In my post on March 8, 2013, I shared with you a holistic approach that I use to lower my blood pressure naturally when it’s too high, a warm water drink with Garlic/Honey/Apple Cider Vinegar (G/H/ACV). Since I went to the ER on February 21, 2013, I saw my doctor the following Thursday, on the 27th. The only change he made in my medication is that he added a water pill, Edecrin 25 mg. This has worked exceptionally well along with walking 30 minutes a day and eating healthy, such as free range chicken and organic vegetables, and drinking 6 to 8 glasses of water a day to remain hydrated. My doctor also stressed the importance of not using any salt on my food so I have been cooking without it and not adding it to any food on my plate.
On February 28, 2013, the day after I saw my doctor, my blood pressure rose to 185/100 so I took one Clonidine HCL pill to bring it down, but my blood pressure continued to go up to 217/121. I called 911 and the EMTs came, but by the time they arrived and checked my pressure, it came down to 140/90. My doctor told me that when my blood pressure got to 175 that is the time I need to take a Clonidine. After this, I made up my mind that I would have G/H/ACV drink before it got to 175. That is the last time my pressure went up that high. The next day, it went up to 168/100 so I made the G/H/ACV warm water and I drank it down. Within half an hour, it came down to 145/80. The next several days after, my blood pressure ranged from 148/85, 136/79, 143/69 to 128/67. During this time, I stayed focused on exercise by walking 30 minutes a day, healthy eating, and ensured my thinking is right in keeping with my desired outcome of lowering my blood pressure with natural, holistic approaches. As a result, it has been consistent in ranging from 123/85, 124/78, 106/58, 102/54 and continues in these optimal ranges.
During the visit to my doctor, the nurse weighed me. I’m 5 feet tall and I weighed 191. With the help of the water pill, walking and eating healthy, drinking plenty of water and no salt I weighed 181.3 today. Losing weight is another reason why I believe my blood pressure has come down so dramatically in such a short time. Edecrin has helped with the weight loss too along with these approaches. It’s a water pill for people who are allergic to other water pills such as Hydrochlorothiazide, which I am allergic. Based on changes in my weight, how much swelling (edema) I have, and my lab test results, my doctor will adjust the dose. Some people may take this medication every other day or occasionally when needed. I hope that I will be able to stop taking it with the holistic strides that I’m making.
Friday I went to a local lab to have urine and blood tests taken. I will find out the results of the tests when I see my doctor again on March 25th. I’m looking forward to some good results and will post the outcomes of my visit with him on this blog.
By focusing and aligning my energy with these holistic approaches, I believe they have made a tremendous difference in lowering my blood pressure naturally. What kinds of lifestyles changes have you made that are the most helpful to you? What did you try that didn’t work? What suggestions do you have for someone who is struggling with lowering their blood pressure?
Hi Andrea. I was searching the web for blood pressure support groups and came across your blog. I’m so glad I did! In reading your entry, I found hope! I am a 51year old female who has never had a problem with my BP. I have always exercised almost daily and have eaten relatively healthy; with a few indulgences here and there 🙂 However, for the past week, my BP has been elevated. It has ranged from 137/84 , 144/100, 140/90, to 150/90. I went to see my dr who thought it better to monitor it for a couple weeks (using the Omron Monitor), rather than starting medication. I really want to follow a natural therapy to lower my BP so I’m encouraged by your results from using your G/H/ACV drink. I will definitely give it a try, along with healthier eating and continuing to exercise. Thanks for sharing and I hope you continue to do well.
Hi LeeAnn, I’m glad that you found my blog. I hope that you read the other posts on this blog that I’ve written so you can see exactly what has happened to me since February 2013 and what I have found to be helpful. I eat a lot of fresh garlic as it’s a blood thinner and helps to bring down blood pressure. I have a blueberry smoothie with banana in the morning and it also helps. I’ll write a post about the smoothie and some other things that have been helping. I go see my doctor on July 3rd so I’m hoping he will lower all my medication because of all the progress I have made in the last three months. I’ll write about my visit with him after my appointment with him. Keep in contact with me as I will be happy to support you in any way that I can.
I have read your other posts and am amazed at the progress you’ve made. Last night I made and drank the G/H/ACV drink and took a BP measurement shortly thereafter. My BP had dropped from 150/90 to 137/94!!! I was so excited to see those numbers! I drank the G/H/ACV again this morning and took a measurement and my BP is 134/92. I will certainly continue using the drink and will increase my intake of fresh garlic. My doctor also suggested that I cut all salt and decrease my carb intake; both of which I am doing. Your blueberry smoothie sounds delicious so I anxiously await your post about it and all other helpful tips. I’m sure your dr will be blown away by your progress. I look forward to hearing your good news after the appointment!! Thanks for your willingness to help and I will definitely keep in touch.
Hi LeeAnn, I’m glad the G/H/ACV is helping. Cutting salt will also help and decreasing your carbs. Be sure to drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day too. It keeps you hydrated and also helps to lower blood pressure. Working with your doctor is also necessary and tracking your blood pressure on a log sheet. I’ll attach one to the next blog I write. I’ll write two tonight one about the blueberry and banana smoothie and the other one about monitoring and logging your blood pressure. You will be able to download and print the log so that you can track your blood pressure. I always take my completed log sheets to my doctor appointments so he can see my progress.
Thanks Andrea. My next dr appointment is July 15 so I will print and use the log sheet. It will be really helpful in tracking what I hope will be great progress. I will also be sure to drink 6 to 8 glasses of water daily. Hopefully, implementing these lifestyle changes will produce a consistent lowering of my BP naturally. Thanks again for all you do.
