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Hi, this might sound crazy but I heard about 1 tsp. of apple cider vinegar + honey (not too much but enough to cut the vinegar taste)and water mixed together - I drink this mixture when I remember and it has lowered by blood pressure - let me know if you what you think.

gm1020

Stress certainly can contribute dramatically to high blood pressure. And from what you've said, it sounds like your job was causing you a lot of stress. So, you've taken care of one contributor to your hypertension, whether it was willingly or not. The only other thing I can't think of that will probably help is getting a good cardio-vascular workout for a half an hour each day. Walking is my favorite, but running or bicycling....any activity that gets your heart-rate up and exercises that cardiac muscle of yours will help. Besides strengthening your heart, it will also increase the elasticity of your blood vessels, making it easier for them to expand and contract as needed. Other than that, eating a sensible diet is all that I can think of.

Oh dear.

PLEASE let your doctor know your situation. Even if you don't qualify for assistance (and it can't hurt to check - do NOT let pride get in your way; you've paid into the system all your life!), doctors have closets full of samples that they can give out, and there are plenty of meds they can prescribe too, that are extremely low-priced, especially in the generic form. WalMart offers a month's worth of many BP meds for only $4.00. So, PLEASE don't rule out medication, if it's something you truly need.

I honestly don't feel responsible offering alternatives until you check out every option available to you. Please let us know how you're doing.

That's a very good point, slyver. Yes by all means take slyver's advice. I'm sorry that I neglected to say that as well in my first response to your post.

Here you go, doll - this might help.

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Maybe you'll even be able to get your meds for free.

I take a diuretic for HBP, but when my doc first prescribed HBP meds, she put me on something that made me feel like a zombie. So I did a lot of research (mostly at the Mayo Clinic website, reputable).

The diuretic functions by flushing salts and the water that salt causes you to retain from your system, so combined with a low-salt diet and exercise, works pretty good. It's the one that's been on the market the longest and has the fewest undesirable side effects. It's also the least expensive.

The one she put me on worked by reducing pulse, and hence, lowering blood pressure. Unfortunately, it also reduces metabolism rates, which is why I felt like a slug, and it therefore also inhibited the desire to get up and move, exercise, etc., and reduces the rate at which you burn the food you eat, so that med seemed really crazy to me -- quite counter to the very things that would reduce HBP naturally -- losing weight and exercise.

Then my brother told me he worked with a guy who kept a baggie of celery around and chomped on it all day, saying it helped his blood pressure. So I researched that. There's another class of BP med that works by relaxing the walls of your blood vessels, thereby opening them up a bit, increasing the flow and reducing blood pressure. Voila! It seems celery has something in it that has that same effect.

So I have a few stalks of celery every day. Now, you'll hear that celery is high in sodium, which it is, for a vegetable. But its sodium content is nothing like that of, say, ham, pizza, anchovies, etc., or any of the processed foods that are loaded with salt.

So this is the ticket: talk to your doc and do your research about which HBP med is best for you; learn to love a low-salt diet (you'll come to find salty foods repelling, I did); and exercise. And, as others have said, chase those ways of getting your meds through your doc or some other program for folks in financial straits like you.

Take the meds if you can but don't rule out what diet and exercise can do for you. My husband lost 45 lbs and exercises by walking 25 miles a week. He is no longer on the PB meds. So if you can get the meds do it but either way work on weight if you need to and do exercise it can really help. You are in my prayers for a good paying job close to home.

a good website is whfoods.org. try it there is good info there.

If you're taking a diuretic, your need for potassium may be increasing, and also magnesium! Celery has a lot of magnesium in it and banana's have potassium in them. Oat Bran also has Blood Pressure lowering effects too.
Please heed what other's have said about checking into PPA or the low-priced Walmart meds as this is something that doesn't need to be ignored! My ex-husband said we couldn't afford mine, either, till a nurse at the hospital we took my daughter too asked him if he could better afford a funeral for me! My BP at the time was 218/180! Stroke Level! She insisted I check in and get something to bring it down before she'd let me leave!
That's why it's called the silent killer, cause it doesn't do much of anything to let you know it's up except maybe give you a headache.
Will be sending prayers for a good job with Insurance benefits and low-cost meds your way! Keep us updated!

Gardener50JD

Getting on meds for BP ususally turns into a lifelong decision. Talk to your doctor about adjusting your diet. My son-in-law had high BP but did not want to go on meds unless absolutely necessary as he is only 36. So my daughter and he began eating healthy. When I say healthy I mean lots of whole grains, no beef, lots of fish and fruits and veggies. The doctor gave him 3 months to improve his BP before meds. At the end of 3 months, his BP was down by a lot. The doctor told him to continue eating as he was and on very very rare occasions could he have a small filet or hamburger. Giving up fastfood and prepared food is hard but will get you on the right path to health. So talk to your doctor and the two of you can decide the best course.