As a registered nurse that works in the US I really appreciate all that you teach us. I wish I would know more doctors like you. Unfortunately most of them are arrogant and rude. All patients deserve a doctor that is genuine and kind that went into this profession not to make money but actually help people wether physically or emotionally. You have my respect good sir.
That is the beauty of our National Health Service (NHS). It seems like madness to us that the U.S. constantly rejects the right to healthcare free at the point of use as "socialist"!
@@peggymicsky8607 If you want to pay high prices for insurance then co-pays and deductibles when you get sick, go ahead and enjoy your madness. The rest of the industrialised world has a better system. We laugh at your insanity, we are only concerned for your poor
Thank you so much for this video. I am 71 yrs old and I measure and chart my blood pressure twice a day morning and evening. My average blood pressure is 148/84 and my GP wants to start me on treatment. I am a retired anaesthetist and have always been wary of GP doctors and their pill pushing habits! I walk one hour daily and do resistance training and I reversed type 2 diabetes and gout with no help from my GP! Your video has confirmed that I should stop worrying about this and get on with my life and accept that none of us are going to live forever 😊 Thanks again!
Im not a doc either, the old ( perhaps pre statins??) measure was generally 100 plus your age on the systolic. So you are acing it by that measure lol. I have lower BP but also treat it with lifestyle and diet. My doc wanted to put me on statin purely based on my cholestrerol count, that is far behind the science even they are in New Zealand.
I am a 78 year old female. I have been on 2.5 mg of medication for HBP for a few years. On a recent visit to my GP my reading was pretty high so he decided I needed to double my dose. After viewing one of your videos, I decided to do my own research....I borrowed a machine and for six days I took my BP three times a day - the average rate was 133/75 while still on the lower dosage. I reported this to my GP and he agreed that I did not need the increase after all. So thanks to you!
I've radically cleaned-up my diet and am exercising regularly following a mild stroke...I'm 78, and am very encouraged by what you're saying. I've yet to figure out the best way to let my doctor know what I've decided, but it's comforting to know that someone I trust (you) is giving me so much to feel good about.
Excellent video. Also, can I add that my blood pressure was always 150/90'ish when in the doctors office. My doc pondered but thought it was ok because I am a fit athlete (although aged 66). So I bought an Omron blood pressure monitor for home and found that when I relaxed that my blood pressure was normally 135/75. Then over the last year I have really improved my diet, removed all sweets, muffins, chips, added heaps of leafy greens, broccoli etc, olives, olive oil, almonds, walnuts, fish etc. Now my blood pressure in the doctors office is 135/70 and at home 115/60. Also my triglycerides have come down from 1.3 to 0.5 due my improved diet. The great thing about monitoring the blood pressure is that I have a record going back several years and I can see the changes relative to my diet over that time. And monitoring it gave me a reason/goal for improving my diet.
Thank you for taking the time to make! You are probably causing a mass reduction in BP among your "borderline hypertensive" viewers by these clear and well presented videos :-)
I wish there was a doctor like Dr Gupta in every speciality so we could get sane advice for all our health problems! Thank you, doctor, for your videos. They are informative and very helpful. Please keep up the good work.
I've been on BP meds for 25yrs prescribed for mild hypertension. A couple of years back I went on a low carb diet (more like lowish-carb). I kept it going for most of a year. I lost 10kg in weight. I wasn't particularly overweight in the first place - and probably in better shape than the average middle aged man (I take lots of regular exercise, gym, running, etc). The interesting thing was how much my blood pressure dropped. So much that I had to stop taking the meds. Bottom line, a cynic might say there is an association between big-pharma and big-food!!
Thank you for your valuable comments. High b/p is overated. Some years ago I had a 24-hour b/p cuff on me that showed rather elevated b/p during my day. Yet here I am at 82 still kicking.
