Unbelievably High Blood Pressure

dblvsgrgdblvsgrg Raw Newbie

This will be long...sorry. Anyway, I was very ill 11 years ago and not expected to live. Ever since I was released from the hospital I've had extremely high blood pressure (over the top type II hypertension) and was told in 2004 that I'd be dead in two years if it didn't go down.

I've been mostly raw since 2006, but also drank each night and took Adderall for my ADHD and hadn't excercized in years and ate lots of salt and drank coffee. Blood pressure medicine never worked. Last spring it was discovered that I had a thickened heart wall. I've been to heart specialists and naturopaths but to no avail.

So, six months ago I became 95% raw: grow my own sprouts, add no salt to anything, stopped drinking except on occasion, long off the Adderall, no coffee, and no stove or fridge to tempt me. I feel and look better than I did when I was 20, and I was a top athlete then...I'm 49 now. I went with my guy (Greg) three or four weeks ago when he went to a natural health practitioner, and she checked my blood pressure. After all my changes I was certain it would be way down. Nope: 213/125. The practitioner was shocked, asking if my head hurt or if I was woozy. I told her no, that I felt better than ever.

Now, since then I've been diligent about my diet, researching everything I can about what food to eat to lower blood pressure. It started to drop some. Anyway, here's what I eat every day, with very little variation:

16 oz raw goat milk, often w/ 1-2 T raw honey

1/3-2/3 C mix of ACV/raw honey/garlic

carrot juice blended w/ 1/2 head kale and a lemon

2 organic apples blended w/ 1-2 T raw honey and a lemon

2 grapefruits, usually juiced

one full tray sprouts

big handful sunflower seeds

one avacodo

lots of rejuvelac

a coupla crackers made from the wheat berries saved from my rejuvelac mixed w/ ground flax and a bit of Bragg's and cayenne

I have good snacks around, like now I have strawberries and a whole bunch of champagne mangos

I use the pulp from carrot juice to make bread, or I mix it in with my sprout salad

My indulgences are few: Once a week when I go to my mom's I eat a some hard-cooked eggs that she keeps in her fridge, maybe a can of sardines or some raw (fresh caught) salmon. I cook vegetarian or vegan dinners for Greg and his son (I'm laid off and he's working, so I like to help) and I'll do some taste tests or take a couple bites before bed, but these are absolutely the only things I do that are remotely "bad." I even stopped my raw cacao, took up an instrument (banjo!) which helps me chill out, and recently started working out again. I sleep great and I'm very thin.

So guess what? My blood pressure is the highest ever: 217/134.

Any thoughts? I think I've covered all the bases but am just getting worse.

Comments

  • Hi dblvsgrg, for one have you had tests to rule out heart or artery blockages or problems? secondly, what is your blood type? If you are blood type o, wheat and ALL wheat products including rejuvelac are toxic to you and can create a host of deep-seated, intertwined problems. Wheat in a blood type o body raises cholesterol. For more info on that you can visit Dr. D'adamo's books. AWESOME stuff.

    Additionally, you might see a well-recommended acupuncturist to help you chase down the cause. They can be surprisingly accurate in their diagnoses.

  • dblvsgrgdblvsgrg Raw Newbie

    Hey, thanks for the insight! Ya, my only problem seems to be that thickening of the left ventricle, but now that's only slight, which is a huge relief because that is not known to get better...requires surgery and I'm not into that.

    I don't know what my blood type is? I guess I need to find out. As you can see I'll do anything that doesn't involve meds. I do know my cholesteral's good. I would sure miss, but would happily give up, my rejuvelac.

    I will check out Dr. D'adamo. I'd never thought about acupuncture, but there is one just two blocks from where I live and I'll check it out.

    Thank you again. I'll post results, whether the bp keeps going up or down.

  • powerliferpowerlifer Raw Newbie

    You are very right in stopping in the raw cacao as it is a cardiac stimulant and raises blood pressure.

    Im no doctor, but what is your GP saying? There are multiple causes of high blood pressure, treatment would depend on the cause. In anycase and again im no doctor so best to go over it with him/her but in many cases magnesium can help. Not only does it relax the blood vessels but magnesium is a natural calcium channel blocker.

    Magnesium is best supplemented with acidified sources such as magnesium malate/citrate. Or transdermal magnesium oil. Magnesium oxide/hydroxide is caustic, poorly absorbed and neutralizes stomach acid.

     

  • Hi,

    Don't know if it's of any interest but I came accros the following in wikipedia .... (saltpetre ... potassium nitrate )

    " Potassium nitrate..... successfully combats high blood pressure and was once used as a hypotensive " Found Under medical uses.

