I know it is too early to expect results, but my GP wants to double my Amlodipine and add another med. I am not happy with this and really do not want to go down this road.  If the diastolic is not too high, is that the most important reading?  It seems to me that the systolic is the one that needs to go down, and I’m not sure if Amlodipine is the drug to do it.

I am a lady of 68, very worried, anxious and confused!  I have tried to talk to GP but she says (in a kind way) I should just ‘do as I am advised or risk a stroke’ .  I like using Resperate – the whole thing is wonderful.   Please God it works for me.   Thank You!
A: Systolic pressure is just as important as diastolic pressure.  Both numbers need to be controlled. It is more common for older people to have isolated systolic high blood pressure.  You should let your doctor know you have started to use the Resperate .

I do not know enough about your health problems to give you advise about your risk of getting a stroke while you are waiting for the full blood pressure lowering effect from regular Resperate use.

Editors Note:  Resources for getting help with RESPeRATE.

RESPeRATE Customer Care – US Toll-Free 1-877-988-9388; UK Free Phone 0800-177-7778
Customer Care Specialists are available to answer questions on RESPeRATE and are available to help all of our customers achieve the greatest benefit from RESPeRATE.

Connect With Other RESPeRATE Users
Other RESPeRATE users have volunteered to answer questions about RESPeRATE and to share their experience.    Ask your question by choosing a RESPeRATE user here.
Please respect their time.

You should see you doctor and be evaluated. You may have developed diabetes or another condition that is related to your blood pressure change. It is also possible you have gained some weight and exercise less. Sadly many people become more sedentary and gain weight as they get older.

Editors Note:  Resources for getting help with RESPeRATE.

RESPeRATE Customer Care – US Toll-Free 1-877-988-9388; UK Free Phone 0800-177-7778
Customer Care Specialists are available to answer questions on RESPeRATE and are available to help all of our customers achieve the greatest benefit from RESPeRATE.

Connect With Other RESPeRATE Users
Other RESPeRATE users have volunteered to answer questions about RESPeRATE and to share their experience.    Ask your question by choosing a RESPeRATE user here.
Please respect their time.

A: Whether or not your daughter needs blood pressure medicine is between your daughter and her doctor.  Apple cider vinegar may have some health benefits but enough studies have not been done to know for sure.  To learn more about possible benefits from vinegar, go to this page at WebMD.

Concerns about the effects of energy drinks are continuing to grow, as new research shows these drinks can cause blood pressure to rise, as well as bringing about heart palpitations and arrhythmias, anxiety, and insomnia.

Researchers in Poland conducted a small study with 18 healthy young adults ages 20-35. The young adults were asked to consume one of two energy drinks: one contained 120 milligrams of caffeine and the other contained 360 milligrams of caffeine. (A regular 8-ounce cup of brewed coffee has between 100-200 milligrams of caffeine.) A third group drank a placebo, which contained no caffeine or other stimulants. Researchers then took measurements of blood pressure and heart rate at 15, 30 and 90 minutes after consumption.

They found that the less-caffeinated drink did not significantly affect either blood pressure or heart rate compared with the placebo group. The more highly-caffeinated drink, on the other hand, had a significant effect on both. Among those who consumed the 360 milligram caffeine energy drink:

• Blood pressure went up by an average of nine points for both systolic and diastolic pressure.

• Heart rate went up by an average of five beats per minute.

• Members of this group also developed irregular heartbeats, racing heartbeats, anxiety and insomnia.

This study isn’t the first to find a link between high-caffeine, high-sugar energy drinks and elevated blood pressure, cardiac disturbances, anxiety and sleep disturbances. Other recent research has returned similarly disturbing results:

A study conducted at the University of Arkansas examined the effects of energy drinks on blood pressure among healthy, non-smoking adults ages 18-45. The results reported blood pressure was significantly elevated in those who drank one serving of Red Bull, which contained 80 milligrams of caffeine and 1,000 milligrams of taurine, an amino acid commonly found in energy drinks.

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People who drive long distances to work are more likely to be overweight than their non-commuting counterparts, according to a new study that links urban sprawl with expanding waistlines.