Suffering a stroke or heart attack is just a probability function of hypertension. Some studies say that those that have prior normal blood pressure for a number of years have 42% chance of suffering a stroke versus 65% chance for those that have prior elevated blood pressure. That means that although the chances of suffering a stroke are higher among those who have had uncontrolled mild hypertensions, the difference is not very significant. And if you are willing to risk it, accompanied by the fact that medication actually imparts side effects, then it is justified not to take medication when your blood pressure falls between 140/90 and 159/99
Thank you doctor. You made my day. 5 years ago my doctor prescribed BP medications, but I after a year I decided to stop the medications. I always try to avoid taking medications I am basically very healthy but my blood pressure fluctuates all the time and was getting anxious, which makes my BP rise 😊 Thank you once again foe putting things into perspective. God Bless !
This is what I want to do. I hate taking medications. I have fear of them because I don't trust the drug industry. Yet I'm reluctant because of my own knowledge and judgement. Doctors don't go into depth so I think drugs are the quickest way to "treat" illnesses. I'd like to know what I can do to bring the numbers down and stop using a crutch.
Hi Vanitha, Did you stop medication on your own or after consultation with the doctor? Did the BP also increase after you quit your medication or it stayed at those numbers ?
I find my BP is often high (140/90) when I first sit down to read it and falls gradually over about half an hour to more normal 130/80 or lower. What worries me is that the high figure at the start is the true one and I’m artificially calming myself down to get a false lower result.
Holy crap! This video just came out yesterday and it could have described me. I've been worried about needing bp meds for my mild hypertension. (In fact, my numbers are better than what the doctor described) So, its great to know that I should just stick with lifestyle changes. Thank you for making this video!
I remember reading a report from a Military Hospital in England during WWII that stated that Combat Wounded Soldiers with higher blood pressure range (todays Mild HT) had much better recovery outcomes than those in the 120 range. Would be great if you could find that report and talk about it.
For the last 10 years Doctors have been concerned, my blood pressure averages around around 140/94. I still cut my own yard, ride bikes, and have never felt bad after doing any of those thing, I actually feel better. When I go into the Doctors office it's much higher, but I do it at home with a good machine. Thank you for the information.
@@brentonakoname1902 So far I have stayed off meds, I have recently been doing more exercise, like riding riding my bike longer etc... It can be scary thinking about what can happen, but I don't have any consistent pain anywhere. I would never try to give anyone advice on what to do, I have no medical credentials. Try looking up symptoms of high blood presure. Good luck!
This is true overall but the body is exposed to so much external interference that it's a constant battle. Perservatives, chemicals, medications we know nothing about and the fact that it's all ruled by money. Most people don't get the medical attention they should because of the cost. We already have the disease before we do anything about it.
You say 'it's all ruled by money' and I am certain you are completely correct. The problem is Peggy that far too few understand money. They have no idea what being rich means. Politicians and the media develop and spread the ignorance. I understand that most investments by far, have a four figure value. The value of the investment made in a new drug is about £2,500,000,000. The contrast is enormous. Such investors can certainly pay for research, but no one pays for research unless he 'knows' the result. It is called Cheque Book Science. It is why it is so often being 'proved' that we need ever lower and lower blood pressure.
Nothing raises my blood pressure than telling me I have blood pressure. I found my cure, greens, greens, greens, olive oil in the AM, pure celery juice and elliptical at least twice a week. Love this doctor.
I have been saying this for years about the importance of quality of life over quantity of life. My late wife and I had a policy of caring for our elderly at home. She worked in a care home for for most of the 28 years we were together and saw the best and the worst of care. The ones with active brains and were only in care because of their physical condition, and the sad ones who had little awareness. She had no problems with this but the ones that really upset her were the ones in great pain kept artificially alive by medication. Back to the subject, I had bowel cancer some 18+ years ago, right hemicolectomy and I am probably fitter now than I have ever been at age 76. A side effect of the cancer was an elevated blood pressure. Been on amlodipine and losartan for many years now. To me life is one long experiment. For the last few years I have effectively been on a Mediterranean diet and I have managed to reduce my intake of the tablets to alternate days i:e halving my dose. Average BP is now 135/ 78 measured over several weeks. Please keep up the good work, you are a mine of sensible information.
