This picture is a picture of my oldest grandson! What a grip!
Dr Seyfried says that you should not exercise vigorously when you have cancer because it causes the blood glucose to rise and monocytes to enter the tumor. So, exercise at a moderate pace. Do not push yourself
Exercise helps mitochondria and healthy mitochondria will fight cancer.
If you have a heart rate monitor use it to make sure you are not pushing myself too hard when you exercise We should all exercise at about 60-70% of our maximum heart rate (220-age). So, I should exercise at roughly 93 beats per min and should not go over 115 which is 75% of my maximum heart rate. It is easy to have my heart rate go over that when I walk and even when doing some types of yard work- so I need to slow down.
Blood pressure – Aug 23, 1923 I started 1/2 of 25 mg Losartan every day because my blood pressure was still too high even with healthy lifestyle. I measure my blood pressure several times per week.
What Is Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is the pressure on the inside of blood vessels. Systolic pressure measures blood force, or pressure, while the heart is beating, and diastolic measures the blood pressure when the heart is at rest.
Systolic pressure is always the first or top measurement in a blood pressure reading. In a reading of 130/80, 130 represents systolic pressure and 80 represents diastolic pressure.
The blood vessels, veins, and arteries through which the blood flows act just like water pipes. The bigger pipes are close to the heart and the smallest is the furthest from the heart in the tissues and organs where the oxygen is used. If the pipes become clogged or harden they are not as flexible, and the pressure will go up. Drugs are sometimes given to thin the blood artificially, but I really don’t want to be taking these.
Another thing that can restrict blood flow is the viscosity (thickness) of the blood. Sugar consumption, especially fructose increases blood viscosity making it harder for the heart to pump blood thus increasing blood pressure. Fructose is a common sugar added to many processed foods. It also attracts water so you have more fluid in the blood vessels – another reason pressure increases. So, as your A1c decreases, your blood pressure should decrease.
Kidney problems also cause high blood pressure. Hypertension is the most common comorbidity in chronic kidney disease, at least 85% of patients with stage 3 CKD or greater have hypertension
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2708195?resultClick=1
October 29, 2018
Benefits and Harms of Antihypertensive Treatment in Low-Risk Patients
Question Is antihypertensive treatment associated with lower risk for mortality and cardiovascular disease in patients with mild hypertension?
Findings In this study of electronic health records of 38 286 low-risk patients with mild hypertension, no evidence of an association was found between antihypertensive treatment and mortality or cardiovascular disease.
There was evidence that treatment may be associated with an increased risk of adverse events, such as hypotension, syncope, and acute kidney injury.
Meaning The findings suggest that physicians should be cautious when initiating treatment in low-risk patients with mild hypertension, particularly because such an approach may affect millions of individuals with little evidence of benefit.
Design, Setting, and Participants. In this longitudinal cohort study, data were extracted from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, from January 1, 1998, through September 30, 2015, for patients aged 18 to 74 years who had mild hypertension (untreated blood pressure of 140/90-159/99 mm Hg) and no previous treatment. Anyone with a history of CVD or CVD risk factors was excluded.
Results A total of 19 143 treated patients were matched to 19 143 similar untreated patients
During a median follow-up period of 5.8 years …. Treatment was associated with an increased risk of adverse events, including hypotension.
Conclusions and Relevance This analysis found no evidence to support guideline recommendations that encourage initiation of treatment in patients with low-risk mild hypertension. There was evidence of an increased risk of adverse events, which suggests that physicians should exercise caution when following guidelines that generalize findings from trials conducted in high-risk individuals to those at lower risk
The conclusion of this JAMA of internal medicine article is that we should NOT take medication for blood pressure unless our bp is over 160/100 if we are low-risk.
How to lower blood pressure.
- Exercise 60-150 min per week. Just 10 min brisk walks per day caused a reduction of systolic by 2% and diastolic by 3%
- The major dietary factor in blood pressure is a lopsided ratio of sodium to potassium. We generally need to consume more potassium and less sodium. Interestingly, potassium supplements are usually not as effective as simply eating foods high in potassium.
- Slow breathing – 10 breaths per minute in through nose, out through mouth
- Eat a low carb diet – one that is low in processed food.
- Omega 3 – eat sardines or wild salmon a couple of times a week.
