High Blood Pressure

Yes and no - yes in that there can be a tendency towards hypertension passed
in the genes, no in that it's been proven that diet affects the way in which
those genes choose to express themselves.

Personally, I have to wonder if the reason grandma + mum + the kids have
similar medical problems (including hypertension / obesity / type 2
diabeties etc) is that they've all eaten similar diets - passed down from
one generation to the next.


"Matt Whiting" wrote in message
...
Cockpit Colin wrote:

Give us an insite as to what your diet is - that's where high BP starts.



It also can start from heredity.

Matt

Personally, I have to wonder if the reason grandma + mum + the kids have
similar medical problems (including hypertension / obesity / type 2
diabeties etc) is that they've all eaten similar diets - passed down from
one generation to the next.

No doubt. I was raised on meat, potato, gravy, fried eggs, butter -- the
traditional German-American diet.

I probably eat 30% of the red meat my parents did. I certainly am more
aware of fat, and am at least 20 pounds lighter than my Dad was at the same
age because of it.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Cockpit Colin wrote:

Personally, I have to wonder if the reason grandma + mum + the kids have
similar medical problems (including hypertension / obesity / type 2
diabeties etc) is that they've all eaten similar diets - passed down from
one generation to the next.

I would bet on this. It also ought to be easy to test. Just locate enough men
who've been married for, say, 20 years to a woman who cooks differently from the
food on which they were raised. See if they show significant differences in
health from that of their parents.

George Patterson
Drink up, Socrates -- it's all-natural.

Cockpit Colin wrote:
Yes and no - yes in that there can be a tendency towards hypertension passed
in the genes, no in that it's been proven that diet affects the way in which
those genes choose to express themselves.

Personally, I have to wonder if the reason grandma + mum + the kids have
similar medical problems (including hypertension / obesity / type 2
diabeties etc) is that they've all eaten similar diets - passed down from
one generation to the next.

My hypertension came in in just 3 months. I went from 115/60 to 165/105
during one summer when I was 37. The doc was pretty worried at first
and checked all sorts of things (EKG, chest x-ray, every blood test
known to man, etc.). He found nothing wrong and my diet didn't change
during that 3 months. And diet changes and exercise since then have had
no appreciable affect. The doc said it was heredity and a low dose of
ACE inhibitor has kept the BP in check for nearly 8 years now.

Sure, diet affects a lot of things, but you simply can't blame every ill
on diet.


Matt

What I constantly see is a situation where it's 95% diet and 5% hereditary -
and yet all of the 95% think they belong to the 5% - ie "it's not my fault -
and nothing can be done about it"




"Matt Whiting" wrote in message
news
Cockpit Colin wrote:
Yes and no - yes in that there can be a tendency towards hypertension
passed
in the genes, no in that it's been proven that diet affects the way in
which
those genes choose to express themselves.

Personally, I have to wonder if the reason grandma + mum + the kids have
similar medical problems (including hypertension / obesity / type 2
diabeties etc) is that they've all eaten similar diets - passed down
from
one generation to the next.

My hypertension came in in just 3 months. I went from 115/60 to 165/105
during one summer when I was 37. The doc was pretty worried at first
and checked all sorts of things (EKG, chest x-ray, every blood test
known to man, etc.). He found nothing wrong and my diet didn't change
during that 3 months. And diet changes and exercise since then have had
no appreciable affect. The doc said it was heredity and a low dose of
ACE inhibitor has kept the BP in check for nearly 8 years now.

Sure, diet affects a lot of things, but you simply can't blame every ill
on diet.


Matt

The nagging cough is an allergic reaction to vasotec and if you get it you
should be removed form the medication. For a person in your age and gender
group I am surprised that he did not suggest atenonol (Tenormin) as it is
also a beta blocker that will reduce slightly your pulse which has benefits
as well for heart attack crowd (men).

Atenonal and vasotect will require you to have a cardiac assessment so that
you can keep your medical. Not too much other than an EKG and CBC which you
should be having anyways and a letter stating that your BP is stable and
that there is no end organ damage.

Scott

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MI-150972
PP-ASEL-IA

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prejudiced, and embarrassingly gullible."

-------------------------------------
"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:Qgg0e.96810$r55.62998@attbi_s52...
Well, I'm officially old. After watching my blood pressure slowly climb
over the last three years (strangely, the years we've owned the hotel --
coincidence? :-), my doctor has decided that my ineffective weight loss
efforts aren't going to do the trick.

Here are the facts: BP is 155/85. Weight: 197. Height: 6'. Exercise:
30
minutes every day. Family has a history of strokes and high blood
pressure.

The good doctor says the elevated BP isn't being caused by my weight,
which
isn't too far out of line for a 46 year old guy. (Although losing 15
pounds
would certainly help.) He has prescribed Vasotec for me, which *is* on
the
AOPA's list of FAA approved medications, thankfully.

For those who have already been down this road, did this medication cause
any side effects? The doc says the most common one is a nagging cough,
for
no known reason.

Thanks!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 15:52:16 GMT, "Jay Honeck"
wrote:

He has prescribed Vasotec for me,

I don't know this one. By all means ensure that you get a BP
medication that does not affect your ability to get a high pulse rate.
Otherwise you ruin your ability to maintain cardiovascular fitness.

My own BP was never so high that it would have caused the FAA to deny
me a medical, but it has proved very resistant to lowering by
medications. I have taken four different sorts over the years; oddly
enough, the most dramatic effect was from hydrochlorothiazide or HCTZ,
which also happens to be dirt cheap. If you must pay for your meds,
ask your doc about HCTZ. BJ's Wholesale Club prices it at eight bucks
for 100 tablets! You get a year for about $30. It's a diuretic.

I took the list of FAA disapproved BP meds to my doctor, who laughed
hugely. Said that nobody had prescribed any of that stuff since he'd
been practicing

However, I did get a bad reaction from one BP med when I was a student
pilot. Scared me enough that I never took it again. Alas, I can't
remember its name. Diovan is benign but expensive. Cardura
(doxy-something) is a great med if you have an enlarged prostate; it
lowers your BP while making it easier to empty your bladder. HCTZ as I
say is a blockbuster med that is dirt cheap.

Your mileage of course will vary.





-- all the best, Dan Ford

email (put Cubdriver in subject line)

Warbird's Forum: www.warbirdforum.com
Piper Cub Forum: www.pipercubforum.com
the blog: www.danford.net

In article ,
Cub Driver wrote:
On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 15:52:16 GMT, "Jay Honeck"
wrote:

He has prescribed Vasotec for me,

This is an ACEI (aka ACE Inhibitor, aka angiotensin converting enzyme
inhibitor). It's works by affecting your BP at your kidneys. Most people
are posting about experiences they have had with beta-blockers (eg.
atenolol, metopolol) which can slow down your heart and cause other side
effects.
There's no logical reason an ACEI should affect your ability to fly.
As always talk to your primary MD for more info.