    I'm not suggesting it, only that it may be worth checking out.

    Raw Angel

  • dblvsgrgdblvsgrg Raw Newbie

    Thanks all. I have an appt. w/ the natural health specialist on Wed and am taking all your suggestions in to her.

    Today's BP: 188/127, pulse 67. It's weird because my pulse continues to get lower and lower (It's ALWAYS been in the 80s). I was shocked when it recently went to 70 and 71, and now 67, yet BP is SO high.

    Thanks again. Will post results.

  • HI again,

    You remember I mentioned the Potassium Nitrate for high Blood Pressure ?

    Well I just found the following ...

    Beetroot for Blood Pressure

    " Beetroot juice has been shown to lower blood pressure in subjects with normal blood pressure. In healthy volunteers, approximately 3 hours after ingestion of 500 ml of beetroot juice, blood pressure was substantially reduced, an effect that correlated with peak increases in plasma nitrite concentration, nitrite being the blood pressure reducing ingredient.

    Beetroot and nitrate capsules are equally effective in lowering blood pressure, indicating that it is the nitrate content of beetroot juice that underlies its potential to reduce blood pressure. It has also been found that only a small amount of juice is needed

  • Pame'laVik'toriaPame'laVik'toria Raw Newbie

    yikes! do you feel ok? I know some raw people have unordinary numbers but feel great.

  • dblvsgrgdblvsgrg Raw Newbie

    Yes, that's the weird thing: I feel great. I did read that it's not a good thing to have high bp and have your pulse rate drop alot...a heart attack waiting to happen...and my pulse has never been below 80, and now keeps getting lower. I'd been so excited about it dropping, but now am pretty scared.

    My natural health person put me on cod liver oil and has me taking nutritional yeast. Said I didn't need the magnesium, but should be adding beetroot. Is looking into potassium nitrate. She also isn't really thrilled about me excercising as it could cause the heart wall to thicken more, but the heart specialist I saw in the winter wanted me to work out. He and my gp had me on blood pressure meds, but they never worked. Don't want to be a slave to pills anyway. I'm hoping to get a blood test soon...can't afford it this month and no insurance as been laid off for seven months. Hopefully in June!

    Started adding tomato and cucumber to my repetoire, but you know what?! I am eating SO much (I mean, just look at that list!) that I'm actually SICK of food (and I LOVE to eat) that I'm starting a juice fast. I did a ten-day one in college and felt great and my sports career took off...it did wonders for me. Well, I'm gonna give that a shot and keep taking the oil and yeast and hopefully it'll help the bp. Right now I just know that as much as I love all the yummy stuff I'm eating I'm just sick of trying to find ways to cram it all in...and yes, I blend and juice alot of it, but that's alot of food!

  • powerliferpowerlifer Raw Newbie

    Out of interest why did she feel that you didnt need the magnesium. Magnesium is one of the best tools for lowering blood pressure due to relaxing the blood vessels and if your blood pressure is calcium induced then it acts as a natural calcium channel blocker.

     

  • dblvsgrgdblvsgrg Raw Newbie

    She is a healer, not a naturopath or md (I'm just trying everything, and am still planning on talking with the local acupuncturist). I actually just put in a call to her and am going to ask her when she calls back because I'm frantic now:

    BP is 195/134

    Heart Rate is 63.

  • powerliferpowerlifer Raw Newbie

    Try and not stress and worry i know its hard especially if your blood pressure is adrenaline induced.

    What is your doctor saying about all this? Have you had other blood work done i.e thyroid etc. Although it can be inaccurate, testing basal body temperature first thing in the morning is the best test for thyroid.

     

  • dblvsgrgdblvsgrg Raw Newbie

    I can't afford anymore visits to the md or heart specialist until I get back to work and get my insurance going again. It's been awhile, but they do the blood tests, stress tests, ultrasound and never find anything unusual (except for the thickening of the heart wall) so they just stick me on meds that don't work for me. One tells me excercize, one tells me not to. One says drink wine, one says absolutely no, another says some coffee's okay, another says not even a little chocolate.

    An interesting fact: my doc told me once that I'm part of just 5% of the population that's an "opposite person," meaning like, for example, if I smoke pot it makes me completely twacked out and seriously stressed (and no munchies!), but doing a stimulant (meth, say, or adderall, it calms me and makes me relax (and hungry). My bp (though still very high) was actually lower when I was taking adderall and drinking every night and still eating alot of cooked food.

    Also, remember, the bp was normal until 2000 when I was dying of that lung disease.

