curious? normal BP/pulse

[Hakim]

I drink 4-5 cups of coffee most days, and it does not correlate with any high BP. In fact, several studies have shown that coffee is actually good for you.

"Reducing Disease Risk

After analyzing data on 126,000 people for as long as 18 years, Harvard researchers calculate that compared with not partaking in America's favorite morning drink, downing one to three cups of caffeinated coffee daily can reduce diabetes risk by single digits. But having six cups or more each day slashed men's risk by 54% and women's by 30% over java avoiders."

"Though the scientists give the customary "more research is needed" before they recommend you do overtime at Starbuck's to specifically prevent diabetes, their findings are very similar to those in a less-publicized Dutch study. And perhaps more importantly, it's the latest of hundreds of studies suggesting that coffee may be something of a health food -- especially in higher amounts."
See WebMD article here Health Benefits of Coffee - WebMD

It is MUCH MORE likely that the culprit is high sodium, which most people have no idea just how much is added to most foods.

I was astonished recently when I studied the sodium content in various popular restaurants. Macaroni Grill (the phony Italian restaurant) as just one example, has an item "Chicken Portobello", with a whopping 7300 mg of salt. And that does not include added sodium in any soft drinks, bread or salad they may also have eaten.

Here are a few other Macaroni Grill menu items with salt content:

Meatball Sandwich: 4660 mg
Chicken Florentine 5640 mg
Bowl Chicken soup 5240 mg
Fat free Italian dressing 440 mg
Kid's Macaroni & Cheese 5450 mg
Grilled Salmon Teriyaki 6690 mg

And on it goes. It is entirely possible to sit down and ingest more than 10,000 mg of salt -- in a single meal. The total daily salt requirement for an adult is around 2000 mg, or about one teaspoon.

Here is the link to the PDF of the label on this food item: http://www.brinker.com/gr/Nutritional/Mac_NutritionalInfo.pdf

The current recommendation is to consume less than 2,400 milligrams (mg) of sodium a day. This is about 1 teaspoon of table salt per day. It includes ALL salt and sodium consumed, including sodium used in cooking and at the table.

The US sodium RDA of less than 2,400 mg is higher than the UK Recommended Nutritional Intake (RNI) whose upper limit for sodium is 1,600 mg.

Sodium RDA vs. Average Intake
The average intake in the United States is between 4,000 and 5,000 mg of sodium per day.

No Specific Sodium RDA for Children
Specific recommendations regarding sodium intake do not exist for infants, children, and adolescents. However, since eating habits and attitudes about food formed during childhood are likely to influence eating habits for life, moderate intake of sodium is suggested. I advise around 1,000 mg for children under 10 years old.

Next time you go to the store or a restaurant, read the label and check out the sodium. Chances are, unless you make specific efforts to avoid foods with such huge amounts of added sodium, you may unknowingly be pushing your blood pressure through the roof. I know I was -- was 140/90, now 115/72 --- accomplished by reducing salt intake).

 

[D7E]

My doc always says if you hve your own machine and do it at home, Never take the first one as "true" ..You are anxious ,Do it 2 or 3 times and take an average ?
From 1st to 3rd mine can drop from 160/100 to 145/85 but every time i go to the docs it's right up the top ...Anxiety/worry the fact that you know you have a problem and to make it worse you worry about it . There is a lot in this ...I think ?
And as a fairly young man i have a prostate problem and when i have a bout of the prostate the BP goes through the roof is it connected or is it mental ?
I take BP meds Beta-blockers and prostate meds...I'm 31 ? It is interesting to know other peoples thought's ...Many of you have lived with this for much longer than me ..Why the **** can they find nothing wrong ?
I have to take my hat off to you older guys who've had these problems for xxxx years ,I've had them "mildly" for 8 years and some days it's a god-send to have a p@ss normally or not wake up feeling more tired than i went to bed and a pulse of 105 ?
...Whoops i should not say H@ll ..they might ban me again ?

 

[N80]

My doc always says if you hve your own machine and do it at home, Never take the first one as "true" ..You are anxious ,Do it 2 or 3 times and take an average ?

There are several approaches. I tend to recommend fewer checks but checking for a longer period of time. In other words, check it 3-4 times a week for several months, then take an average of that. I've seen so many patients check it, its a little high, then they get nervous about it and check it again and its higher 'cause they're nervous, etc etc.

From 1st to 3rd mine can drop from 160/100 to 145/85 but every time i go to the docs it's right up the top ...Anxiety/worry the fact that you know you have a problem and to make it worse you worry about it . There is a lot in this ...I think ?

Yes, it can get complicated. For many years we used the term 'white coat hypertension' to describe people whose BP goes up only in the doctor's office and we used to dismiss it. Recent studies, however, have suggested that patients diagnosed with white coat hypertension have the same risks as those with regular old hypertension. In other words, both need to be treated.

I take BP meds Beta-blockers and prostate meds...I'm 31 ? It is interesting to know other peoples thought's ...Many of you have lived with this for much longer than me ..Why the **** can they find nothing wrong ?