“It could just be a function of having less discretionary time to be physically active,” said Christine Hoehner of Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., lead author of the study published today in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. “Or it could be related to people burning fewer calories because they’re sitting longer.”

Previous studies have tied time spent sitting to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and early death.

To tease out the health effects of the daily drive, Hoehner and colleagues studied the medical records of nearly 4,300 commuters in Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin, Texas. They found the more people drove, the less they exercised.

“I think the message for folks who live a long way from work and have a desk job is to find ways to build physical activity into their day,” said Hoehner, adding that workplaces should “allow and even encourage physical activity breaks.”

Hoehner said diet could also be to blame, theorizing that commuters have less time to cook and more time to snack in the car.

Weight wasn’t the only thing that increased with driving distance: The longer the drive, the higher the driver’s blood pressure.

“Previous studies have pointed to daily exposure to traffic, particularly the unpredictability of traffic, as being a source of chronic stress,” said Hoehner, describing how frustration can send blood pressure through the roof. “Our study is the first to show that long commutes are associated with higher weight, lower fitness levels and higher blood pressure, all of which are strong predictors of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.”

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A new study shows that physically fit people with a family history of high blood pressure were up to 34% less likely to develop high blood pressure than people who rarely exercised.

And it didn’t take hours of working out at the gym every day to get that benefit.

“The results of this study send a very practical message, which is that even a very realistic, moderate amount of exercise — which we define as brisk walking for 150 minutes per week — can provide a huge health benefit, particularly to people predisposed to hypertension because of their family history,” researcher Robin P. Shook, a doctoral graduate student in the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, says in a news release.

Having a parent with high blood pressure is one of the biggest risk factors for developing the condition yourself. Previous research suggests that having a parent with high blood pressure may account for about 35% to 65% of the variability of blood pressure levels.

The Physical Fitness Factor

The new study, published in Hypertension, included more than 6,000 healthy adults. About a third of them had a parent with high blood pressure.

Their physical fitness levels were followed for nearly five years.

The results confirmed that people who had a parent with high blood pressure were more likely to develop high blood pressure — about 20% more likely, after considering other risk factors, including age, smoking, high cholesterol, and being overweight.

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A: Your blood fat levels should be tested. All adults should know at least their cholesterol level. Increased blood fats, also known as lipids, increase the risk for narrowing of the blood vessels, atherosclerosis. To learn more about blood fats go to this page at Heart.org. You should also be tested for diabetes. Diabetes increases the risk for blood vessel problems. It is often unrecognized until someone has a heart attack or stroke.

A: If your only symptom is unwanted facial hair, I would not recommend hormonal therapy. You have already had a heart attack. Taking hormones after menopause increases your risk of heart attack, stroke, dementia, and breast cancer. To learn more about the risks and benefits of hormone therapy go to this page on the cancer.gov site. A safer way to get rid of your unwanted facial hair is electrolysis. To learn more about this procedure to permanently get rid of hair go to this page on WebMD.com.

A: Eggs have gotten a bad reputation. Recent studies are suggesting that egg consumption might help lower blood pressure. Eggs are a good source of protein and are low in fat. To learn more go to  http://www.incredibleegg.org/

But with growing use of these heart-helping medications, more and more patients are winding up in emergency rooms with a rare side effect that most have not been warned about: swelling around the face and neck.

In the worst cases, the patient’s tongue and throat become hugely bloated, closing the airway. No medications can slow or reverse this swelling, called angioedema. To prevent suffocation, a tube must be inserted through the patient’s nose, mouth, or an incision in the throat – maneuvers that are tougher than they appear on TV shows.

“I’ve seen a number of deaths because you just can’t get the tube in,” said James R. Roberts, director of emergency medicine at Mercy Philadelphia Hospital and Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital, which see more than a case a week.

Roberts recently published a letter in the American Journal of Cardiology to call attention to what he considers an “unrecognized epidemic.”

He would like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to add its most stringent alert, a “black-box warning,” to prescribing information to prod doctors to warn about angioedema. Although studies show that fewer than 1 percent of patients will develop it – even fewer will have breathing problems – that’s still a vast group, given that tens of millions of Americans now take the drugs for hypertension, heart disease, heart failure, stroke, diabetes, and kidney disease.

