Blood Pressure - Anyone care to comment........

[islesgirl]

on your experience with high blood pressure while eating raw foods? Did raw food contribute to lowering your blood pressure? I would appreciate as much feedback on this as possible. Thank you muchly!:D

[tanishamarshall]

Mine went down, haven't checked to see if it was a safe number but I feel good. Honestly I can't remember urghgth I think it was 120/80 and now it reads 110/60 or something like that.. Sorry I need to check it again.

[Veganforlife]

Oh yeah, mine was never really "bad" per se, but it definitely improved.

[Revvell]

Mine has always been low yet, my consideration would be, not so much whether the food is cooked or raw but if you're adding salt to your food program, especially table salt.

Having said that, with raw, everything gets a good cleaning, scraping, cleansing; blood flows better AND, you don't need salt to flavor your food as it's so rich and vital, full of nutrients and flavor because you've not killed it.

Revvell

[RawKnitster]

islegirl, YES, YES, YES! The first time I went raw (over 4 years ago) was because of weight (198lbs) and high blood pressure, etc., etc. My normal pressure at that time was in the 130/140's with spikes up to 184! My resting pulse was in the 80/90's. I bought a digital blood pressure moniter and started tracking my pressure. I still use it at least once a week.

My current reading when I'm active is 120/85. At rest my reading is 110/80, or less. As my weight drops from my present 190 lbs, I'm sure my numbers will continue to improve.

Four years ago (when I was 50 years old), I weighed 150lbs after a year of raw. My blood pressure was hanging around 105/68, with my resting pulsing at 58. My best EVER!

Blood pressure wasn't the only thing to improve during my year long raw experience. Everything improved.

Cholesterol: 291 (LDL 183/HDL 58) to 181 (LDL 99/HDL 68)
Triglycerides (Fat): 250 to 69
Liver Function: High to Normal
CRP Level (Inflammation): very high 4.9 to 0.

Are you still experiencing a lot of pain? CRP level could be very important to you. Inflammation has a lot to do with body aches/pains and risk of disease.

islegirl, I know your for looking incentive to stay on living foods. The "glow", weight adjustment and increased energy are all good reasons, but seem a bit intangible. These numbers are the hard facts of what raw can do for us. I want those numbers back! Let's you and I make this happen together! This could be our best year yet!

[islesgirl]

RawKnitster, this is just the sort of answer I was hoping for. You are always there for me when I most need the help. Your numbers give me just the reassurance I am looking for. Yes, I can do this and I am so much more convinced that this is the way to go. I am tired of vascillating back and forth between low-carb and raw. Have you always been able to have a fair amount of fruit while eating raw? I'm sorry but I can't remember your experience with this from your Blog. Oh - now I am so excited about doing this again!:D I will get back to you about the pain in your blog or mine when I have some time.

docsharp, Revvell and Veganforlife: Thanks for your encouraging comments also. I truly want this to be the answer for me and will keep going.

[lafsalot]

on your experience with high blood pressure while eating raw foods? Did raw food contribute to lowering your blood pressure? I would appreciate as much feedback on this as possible. Thank you muchly!:D

Yep, raw helped immensely with bp and chf. Although I am still on a (now) small dose of channel blocker, I've been off the ace inhibitor and diuretics for quite some time now. ~ Cathy

[cavany]

Raw foods are definitly postive for your health & body and I think anything postive like this should certaintly improve blood pressure.

I also read a book recently by a Dr. F Batmanghelidj called " your body's many cries for water ". It contains a chapter on Blood Pressure which I found interesting. Might be worth a read.

[Blazin'Jane]

My bp dropped enough in the first year of raw that I was able to discontinue one of my 3 meds. I'm hoping to lose the other two when I go for my next check up next spring. I have a home monitor, and I think it's coming down, tho' it's a little hard to tell as my home monitor reads about 10 pts. lower than the nurse's at work.

[islesgirl]

Blazin'Jane, thanks for sharing your positive experience. Very encouraging.

cavany I will definitely look up the book in the library and read that chapter. Thank you very much for your input.

lafsalot, I'm glad that raw has helped you so much. I would like to think that it could only bring my pressure down too. It is scary. It was 156/96 yesterday and I hear ringing in my ears often.

