Passion Fruit Juice
★★★★★
Pink Salt
★★★★★
After several years of inconsistent blood pressure but trending up, and being put on three various meds for it, I stopped trying to use Rx meds because of untoward effects that I just could not 'live with.' After reading several articles on the benefits of 'real' salt (unprocessed), I switched to pink Himalayan. In two weeks, my blood pressure was back to very good. Six weeks or so ago, I ran out and have been using up the iodized commercially market with a Big Name brand and my blood pressure is again unacceptably high. Back to the pink!! I've changed nothing else in my foods, meds, or lifestyle.
It's the highly processed salt messing with my body.
Pomegranate Juice
★★★★★
(Boise, Id)
08/26/2010
(Bellingham, Wa, Usa)
04/04/2011
They sell pomegranite molasses in our local Mediteranean food store -pure pomegranite juice that has been concentrated to a thick consistency and used in middle-eastern cookery. I wonder if anyone has tried it and got the same benefits as the bottled juice. I started using it in water as a drink a couple of days ago, so far BP still in 180/110 range in spite of taking bp medication from my cardiologist fir the past 3 months. We'll see if it works.
Potassium
★★★★★
Here is a Harvard Health article that shows potassium works.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/potassium-lowers-blood-pressure
Vera,
Could you ask your friend where they got potassium citrate (PC) in 1000 mgs? I ask because I have only ever seen PC in 99 mg capsules as that is all the FDA allows manufacturers to use.
Art
(Beulah, CO)
09/07/2023
Hi Art. I believe he got one tablet from a family member who has a prescription. I have heard there are also potassium citrate liquids, but by prescription also. He's planning to try the supplements available for the time being. If it turns out to be too many pills, he'll ask for a scrip.
(Philippines)
09/07/2023
Concerning the correct dose of potassium, here is an article by a health professional(a qualified nutritionalist ) who recommends a standard per diem dose of potassium(RDA) of between 3,500 mgs and 4,700 mgs for adults. And yet the FDA still recommends selling paltry doses of only 99 mgs per day for adults where some people are led to mistakenly believe that 99 mgs of potassium citrate is the daily recommended dose. Something is very wrong here here, don't you think?
It's a research fact that a healthy body should always be able to easily regulate the intake and excretion of all the major electrolytes in your body -- that's calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium -- by controlling their absorption into the blood from your intestines as well as by regulating and controlling the excretion of any excess electrolyte minerals from your body. As long as your intestines (colon area) and kidneys are healthy your body should have no problems properly and safely regulating any excess potassium, sodium, magnesium or calcium in your body.
As a testament to the above, I've been regularly supplementing potassium citrate in amounts varying from 500 mgs to 1000 mgs per dose(as recommended by Ted) without any problems at all and I'm 73 y.o. And I usually always balance my potassium intake by also taking healthy and equivalent amounts sodium bicarbonate or sodium citrate as per Ted's alkaline advice. And it's pretty easy to buy the powdered form of potassium citrate in the US:
Potassium Citrate Powder -- from Purebulk
And from Ted's advice remember that 1/8 tspn of powder is approx 500 mg and 1/4 tspn is approx 1000 mgs. Easy peasy!
In my own experience, I've also found that alot of the so-called advice from the FDA and even from drugs-funded research can be deliberately misleading or even grossly inaccurate. If anyone really thinks that our bodies only require 99 mgs potassium citrate per day then I wish you alot of luck because you are going to need it if you believe every single piece of advice that comes from the FDA.
I've known for well over 20 years that the FDA is the main rep and sales agent for all the drugs and vaccines sold on the market today. And guess what?? -- The drugs companies own US law as well. And why is that? Two reasons really. First, most middle and high level management personnel in the FDA come directly from the drug companies. Any bias there, ya think? Second reason -- the FDA outright owns the law -- heck, why mess around? -- The FDA own the US govt as well! That's why all FDA policies are so heavily protected by US law and have been for decades now.
