Dr. Houston Answers Your Top Heart Health Questions – Part 3
Here’s another four questions with answers from my interview with Dr. Mark Houston in February 2010.
Lisa Nelson RD: If someone has been on blood pressure medication for many years and they take steps to lose weight and improve their diet is it likely they’ll be able to discontinue their medication or will they be on medications for life?
Dr. Houston: About a 60% of patients that follow the guidelines in the book that I wrote on What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Hypertension can stop meds over 6-12 months if they do everything correct as outlined.
Lisa Nelson RD: If someone is newly diagnosed with high blood pressure, how much time should be allowed if the individual prefers to make diet and lifestyle changes to lower the blood pressure before turning to medication?
Dr. Houston: I recommend getting the blood pressure down soon with both meds and lifestyle changes to protect the arteries and reduce cardiovascular disease based on some recent studies. Later on, if blood pressure is controlled then you can taper the medications.
Lisa Nelson RD: Do any of the over-the-counter meds for high blood pressure and high cholesterol work – or are they just snake oil ads?
Dr. Houston: There are some good supplements that work for blood pressure and cholesterol, but most over the counter are not good. The best source is BIOTICS RESEARCH at 1-800-231-5777. For blood pressure use VASCULOSIRT. Also for blood pressure is CARDIOSIRT BP (this one will be out in the spring). These will reduce blood pressure well along with the lifestyle changes recommended in the book above. The best for cholesterols is LIPIDSIRT. It can be used with the new niacin and red yeast rice from BIOTICS if needed. This may decrease cholesterol with the combination by 40-50%.
Lisa Nelson RD: How effective do you feel the supplements l-arginine, coQ10, and omega 3 are at preventing cardiac problems?
Dr. Houston: I would use omega 3 fatty acids in almost everyone to reduce heart attack, stroke, blood pressure, improve triglycerides and improve memory. The best omega 3 fatty acid on the market is EFA-SIRT SUPREME from BIOTICS research at 1800-231-5777. The CoQ10 is excellent as well. Doses of about 100 to 200 mg of a good quality CoQ10 will lower systolic blood pressure about 15 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure about 10 mm Hg in 50% of patients. The CoQ10 is in both the VASCULOSIRT AND THE CARDIOSIRT BP from BIOTICS at 1-800-231-5777.
Part 1 – Top Heart Health Questions Answered By Dr. Houston
Part 2- Top Heart Health Questions Answered By Dr. Houston
There will be one final part to this Q&A. Sign-up for the e-course 7 Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure and you’ll also be notified when the final part is posted.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
http://www.lowerbloodpressurewithlisa.com
FREE Teleclass – Get Your Questions Answered!
Are you ready to get answers to your top health, nutrition, and weight loss questions?
Join myself and dietitian Ursula Ridens for this free call.
Register here:
http://www.goldbar.net/go.php?id=10853&c=2699&ac=link
Your Questions Answered: What You Need to Know About Health, Nutrition, and Weight Loss!
This call will be focused on your questions, sorting out fact from fiction, and getting you the answers you need to move forward to optimal health! You’ll receive answers to your top questions and have the opportunity to ask for clarification on any issue that may still be confusing.
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- The TRUTH about targeting specific parts of your body for weight loss,
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This interactive call will be completely centered around your needs, so come ready to participate! You’ll leave the call knowing what works and what doesn’t when it comes to achieving your health, nutrition, and weight loss goals!
Register for free:
http://www.goldbar.net/go.php?id=10853&c=2699&ac=link
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Dr. Houston Answers Your Top Heart Health Questions – Part 2
Here are more of the questions and answers from my interview with Dr. Mark Houston in February 2010.
Lisa Nelson RD: Is there a connection between blood pressure and heart rate?
Dr. Houston: If blood pressure increases, normally the heart rate should decrease. However, in some patient with dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system the heart rate may increase with the blood pressure.
Lisa Nelson RD: Blood pressure fluctuation – What causes blood pressure to fluctuate drastically throughout the day? Is it something to worry about?
Dr. Houston: Most people have fluctuations during the day due to the normal circadian rhythm (high in AM and low in PM). Stress, anger, eating, exercise, rest, meditation, coffee are some of the things that will alter blood pressure. About 60 % of patients that drink coffee have increase blood pressure for several hours after consumption.
Lisa Nelson RD: What is the risk of not treating high blood pressure? For example, someone has a blood pressure of 160/100, but they feel perfectly fine. Why should they be concerned and seek treatment?
Dr. Houston: Heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney failure, loss of vision, aortic rupture, valve dysfunction, atherosclerosis. Hypertension is the silent killer. At this level the arteries will be damaged over time and all of these complications will occur. At that high level of blood pressure one will decrease life expectancy by about 15 years or more.
Lisa Nelson RD: Do blood pressure recommendations change with age?
Dr. Houston: A normal blood pressure is 120/80 regardless of age. If it goes up with age it means the arteries are not healthy, but very stiff.
Lisa Nelson RD: What is a normal blood pressure response post exercise? How quickly should heart rate return to normal post exercise?
Dr. Houston: Blood pressure will fall for several hours after exercise depending on hydration status and severity and length of exercise. Usually systolic (top number) blood pressure falls about 10-15 mm Hg and diastolic (bottom number) 5-10 mm Hg. Heart rate should return to normal within 2 minutes post exercise.