[clearblue]

on your experience with high blood pressure while eating raw foods? Did raw food contribute to lowering your blood pressure? I would appreciate as much feedback on this as possible. Thank you muchly!:D

This fella documents in great detail his 30 day raw food journey and lists his pressure changes. This might be just what you're looking for:

http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2008/01/raw-food-diet-day-1/

[islesgirl]

clearblue, thank you very much. I will definitely check it out.

[goobygirl]

Hey, if you need proof, just watch Raw for 30 Days, its a DVD where 10 or so diabetics went raw, lost weight, got off insulin within 2 weeks, and got normal BP readings.

[RawVegRon]

Hi Tanisha,

I believe that your blood pressure did go down to 100/66, or something like that. That's what mine was after I had been on this diet for two months!

Ron

[Tan_Family]

Hi.

I just wrote a blog about how I used raw cucumber juice to help control my mum's erratic blood pressure (BP). We've been monitoring and trying to reduce her escalating BP for about a year now.

Read about it at http://eatrawfoodtoday.blogspot.com/2008/12/cucumbers-reducing-high-blood-pressure.html

Jasmin

[Eva]

I'm so sorry that I can't recall the numbers or my age -- but at 22? or 23? YOUNG to have blood pressure issues -- I had high blood pressure when I was eating poorly and had landed a "great" job but with a lot of pressure and stress. I was the general manager a very high volume retail store that had been in a bad time and needed a turnaround, and dealing with conference calls and corporate nonsense at too young of an age.

I ended up leaving the job and going to Brazil for a month at the end of that year. LOL. Doctor's orders. Really. I got a note and everything.

And I remember the feeling of high blood pressure, when different things would set me off. I was taking Ritalin and drinking coffee and even smoking sometimes then... And I can tell you that, while at work I "spent" all of my energy to be the perfect little employee, I was exhausted at the end of the day, and if something angered me, I could feel the pressure rise. The "blood boiling" sort of feeling.

Since going raw, I have only been to the "lady doctor" because, well, who needs the other one? I chucked the Ritalin and coffee and took control of my own life. I do know that each time at the gyno's office (AFTER going raw) when my blood pressure was checked I got the "ooooh, great blood pressure" sort of comments. And I NEVER feel my blood boil. I am always so even keeled. And funny, my job is again a pretty high stress job. I have a lot of pressure and responsibility on my shoulders, but it doesn't seem to translate to blood pressure issues that I can detect...

[islesgirl]

Eva,this is great to hear about! My daughter, age 27, so needs to learn about all these things pertaining to raw food also. She is under tremendous pressure both at work and in her private life and I KNOW it is all taking its toll on her health in every respect. I have been accumulating a lot of information about blood pressure and raw food and I am BACK here to stay - as I sip on my Green Smoothie with greens and seeds - good stuff. Thank you so much for posting. I know I must set a good example for my daughter and I will do this beginning now. Do I ever wish she would get orders from someone to go away for a month to rest and recoup.

Sue.

[Blazin'Jane]

My doctor did, in fact, take me off a second bp med last month. Now I just take 25 mg HCTZ, which may go next time. My md says it's good for binding calcium, and since my bones have lost some density in the last couple of years, she thinks it's a good idea to keep th HCTZ as least for awhile. So far, though, my bp is staying around 125-30/60-65, which is lovely!

[islesgirl]

Jane - that's very encouraging to hear about your bp. I'm downing lots of greens in the hope it will help me faster - along with the little half of a pill I take.

Sue.

[islesgirl]

Hi.

I just wrote a blog about how I used raw cucumber juice to help control my mum's erratic blood pressure (BP). We've been monitoring and trying to reduce her escalating BP for about a year now.

Read about it at http://eatrawfoodtoday.blogspot.com/2008/12/cucumbers-reducing-high-blood-pressure.html

Jasmin

Jasmin, I just read about how you so lovingly helped your Mum lower her blood pressure with daily glasses of cucumber juice. I am now doing the same thing and hope it helps me. I had been having GS with lots of cukes but I will definitely up the amount by having the daily glasses of juice as well. Thanks so much for your post.