And concerning the purchase of potassium citrate at 1000 mg or greater per dose, for the last 17 years or so I've purchased my potassium carbonate or potassium citrate as bulk powder direct from two certified US chemical companies that are based in the Philippines, whereby I'm able to purchase 500 mgs potassium citrate(USP Grade) for about $10.00. I usually take 1/4 tspn of both potassium citrate and sodium bicarbonate dissolved and mixed in a glass of water. And sometimes I also add 1/8 tspn Sodium Carbonate -- as Ted's Carbicarb remedy -- for higher alkalinity. Been doing that regularly for about 17 years now and it's kept me healthy.
So please bear in mind and remember that if you purchase the tablet form of potassium citrate then it has to be 99 mg per tablet as per FDA inspired US law, but if you purchase the powdered form of potassium citrate in bulk then you can happily buy it in tons with no dose restrictions at all .. .
(Beulah, CO)
09/08/2023
Art, I realized one more thing. I went to the health food store yesterday to find the right potassium for my friend, and they were all 99 mg. Except for one small bottle of liquid. At the price, it would be cheaper to get a prescription.
They tell you to dilute and and slowly sip liquid potassium. Which means that taking several (more than 2?) capsules at a time might be unsafe (could cause a heart disturbance). So maybe there is a good reason for not selling larger doses in a pill.
Vera,
The reason given for limiting potassium to 99 mg is discussed here :
Here is a relevant quote from the link :
' The use of potassium salts in certain medications has been associated with small-bowel lesions, causing obstruction, hemorrhage, and perforation [20, 74]. For this reason, the FDA requires some oral drugs providing more than 99 mg of potassium to be labeled with a warning. '
Regarding taking more than one 99 mg capsule of potassium at a time being safe or not, consider that one medium sized banana has 422 mg of potassium or more than 4 capsules of potassium. I don't think anyone has had a health issue from eating one medium sized banana unless it happened to be attached to a banana split and you ate it everyday as a supplement!
If you really want go for food with potassium, one medium baked potato has 940 mg of potassium and people eat those all the time.
Art
(Auckland, New Zealand)
09/09/2023
I have been taking 8 grams of potassium bicarbonate (3,200 mg elemental potassium) everyday to buffer ascorbic acid for over a decade, no any side effect I notice of. BTW I have also been taking blood test every 3 months for over 6 years and everytime test results came back ok. For me, even such high supplemental potassium did no harm at all.
(Beulah. CO)
09/10/2023
(Beulah, CO)
09/09/2023
Yes, I understand about potassium being safe at high dosages (meaning much higher than 99 mg). But eating it or drinking it is one thing, and popping dry pills all at once another. They say to sip the liquid potassium or sip with food. It could disturb the heart rhythm is what I have heard.
My friend wanted pills, so he is trying 2 99mg capsules, one enteric coated garlic pill, and a squirt of hawthorn tincture. Will report how he does in a few weeks. He is hoping to be able to go off Losartan.
(Auckland, New Zealand)
09/11/2023
Hi Vera,
I use food grade potassium bicarbonate powder and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) powder, spoon them in a cup and add some water (about 100 ml). It will fizz up, the amount of ascorbic acid is such that the 2 are just enough to neutralize each other. Add more water if not totally dissolve. I drink the whole lot in one go early in the morning empty stomach.
My heart beat rate and blood pressure are both normal at my age now 70. Years ago before that my heart rate was quite fast and blood pressure a little bit high, doctor did nothing for that maybe my case not too serious. BTW haven't seen doctor for nearly 10 years.
(Vancouver, Cda)
09/11/2023
(Auckland, New Zealand)
09/13/2023
Hi Joan,
Potassium chloride and sodium bicarbonate won't react to give you potassium bicarbonate.
I buy food grade potassium bicarbonate from a local source "The Sourcery" which is much cheaper than suppliers I find on eBay or Amazon.
The Sourcery - Potassium Bicarbonate
Every morning I mix 8 gm of potassium bicarbonate and 9 gm of vit C powder with more than half cup of water, and drink the whole lot in one go.
9 grams of vitamin C is my "bowel tolerance", to me about 15 minutes after consuming I will have to use the toilet once, and twice at most within the whole morning.
