Frustrated with high blood pressure
Written by: Dr. Rowena | Posted: Nov 03 2009
Q: I’m an active 46 yr old African man. I’ve had high BP since I was a teenager, but I’ve also been active all my life doing sports. I have been running 3 miles every other day. Despite all these efforts I’ve been making (including the medications), my blood pressure is still high. I had a check up with my Dr last week, and my cholesterol has also elevated a bit. I’m frustrated, and don’t know what else to do!
A: Ask your doctor about using the RESPeRATE. This device has been proven in clinical studies to lower blood pressure. It is simple to use and has no side effects. Talk to your doctor about diet. Perhaps increasing the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables and lowering your salt intake would be beneficial.
Tags: blood pressure, Blood Pressure & Hypertension, cholesterol, fresh fruits and vegetables, high blood pressure, hypertension, RESPeRATE, salt intakeSalt needs of healthy adults
Written by: Dr. Rowena | Posted: Aug 17 2009
Q: I am using the DASH diet as well as Resperate (which I LOVE). I monitor my salt, potassium, magnesium levels daily. I can’t seem to find any information on what is the lowest safe daily level of salt for an individual. [I am 65 years old. I have heard that too little salt can be dangerous but I don't know how much is too little.]
A: About a teaspoon of salt a day will meet the needs of most healthy adults. Most of us eat much more because salt is added to foods for flavor. A blood level of 135 mEq/l is considered low by most laboratories. To see the government guidelines about salt intake click here.
Tags: blood level, Dash diet, Diet & Exercise, government guidelines, little salt, RESPeRATE, salt intake, sodiumSalt to relieve headaches?
Written by: Dr. Rowena | Posted: Feb 26 2009
Q: I have had high blood pressure for 30 years, since I was 25. It really gets high sometimes! (145/117). On a daily basis, I refrain from using salt and try to avoid salty foods (i.e. chips, pretzels, fried chicken), but I was told by a paramedic that salt is good for a headache. I thought that was silly until I ate a bag of potato chips while my head was pounding and the headache was gone within 30 minutes. But maybe it was the aspirin and/or the coke I had with the chips. Please let us salt-avoiders know
A: Salt sensitivity is now considered a risk factor for cardiovascular events, even in people with normal blood pressure. Testing for salt sensitivity isn’t easy so the National Institutes of Health recommends that all people watch their salt intake. The recommended daily allowance of sodium is 2,400 milligrams per day. Keep in mind that this amount may need to be increased in hot climates and in situations when a lot of salt from the body is lost through sweating.
Headache can be a symptom of too little salt in the body. Eating salty food in this situation could certainly help relieve the headache. As emergency responders at public events, paramedics are well aware of the symptoms of dehydration and salt loss.
Tags: cardiovascular events, daily allowance of sodium, headaches, high blood pressure, Misc, national institutes of health, recommended daily allowance, risk factor, salt intake, salt sensitivity, symptoms of dehydrationHow to eliminate sodium from diet
Written by: Dr. Rowena | Posted: Nov 14 2008
Q: How do you suggest gradually eliminating sodium or lessening intake?
A: Read product labels and choose products that contain less sodium. Use fresh herbs to enhance flavor while cooking instead of salt. When eating out, advise your server that you don’t want any “finishing salt” put on your dishes. These are just a few things you can do to help lower your salt intake. For a checklist of ideas: click here
Tags: diet, Diet & Exercise, high blood pressure, salt intake, sodium