Great video - cool to see a cardiologist recommending minimum intervention. Good to be aware of mild hypertension and making some lifestyle changes. Cool dragonfly shirt on top
Thank you for shedding light on mild hypertension, I had a first time reading of 143 over 80 and was very worried about how this would impact my long term health, I’m a type 1 diabetic, so the best thing I can do is maintain good sugar control and stick to other lifestyle choices that I have made. Bless you for giving us the right knowledge
Thank you Doctor for your honest opinion regarding this blood pressure issue; especially coming from a cardiologist standpoint. It seems today that most doctors treat us with a cookie cutter approach and anything over 120/80 they want to prescribe meds. Personally I believe God designed our bodies to self regulate for a reason and to artificially counterbalance this unless there is an emergency seems counter intuitive. You have restored my faith a bit and I will subscribe for more of your insight.
I was having trouble of taking medication and its side effect to lower my 140/90 bp until i watch your video. Now i will sleep well tonight. Thank you doc
Mine is a similar case, but the only thing is , I take thyroxine, because of my hypothyroidism. My BP readings are 138/98 and doctor has prescribed Amlodipine 5 mg Thanks for your lecture, I’m relieved by your advice, as not to worry.🙏
I am so grateful for your advice on mild hypertension and the possibility of not needing medication. I have been on Losartan 25 to 50 mg for about 20 yrs. My BP is usually at home 120 to 140 over 70 to 85. When I go to the Dr. it is about 5 points higher. I have always been very active and eat the right foods for lowering BP. I know the medication is getting to me. If I lessen the dose i feel much better mentally and physically. Before Covid I started working out at the gym daily for an hour, lost 15 lbs and was able to get off the BP medication. After a year and one half of no gym I starting back to the medics with concern over weight gain and higher BP readings. Love the results of the study you quoted. They have not been taking into account the effects long term usage of BP meds. I am going to look into cutting down gradually and increasing my exercise. Thank you Dr. Gupta feeling better knowing that mild HBP may not always need treatment. I am female, 75 yrs.
I can see myself having a full and frank discussion with my gp over this subject. Thankyou so much for your clear explanations. I can almost feel the tension leave my body. I just wish there were more doctors like you.
I have a doctorate... in Maths. And have studied molecular biology because it absolutely fascinates me. So When I was diagnosed high BP a few years back I did loads of research: systolic, diastolic, pulse pressure, averages different times of day, different meds, a dozen or more papers mostly relating to my high (mostly diastolic - at late 50s) BP (and mostly for different age groups and often for ppl with pathologies). I worked out the optimal time to take meds, ended up with a suitable one (fit, my resting pulse is 47, so I didn't want it slowed e.g. by Ca channel blockers). But it was REALLY hard to find mortality outcome data, though there were a couple of OLDER papers suggesting no difference. Lots of info was clearly out of date and following old assumptions (e.g. that diastolic was more important). Minefield. This paper at 2018 is later than when I did all that work, and I am very grateful to know about it. Great communication. Thank you, my friend! Keep safe!
PS: I recently halved my ARB meds off my own bat to hedge my bets with COVID-19 just in case. So far BP is not markedly higher, so I need a discussion with my GP! :)
Just listened to your video, I’m delighted as my GP wants me to take bp meds for mild hypertension, I really don’t want to take them because I have a good quality of life, thank you so much for putting my mind at ease, I’ll continue with a healthy lifestyle 😊
Thanks for posting this video. Excellent Info presented in very nice manner. just the idea that one should not be so obsessed with the numbers , should help to bring it down. Keep up the great videos.
For the record blood pressure meds deplete you of fluids and potassium. Deplete potassium and blood pressure goes up because of the imbalance. So doctors will keep increasing the dose. Look it up. I have done extensive research on this topic. There is lots of info here.