Probiotics
★★★★★
There are a number of articles available on metabolic syndrome in the net. Two such articles are as follows:
1) Metabolic syndrome – Symptoms and Causes – Mayo Clinic.
2) Metabolic syndrome – Cleveland Clinic.
According to Mayo clinic, metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that occur together, increasing your risk of:
1) heart disease,
2) stroke and
3) Type 2 diabetes.
These conditions include increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels. A metabolic disorder occurs when the metabolism fails and causes the body to have either too much or too little of the essential substances needed to stay healthy. Any disease associated with metabolic disorder can be cured only by following one or more of the following:
1) Consume probiotics with the required probiotic strains to fix the underlying metabolic disorders in the digestive system.
2) Consume fibre-rich foods (e.g., ground flax seed, cinnamon powder, etc.) so that it will help in the multiplication of probiotic microorganisms (microbes) since fibres are food for good microbes.
3) Reduce the consumption of sugar since sugar is the food for bad microbes in the digestive system.
There are a number of articles available in the net suggesting probiotic treatment to solve high blood pressure problem. Four such articles are given below:
1) Probiotic use in the management of Hypertension – A new era of therapeutic management.
2) Probiotics and blood pressure – current insights.
3) The improvement of Hypertension by Probiotics: Effects on Cholesterol, Diabetes, Renin and Phytoestrogens.
4) Effect of Probiotics on Blood Pressure.
Some of recommended probiotic strains to treat high blood pressure problem are given below in the order of important:
1) L. Helveticus – It exerts ACE (angiotension converting enzyme) inhibitory activity by producing antihypertensive bioactive peptides. Peptides are short chain of 2 and 50 amino acids. Protein contains more than 50 amino acids. Peptides are miniature protein. Peptides are easily absorbable by the body compared to protein. This is a very important probiotic strain to control high blood pressure.
2) Lactococcous Lactis – It synthesize vitamin K2 from the food we eat. Vitamin K2 guides calcium to its final destination, bone and teeth. It will not allow calcium to be deposited in the wrong areas.
3) L. Plantarum – It synthesize nitric oxide from the food we consume. Nitric oxide will try to dilate all blood vessels in the body. It will also try to reduce triglyceride level.
4) L. Reuteri – It will increase circulating Vitamin D. But if a person is Vitamin D deficient, the person should take additional Vitamin D3 supplement. It will also try to reduce cholesterol level.
5) L. Rhamnosus – It synthesize nitric oxide from the food we consume. Nitric oxide will try to dilate all blood vessels in the body.
6) L. Gassri – It will try to reduce cholesterol level. It is also anti inflammatory.
I searched the net and found 6 brands that contain all six required probiotic strains and are listed below in the alphabetical order:
1) CaptainBiotics Probiotic – 19 probiotic strains.
2) INNATE Vitality women's Probiotic – 17 probiotic strains.
3) InnovixLabs Multi strain Probiotic – 31 probiotic strains.
4) NewRhythm Probiotic – 20 probiotic strains.
5) Wholesome RAW Probiotics 100 Billion CFU – 34 probiotic strains.
6) Terranics Probiotic – 19 probiotic strains.
One can select one of these brands based on user reviews, user ratings, price, etc. and take one tablet / capsule per day for about 60 days. One may also take 2 teaspoon of ground flax seed at night since fibre-rich flax seed is a prebiotic food. I believe it is a simple and effective treatment for high blood pressure problem.
Best wishes.
P. Raghavan.
Probiotics, D3
★★★★★
There are articles available in the net regarding Vitamin D3, Vitamin K2 and Probiotics for high blood pressure problem. Five such articles are given below:
1) Low Vitamin D & K levels linked to higher blood pressure: Study.
2) How Vitamin D and Vitamin K2 work together.
3) Probiotic use in the management of Hypertension.
4) Effects of Probiotics on Blood Pressure.
5) The improvement of Hypertension by Probiotics.
Vitamins K2 and D3 play an important role in calcium metabolism. Probiotic bacteria Lactococcous Lactis synthesizes Vitamin K2 in the digestive system from the food we consume.
Vitamin K2 guides calcium to its final destination: bone and teeth. If there is insufficient production of Vitamin K2 in the digestive system, calcium will deposit in the wrong areas.