Sue.:)

[TaupeRawMan]

My BP has always been low, but went even lower when I went raw. It is now usually around 95/65. Doctors are impressed. That is, until I tell them I get dizzy and have fainted periodically.....

[anniez]

I had been on plood pressure med for years! After 5 months of raw, I am off of it. I am also off both of my oral diabetes meds. My Dr ran a comprehensive panel of blood work because of my weight loss. He was shocked, as he told me he didn't think anyone could reverse diabetes and hypertension. My cholesterol also dropped from 210 to 120, which is keeping me off cholesterol meds.

I keep reminding myself of these successes, as my weight loss has stalled in the last month.

I know that we are all different, being fearfully and wonderfully made. I know that our results come in different ways and in different time-tables, but I am convinced that the results do come.

Good luck!

Annie

[onelife2live]

I've been reading through this thread for a while. In June 2008 I was hospitalized for a serious asthma attack, during that process my blood pressure never came down.....over the last several mths my doctor has been keeping an eye on it via blood tests, exercise, changing eating habits....etc etc. Well finally on 1/6 after another follow-up my bp was 156/8?...soooo she is putting on Verapamil. Up to this point in my life, I have never ever had to be on any meds for an extended period of time..and I am certainly not a fan of the medical world. I do know that high blood pressure is something that shouldn't be ignored at all so I am choosing to start taking the meds this weekend. I have been on and off Raw for the past 7 years or so, but it was never 100%. I still consider myself "in transition" but at this point I know I need to make very definitive choices going forward...which includes more raw veggies, smoothies and exercise. I've lost about 11lbs so far and continuing to lose weight however my bp isn't regulating on its own. I'm really concerned about taking this medication and how it may interact with other foods (particularly grapefruit, cranberries, etc.. as this is what I've been consuming as part of my smoothie regimen) during my journey. I'm really really really apprehensive about taking this medication... Should I or shouldn't I? Anyone else taking Verapamil? :(:confused:

I forgot to add in the beginning that I was almost certain the my high bp was caused by 2 tooth infections which have both resulted in 2 root canals over the past 3 months. My bp did NOT regulate even after that.

[Patch]

Hi Onelife2live, I also suffered from high blood pressure which wouldn't stabilize and to make matters worse I have white coat syndrome which means if a doctor or a nurse or in fact anyone takes my blood pressure it reaches dangerous heights. I have a great doctor and she lets me take my own pressure then we all know I get a correct reading as I don't stress about taking it myself. Like you I was also on a part raw diet about 50 to 60 % but still my blood pressure was up. I finally made the call to go 100% and 2 months later I'm off my tablets, so give it a go. I hate taking medication to and I'm a natural girl who hates anything not natural on or in my body. Honestly I wish I had made that call when I was first put on tablets 6 years ago. As for taking the tablets, only you can make that call, go with your gut feeling but if you decide not to it's important you make the commitment to go 100% raw and have the pressure checked weekly until it stabilizes. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

[onelife2live]

Patch thanks so much for your response and your ability to empathize with me..I truly appreciate it. After speaking with my mom tonight about my concerns I've decided to start taking the meds, monitor my bp and see what has changed in 30 days as I continue to make more adjustments. Going 100% right now isn't financially favorable but I will continue to replace certain SAD foods for more green smoothies, raw soups, etc. I think those are good staples for me now and not as heavy on the pockets.

[Mary Kay]

Clearblue,

Thanks. Thanks a lot. It's all your fault for posting the blog of Steve Pavlina, who went 100% raw for 30 days that I'm still up at 2 a.m. It was so interesting, I couldn't stop......LOL

Wow, how nice of him to post for all to see/share....

Thanks again,

Mary Kay

[islesgirl]

Just noticed a few more posts on this thread and I just accidently deleted my longer "thank you" to you all for sharing your experience with high or low blood pressure and eating raw and taking (or not) meds.

I, too, am supposed to be on medication for hbp but am eating raw instead. It is going down. I am also exercising. Thank you for your input. Keep it coming. This is so encouraging. Haven't time to post numbers now but will sometime soon.:)

Sue