    Powerlifer, tell me about testing thyroid through basal body temp. I was wondering about thyroid also yesterday after doing more research about high bp/low pulse.

    Btw, this is my 2nd day juice and goat milk fasting. My bp is down: 186/126 and pulse is up to 75. I am actually thrilled, although I realise it'll vascillate. I think it's good to give my digestive system a rest so my body can focus on healing. I've always had a tendency to overeat, eat before bed...just eat, eat, eat, so my bod's always busy digesting something.

    When I do eat a meal, and especially a cooked one, my heart races and I often get all red and hot.

  • powerliferpowerlifer Raw Newbie

    I am also the same regarding stimulants although not these days after taking alot of stimulants i now get extremely panicky after burning myself out. I had very bad adrenal fatigue until curing myself.

    Here is the basal body temp test for thyroid:

    THE BODY TEMPERATURE TEST

    There is one simple thing almost anyone can do at home to uncover an underactive thyroid:

    Take your own temperature.

    The "basal body temperature" test was developed by Broda O. Barnes, M.D.,

    Because thyroid hormone is so vital to cellular metabolism, reduced thyroid function often manifests as a drop in body temperature to below the normal level of 98.6*F. Barnes recommended the following procedure:

    Immediately upon awakening, and with as little movement as possible, place the thermometer under the tongue or in the rectum.

    Leave it there for 10 minutes.

    Record the readings on three consecutive days

    If the average temperature over the three days is less than 97.8*F, then, according to Barnes, you may have hypothyroidism. Even if you have had a blood test and were told your did not have a low thyroid reading, you might go back and look at the test results again. You may find that your blood levels of thyroid hormones are actually low normal. Many people who are within the so-called "normal" range but below the midpoint could benefit enormously from thyroid supplementation.

    Your optimum oral temperature should be 98.0 in the morning before arising. Your oral temperature should rise to 98.6 to 99 degrees for about 10 hours a day (from 8 am until 11 am).

    A good test time is to take your oral temperature between 11 am and 3 pm. The next time to do this is 20 minutes after lunch which is when your thyroid function should be at its best.

    It is so important to work on getting and keeping your temperature at 98.6. The thyroid system is a vicious circle, one thing leads to another until bacteria, parasites, and viruses attack and cause other diseases and symptoms, including the body's wanting to attack itself. When body enzymes are not the correct temperature, 98.6, they don't turn into correct hormones, which then cause illness.

    Even if your temperature is normal and you still have symptoms, you may have a low grade infection that is raising your temperature. Symptoms are a really important factor that need to be taken into account. Once the low grade infection is taken care of, you will be able to pick up a low temperature.

     

  • dblvsgrgdblvsgrg Raw Newbie

    Quick update:: By day five of juice/goat milk fast my bp dropped to 162/112 and is hovering about the same. I know that sounds scary high, but it hasn't been that low in 11 years and I'm real happy.

    Also, I developed a crapload of cellulite somewhere along the line in the past six months and it's 50% gone now. Nice added bonus.

    Started eating again, all fruits and vegs for dinner, juice all day. Still feel great like usual, but relieved to see numbers drop.

  • powerliferpowerlifer Raw Newbie

    It could be that food allergies are contributing to your blood pressure issues. When the body comes in contact with an allergen it releases adrenaline which constricts the blood vessels increasing blood pressure.

     

  • dblvsgrgdblvsgrg Raw Newbie

    I think you are onto something, and I'll bet it's wheat. Was out of town all week for school and a funeral (odd combination) and so haven't picked up a non-digital thermometer to test for thyroid. I do think it's the wheat, though: I've dropped everything processed except for a hint of commercial salad dressing twice when we went out AND my rejuvelac, but even that's down to only 1-2 glasses a day because I'm not thirsty anymore with all the fruit/vegs.

    So is rye acceptable in place of my winter wheat for rejuvelac? I'll let it go also if I have to.

    Thanks for all your input everyone, and powerlifer you are SMART.

    Oh, still good today: 164/114.

  • powerliferpowerlifer Raw Newbie

    Im not sure about the rye mate, but if its fermented foods your looking for an alternative which is grain free is water kefir or cultured vegetables. I prefer water kefir more palatable.

    Supporting your adrenal glands is a good idea if its food allergy related or at least partially. Adaptogenic herbs are the best for this, they help restore normal endocrine and adrenal gland function. They also help normalize the body so if you have high blood pressure they lower it, if you have low they normalize it etc. But without knowing the cause i wouldn't want to recommend. Jiaogulan would probably be the best choice if you do, it is a very rich sterol source which dilates the blood vessels and in turn lowers blood pressure.

     

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