The best and most honest Dr. we know! He cares about everyone and always goes out of his way to help out. We are so thankful that he took the time and called us to discuss the concerns we had with my husband’s heart issues. Thank you again, Dr. Gupta!
I follow you because you are the most honest, straightforward doctor I have ever seen. I go to doctor as little as possible because I just don’t agree with all the testing and drugs. I’m 55, healthy, Irish, have a BP of anywhere from 137/75 to 145 over 90, and yet I’m pushed into atenolol 100mg. Longevity is in my favor due to family history. No one has had cancer or heart disease or diabetes in my family. My mother has had hypertension most of her adult life (she’s 100% Irish), but otherwise fit as a fiddle. I went off the atenolol for three months due to reactions and that’s when my readings were as above. I question the need for it. I’m back on it now but I’m not very compliant. Doctor wanted to know when I was getting a colonoscopy. I said never. Age doesn’t seem a symptom enough to get a test.
You do us a wonderful service to make these great videos. I really appreciate the conservative approach you take for blood pressure. I would love to have you for my doctor.
Thank you so much for your sincere and honest opinions and observations regarding mild hypertension Dr. Gupta. You are really amazing! Doctors like you are rare to find in present times. There is hardly any concern for lifestyle issues when treating patients whereas the thrust is only on medication. I exactly fit in to your case study and had a short tryst with my GP recently. His sole objective was to get me into medicines. He wouldn't listen to my complaints on side effects despite my pleadings. I was compelled to stop all my meds after 2/3 months. Lifestyle and food habit changes thereafter have helped me a lot. I appreciate your advice from the core of my heart and look forward to hear more from you in future. God bless!
I am so glad that people like you post your comments. I am 65 years old and regularly go to the gym - quite honestly, I can smoke people 1/2 my age in both cardio and strength ... my BP is about 144/80 .. . I have resisted BP meds for years - I have a background in public health and always try and make my own decisions BASED ON EVIDENCE ... the problem today is, particularly in the US (I am in Canada), is that the pharmas have way too much influence and politicians are bought off and so they peddle their crap with impunity. Thanks for your voice of reason - so much appreciated.
Dr.Gupta, with this information you are speaking directly to me. In my 80s my B/P is like 160/60 Went down to 150/65 with hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 mg QD Problem was I peed all the time and at night suffered from terrible leg cramps. I gave up the diurectic and am living with B/P of 150/60 hopefully will not have a heart attack
That’s what my blood pressure is usually and always 150/90 or 170/80 ect when I go in the doctors or dentist, I get nervous real easy, anyways the doctors tried me on all kinds of meds the past few years I hated them , too many side effects, so I stoped pull all together , when I’m relaxed my bp is usually 140 somethings I’m 32 years old so , I’m going to roll with it ,
Dilly Dally I think there was another Dr. on a different channel saying that in India anything less than 140/90 is considered low? I dodnt really check that but I found that to interesting as well
@@triggerboy85v59 I'd like to know if their heart disease and mortality rate is better than the US, but being a hot poor country, people walk and work more.
Thankyou….so pleased I came across your videos. I wish I’d seen them 2 years ago, it would have saved me a lot of anxiety. First Dr visit that they said I needed to go on medication straight away. They said it was hereditary. (I don’t know how they thought that as I did not have family history on record. my mother did have it, but she was overweight, smoked, and had a bad diet and other lifestyle bad habits. I did take their tablets for 4 weeks, it reduced my blood pressure a bit, but not significantly. They made me feel nauseous all the time. I decided I did not want to take them. Let the Dr know and started moving more and eating healthier. (My lifestyle had changed due to Covid. Lost job, which was active, isolation didn’t help either, became lazy and put on weight and ate too much. I knew I had to work on that and did. Watching your videos has reassured me that I did the right thing. I’ve stressed occasionally wondering if I had. All is better now.
Nice to see another of those rare doctors willing to talk sense publicly. Thank you. I'm 69. My story was similar to the one referred to in the video. GP put me on meds, but I soon stopped taking them. I brought my BP down simply by doing the Nitric Oxide Dump exercises, after seeing a RU-vid video by a UK doctor (Channel: Dr Joe TV). I'm unmedicated and BP is now usually around 135/85.
