As usual, it is individual.
Some patients will still have pretty elastic arteries and they can be relaxed, lowering the measured BP. Others will have stiffer tissues, therefore the cuff measurement will be high because of the lack of compressibility of the "pipe" while the intra-arterial pressure is normal....they then get BP medication and become dizzy...it is not a real side-effect of their drugs, it is drug-induced hypotension....and no, indeed, most GPs do not get it.
With homeopathy and most herbs, the regulation will be at the level of the real BP, the intra-arterial one, so the measured one, with a cuff, might still be considered as high.
There are ways to evaluate (but not 100% correct) the elasticity of arteries:
- palpate the radial artery as if taking the pulse, but focus on what you feel: is it a stiff tube or is it elastic?
- palpate the radial artery and compare the strength of the pulse with that in an artery in the foot (DP or TP), or even better, if you can, measure the BP in the leg; if there is a notable difference, there is probably some stiffness of the vessel, unless there is an obstruction in the aorta, the iliacs or the femoral arteries.
- if you know how to use an ophthalmoscope/fundoscope, you can see the retinal arteries; look up in a textbook to see the meaning of the different pictures.
The breathing technique is the basis of biofeedback and is also a sign of arterial elasticity. I actually had fun with that, driving the anaesthesiologist bonkers at the pre-op consultation: I first tensed up and raised my BP higher than my usual norm, then told her it was way too high for me, could she measure again, having a few relaxing breaths and dropping it by almost 30 points....she did not get it but it was hilarious to see her face...
Another test for elasticity is to measure the BP before and after exercise: it should drop with the vasodilatation induced by the exercise.
So, if any of those tests is able to bring the BP down, the arteries are elastic and it is the tension/stress/constriction that should be addressed, as spikes of high BP (anger, bad news,....) can still burst a vessel.
If the arteries are stiff, it becomes way more difficult as it is almost impossible to measure the real BP non-invasively and they are more prone to bursting with sudden variations of BP. The work here should concentrate on restoring some degree of elasticity to the tissues in general. Lowering the numbers is less important than following the symptoms and relating them to the level of BP.
Hope this helps.
Joe.
Dr. J. Rozencwajg, NMD.
"The greatest enemy of any science is a closed mind"
www.naturamedica.co.nz
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