- Magnesium – Epsom salts bath, Milk of Magnesia or Magnesium Citrate
HIGH POTASSIUM FOODS:
Low sodium V-8. 3 oz (1/2 of 6 oz can) has 3 carbs & 300mg potassium a full 11.5 oz can has 1250mg potassium (about half of daily requirement, but it has 13 carbs)
Sardines in oil ½ can 182 mg potassium
Swiss Chard 1 c raw (36g) 136 mg potassium, 3960 Lutein & Zeaxanthin
Spinach 1 oz raw (28g) 158 mg potassium, 3458 Lutein & Zeaxanthin
Romaine 1 c (42g) 116 mg potassium 1086 Lutein & Zeaxanthin
Kale raw 1 oz (28g) 98 mg potassium 17774 Lutein & Zeaxanthin
Brussels sprouts 2 – 42 g 133 mg Potassium, 541 Lutein & Zeaxanthin
Tomato sauce low sodium ¼ c 181mg Potassium 3 carbs 8510 Lycopene
Tomato 1 oz (28g) 67mg potassium & 729 Lycopene
Avocado ¼ =34g 172 mg potassium
Wild-Caught Salmon 2 oz canned 188 mg potassium 0 carbs
Morton Lite salt instead of regular salt.
Low sodium soy sauce
Spices like Parsley, Basil, Hot Chili Pepper, cream of tartar, baking powder
In summary, if you have a salad with spinach & greens, avocado & little bit of tomato every day with an olive oil dressing and you also drink part or all of 6 oz can of low sodium V-8 and use Morton Lite salt, & low sodium soy sauce, you may see a pretty dramatic improvement in blood pressure! (I did).
Supplements that might help – you can try these for a few weeks and see if they help. I put a couple of brands in parenthesis.
Omega 3 from fish (sardines or salmon or mackerel)- if bp was 140 or higher – went down 15mm Hg in systolic and 7mm Hg in diastolic.
CoQ10 200 milligrams a day
Olive Oil – reduce saturated fat and consume olive oil on salad and when cook
Olive leaf extract (Swanson) 162 men & women 148/93 – took 500 mg olive leaf extract 2 x per day had similar results to drug captopril –
Nattokinase has been shown to modestly reduce systolic by 5.55 mmHg and Diastolic by 2.84 mmHg
Curcumin (Root 2 or Kirkland or Puritan Pride or Life Extension or Dr’s best) & Garlic lower systolic but not diastolic.
Berberine (Amazing formula or Thorne Berberine 1000 mg) lowers systolic
Quercetin (MRM 2.2% flavonoids) 1200mg per day for 16 weeks lowered diastolic 2.6
CBD oil from sunsoil
Potassium – can take Potassium citrate or add 1/8 tsp Potassium chloride to water.
Taurine – after 3 months modest results
WHOLE BODY VIBRATION PLATE
2016 I wrote: “My bone mineral density had improved from 3 years ago! I think it is the Whole Body Vibration plate” which causes your muscles to contract and relax and makes lifting weights while on it more effective.
I bought a whole body vibration plate because it is an easy step to improve fitness when you are not already strong. I read that nursing homes had patients stand on the vibration plate for a few minutes and then step off for 10 repetitions and women got stronger. You can do squats, lift weights & do other exercises on it. I looked on Amazon and saw an inexpensive vibration plate for $200 with 22K positive reviews. I read that it was developed for astronauts to maintain muscle mass while in zero gravity.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5132247/
Whole Body Vibration Treatments in Postmenopausal Women Can Improve Bone Mineral Density: Results of a Stimulus Focused Meta-Analysis
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1693558/
bone mineral density (BMD)
In this study, WBV stimulation was shown to produce a significant improvement in Bone Mineral Density values at the hip and spine when compared with placebo control groups.
After 8 months, BMD at the femoral neck in the WBV group was increased by 4.3% compared to the Walking group.
Balance was improved in the WBV group (29%) but not in the Walking group.
more studies on Exercise:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21967160
I don’t use the Whole Body Vibration plate very often now. I like to walk and I got the KAATSU (see below) which I can use while I clean house – so I that is a more efficient use of my time 🙂
In 2022 I read an article by Dr Mercola on KAATSU – a type of exercise bank discovered in Japan. It costs about $1000 so I waited quite a while before I decided to try it. I really like it! I use it while I do house work – I use the arms for about 10 min and then the leg bands for about 10-15 min. I have noticed that I have better balance, feel stronger and sleep better!
https://www.kaatsublog.com/2018/01/104-year-old-doing-kaatsu.html
https://www.kaatsublog.com/2018/01/104-year-old-doing-kaatsu.html