The article: December 2018 Benefits and Harms of Antihypertensive Treatment in Low-Risk Patients With Mild Hypertension James P. Sheppard, PhD1; Sarah Stevens, PhD1; Richard Stevens, PhD1; et al
My BP fluctuates every now and then and sometimes, it reaches 145/98. When that number hits, I take medicine. And I could go on for days with a low pressure before "needing" to take medication. Now I know that I don't really need to take any medicine. Thanks to this info. Some of the things I would like to share that I observed have helped me lower my blood pressure. 1. Sleeping late causes BP to rise (I think this is a well known fact but still needed to be told) 2. Relieving oneself regularly (emptying the bowels) help reduce hypertension 3. Some infection in the urinary tract can cause BP to rise. Controlling this infection by taking antibiotics can help bring down blood pressure 4. Very cold AC causes BP to rise. 5. Sexual activities (coitus, masturbation) can lower blood pressure both Systolic and Diastolic (oh the wonders of sex) 6. Playing stressful games such as Dota can cause BP to rise. 7. If you are on medication and would like to stop it, you can. But it takes a while. Start by exercising, reducing salt intake, and dieting for about 2 weeks. If you are taking medicine everyday, don't skip and don't reduce. After 2 weeks, you can see some improvements in the pattern of your blood pressure. Get a good BP monitor and check your BP every hour. Begin to halve your medication, increase the intensity of your exercise, and avoid salt. After 2 weeks, you may begin to stop taking medication. If after 2 days your BP increases, take half the dosage. Exercise in the morning for 30 minutes and exercise in the evening for another 30 minutes. Avoid salt and drink lots of water. You can go on for 3 days without BP spike. If BP spike happens, take half the dosage. Take only medicine if BP spikes. Continue to do aerobic exercise. It takes time but it can be done. Do not stop your medication immediately without exercise. You might go blind, suffer a stroke, or aneurysm and you could suffer permanent disability or worst case, die. Exercise strengthens the heart to take over the effects of medication. It is really important in controlling BP.
Keith Dainton exactly. I’ve been in caregiving for thirty years and have watched the numbers change. I told my dil, an NP, that mine was 145/89 and I thought she was going to have a heart attack.
@GoldenEraPoser666 mine was 160/100 last September. Cut out caffeine and added lots of mg to my diet and it's now 139/89 average. Doc says no need to medicate. Glad I live in UK as in the US I'd be medicated. I already eat healthily and exercise most days.
This is profoundly interesting to me as I fall into that blood pressure range and have been "hounded"by my GP for the past couple of years.Indeed it has affected me so significantly that I now have white coat syndrome.Interestingly I went for a routine blood test with the practice nurse and whilst chatting explained that I had just arrived back from norther England after trying to sort out family matters---mother with vascular dementia,stepfather with advanced Cancer;long drive;dealing with social workers,and so on.So I was stressed !Suddenly the nurse wrapped my arm into the cuff and took my blood pressure.How not to take blood pressure.You will not be surprised that my blood pressure was raised.Presumably in my notes it says something to the effect that I am at risk,uncooperative or whatever.Incidentally I have never even had a full 24 hour monitor to get a more comprehensive idea of my BP range/s.There are other socially inept/counterproductive exchanges that I won't go into.Hence I am thinking of changing GP's.Incidentally,my stepfather passed away and I managed to get my mother down to Sussex with all of the bureaucracy that that entails.I monitor my BP.Sorry for the length of this !!!
Hope life becomes easier for you. I will also ask for 24 hour monitoring as I have been on meds and my BP is raised again do might be prescribed higher dose. According to the cardiologist mine us within mild range.
