I'm not a doctor, so take everything I write with a pinch of salt (rhetorically speaking; salt is not good for people with high BP
). I'm not going to say anything about your medication, I leave that to the doctors. Instead I suggest some lifestyle changes, which seem to be useful according to literature and my own experience.
First, I don't think your BP, especially systolic, has been terribly high so far. I've had 160 at occasions, but have managed to bring it down to
110-120 with some lifestyle changes. As you I've had diastolic pressure of
100 sometimes, too, but now it's around 70-80. In my case I've noticed that exercise seems to bring down the diastolic pressure quicker/more than systolic. Sometimes when I've started exercising too strenuously too soon, my systolic pressure has actually gone up. So I think that one should exercise with a relaxed mind and not proceed too quickly to vigorous exercises. But it is important to exercise, just remember to take it easy, at least in the beginning. Don't make exercise as a source of stress
.
If meditation does not make you relaxed enough, I suggest that you learn some yoga (if you don't already know enough), and start doing some relaxing yoga asanas before meditation sessions. That improved the results of meditation sessions. You need patience, the results will improve over time.
As for your weight, I think you should try to normalize it. That alone is likely to bring down BP considerably. You should also restrict your salt and sodium intake, if you are not already doing it.
As for diet, eat more fresh fruit, vegetables, and foods high in fiber.
Especially eat garlic and celery. Eat fatty fish such as mackerel, sardines, herring or salmon at least three times a week. A small fish like sardine has less pollutants than big predatory fish. Sardines are usually eaten with the bones, so they also a good source of calcium, which is one of the important minerals in the treatment of hypertension.
A good diet related web site is
Food Pyramids: Nutrition Source, Harvard School of Public Health
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/
pyramids.html
Have you heard of DASH diet? I have not tried it, so I cannot endorse it, but it is often recommended in the literature. Below some links to information about it:
The DASH Eating Plan
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/
Facts About The DASH Diet
http://seniorhealth.about.com/library/nutrition/
bldash.htm
The DASH Diet for Hypertension
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/
0743410076/104-8027332-3099139?v=glance
Perhaps some other participants in this group could tell about their experiences, positive or negative, about DASH diet?
Some supplements may help, below a few suggestions:
- Garlic 1500 - 6000 mg/d and Coenzyme Q10 200-300 mg/d in combination.
- Magnesium 500 - 1500 mg/d
- Calcium 1000 mg/d
- Potassium 400 - 500 mg/d
- Fish oil concentrate, about 6 - 12 capsules/d depending on the product.
- Vitamin C 1000 - 6000 mg/d divided into at least three portions during the day.
- Amino acid arginine 4000 - 5000 mg 3 times a day.
- Amino acid taurine 1/3 teaspoonful 2 - 3 times a day.
It may also be useful to take low-dose aspirin daily with the heaviest meal of the day to reduce the risk of possible cardiovascular complications associated with hypertension.
