Posted on 01/02/2024 8:37:05 PM PST by ConservativeMind
Millions of people with normal blood pressure may be misclassified as having blood pressure that is too high because of improper positioning when measurements are taken, research suggests.
Guidelines call for a patient to be seated in a chair with feet flat on the floor, their back supported and the arm wearing the blood pressure cuff supported at heart level. Doing so helps ensure an accurate reading. But many health care professionals take blood pressure measurements while the patient is seated on an examining table, leaving their legs to dangle and their back and arm unsupported.
Being misclassified with high blood pressure, also called hypertension, can lead to "people undergoing treatment who don't need it," Wexler said.
In the study, 150 adults were randomly assigned to one of three groups. In one group, blood pressure readings were taken on a fixed-height exam table and then in an exam chair with adjustable positioning. A second group had the same readings taken in reverse order. A third group had both sets of readings taken in the exam chair. There was a rest period before each set of readings. Results were pooled and the average of three measurements taken on the table were compared to the average of those taken in the chair.
For readings taken on the exam table, the average systolic (top number) blood pressure was 7 mmHg higher and the average diastolic (bottom number) reading was 4.5 mmHg higher than those taken seated in the chair, adhering to guideline-recommended positioning. The researchers concluded this difference was large enough to misclassify millions of people as having hypertension whose blood pressure was actually within the normal range.
Hypertension is diagnosed when measurements consistently reach or exceed 130 mmHg systolic or 80 mmHg diastolic.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
BTTT
This is very true. Loosing weight can naturally normalize blood pressure and cholesterol.
There’s also the factor of whether they do it manually or by an automatic cuff.
The automatic cuffs are known to read higher. I’ve been having that problem with my PCP. Her cuff is merciless and my bp tends to read high. When I have it taken manually for my allergy shot, it’s always normal.
“Oh, Lordy, what are they going to find wrong with me now?”
Or *What is she going to rag on me about this time?*
I know I'm not eating right because of my food allergies, but having her keep telling me I need to try (fill in the blank) does not help.
I've made progress from last year, and honestly, at this time last year was in such bad shape nutritionally, I didn't think I'd make it to summer. And yet, here I am.
But no, my bp is too high, I need to put on weight, I should be taking supplements I already know I can't, I need to try eating food I have already tried, yada, yada, yada.
She's a sweet lady who really does seem to care and has been proactive in ways others haven't but good grief, give me some credit for what I've accomplished for a change.
I used to service digital BP machines. Their operating booklet says their accuracy is off 5-10%. So that’s 7-10 points different than using a standard BP cuff.
Breath deep slow breaths, inhale, fully exhale fully, relax, gooosefrabba 30 seconds to a minute... relax, calm yoga-style...
Relax, think happy thoughts....
You get the idea...
You should do that little breathing exercise everyday maybe twice a day maybe for a total 10 minutes a day it’s a very life supporting routine. Your physiology is asking for your help.
Boxed breathing is another calming technique.... YouTube it.
You beat me to it. My wife is a nurse and insists on doing manual BP tests. The wrist cuffs are bad, the machines on a stand that most clinics have are bad as well. She trains her new nurses how to do it manually - many do not know how.
That BP machine is only there to sell you some drugs that make you sick and pads the doctor’s pocket. Western medicine is all about the numbers.
“I try to visualize something that makes me feel calm and comfortable”
I close my eyes and visualize petting our softest cat, Lilly. It could work, as my BP is very good. Maybe it would be fine anyhow; I don’t know.
Arm cuffs come in different sizes. I always ask for the large arm cuff. If you don’t ask, theres a chance you will get 1 too small which will show high blood pressure results.
DON’T TAKE THIS SITTING DOWN...
Actually lying down for BP test is the most accurate. Also if sitting and lying down produce similar result see a heart doctor ASAP.
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4183369/posts
My Sept replies from article posted #30 above.
To: ConservativeMind
So for the last 15 years or so I’ve been fighting high blood pressure with mixed results from OTC cures. I have a BP tester at home and have taken hundreds if not thousands of these insipid little tests.
I warn everyone to never take lisinopril without research. Most all blood thinners are derived or synthesized from the venom of a pit viper. Snake oil salesmen?
No never, not even once did anyone ever mention that I should test BP lying down. Not in the medical community nor internet. Yet it IS out there if you look for it.
Good news that I’m too healthy and active for the ‘heart-disease’ promoters. Always had a hunch the medical community was being a little to hyper-vigilant about high blood pressure for mostly fat and older folks.