Thank you doctor! Eye opening video, very informative. People need more doctors like you who are genuine to their profession. I think you are saving thousands of patients from taking unnecessary medicines and from its side effects... Blessings and Love from India 🙏🙏
This is me. I'm 140/100. If I'm measuring correctly. I have a manual arm cuff but my friend showed me the proper way to measuring it. Im pretty slender, lost some weight, taking beat root and carrots, green tea with pomegranate. Going on walks, running or starting to. Doing it over weeks now. I attribute it to age and genetics. I will keep monitoring it. But hopefully gets lower. Otherwise I'm feeling fine but I know it can affect other organs. I rather not take meds but we'll see
Man you are godsend! I wish, alot more doctors would have such a sensible approach towards treating mild hypertensionm. But most are just following guidelines and prescribing pills for every patient with slightly elevated bp readings and make them lifelong customers.
I was concerned about my 140plus/80ish bp in my 50s. I was determined to find a natural solution and now having watched your video it seems like treating it through my GP wasn't going to benefit me anyway - thanks for your honesty! What I did find is the ketogenic diet and since starting it in Sept 2019 I've had some remarkable and encouraging results! Weight loss from 84 kg to 74kg and waist measure of 40 inches down to 36 (I'm 5 foot 8) in about 3 months. After 2 days on this diet my heart burn (as bad as waking up choking on my own reflux/vomit) stopped and hasn't once returned, psoriasis on my nails getting better after about 2 months, my inflamed gums better after 3 months - no blood when brushing, and my BP seems to be consistently below 140 and is often 115/80 or 120/80 or 136/84 - i write my weight and bp down in my diary almost every day. After watching many 'low carb' or keto videos by research scientists, drs and professors using evidence of the higher quality such as RCT ie not low grade epidemiological nonsense! I'm pretty convinced that my problem is insulin resistance. Correct me if I'm wrong but apparently insulin tells the kidneys to retain salt which increases blood volume and therefore blood pressure (osmosis I guess?). A huge number of the population are pre diabetic with high levels of insulin circulating as a response to all the carbs in the standard diet. Hence the high blood pressure? On a low carb diet (aiming for less than 25g as opposed to 300g!) I'm reducing my insulin levels and hence have stopped telling my kidneys to retain salt so lowering my blood pressure. As my insulin levels, because of insulin resistance, are not as low as they could be I'm still experiencing some elevated blood pressure readings but I'm hoping in time this will improve. For the research evidence I look to Ivor Cummins, Dr Ted Naiman, Dr Jason Fung, Dr Paul Mason, Professor Tim Noakes, Dr Ken Berry, cardiologist 'Wheat Belly' Davis (now he has a few harsh words to say about his cardiology colleagues in the USA!!!) .. there are so many. Finally - good for you that you don't sound like one of those cardiologists Dr Davis talks about - the school of prevention doesn't buy me a new holiday villa!
I am speechless! I wish I had heard this a year ago. I am aged 75 a fit and healthy woman with no health problems - a good BMI, diet and plenty of exercise. I had 'mild' hypertension as described here by Dr. Gupta with consistently high readings for five years plus. I resisted all medication and my GP seemed ambivalent. which suited me. I did regular uphill walks and made minor changes to an already good diet. I drank more water! But earlier this year after an NHS health test at age 75 the nurse referred me to my GP. I complained that I was noticing how tired I get mid afternoon and that I had left an advanced walking group which regularly completes 12 miles and now I only manage 8 miles. She said I should start BP medication. I DID! After the initial dose of daily tablets I developed tinnitus - apparently a rare side affect!! The nurse advised I come off the tablets and take a different course. She said the tinnitus would go away. Well, it hasn't. I feel very aggrieved. I am now taking daily Indapamide BP tablets. After hearing Dr Gupta I will now consider decreasing my dosage so that I wean myself off these tablets completely. I am going to send this video to my GP's surgery just in case they havent heard it!!
Dr Sanjay - thats the second time in a year you have lowered my anxiety re BP numbers. In fact I am sure I have just dropped 10 points again!!! Thank You so much for your re-assuring words and common sense approach... You, have better Effects than medication... Take Care.
