I am having hypertension, 130/90, on medicine, should i stop taking salt completely, not even in cooking?

Question

Will this help in lowering of BP? If i completely stop taking salt, will it have any adverse effect on health?

Answer 1

salt is also necessary for your body... just control its quantity to the minimum... do not stop it...

Answer 2

Yours is a common question (I have asked it of myself a few times when my BP was somewhat elevated.)

I think it's a great idea to try to get off of the meds if you possibly can!

Given that your BP is only mildly elevated, it *probably* isn't an issue right now. But there are long-term impacts to taking all those meds.

If I were you, I would try the easy things first, and then, if the BP was down enough, I would attempt to wean off the meds (with doctor supervision).

First, invest the wopping $50 or so that it takes to get your own automated digital BP cuff. (Ask a pharmacist to recommend one at your local drug store.) Take your *resting* BP while sitting in a chair with your feet on the floor. This should be done after you have been sitting in the chair for a few minutes. If you do this once a day or so, preferably in the morning, you'll get a much better idea of your resting BP and what impacts it. BP fluctuates quite a bit, so I wouldn't trust one measurement in a doctor's office. You want to get a sense of the trend from day to day.

Second, yes, it's a good idea to cut back on sodium, especially to see if it reduces your BP. It's pretty easy, really. Read food labels and choose foods that have less sodium. Watch it at restaurants and don't add salt. You'll find that salty foods start tasting *too* salty, because your tastes adjust very quickly. You might also increase potassium intake by eating fresh fruits such as bananas and oranges. These are easy to do, but they might not be the root issue. You just can't know in some cases until you try.

Of course, things like exercise, weight loss, quitting smoking, etc. are also on the table. But BP monitoring, sodium and potassium are really easy to address, so why not start there?

For what it's worth, I think beta blockers are a horrible first drug to use in controlling hypertension. They can really wipe you out and keep you from getting the exercise you might otherwise enjoy. The UK medical establishment raised this issue and has changed their policies, but that hasn't made it across the Atlantic to the AMA recommendations yet. So if you are on a beta blocker and you are feeling tired out, you might want to read up further on that issue and ask your doctor about tapering off of them. You can try other types of drugs, such as diuretics or ACE inhibitors, if your BP comes up again.

Answer 3

If your BP is 130/90 with medication, it is not hypertensive but is in the high normal level. This could mean that your medicine is working if your pre medication BP is greater or if this is not your average BP with medication then you must consider other factors such as your state when your BP was taken (you might be tired or you might be stressed). You should NOT STOP taking salt completely as this will cause electrolyte imbalance and would cause weakness. Hypertensive patients are just placed on a LOW SALT Diet. Sodium (salt) is one of the principal ion in our body.

Answer 4

With age BP goes up and for those above 40 years of age 130 / 90 is normal.
Some salt is essential for human body so do not make it zero. Better consult a good yoga teacher , with proper guidance your BP will be normal within 2 months, without any medicins.

Answer 5

It's always a good idea to reduce your salt intake. Basically,do not add additional salt to your foods. You would be quite surprised that salt is in almost all foods,canned goods,even fresh vegetables. On the flip side, it has been proven that athletes who consume large amounts of water,can develop " hyponatremia" ( a serious condition,even fatal) because too much water and too little salt is a poor combination. We need some salt in our diets. Speak to your Doc. A weight management program is also helpful in controlling high blood pressure.Stress can be a factor,caffeine as well.

Answer 6

The international standard of BP calculation is 130/80,it varies with age.If you are not diabetic,not comsuming alcohal,or ciger,No restriction is needed--you can easily take salt in cooking. You must avoid extra salt. If you avoid fatty,spicy food and have regular walk for half an hour or perform Asanas,yoga--No need of any medicine,You will be perfectly all right--by changing your life style and food habits.

Answer 7

I would avoid certain things:
Canned Veggies
Canned Soups
The Salt Shaker

Sometimes no matter what you do you are gonna have salt in your food, but cutting the salts you can avoid out of your diet will certainly help.

If you must use salt in cooking, I would try to substitute like Mrs. Dash or something like that.

Good Luck

Check out American heart association's website there are tons of tips on there.

Answer 8

Only about 1/6th of hypertension cases are related to excess sodium intake. Reduce or cut out the salt for a few days ( say a week or ten days) and get your BP checked (maintaining the same dosage).

Stress plays a much bigger role in hypertension.

Other animals don't take any salt and get their requirements from their food. But we don't eat natural foods unlike them.

Answer 9

No, you ae not hypertensive, and your doctor is wrong.
And stopping your salt intake won't affect your readings in any measurable way.
If you doubt this, buy a monitor yourself and see. Keep records and you'll find it won't make the slightest difference.

The top reading should be "100 + your age" -give or take about +/- 10. ....how do you rate on that?
87% of the world's population have these figures.

Answer 10

Just walk for half an our every day in the morning in a spacious park (as can be seen everywhere in Delhi) and increase the duration to one hour. Also, take atleast 4 litres of water every day. Avoid sprinkling salt on salads, curd and other food items (Salt put while cooking vegetables does not cause any problem.) In a month, your b.p. should be normal.

Answer 11

The problem with allopathy is that your body gets addicted to it. If you stop suddenly, you will have withdrawal symptoms. There are very good ayurvedic products such as Rudved/Cardoved/Suved/Slowgold etc. Start any one of these and gradually reduce the allopathy and stop finally. Ayurveda you need not take for more than 6 months. You will get the details in google search engine.