Learned this today and tried it - tried a 2nd supine position reading (good!) because I went too quickly from sitting to lying down on 1st readings - were within 5-10 pts of each other but 2nd reading means I can donate blood again today.
More tips on BP:
https://www.belmarrahealth.com/blood-pressure-differences-when-lying-down-standing-up-and-sitting/
12 posted on 9/19/2023, 10:53:44 AM by BrandtMichaels ( Why I Oughta! Tired of leftards... Bang, Zoom, To The Moon!)
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To: Cowgirl of Justice
Best OTC cure for pain and arthritis - CBD oil has no THC
my favorite was Tommy Chong’s CBD oil. His testimony is
so very telling of the times we live in, he spent a year
in jail for nothing.
13 posted on 9/19/2023, 11:03:31 AM by BrandtMichaels ( Why I Oughta! Tired of leftards... Bang, Zoom, To The Moon!)
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That’s me too. I figure my BP has to elevate just walking in the door. Amlodipine Besylate and Lisinopril for me.
I'm with you on that. For me going to the doctor's office is loaded with a fear factor that they will find some reason to send me to the ER for high heart rate (it happened twice at clinics with random Drs that don't normally see me). Then $900 later the ER sent me home after monitoring for about 6 hours. Classic white coat syndrome.
bkmk
Good advice from Clutch on calming oneself before meeting with the doctor. I have usually rushed to be on time, and then chattered with the nurse and doctor. I read talking raises blood pressure while listening lowers it. Then my BP is between 135 and 140, so I ask them to give me a minute while I shut up and focus on relaxing thoughts. Then the reading is around 127 over 65. My age 18 to 31 weight was about 123. My post childbirth weight hovered around 145. In the last days of caring for my husband dying of Alzheimers whom I had to physically get back into bed when he wanted to wander city streets at 4 am. I was up to 165. After a year of trying to diet I was 155. Then I found a Dr. Atkins book and got down to around 130 in 6 months. Gradually crept back up to 145 for more years. Then fall of 2022, 3 loved ones were battling cancer and at my Dec. physical I was 157. Also my blood Vitamin D which was optimal 66 in Dec. 2021 had dropped to insufficient in late Dec. 2022. My partner brought home RSV or something from babysitting sick grandson and we were both sick 3 1/2 months, all Jan. to mid April 2023.
Conservative Mind had then posted an article saying a BMI above 25 (mine was 27.5) causes Vitamin D to concentrate in fat, rather than circulate in blood where it helps immunity. So, back to Atkins, and now my weight hovers between 130 and 135. Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners have not helped. I hope to be below 130 for my end of month annual physical. It will be interesting to see both my BP and blood Vitamin D levels as I have been taking 10,000 IU of D for months now. I am 85 years old and feeling pretty healthy these days..
My father was 90 and standing in a grocery line when he had the stroke that killed him. He had a bad temper, and was a compulsive talker who seldom listened. His BP was typically around 140 to 145. His weight was normal. He was in line on a Friday night in a poor urban neighborhood where people had large families. He was getting groceries preparatory to driving 90 miles to stay a few days in his travel trailer parked at one of his rental houses. People at one house owed him back rent and were being difficult. I am sure he was very angry waiting on this long, slow grocery line and his high BP caused his stroke. I work on trying to let go of anger as much as possible.
Word. How many of you have heard "you'll probably have to take lisinopril for the rest of your life."
More money for the pill boys. You can’t tell me it isn’t an unconscious motivation, if not actually conscious.
Some researchers also recommend having your BP measured on both arms. If they are markedly different, you may have a carotid blockage.
I am a chronically late person. The rushing around to get there and race from the car to the office used to affect my numbers. Plus, it was a habit, because doctors in the old days (50s to 90s) used to spend all the time that was necessary with patients and were usually behind schedule, until BigMed confined them all to 7 minutes max--you could be dying, but...
Eventually I started keeping appointment reminders in my calendar 1/2 hour earlier than the actual time. Now I get there in time, because if I miss my 7-minute slot, I have to reschedule. You get older, but technology keeps trending younger.
Good to know, I’ll remember that next time.
Other things that raise it for me - coffee, bloating/gas, and licorice root (that was in one of my natural meds)
A doc had me taking Aleve around the clock for a few weeks and that sent me to the ER with high BP.
Otherwise it stays pretty normal
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