Probiotic bacteria L. Helveticus reported to exert ACE-inhibitory activity by producing antihypertensive bioactive peptides which are released during protein hydrolysis.
Peptides are miniature protein molecules which can be easily absorbed by the body. ACE stands for Angiotension Converting Enzyme. Probiotic strains L. Plantarum synthesizes nitric oxide from the food we consume. Nitric oxide will try to dilate all blood vessels on the body. L. Casei have significant antihypertensive properties.
According to an article titled “Probiotic and Blood pressure: Current Insights”, our gut microbiota are master regulators of hypertension. If one goes through the above document, about eight probiotic strains are involved in blood pressure control.
They are:
1) Lactococcus Lactis
2) L. Helveticus
3) L. Plantarum
4) L. Casei
5) L. Rhamnosus
6) S. Thermophilus
7) B. Longum
8) L. Achidophilus.
Out of these eight probiotic strains, the first four probiotic strains have major control over blood pressure.
TREAMENT.
Follow the following two steps:
1) During my search in the net, I found about six brands of multi strain probiotics with the required eight probiotic strains mentioned above. One has to take one probiotic capsule / tablet per days.
2) Take one D3 supplement of about 2000 IU per day.
One can expect good results in about two months. I hope the information provided here will be useful.
Best wishes,
P. Raghavan.
Prune Water
★★★★★
For High blood pressure,
Soak 5 dried prunes overnight in a glass of water. Early in the morning drink this water alone, no need to eat the prune. The nutritients in the prune gets extracted in the water. Prune is high in Potassium.
You can see a huge difference in the second day. This is a Unani Medicine Treatment. If you don't get Dried Prune try with Dried Plum.
Good Health.
Prunes
Soak 3 dried prunes overnight in a glass of water and drink this water early in the morning. Do it for 5 days, give gap for 2 days, again continue for 5 days. If you feel better stop it till you feel you have high bp. Again start.
Trust your body, don't trust the readings. Good Health
Pulse Pressure Readings
This question is for Ted / Bill if they can throw some light on "Pulse pressure" and in case if it is high or low, how to correct it. Because normal pulse pressure should be 40. Thanks, Baldev
Raw Food Diet
★★★★★
Recipes to Lower BP
★★★★★
2 tbs olive oil
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup almonds
juice of 1 lemon
1 cup chopped cilantro
Put all but cilantro in a food processor then add in cilantro. Take 2-3 tbs a day.
I have it on toast in the morning and I find that I actually really like it. Also I notice the garlic paste makes me feel full.
2 cups organic no sugar concord grape juice
1 cup organic no sugar apple juice
1/4 cup ACV with mother
Mix all together. Says drink 2 ounces before your biggest meal of the day. But I am taking 1.5 ounce before each meal. I notice that I do not get tired after eating. I am not going to take it prior to dinner anymore since I feel like I have too much energy in the evenings.
Salt
★★★★★
I stopped taking bp medicine which leaves me taking no prescription meds at all. I eat absolutely no processed package artificial foods whatsoever except for canned salmon. I make about 10qts of blended veg soup with 4 tablespoons pink salt and leave in refrigerator to sip on till it's gone in about a week then I make more. Favorite soup is lentils, cabbage, celery, onions, tomatoes, an apple, hot pepper, bell peppers, rutabaga, and what ever vegetables in season. Sometimes I throw in a handful of cashews or blueberries whatever I feel like. By the way, I stopped using herbs and spices in cooking because I think they are very potent medicines that I save for when needed. To me daily consumption of herbs and spices throws my healthy balance off. Reading shows that the healthiest populations season foods with salt only.
I usually start my work day with a mug of water and two mugs of hot soup. Today being a weekend I started it the same and then made a salmon, celery and onion salad to munch on the rest of the day. AND, very unusual, I felt like eating some salty organic round white corn chips and throughout the day I ate the whole 13oz bag and this evening my bp is 116/58.
The point in writing this long winded post is that everyone tells you salt is the enemy and for some it may be. But in my humble opinion salt is the enemy only when combined with the giant of all enemies commercial packaged processed artificial food loaded with sugar, sugar and more sugar.
