Diet causes blood pressure changes

April 18, 2012 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I have been on your diet since February and have lost 10-15 pounds. I didn’t realize that it could lower my blood pressure in addition to the weight loss. I began noticing dizziness periodically during the day so my cardiologist reduced my blood pressure medicine. Recently I noticed I was still having some dizziness and got winded with little exertion so my doctor had me hospitalized where I was diagnosed with hypotension. All’s well now but I suggest that you make it clear that your diet can also cause lowered blood pressure so that those on medication can be alert to the problem of hypotension. Thanks.

DEAR READER: I do specifically mention that weight loss in general as well as from my diet, can reduce blood pressure (as well as cholesterol, blood sugar, and more) in my book “Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Diet”. I have also recommended weight loss as an aid to [Read more...]

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Hypertension tough to control

March 10, 2012 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I’m having a terrible time controlling my blood pressure. I have been on many medications but none help. My systolic is in the 180 to 200 range most of the time and always very high when I get up in the morning.

My local doctor is at a loss as to what to do next. He sent me to a cardiologist and to a kidney specialist. (My heart and kidneys are fine). I also had a Doppler study on my kidneys and carotid artery and an ultrasound on my kidneys. Those results were good.

I’m a 68-year-old white female, retired. I walk 30 minutes every day and have been a diabetic for 20 years. I have glaucoma, [Read more...]

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Is strep therapy linked with hypertension?

December 28, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: When my son was in elementary school, I took him to the doctor for a sore throat with fever. He stated it was probably a virus and to just treat it with Tylenol, rest and fluids. After a few days the sore throat cleared and my son was feeling better. I believe it was about two weeks later that we returned to the doctor because I noticed he had a very enlarged lymph node in his neck and a sore neck. The doctor’s eyes about popped out of his head and he exclaimed, “He’s got strep!” He then prescribed an antibiotic and the node went down and my son has seemed fine. He is now 16 years old and during a routine BP check at school he was found to have an elevated BP. I recheck him at home and it was 140/84. could this be related to the late treatment for strep? I know that untreated strep can cause heart problems. The doctor I had seen is no longer in the same practice and I would not go back to him in any case. How concerned should I be? What are your recommendations?
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Man combats hypertension with booze

October 28, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I have been struggling with hypertension for years. I have tried five to six different drugs. Some caused a cough, some caused extreme dizziness, and one (Norvasc) almost caused fatal depression. I feel like my doctor is out of ideas, since he wants to put me back on a drug similar to Norvasc.

I began monitoring my pressure much too much and interestingly found that two to three cocktails brings my pressure down from 180/100 to 115/75. I cannot find anything about this on the web and staying drunk is not an option. I am 62, cholesterol 145, generally healthy. Help!

DEAR READER: Blood pressure is a method of measuring the force placed against the walls of arteries as the heart pumps throughout the body. [Read more...]

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Is CPAP to blame for hypertension?

October 17, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: Over the years, I’ve been amazed at what I’ve learned from your column. I’m hoping you can teach me something now.

My husband was diagnosed with sleep apnea and has been using a CPAP machine for nearly four years. A year and a half ago a physical showed his blood pressure to be 173-90 and he was prescribed amlodipine. At this time he also had a follow-up sleep study and as a result the pressure setting was reduced.

Over a month ago he suddenly stopped taking the amlodipine. He forgot to take it one evening and was amazed at how much more focus and energy he had the next day. [Read more...]

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17-year-old with high blood pressure can’t keep up

August 20, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: My 17-year-old son takes lisinopril for high blood pressure. Lately when he runs around 1 1/2 miles with his soccer team at practice, he has had a difficult time keeping up. He has been finishing about 25 feet behind the group and is usually out of breath. On one occasion he threw up. What makes this unusual is that he has run cross-country or track (a one- and two-mile run) for the last six years. He was the best runner on the soccer team. Does the lisinopril have any effect on his running?

DEAR READER: In teens up to the age of 18, hypertension is defined as a reading greater than the 95th percentile for their age, height and gender. Measurements between 90 percent and 95 percent of that expected range are considered to be borderline, and individuals will run a higher risk of developing high blood pressure as adults.
[Read more...]

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Isolated systolic hypertension is common

July 17, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I am a 68-year-old woman from Africa. My systolic blood pressure is constantly high, but never above 170 or so. With carvedilol/indapamide, it comes down to about 148-150. My diastolic blood pressure, even without medication, never goes above 70 and is usually in the 60s. I am intrigued by why this is so.

Apart from this, my general health is very good to excellent. I am 5-foot-1 and weigh 130 pounds. I do aerobic/strength/weight exercises for one hour three times a week. My HDL is about 60, my LDL is about 210, and my C-reactive protein is almost nil. My glucose level is usually 100 or below.
[Read more...]

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Around-the-clock BP monitoring?

January 14, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: My doctor has indicated that he wants a 24-hour blood-pressure reading on me. I just returned from my ophthalmologist’s office for a routine visit and asked him about this. I am uninformed but was surprised a specialist would not have heard of it, either. Can you fill in the blanks?

DEAR READER: The use of ambulatory blood-pressure monitoring (ABPM) for 24 hours has gained greater acceptance for several reasons. A situation known as white-coat hypertension occurs in up to 32 percent of patients, and this particular testing unit can monitor the condition. It can also delineate circadian variations in readings and pick up on drug-induced orthostatic hypotension and episodic primary hypertension. [Read more...]

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Hypertensive happy off meds

August 11, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I find your articles informative and filled with common sense. I am a 69-year-old woman, 5 feet, 3 inches and 120 pounds. My blood pressure is high-normal. Otherwise, I am healthy.

My physician put me on lisinopril/HCTZ and a few months later added metoprolol XL. He later added amlodipine. Each was one tablet daily.

I began to have hot flashes and then felt cold. My stomach was upset, and I was very tired. So I started skipping the medicines and take none of them now. I walk a lot and feel much better. I realize high blood pressure is dangerous, but what about side effects, if that’s why I felt so bad? My blood pressure is about 160/75. I have a home blood-pressure cuff to monitor things.
[Read more...]

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The real info on salt

July 20, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: Your recent column in the Wisconsin State Journal said that 1 teaspoon of salt contained 230 milligrams of sodium. My salt containers says 1/4 teaspoon contains 590 milligrams, so 1 teaspoon would have 2.36 grams, 10 times what your column said and more than the recommended daily intake. I hope that you will print a correction.

DEAR DR. GOTT: Wow. After years of good advice, you really blew it today. In your article on water-softener salt, you mentioned 1 teaspoon of salt contains 230 milligrams of sodium. Boy, are you way off. According to my sources, 1 teaspoon is equal to 2,000 milligrams or more! [Read more...]

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