Do-it-yourself BP control
There's an easy way to improve your blood pressure and cut down or even eliminate meds... and you can do it right now, by yourself, in your own home.
All you need is an inexpensive blood pressure monitor.
A new analysis confirms what I've told you before: People who take their own readings at home often find lower overall BP levels than those who only get them done at the doctor's office.
What's more, the analysis published in Hypertension finds that patients who used blood pressure monitors at home were twice as likely to cut down on meds than those who only got readings at the doctor's office.
Researchers looked at data on nearly 10,000 men and women with hypertension who participated in 37 clinical trials in which patients were randomly assigned to either home blood pressure monitors, or BP checks only during office visits.
Overall, the patients with home monitors shaved between two and three points off their BP levels. What's more, the researchers found that a quarter of patients with blood pressure devices at home were able to cut down on meds, versus just 11 percent of those without.
The reason for those differences is something called white coat hypertension. Some people are just so nervous around doctors--or so annoyed over yet another $20 copay--that their BP levels spike once they're in the exam room.
Regular readings at home can eliminate the effect and help your doc make better decisions--but only if you do it right.
The device won't help much if you rarely use it... and it won't help at all if you don't track your results and take them to your doctor. Some machines will print them for you--and the next generation of devices will even be able to send the data right to your doctor.
But there's no need to get fancy--a basic BP monitor that costs around $40 will usually do the trick. Stick to the easy-to-use automatic devices--and if you have vision problems, make sure it has a large display.
Some of them can even "talk"--telling you not only what your blood pressure levels are, but how they stack up to mainstream normals.
Just make sure your BP device is part of a larger strategy to keep your levels down without drugs.
Printer-friendly versionAbout the author
Edward Martin writes House Calls, a daily letter chronicling the most cutting-edge alternative methods for beating diabetes and cancer, to the latest FDA foul-ups and Big Pharma conspiracies.
You can sign up here.
Email this Article
Comments
Tom CHHC
You get a more accurate reading by laying down when you check your BP. Also, BP will read higher after eating so check it on an empty stomach-- such as first thing in the morning or before meals instead of after.
Also realize that it is normal for blood pressure levels to vary considerably throughout the day, so check it often to get the best picture of what yours actually averages. If your Dr.'s appointment is right after lunch and you stressed out to make it to the Dr.'s office on time for your appointment (and then were kept waiting a long time for the Dr. to see you) any BP readings taken then will be inaccurately high. But the Dr. might use that as an opportunity to prescribe a BP med for you. Don't go for it!!!
Post new comment