Roberts’ idea is not new. In 2002, Boston University emergency medicine physician James A. Feldman formally petitioned the FDA for a black-box warning. The agency refused, saying the labeling already had enough “discussion” of angioedema.

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In the study, participants with PTSD who took drugs called ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) inhibitors or ARBs (angiotensin receptor blockers) had lower scores on a test of PTSD symptoms, compared with those who did not take the drugs.

“These results are particularly exciting because it’s the first time ACE inhibitors and ARBs have been connected to PTSD, and it gives us a new direction to build on,” said study researcher Dr. Kerry Ressler, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.

However, the study only found an association, not a cause-effect link. A clinical trial would have to be conducted to see if the drugs improve symptoms of PTSD better than a placebo, the researchers said.

The study was published online May 1 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

The study included information from more than 5,000 low-income residents in Atlanta with high levels of exposure to violence and physical and sexual abuse, resulting in high rates of PTSD.

About 500 participants in this study were exposed to at least one traumatic event, and 180 (35 percent) met the criteria for diagnosis with PTSD. Twenty-six of the participants with PTSD were also taking ACE inhibitors or ARBs.

People with PTSD can experience three types of symptoms: hyperarousal, avoidance or numbing, and intrusive thoughts. All the participants in the study reported how often they experienced these symptoms, and the responses were compiled into a PTSD symptom score.

Yet many people don’t realize they’re at risk of having high blood pressure, according to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

As part of American Stroke Month in May, heart and stroke experts outline the top risk factors for high blood pressure.

Family history. If your parents or a close relative had high blood pressure, you’re also at risk for the condition. It’s a good idea to research your family’s medical history in order to find out if high blood pressure runs in the family.

Advanced age. As people age, they’re at increased risk for high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. This is because blood vessels lose flexibility with aging, which leads to increasing pressure on the cardiovascular system.

Gender. Men are more likely than women to have high blood pressure until age 45. Between ages 45 to 50 and 55 to 64, the risk for high blood pressure is about the same for men and women. After age 64, women are much more likely than men to have high blood pressure.

Being inactive. Sitting at your desk or on your couch too much increases your risk of having high blood pressure. Getting regular exercise is a natural way to lower it.

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The data was based on a retrospective analysis of the UK THIN database and demonstrated that the treatment was cost neutral to the NHS due to the additional drug acquisition costs for STR therapy being offset by a reduction in hospital admissions and initial referral costs for cardiovascular events.

According to Dr Jonathan Belsey’s analysis, over a 5-year period, only 8.3% of hypertensive patients who received a STR as part of their therapy suffered from serious cardiovascular events, compared with 13.6% of patients on individual component therapies.

STR was defined as any combination tablet that incorporated two or more agents from different classes of antihypertensive treatment.

The average annual management cost over a period of five years was calculated at £191.49 per STR patient and at £189.35 for patients treated with single component therapies. Given that the study was based on a retrospective cohort, the researchers were unable to identify the reasons for individual prescriptions, as some prescriptions may have been issued for other reasons rather than hypertension.

The study results support findings from a US meta-analysis, which revealed hospital admissions for cardiovascular events were considerably lower for patients treated with STRs compared with those who received individual component therapy.

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A: Sounds like you did too much too soon. Rather than stopping working out, you should choose a less vigorous program and gradually build up your strength and endurance. Certain blood pressure medicines can keep the heart from to beating fast enough to keep up with the demands of exercise. You should discuss your medicines and exercise goals with your doctor.

A: By keeping your blood pressure in control, you are lowering the risk of damage being down to your organs by the disease. You still have that particular risk factor. You do not have the risk factors of not exercising, eating poorly, and being overweight. Life expectancy is based on more than one risk factor. Your life expectancy is slightly lower than it would be if you did not have high blood pressure but higher than it would be if your blood pressure was not controlled. The insurance company Northwest Mutual has a fun game that will predict your life expectancy based on well known risk factors. To play go to this page on the Northwestern Mutual site.

A: Prolonged sitting on an airplane can increase the risk of blood clots forming, especially in the legs. Although space is limited, it helps to do a few stretches. Do be considerate of your fellow passengers. On long flights, some airlines have exercise videos on the personal TV sets. Look for them the next time you fly.