Even if you live in a city, you can shop in the produce section and rinse every thing in cold water. You don't have to make a lot at once, cook it daily. PLAN AHEAD.
If I need to munch something sweet – banana, avocado, apple, berries, black cherries, etc, etc, etc.
And here is the kicker, I NOW SPEND HALF WHAT I USED TO on food per month.
(New Orleans)
09/29/2018
Interesting post, thank you. The few times my blood pressure has skyrocketed to scary levels have been after eating out and never at home. About 5 years ago I had a burrito in a supposedly healthy fast food Mexican restaurant and 30 minutes later my heart was pounding out of chest for the next 24 hours. I never went back but always thought the extra salt must have been the culprit! However, I too eat frozen pizzas at home from time to time and never have issues. So now I'm thinking the restaurant added some additional ingredients besides salt to that crazy burrito like sugar.. their signs said "no MSG ever", so I ruled that out, but who knows...
(Usa)
09/30/2018
Joanna,
They may not have added monosodium glutamate but the flowing agent in the salt could be a culprit. In production of any product, cooking, heating and reheated creates a manufactured glutamic acic that's worse. It is a nerve stimulant...PERIOD.
Those of us who recognize our sensitivity know "this is my MSG reaction". Sounds, to me, like you had a reaction. Different people can tolerate different amounts and combinations of various foods can make a difference. There is no "one-size-fits-all".
Magnesium and vit. C offer some protection against the toxic effects of "MSG" See truthinlabeling.org. It has taken me, piecemeal, over two decades to learn how I can eat what. For example, I am a red meat lover but I cannot eat reheated beef and I have to limit my ingestion to two oz. at a time or my fingers become sore and sometimes split.
I can take magnesium but the magnesium citrate caused me frightening heart palpitations and I was diagnosed with PVC. Citrate is processed from corn. There is another post here about how I discovered this. Corn has been genetically modified and I believe it was in 1998 that corn contained the patented gene that Monsanto developed for their Roundup ready soybeans. Infiltration cannot be avoided just due to wind and bird droppings.
The critters we eat and get milk or eggs from are being fed GMO grasses and grains. When anything is cooked MSG is created and because our food has been engineered to last longer, "Food, Inc." assimilation is difficult.
This is truly all very complicated but I wanted to share just because labels declare "NOMSG" or "NON-GMO" they cannot be trusted and I trust the people more who went to the food industry to have them check their own products for the information.
KT
(Michigan)
10/02/2018
I just want to clear up that I bought the pizza to see the effect of sodium on my bp. I stay clear of all flour and sugar products. Basically I cook with and eat foods in its natural state using salt as a seasoning. And believe me I enjoy eating. :)
Sea Salt
★★★★★
Sea Salt
Ash
(New York)
03/28/2014
Hi, I am weaning off hbp (high blood pressure) medicine and was integrating a few things that were working but now my bp is spiking.. I only went down to 75mil. from 100 and going to go down to 50mil... I want to try the sea salt and water cure but not sure how long that takes or if that would work..
(Wales)
03/29/2014
★★★★★
CQ10 150mg 3 times daily will work better than anything your dr can give you. You can take it with your BP meds if you're worried, it wo'nt interact with any meds. Also have plenty of omega 3 in your diet or buy Hemp oil or powder. But CQ10 will work at dose I have given you hun ok? Love Andrea C xxxxxxxxxx
(New York, US)
03/29/2014
Hi Andrea and thanks .. I will do the COQ10 3x a day and get some hemp oil if I can find it..
Unfortunately I have uncontrolled bp and have tried ACV, taurine, olive Leaf, beets, magnesium, sea salt, etc.etc. I am noticing though that lemons might be working better...this is frustrating to say the least. by the way I am 59 Female and I do walk a few times a week but maybe not enough.. my diet is good and the woman in health food store told me to juice and go raw..
Sea Salt
★★★★★
This link is a good starting point http://www.relfe.com/low_salt_diet_dangers.html
I hope you find relief. Best wishes and thanks for such a marvellous website,
Fiona
