Dr Steve
07-05-2008, 08:54 AM
Since i cut back from 1 pack of smokes a day to around 1 cigarette or less a day over the last week+ my blood pressure hasn't dropped at all and is infact still very high. averaging between 145/85 to as high as 165/107. Im on water pills and asperin currently but they arent cutting it. Any ideas as far as prescriptions go for cutting it down to a decent level as my average pressure is hovering at 155/95 over the last few weeks with no change coming from the cut in smoking habits. Dont want to get stuck on meds the rest of my life so if you got any ideas on how to drop it down fast and keep it there im all ears.
First off, congratulations on quitting smoking. I smoked 3 packs a day in the past and quitting was one of the hardest things I've ever done.
"Respek."
Stopping smoking won't necessarily decrease your blood pressure, but stopping smoking will decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease. When you smoke AND have high blood pressure, the risk multiplies. Add in a little family history of heart disease and some high cholesterol or diabetes, and the risk increases geometrically. So it's all about minimizing risk.
Now, having said that, getting your blood pressure down is of great importance as well. It's a strong risk factor for heart disease. Your health care provider can put you on some very nice medications that reduce risk, don't cost too much, and have few side effects. Hypertension can be a lifelong problem, so don't be too afraid of taking meds forever if it comes to that...you'll live longer.
Now, having said THAT, there are some things you can do yourself to bring your blood pressure down without meds (and what I'd do in my practice is this...if someone really changes their lifestyle, I'll take them off their medications and see how they do. If their BP stays down, they've cured themselves and I don't continue the meds):
1) attain your ideal body weight
if you're overweight, losing weight will help you to get your BP back to normal. I like the "SUGARBUSTERS" lifestyle stuff. You can check out the book at Amazon.
2) exercize
vigorous exercise is a great way to feel better and drop your blood pressure. check out any exercise program with your health care provider first.
3) avoid SALT
salt in the diet is hard to avoid, but if you do, you'll be rewarded with a significant drop in blood pressure
4) avoid STRESS
if you can't improve the stressors in your life, at least deal with stress effectively. I like Yoga for this. It sounds fruity, but Yoga done properly is a vigorous, aerobic, low impact exercise and it's very stress relieving. I like the guy on the Oxygen Network (ok, it IS a little fruity) at 6am. DVR the show (called "INHALE") and do it after work.
Your health care provider can come up with other stuff. I hope this helps.
your friend,
Steve
First off, congratulations on quitting smoking. I smoked 3 packs a day in the past and quitting was one of the hardest things I've ever done.
"Respek."
Stopping smoking won't necessarily decrease your blood pressure, but stopping smoking will decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease. When you smoke AND have high blood pressure, the risk multiplies. Add in a little family history of heart disease and some high cholesterol or diabetes, and the risk increases geometrically. So it's all about minimizing risk.
Now, having said that, getting your blood pressure down is of great importance as well. It's a strong risk factor for heart disease. Your health care provider can put you on some very nice medications that reduce risk, don't cost too much, and have few side effects. Hypertension can be a lifelong problem, so don't be too afraid of taking meds forever if it comes to that...you'll live longer.
Now, having said THAT, there are some things you can do yourself to bring your blood pressure down without meds (and what I'd do in my practice is this...if someone really changes their lifestyle, I'll take them off their medications and see how they do. If their BP stays down, they've cured themselves and I don't continue the meds):
1) attain your ideal body weight
if you're overweight, losing weight will help you to get your BP back to normal. I like the "SUGARBUSTERS" lifestyle stuff. You can check out the book at Amazon.
2) exercize
vigorous exercise is a great way to feel better and drop your blood pressure. check out any exercise program with your health care provider first.
3) avoid SALT
salt in the diet is hard to avoid, but if you do, you'll be rewarded with a significant drop in blood pressure
4) avoid STRESS
if you can't improve the stressors in your life, at least deal with stress effectively. I like Yoga for this. It sounds fruity, but Yoga done properly is a vigorous, aerobic, low impact exercise and it's very stress relieving. I like the guy on the Oxygen Network (ok, it IS a little fruity) at 6am. DVR the show (called "INHALE") and do it after work.
Your health care provider can come up with other stuff. I hope this helps.
your friend,
Steve