How do You Control Your Blood Pressure?

[KevinCouch]

I have stage 1 blood pressure for the past 3 years and it's beginning to creep up there a little. I'm already on a low dose BP med and my doctor bumped the dose up on me today.
With all of the "supplements" we BB do Know that this can certainly cause elevated levels.

How do you guys control your BP and maintain it at a healthly low risk level and continue to do the things we do to be the best BB on stage.

I don't do any cardio at all. Maybe I should start not for bodyfat reduction but for heart health..

How do you guys manage your BP?

[joedemarco]

I find topics like this to be pretty interesting, on a number of levels.

I don't believe that high blood pressure is looked at as seriously as it should be. It is an important warning sign that something is not right in our bodies. It can also lead to a number of serious health issues, in particular stroke.

I have talked to a number of individuals who have suffered significant strokes, and many had high blood pressure as their only pre-stroke warning sign.

So why do I mention all of this? Well, sometimes high blood pressure is out of our control. We can't do anything about it and have no other choice then to take medication.

HOWEVER, when your high blood pressure issues are the result of being overweight, using anabolic steroids, etc. (issues that we are able to control), then the answer to me is a no brainer. Take control of the situation. Lose the extra weight, stop using steroids, etc.

My brother recently lost about 35 pounds. On his last visit to his doctors, he was taken off all blood pressure medication. This was medication that he had been on for years. He took control of his health and lost weight. He probably added 15 years to his life.

Kevin, if your doctor is INCREASING your blood pressure medication at the age of 44, then it's time to give your health some serious thought.

I'm sorry for posting such a serious response to this thread, however this topic really hits home with me. I love bodybuilding but not enough to place my health in danger. I want to be just as BIG as the next guy. However, I have a family to care for and my health comes first.

Stepping down from my soap box.......................

[KevinCouch]

Thanks Joe for your honest response. I've been doing a lot of thinking about what's really important to me in my life. My health and family IS number 1 far and away. Although I have never taken high doses of any supplement to say the least it has contributed to my high blood pressure as well as what my family is going thru with my Mother nearing the end of her life now. I love the rush of stepping on stage but it doesn't compare to the feeliing I get when my son asks me to lay with him every night before he goes to bed and tell him stories.

[Hammerfit]

Kevin, try celery seed extract, coQ10 or even better, Ubiqinol. Steve Crossman turned me on to this and I have significantly dropped my BP to normal levels. I went from 180/90 to 140/70 just with these natural remedies. BP meds have all kind of nasty sides. I check it often and found when it creeps up a bit its normally something Ive done wrong, dehydration, diet, etc.

[BC123Jm]

use 25mg a day of hctz plus 2 baby asprin.
i've tried natty supps like celery seed but it didnt do anything.

my BP is perfect right now.

[Amazon Doll]

My BP slowly crept up to 165/95 over a 5 year period. I was foolish for not taking it seriously until I saw a TV show about all the damage that high BP does to the body.

I decided to get serious but gave myself 3 months to get it down via natural methods and in 1 month got it doen to 135/70.

Here is what I did:

Cut out all alcohol

Started taking:

500mg Hawthorn berry 3x a day
500mg Niacin 3x a day
100mg CoQ10 per day

I buy my CoQ10 from Bulk Nutrition in powdered forum and mix it with coconut oil for better absorbtion.

[Baldiewonkanobi]

My BP over the years both natty and/or taking AAS was always about 140/80. Last November I was in New England and got the 3 way flu shot. The next day my ears were ringing. 2 days later on my flight back to Phoenix my ankles blew up with extreem edema. I felt like crap. Saw the Doc right away....bingo BP was 206/150. He said it was a rare side effect to the flu shot. It triggered possibly perm damage. Anyway he put me on a moderate dose of meds with a diuretic kicker. I am now stuck at 160/80. All the herbals do twat for me. No change. Med side effect is ED :mad:. I now take daily Cialis to counter the BP meds. :). Fire and ice. All is well.


Baldie

[ayezer]

I am a Registered Dietitian so I see wt control as the main issue in general population, and my bp is on the higher normal side but when I got lean and only natural supps my bp did come down.
Joe is right about it, cardio and wt control if and if as then make the decision.

[BigJD69]

Kevin I have had high blood pressure for years now. My Doc has me on 2 BP meds. Whenever he would check my Bp it was still slightly high. I added 200 mgs of COQ10 per day and when I went for my physical it was 117/76!

[Hammerfit]

Kevin, try celery seed extract, coQ10 or even better, Ubiqinol. Steve Crossman turned me on to this and I have significantly dropped my BP to normal levels. I went from 180/90 to 140/70 just with these natural remedies. BP meds have all kind of nasty sides. I check it often and found when it creeps up a bit its normally something Ive done wrong, dehydration, diet, etc.