Hi LeeAnn, check out the new post on monitoring your blood pressure and the blood pressure log to track your readings. I hope that you will find the post information and the log helpful. Please let me know how it works for you and if I need to make any adjustments in the form.
Hi Andrea…I read the post on blood pressure monitoring and found it very helpful. Your post was soooo informative and helped me realize that I wasn’t quite using the correct technique when taking my BP measurements. Also, I’m now taking two measurements (1 min apart) and then recording the average. Your “drink” is working wonders! My BP measurements today ranged from 121/80, 119/78, 110/85, 127/79, 127/87 and 128/83. I’m so excited by these numbers and I’m sure my dr will be too. The BP log is great; however, I could only save it to my computer as a PDF file. This prevented me from making changes to the log. I wanted to change the target BP to 135/85 or lower. You have been an invaluable source of info and I appreciate everything you’ve done!! Please keep posting and I will definitely keep reading and implementing your tips.
Hi LeeAnn, I’m glad that the drink is helping you and that you found the correct way to take your blood pressure. That was hard for me to learn as I found a tip here and there and put them together. I was glad to see the video that Omron had on their website that took a couple steps further. I will change the log for you and I’ll email it to you. I will email you an MSWord document and a PDF so you can choose which ever one that you would like to use. By the way, keep up the good work. When I told my doctor about the drink, he said “there’s no scientific evidence to prove it, but if it works for you then do it.” I love my doctor! He’s great!
A good doctor/patient relationship is a must on our journey to good health. Your dr sounds great; mine too. He is always so accessible. Thanks for making the change to the log. I have several friends who have Hypertension so I’ve been sharing your tips with them. I look forward to your next post.
You are so right about the doctor/patient relationship. Thanks for sharing my tips with your friends and please have them sign up to the blog too. We can use many voices so we can support and help each other with what is working in our holistic health and lifestyle. Have a great week!
I’ve definitely been sharing your blog and asking friends to sign up. It’s such an easy read and filled with such valuable information that I can’t imagine that the blog’s subscriber list won’t grow quickly by leaps and bounds. Looking forward to your next post!
Thank you so much, LeeAnn. I’m looking forward to having a lot of subscribers so many people will share the holistic things that are working for them.
I hope your dr appointment goes well tomorrow. I’m sure that it will!!!
I’ll be writing a post about it when I get home. I’m looking forward to a great meeting with him.
Just found your site..I don’t see exactly the amount you take of the Vinegar, garlic or honey..I take 2 tablespoons of AVC every morning for heartburn which is does help on that..
My story is I had a normal BP up to Nov of this year..then Bang it was up to 170/
then in the 150″ range..all month it’s been jumping around..I take a heart med Lisinopril but now it doesn’t seem to help. I know everyone says eat Veggie,,I hate veggies sorry, an I don’t excercise due to sore knees. so to lose weight which I need to do badly is hard..I worked right up to when I was 75 hard physical work an was in great shape..Retired..no money to speak of, so sat around an watched TV or the internet. so gained about 40# in the last years. I do garden for exersize. I have my blood checked every 6 months. The Kidney Dr. was worried about my BP she said it was dangerous at 159 when I saw her. If she saw the 170 I had yesterday she would probably put me in the hospital..Glad I read another blog that a guy alway’s had that..You sound like you have a great Dr. I really can’t say that..what they tell me I could find on the Net. even though they are in to natural remedies.; I feel because of my age..they really don’t care that much, but as I told the Kidney Dr. I AM NOT GOING ANYWHERE…I will win this battle. Congrats to you on your journey, really would like your amount on what you take..an did you know Cayenne Pepper (health food store) can stop a heart attack.
Thank you for your comment. The only time I take the Apple Cider Vinegar, Garlic and Honey drink is when my blood pressure goes to 160/90 or higher. I mix 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, 1 or two cloves of chopped garlic and 1 tablespoon of honey added to one cup of warm water. I stir it and drink it down slowly by sipping it. I make sure that I swallow the garlic and use a spoon if I need it to help me swallow the garlic. I wait about 30 minutes and monitor my blood pressure. If it doesn’t start coming down, I mix the same amount of vinegar/garlic/honey in warm water and drink it down again slowly, making sure I also swallow the garlic. I wait another 30 minutes and monitor my blood pressure again, it should start coming down. I continue to monitor it every 30 minutes until it goes below 140/85. Once it gets to 130/80 I stop drinking the mixture. This can take about 1/2 a day. When I first started having extremely high blood pressure, it could take as long as 2 days. I haven’t had to use this mixture in quite a while now as my blood pressure continues to stay in the optimal range. The optimal range is between 90/60 and 119/79. If it goes below 90 or 60, then you have low blood pressure and this can be dangerous too. When I took my blood pressure this morning at 9:45, it was 117/71. I have found that by changing to healthy eating and exercising that my blood pressure has been staying down in the optimal range. As far as exercise, you can find a lot of exercise for seniors on YouTube that you can do while you watch it on your computer. There are a chair exercises that you can find on You Tube for seniors; these will help you exercise your body so that you can improve your health. I was never very big on eating vegetables either, but I have learned how to prepare them in a variety of ways so I enjoy them now. I have learned to eat a lot of salad that includes tomatoes, onions, fresh garlic, dark green lettuce, cucumber, avocado, radishes, and other raw vegetables. Using fresh herbs such as basil and oregano to flavor your salad makes it very tasty too. Yes, I have read that cayenne pepper can stop a heart attack by mixing 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper into a cup of warm water like a tea and drinking it down.