Part 1 – Top Heart Health Questions Answered By Dr. Houston
I’ll be posting more of the Q&A with Dr. Houston over the next few weeks. Sign-up for the e-course 7 Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure and you’ll also be notified when the new blog posts are added.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
http://www.lowerbloodpressurewithlisa.com
Dr. Houston Answers Your Top Heart Health Questions – Part 1
I had the opportunity to interview hypertension expert Dr. Mark Houston last month (February 2010). Here are three of the questions he answered.
Lisa Nelson RD: It is typically recommended that cholesterol medications be taken prior to bed. Would you explain the reason why? Also, is there a best time of day to take blood pressure medication?
Dr. Houston: Statins work best at night to inhibit an enzyme in the liver when cholesterol production is the highest. Blood pressure medications are best taken at night to reduce the early morning increase in blood pressure which is highest between 3 AM and 10AM.
Lisa Nelson RD: If you discontinue a blood pressure medication how long does it stay in your system?
Dr. Houston: It depends on the duration of action of the medication. Some of the longer acting medications may last for 24 to 72 hours. However most are gone in 24 hours or less. Never stop any blood pressure medication abruptly especially beta blockers and clonidine, as withdrawal may occur with rapid increases in blood pressure, heart rate, headache, chest pain, palpitations and even heart attack or stroke.
Lisa Nelson RD: When someone has uncontrolled systolic blood pressure (diastolic tends to be within normal) what are steps they can take to promote control of systolic blood pressure?
Dr. Houston: Low salt, high magnesium intake, high potassium intake, fruits and vegetables, exercise, weight loss. The best medications for Systolic blood pressure are ACEI, ARB and CCB. Diuretics and beta blockers are less effective. High systolic usually means stiff arteries.
I’ll be posting more of the Q&A with Dr. Houston over the next few weeks. Sign-up for the e-course 7 Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure and you’ll also be notified when the new blog posts are added.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
http://www.lowerbloodpressurewithlisa.com
Lower Blood Pressure with a Low Carb Diet
Let me state right up front that I do not recommend following a low carb diet. That being said I want to share some of the latest research with you.
A study published on January 25, 2010 in the Archives of Internal Medicine compared a low carb diet versus a low fat plus orlistat diet. Researchers analyzed the effect of these two diets on weight loss and blood pressure.
Just in case you don’t know, orlistat is also known by the names Xenical and Alli.
Researchers studied 146 participants from the Department of Veterans Affairs primary care clinics in Durham, North Carolina. Participants were randomly assigned to either the low carb of the low fat plus orlistat diet, received instructions, and were monitored for 48 weeks. Some factors analyzed included body weight, blood pressure, fasting serum lipid, and glycemic parameters.
Results of the study found weight loss to be similar between the two groups at ~9% body weight. The low carbohydrate diet resulted in a lower blood pressure for participants when compared to the low fat diet with orlistat. The low carb diet lowered systolic (top number) blood pressure on average 5.9 mm Hg and diastolic (bottom number) blood pressure 4.5 mm Hg.
HDL Cholesterol and triglyceride levels improved for individuals on each diet, while LDL cholesterol improved only for those on the low fat plus orlistat diet. Glycemic parameters, such as glucose, insulin, and hemoglobin A1C only improved for low carbohydrate diet participants. Although it’s worth noting that the difference between groups was not statistically significant.
Like I said at the beginning I do not recommend a low carb diet. My first choice to promote a lower blood pressure would be the DASH diet. A study on the DASH diet was actually published in this same journal issue.
The DASH Diet alone was compared to the DASH diet in combination with a weight management and exercise plan. The DASH Diet when combined with an exercise/weight management plan resulted in an 11.2 mm Hg drop of systolic blood pressure and an average weight loss of 19 pounds over a 4 month period.
The main thing to remember is that you need to pick a plan you can stick with for the long term. Steady, consistent action is what will lead to results. If you haven’t already I encourage you to sign-up for the e-course 7 Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure at http://www.lowerbloodpressurewithlisa.com.
What do you think about using a low carb diet to lower blood pressure? Share your thoughts below.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
How does strength training affect blood pressure?
Lifting weights can cause a temporary, but dramatic blood pressure rise. Systolic blood pressure can increase up to 350-400 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure to 150 mm Hg even if your blood pressure is typically a healthy level of 120/80 or less.
Long term high blood pressure is linked to arterial endothelial dysfunction. The endothelium is the inner lining of your artery walls. Endothelial dysfunction can result in the hardening of artery walls. Researchers have been monitoring the effects of short duration rises in blood pressure, such as what occurs during strength training, to determine the effect on endothelial function. It has been determined that acute rises in blood pressure impairs endothelial function in untrained individuals and regular resistance training helps protect against vascular dysfunction.
At one time, weight lifting was discouraged if you lived with high blood pressure. However, this is no longer the recommendation. Regular physical activity that includes moderate strength training is one of many natural ways to lower blood pressure. A study published in Hypertension monitored participants completing resistance training 2 to 5 times per week and found strength training to help lower resting blood pressure.
Including strength training and aerobic physical activity can be a positive step towards lowering blood pressure; however, you must consult your physician before beginning an exercise and/or strength training program. Strength training is not recommended if you have uncontrolled high blood pressure, untreated heart disease, or an irregular heart rate.
The current American Heart Association recommends individuals 18 to 65 years-old include moderate intensity aerobic physical activity 5 days a week for a minimum of 30 minutes and strength training at least twice a week.
Feel free to share your thoughts below and be sure to sign-up for the free e-course 7 Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