Well, with 'essential hypertension' which is the most common form of high blood pressure (about 95%) there is nothing to find. There are no abnormal labs or scans or x-rays. You might see mild changes on an EKG but those are caused by the high blood pressure not vice versa. So there's nothing to 'find'. If the BP is high, its high and you just have to get it down. For many people it is lifestyle (diet, smoking, alcohol, no excercise, overweight, etc) but there is usually a strong genetic component too. I have plenty of folks in their 20's on bp meds or lifestyle modification. I have a few teens as well.

There is probably no correlation between prostate problems and high blood pressure. Being stressed or in pain can raise your BP though. It is not common for men your age to have prostate problems, but it is not rare either. The interesting thing is that there is a class of BP medicines that help relieve prostate problems. If you have both you might want to talk to your doctor about it since you could potentially treat both problems with one pill.

The other thing people need to remember is that in general high blood pressure is a disease of years, not months, days or weeks. Its the long term effects of the elevated pressure in the arteries that causes the problems (stroke and heart attack). This means that minor, short term elevations are not dangerous. But it also means that the younger you are when you get it, the more important it is to get it under control soon. There are situations in which the blood pressure goes so high that it is an emergency. Usually you will see values like 200/110 plus chest pain, severe headache or neurological symptoms.

 

[Egon]

Anyone get their BP checked on their legs rather than the arm??

Whats the difference between hard work and aerobic exercise?

 

[N80]

Whats the difference between hard work and aerobic exercise?

Depends on your definitition of hard work. I know plenty of people who think getting off the couch to get to the fridge for another bowl of ice cream is hard work.

The actual definition is probably better related to heart rate. Good aerobic exercise will increase your heart rate and keep it there. Things like running, swimming, biking, jumping rope, etc. Whereas lifting weights might involve lots of effort and even burn lots of calories, if you don't get a sustained increase in heart rate during the activity, it is not 'aerobic'.

 

[Soundguy]

Yes, it can get complicated. For many years we used the term 'white coat hypertension' to describe people whose BP goes up only in the doctor's office and we used to dismiss it. Recent studies, however, have suggested that patients diagnosed with white coat hypertension have the same risks as those with regular old hypertension. In other words, both need to be treated.

Now see.. i have an issue with that.

How can you treat someone who only has a high BP when he's at the DR office.. and the rest of the time it's virtually normal?

For instance.. ever since my doc made the suggestion.. I'd been checking my BP 3x per day.

It's all coming out in the 111-121 over 70-82 with pulse ranging from 62-85

At the dr office.. it pretty much always 130-150 over mid 80's with high pulse.

Seems like a catch 22 there...???

Soundguy

 

[N80]

I'm just telling you what the studys say. But, in your case, I don't think its as much of an issue. The pressures you're getting at home are perfect. The pressures you're getting in the doctor's office are borderline high to normal to stone cold normal. That being the case, I think you have two options. 1) Continue to monitor your BP and do the things you're supposed to do or 2) Start on a very low dose of a BP medicine. It will probably give you some risk reduction without side effects. But, as the doctor I think either way is fine and would leave it completely up to you. If I were the patient, I'd go with number one.

The real white coat issue is the guy who comes in with BP of 170/100 in the office but has 135/85 at home. That guy needs to be treated.

 

[Soundguy]

That makes sense, looking at it like that.

And yes.. given the choice.. I also would like to do option 1. That's why i went out and got a decent bp machine, and will keep it calibrated per the manufacturers instructions ( send in to recalibrate periodically ).. and just monitor at home to make sure it is not creeping up on me.

I get plenty of 'hart pumping' exercise ( work on the farm.. but it gets the thing pumping.. ) and I'm not a salt fiend.. pretty much never add any.. and like to drink low sodium drinks anyway.. etc. That and I'm starting to try some meditation ( for real ).. Hmm.. maybee that last bit should go over int hat 'unmanly' thread?

In any case.. I'd like to stay of fthe meds untill when/if i need them. Will see how it goes. I'm staying in touch with my primary care physician on this topic.. as they are most interested in it.. which.. I guess, is a good thing...

soundguy

 

[CharlieTR]

There is a lot of good information in this thread.
High BP is a major concern because not only the high preasure related problems, but also all organs must work twice as hard to keep up with the blood flow forced to them.

Anyway, do you say heart rate was 78? That is too high, that is where you want the rate to be when exercising, not when relaxed. If it is normally that high (when you check it with machine) ask doc. You may need a beta blocker.
But ask about other ways to lower heart rate naturally. The only beta blocker I was on was Toporol and the side affect are not desirable.

 

[N80]

A normal resting heart rate can be anywhere between 60-100. A rate of 78 is perfectly normal for most people. I see 17 year old athletic males with resting heart rates in the mid 40's. Technically not normal but its normal for them, and is a good thing. I'd be unconscious with a heart rate that low.