-160/100 range. I believe the physician was being dramatic or spooking you to shock you into drastic changes or something like that. But, nonetheless, it is a good thing to want to make lifestyle changes for health benefits. Much success.

 

 

 

[timar]

I agree with shaggy that garlic and grape seed extract could be worthwile additions to an anti-hypertensive stack. You can probably get the same from your diet more cost-effectively, but not everyone likes to eat a lot of garlic or dark chocolate/cocoa.

 

When I compiled the list above I tried to identify not only the most effective but also the most cost-effective measures, at least when it comes to supplements. Vitamin D, magnesium, fish oil and a multivitamin are cheap and effective, if not for lowering blood pressure then at least for generally contributing to good health. CoQ10 and C60OO have less evidence for blood pressure-lowering effects and are much more expensive (and in the case of C60OO, even the evidence for long-term safety is lacking).

 

One cup of hibiscus tea, on the other hand, costs less than a nickel and there is conclusive evidence for its blood pressure-lowering effect (which varies according to the subjects and dosage, but it is generally around -10 mm Hg systolic and -5 diastolic).

 

 

[APBT]

Here's the LEF protocol for high blood pressure: http://www.lef.org/p...pressure_01.htm

For atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease: http://www.lef.org/p...clerosis_01.htm

[koala_muncher]

Your doctor can also check for possible causes behind the hypertension that could be addressed in different ways.  Although this scenario is rarer than essential hypertension it needs to be investigated.  Also, comorbid conditions such as diabetes and hyperlipidemia / hypercholesterolemia need to be investigated.

[tunt01]

The best ARB is Telmisartan (Micardis).  Pycnogenol has also been shown to reduce blood pressure.

 

Be careful taking a combination of too many different things.  More is not always better and you can lose track of what is actually having an effect.

[dudmuck]

Be careful with plain raw garlic, because its an IBS trigger.  Not sure about aged garlic extract though.

 

Another thing to consider, if your blood sugar is high, is Stevia.

Eliminate sugar from diet as much as possible, and replace with Stevia.

 

Its been shown to lower blood pressure, but its not for hypoglycaemic persons.

[Lobotomy]

Another reason I'm not looking at prescriptions is that I can't afford healthcare.

[blood]

Are you taking any other supplements/ drugs?

(E.g., I noticed in a different thread that you gave noopept to your elderly dog - do you take it yourself? Noopept can increase BP in some people).

 

There are some older BP drugs that are very inexpensive (yet still effective). E.g., propranolol.

Purchasing drugs from o/s pharmacies could be another way to avoid price gouging happening in your own jurisdiction.

 

This grape seed extract (MegaNatural BP) produced systolic BP reductions of around 8-12 mmHg in clinical trials at a dose of 300 mg/day (although, the patients in the trails didn't have BP that was quite as high as yours). It's one capsule/day. It costs about 33 cents/day:

http://www.iherb.com...-Capsules/15452

http://www.polypheno...meganatural-bp/

Edited by blood, 12 April 2014 - 06:10 AM.

[timar]

Another reason I'm not looking at prescriptions is that I can't afford healthcare.

 

I see.* Maybe you can afford just getting a prescription for an inexpensiv, generic ARB or ACE inhibitor. If lifestyle changes work, as they should, you'll be able to reduce the dose or stop taking it altogether.

 

*Living in Europe, such things usually don't come to my mind. In most European countries, everyone receives health care by default. I think it is a major disgrace for any civilized nation, to maintain a health-care system that excludes people not able to afford insurance. Hearing of the debate in the US and all the fierce opposition against Obama Care, most Europeans - even the most conservative - feel distinctly alienated from the US, because they just can't understand how health care could possibly endanger one's liberty. It is the obviously the other way around: not being able to afford health care is a threat to your health and freedom.

[timar]

Be careful with plain raw garlic, because its an IBS trigger.  Not sure about aged garlic extract though.

 

Huh!? Any references for that? In many parts of the world, Spain and Italy for example, people eat copious amounts of garlic, raw as well as cooked. Yet IBS is a much rarer condition there than elsewhere, especially among those following a traditional diet with lots of garlic. Hence I would assume that garlic is more of a protective factor than a trigger for IBS - at least for the large majority of poeple.

Edited by timar, 12 April 2014 - 09:55 AM.

[niner]

Another reason I'm not looking at prescriptions is that I can't afford healthcare.

 

Could you swing fifty cents a day?  canadadrugs.com has generic telmisartan 40 mg for a buck a pill.  Get a pill splitter and cut them in half for a 20mg dose.  If that doesn't get you enough control, you might need to take the whole thing.

[dudmuck]

 

Be careful with plain raw garlic, because its an IBS trigger.  Not sure about aged garlic extract though.

 

Huh!? Any references for that? In many parts of the world, Spain and Italy for example, people eat copious amounts of garlic, raw as well as cooked. Yet IBS is a much rarer condition there than elsewhere, especially among those following a traditional diet with lots of garlic. Hence I would assume that garlic is more of a protective factor than a trigger for IBS - at least for the large majority of poeple.

 

 

Its always on the list of common IBS trigger foods, meaning its only a problem for those with IBS.

http://www.joybauer....and-onions.aspx

 

I'm guessing resistant starch would take care of it.   And/or its a built-up tolerance.
 

[koala_muncher]

Lobotomy, you need to make your heath number 1.   Untreated hypertension leads to a lot of very expensive problems down the track and often episodes in the hospital.  Think of ALL the money you spend and as if any of it is more important than your health.  Generic anti hypertensives are not expensive.  How long was it since you last saw a doctor and had a full checkup?

[profion]

I made an account to answer the topic starter.

 

I was working a job as a mover "I would pick boxes up, and carry them down 5floors" Idd continue doing this untill the task was finished. The boxed would sometimes weight up to 30kg and i some times would carry two of them. Other tasks would be carrying a piano 300kg+ down 4floors with another guy and a strap between us.

 

In this period of time i was under eating, i dident have the chance to eat or rest while performing this work. It was very taxing and i was very tired, even then i would come home and then go directly to the gym!

 

Before doing this kind of work i was eating 7times a day and living a healthy life, but in this period of time i would start to feel unbalaned, un focused and confused. It felt as if i wasent 100% myself and i had to call it a day, idd go the doctor and they meassured my bloodpressure to be 170/85-75 wich is high in systolic pressure but normal else where.

 

Id have to say that in this period of time i did consume some preworkout, to up me before working out! And i would use aminoacids! I said off my job and took time off from everything, quitting every supplement and starting to focus back on resting and being myself! Within 1month my highest bloodpressure reading was 175, but shotly after i was called into the hospital to talk and be examed by an heart doctor! They used a different technique and used two machines, while also letting me be alone in the room.

BP came out 115/80-75 wich is very good!

 

So I do believe that STRESS has alot to say here, and that eating healthy and not listening to what your body is telling you can have some effects on you.

[Brafarality]

Of course, I don't take the ill-informed rating personally, but I was speaking from direct experience and knowledge. Wasn't making too many excessive leaps or assumptions, so perhaps I didn't look at a broad enough sample, but I personally know roughly a dozen people's parents who are living into their 70s and 80s with BPs in the 150-170/90-110 range. Sorry, it's just true. Not sure what conclusions can be drawn from it, though, so I may have went overboard there, for which I apologize, since I would have gone beyond stating direct knowledge to something more.

Edited by Brafarality, 08 July 2014 - 05:44 PM.