Are you taking a blood pressure medication right now or have you had your dosage changed in the past 6 months? There’s a better way. There are natural methods and lifestyle changes that can help regulate your blood pressure with no associated side effects and you can make these changes today!

1. See a chiropractor.

Treatment of hypertension or high blood pressure with an upper cervical chiropractic adjustment, according to George Bakris, MD of the University of Chicago hypertensive center,  ”has the effect of not one, but two blood pressure medications given in combination and it seems to be an adverse-event free treatment. We saw no side effects and no problems.” A 2007 study compared the two treatments and found that on average systolic numbers dropped 14 mm and diastolic numbers dropped 8 mm of mercury with upper cervical chiropractic care.

2. Talk to your doctor about taking a supplement.

Supplements can lower your risk for heart disease and stroke by lowering dangerously high protein levels like homocysteine and C-reactive protein. These proteins are just as high of a risk as high cholesterol levels and many people either haven’t heard of these proteins or have NEVER had their levels checked. Supplements can completely and naturally manage these risk factors with proper guidance from your doctor.

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The researchers noted that while anxiety disorders, cognitive impairment and hypertension are distinct and complex diagnostic categories, they also share key similarities and can often overlap. For example, of the approximately 40 million people in the U.S. that have anxiety disorders, 10 million of them have hypertension. Additionally, oxidative stress is thought to contribute to learning and memory deficits, although exactly how this occurs is not yet clear.

This study, conducted by a team out of the University of Houston, investigated the role of oxidative stress in the combined occurrence of anxiety-cognitive impairment and hypertension, using a rat model of oxidative stress. They found that feeding the animals a grape-enriched diet for two weeks prevented the anxiety-like behavior, learning and memory impairment, as well as the rise in blood pressure that was observed in the rats with induced oxidative stress but no grapes in their diet.

“These results suggest promising potential for grapes in a very important area of health,” said Samina Salim, Ph.D., the lead investigator. “We attribute the benefits of the grapes to their antioxidant activity and their ability to combat oxidative stress.”

The study was supported by two grants from the National Institutes of Health, and a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship award. Grapes were provided in the form of a freeze-dried whole grape powder by the California Table Grape Commission.

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High blood pressure affects around one in three adults, the equivalent of approximately 16million people in the UK. People with high blood pressure are at much greater risk of heart attack, heart failure and kidney disease, and it is the main risk factor for stroke.

It is well known that blood pressure is influenced by three biological factors — how fast the heart beats; how open and flexible the arteries are; and how much blood there is pumping through the blood vessels. High blood pressure is thought to be a result of an imbalance in certain chemicals that control these factors. Yet no one knows exactly what goes on within the body to influence these blood pressure controls.

Researchers from St George’s, University of London have discovered that reduced activity of a protein involved in keeping arteries relaxed — a potassium channel called Kv7.4 — may be a fundamental step in the development of high blood pressure. They found that this channel is present in the main artery supplying blood to the kidney — the renal artery — and believe that reduced levels of activity here could kick-start a chain reaction inside the body that is known to increase blood pressure.

Kv7.4 channels allow the passage of potassium out of the muscle cells in blood vessels and they have to be open and closed at the right times so that the vessel muscles can contract or relax when required. They are most commonly recognised for their role in instructing the blood vessels to expand in reaction to triggers, such as adrenaline, to allow more blood and oxygen to travel to the tissues when needed.

In laboratory studies, the St George’s researchers have shown that when the Kv7.4 channel is disabled the body does not react to triggers telling it to widen the artery and blood flow becomes constricted. The researchers explain that the impact of this in one artery or two arteries is unlikely to cause high blood pressure. But because they found that Kv7.4 channels were present in the renal artery they believe this could act as a “tipping point” for high blood pressure

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A: Nasal saline washes are made to have the same salt concentration as the body. This means you can wash the inside of your nose with the solution without getting a significant absorption of salt into the body. Proper use of a balanced nasal irrigation solution will not increase blood pressure. Let the solution fall out of your nose or mouth, you don’t want to swallow it.