Talk of The Villages Florida - Low Blood Pressure

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- Medical and Health Discussion (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/medical-health-discussion-94/)

- - Low Blood Pressure (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/medical-health-discussion-94/low-blood-pressure-58554/)

of course there are some that their pressure is just very low and that's normal for them

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Originally Posted by jimbo2012 (Post 540114)

Drinking fluids (water) increases blood volume fast thereby blood pressure, but I agree with kgentile1010, you need another opinion and aggressively get it under control hopefully without drugs, you can't risk collapsing like you described.

I'm curious would something like powerade, gatorade assist? I'm always drinking that after running to hydrate replace electrolytes. Wonder if that would help out the blood pressure. I know if I don't drink it after a run I get a tremedous headache for the rest of the day. I feel for you. My father was always one to salt everything extra but as the years passed I actually never touch the salt shaker, some foods canned and jarred just seem to salty to me. My blood pressure has always been low but now I wonder if I'll have issues in the future with it . I do drink water frequently during the day though. Hope you get some answers here to help.

I too have the same probelm (low B/P) I my body also does not hold in sodium...I eat green olives, prezzles and boiled peanuts.... I try to eat things with a high salt contents.... also the vingar & salt chips!! also I use a lot of salt on my foods.... if not I pass out due to lack of salt!

Thank you for all the great suggestions. After my incident, I had numerous tests and even wore a heart monitor to make sure there was not anything else wrong that caused me to pass out. My body does not hold sodium and I am trying to incorporate extra sodium into my diet. I have tried almost all the suggestions and it has raised my BP slightly. I had not heard of the licorice root extract and plan of giving it a try. I am not fond of licorice, but am willing to try just about anything. Most of the time I can tell when I am about to pass out. The last time was in the middle of the night and I was not paying attention to the warning signs.

Again, thanks to everyone who offered suggestions and shared their personal stories. My goal is to increase my BP naturally and not use any medications.

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Originally Posted by kfierle;5***65

Best wishes for your good health.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kfierle (Post 540093)

I have had low blood pressure all my life. Recently it has started causing me some problems. I have the tendency to dehydrate easily and I don't sweat, I overheat. Combine both of those with my low blood pressure and my blood pressure tends to drop suddenly when I get up and move quickly. When I was at my place in The Villages in April, I was walking across the living room, passed out and put the left side of my face through the drywall next to the sliding door. I was very lucky I didn't lose an eye and only had some scrapes and bruises.

I have been working with my doctor to try to increase my blood pressure through lifestyle and diet changes, not drugs. He said jokingly that I need a salt lick in my kitchen. Yes, I need to increase my salt intake, but that is a challenge for me. When growing up, my mother could not use any salt, pepper, or spices when cooking because one of my older sisters had a kidney problem. My parents would salt and pepper their food when on their plates. I am so used to eating food with no salt that adding it to my diet is a bit difficult. If I use any canned items, I am used to the no salt added or low sodium options. Salt appears to be an acquired taste and I have having trouble acquiring a taste for it! My doctor told me to try Gatorade, but I would rather drink out of a mud puddle. I tried forcing some down, but it ended coming back up! I currently exercise about 2 hours a day to increase my pressure. I am open to new ideas and ways to increase my blood pressure. Two weeks ago my pressure was up slightly.

Does anyone else have this problem or have any tips/tricks I could use to increase my blood pressure? I prefer to not be on medication if at all possible.

I have consistent low BP too but unlike you, it doesn't bother me although I sometimes have episodes of dizziness. What I do to increase my BP is to simply raise my legs higher than my chest and head when I'm resting. It works and slightly increases my BP to 110/60. I also don't like to drink much fluids because it makes me nauseous sometimes. Try to find a drink that suits your taste buds. I found cold water and iced cappuccino helpful for my hydration. Proper hydration helps in normalizing our BP. Try to limit your exercise only to 30 minutes a day and do not force yourself on loving foods with salt. Just desensitize your tongue to the salty taste of food. Eventually, you'll learn to adapt.

Hope this helps.

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Originally Posted by kfierle (Post 540093)

I respectfully submit that falling and busting your head should make you reconsider taking medication. Modern medicine is just that, here to help us. Go to a large teaching hospital and have some tests run and do what the qualified physicians tell you to do.

This is the second time in a day I have heard someone tell me that they don't take medicine. It isn't necessarily a virtue if you need it.

Your mother speaking here. ;)

I don't like taking medicines too. But if it's necessary, then I have to take it. You're right. It's not a matter of whether you like it or not. If you need it, it's better to take it. For low BP however, as long as everything else is functioning well, drugs are the last resort. It's better to have lifestyle and dietary modifications first. It it doesn't work, get a complete blood works like electrolyte counts (sodium and potassium count), CBC (RBC, hemoglobin count), and others.
You need to know if you are anemic. Passing out is one of the symptoms of Anemia. You'll know you have anemia if you have abnormally low Red Blood Cell count and Hemoglobin count.