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high blood pressure

I wish I could say exactly how it happened but after four years on Diovan - which had been keeping my blood pressure at right around 120/80 - my BP dropped so low my doc took me completely off of it.   This morning, after not taking the medication for nearly two weeks, my BP was 117/72.  PERFECT!!  Last night before I went to bed it was 118/73.  I test it with the Omron Portable Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor, which has been checked by my doctor to be accurate when compared with the one in her office.

A couple weeks ago I had just popped the pill when it struck me that I hadn't checked my BP in a while.  I took it and it was 91/59.  Woah!  Yikes!  I called my doc and got an appointment for a couple days later, and in the meantime I was told to monitor it and not take the medication if it was too low.  It was mostly normal-to-low the next day.  The night before my appointment it was running really, really low - like 87/54.  Freaked me out a little. 

At the doctor's office, they took my blood pressure while I was lying down, standing up, sitting up - about 3 times and confirmed it was running normal-to-low.  I showed them the readings from my home wrist monitor which keeps results in its memory.  They were amazed at the readings and said I was officially off the Diovan but I needed to keep an eye on it and see them in a month.   I was totally excited (don't get too excited, Valerie), but danged if I know what caused the change. 

Four years ago, my blood pressure was consistently in the 160s, 170s and over 90s and 100s.  It was kindof a fluke that we discovered this so I suggest that if you don't have yours checked regularly, no matter how old you are, you at least get an inexpensive home unit.  I was 42 years old and in good shape.  No family history.  No signs of a problem.  As is my nature, I fought against traditional BP medication and my doc tried salt pills and beta blockers instead - but they weren't working.  Then, I had to go into the hospital for an unrelated outpatient surgery and my BP clocked in at 207/107 so they had to admit me.  They put me in the telemetry wing to monitor my heart and after a bunch of tests they couldn't find any reason for such high blood pressure.  So they brought it down with strong drugs, did my surgery and released me with an Rx for Diovan. 

My doctor said it's called essential or primary hypertension when the they are unable to find a specific cause.  She said it was probably stress and reminded me of my "extreme lifestyle".  

I pulled out the big guns and resolved to lower my stress.  To see what I did, read 15 Stress Tips that Could Save Your Life.

The only other thing that might be helping are my spinal adjustments.  In fact, my chiropractor, Dr. Mike, is taking full credit for lowering my blood pressure.  At first I just laughed, thinking he wasn't serious, but he was dead serious.  

I started seeing him to help ease occasional spasms in my back.  No more than 8 treatments later, I'm off my blood pressure meds.  Coincidence?  Maybe, but honestly it is the only really significant change I've made in my life recently.  His name is Dr. Mike Henriksen, Spinal Correctionn Center, tel. 480-460-1177. 

He said that lower blood pressure due to his treatments are not uncommon. It has to do with my atlas bone (1st cervical vertabrae) coming into alignment.  In fact, he's helped people get off all kinds of medications.  I'm sure if you called his office he, or his assistant Kathy, would be happy to explain.  He uses his patented Turbo Drop Table to make the adjustments and doesn't "crack" your back or neck (he says crack kills).  Dr. Mike is world-renowned and trains chiropractors all over the world so maybe one of his trainees is near you.  Plus, he's a really nice guy.

But I digress.

All I know is that I must be doing something right.  Whether it's the yoga, the hiking, the multi-vitamins, the spinal adjustments or the happy, healthy life I'm leading, I can't say.   Perhaps it is the alien visit I had last month . . . kidding . . .

I'll be writing a series of stress-relief blogs over the next week, so if you want to take control of your stress - stay tuned!  Don't know if you're stressed?  Take the Stress Test.