This thread prompted Lisa to do a check.....110/70! I think that is as low as it has been in years! 220lbs and lean. The natural supps do work, I am living proof

[clarkf]

I find topics like this to be pretty interesting, on a number of levels.

I don't believe that high blood pressure is looked at as seriously as it should be. It is an important warning sign that something is not right in our bodies. It can also lead to a number of serious health issues, in particular stroke.

I have talked to a number of individuals who have suffered significant strokes, and many had high blood pressure as their only pre-stroke warning sign.

So why do I mention all of this? Well, sometimes high blood pressure is out of our control. We can't do anything about it and have no other choice then to take medication.

HOWEVER, when your high blood pressure issues are the result of being overweight, using anabolic steroids, etc. (issues that we are able to control), then the answer to me is a no brainer. Take control of the situation. Lose the extra weight, stop using steroids, etc.

My brother recently lost about 35 pounds. On his last visit to his doctors, he was taken off all blood pressure medication. This was medication that he had been on for years. He took control of his health and lost weight. He probably added 15 years to his life.

Kevin, if your doctor is INCREASING your blood pressure medication at the age of 44, then it's time to give your health some serious thought.

I'm sorry for posting such a serious response to this thread, however this topic really hits home with me. I love bodybuilding but not enough to place my health in danger. I want to be just as BIG as the next guy. However, I have a family to care for and my health comes first.

Stepping down from my soap box.......................
Maybe in your brothers case losing weight helped. But I am 30 years old. I have never been fat. I get heavy cause Im a bodybuilder but stay at around 10%. Im like 5ft7 and get up to 230ish in the offseason. With that being said I had HBP when I was young and skinny. I remeber being 17 and my BP was slightly elevated. I was put on Norvasc when I was 18 or 19 I think. Over the years, as I got heavier BP would rise a bit and Dr would increase meds accordingly. Like 4 years ago I said, this is crazy and I tried to lose weight to lower blood pressure. Did nothing!! Some people will have HBP despite changes to weight or diet. I am one of them. I had all the normal heart tests run to find nothing was wrong. I now take Lotrel and labetalol to control BP and can still juice and do what I like to do. Maybe that sounds irresponsible to you, but I disagree. Everybody in my family has HBP. My dads Bp was 190s/110s before he got on meds.. He had many labs done, stress test, Echo, And a catheterization. All to come back negative. No cause to his HBP. My mom is 55 and weighs like 125lbs and has HBP. I could tell this story about like 5 family members of mine. No cause but still have HBP.

[MrsHammer]

This thread prompted Lisa to do a check.....110/70! I think that is as low as it has been in years! 220lbs and lean. The natural supps do work, I am living proof

I agree with the supplements but it's the cardio that truly makes the difference!

[MrsHammer]

I find topics like this to be pretty interesting, on a number of levels.

I don't believe that high blood pressure is looked at as seriously as it should be. It is an important warning sign that something is not right in our bodies. It can also lead to a number of serious health issues, in particular stroke.

I have talked to a number of individuals who have suffered significant strokes, and many had high blood pressure as their only pre-stroke warning sign.

So why do I mention all of this? Well, sometimes high blood pressure is out of our control. We can't do anything about it and have no other choice then to take medication.

HOWEVER, when your high blood pressure issues are the result of being overweight, using anabolic steroids, etc. (issues that we are able to control), then the answer to me is a no brainer. Take control of the situation. Lose the extra weight, stop using steroids, etc.

My brother recently lost about 35 pounds. On his last visit to his doctors, he was taken off all blood pressure medication. This was medication that he had been on for years. He took control of his health and lost weight. He probably added 15 years to his life.

Kevin, if your doctor is INCREASING your blood pressure medication at the age of 44, then it's time to give your health some serious thought.

I'm sorry for posting such a serious response to this thread, however this topic really hits home with me. I love bodybuilding but not enough to place my health in danger. I want to be just as BIG as the next guy. However, I have a family to care for and my health comes first.

Stepping down from my soap box.......................

Great wisdom!

[tornquad2]

hbp runs in my family i found that taking fish oils was the only thing that helped me

[masterschamp]

No cardio, heavier bodyweight : 130/80
Cardio, leaner bodyweight : 120/74

Either way it is good, but there is a definite difference when I add cardio.

Keith

[bryantone]

Stairmaster 40min x 4 times/week. Oatmeal, aspirin and LOTS of fiber.

[KevinCouch]

Stairmaster 40min x 4 times/week. Oatmeal, aspirin and LOTS of fiber.

I've been doing cardio for the past couple of weeks and it has helped. It's running around 130/82ish. Without cardio it was averaging 140/90ish.