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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    Low blood pressure

    Related Topics
    Menopause Women's Health
    I just posted that I was doing well on HRT but have had a turn with my blood pressure and just not feeling well, my blood pressure is normally a bit low (102/58 ish) and today it was 89/34 and I felt terrible, exhausted! Wondered if it could be my recent increase in estrogel? I am also on Progestin ( radical hysterectomy in jan) and I take synthroid as well.
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    Dr Barry Wren

    Endocrinologist, Gynaecologist

    Dr Barry Wren was one of the original founders of the International Menopause Society in 1976 and subsequently founded the Australian Menopause Society, becoming its … View Profile

    Low blood pressure is rarely a concern or an indication for medical intervention. It is associated with good elastic arterial blood vessels and a low resistance to the the effort that the heart requires to pump blood around the body. Those people fortunate to have a low blood pressure such as you describe can expect to live many years longer than those who have stiff, rigid arterial blood vessels with an increased risk of heart attacks and arterial thrombosis. Just thank your lucky stars you have such a marvelous low blood pressure.

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    Joanna Sochan

    Naturopath, Nutritionist, Western Herbal Medicine Practitioner

    Joanna is a Natural Medicine Practitioner (Naturopath, Herbalist and Nutritionist) who offers an integrative and holistic approach to health and wellbeing. She applies a number … View Profile

    Although we hear more about how to deal with high blood pressure, low blood pressure can be equally challenging to improve. There could be a number of reasons associated with low blood pressure and any medical condition that can potentially cause it needs to be investigated and excluded before embarking on nutrition, supplementation and lifestyle changes. There are a number of approaches that can be undertaken to increase your blood pressure without prescription drugs. I will mention a few here:

    • Being well hydrated increases blood pressure – it can be as simple as increasing your intake of water per day as dehydration reduces blood volume and leads to a drop in the systemic blood pressure. Check out this article on a study re water’s role in blood pressure control, also find out strategies how to drink and absorb more water.
    • Blood pressure is an important indication of adrenal function – low adrenal function is arguably the most common as well as the most overlooked cause. If your blood pressure drops when you rise up from a lying position or stand up too quickly, this almost always indicates low adrenals. This drop in blood pressure upon standing is called postural hypotension and it’s also associated with dizziness, loss of balance or feeling light headed.
    • During and especially after menopause the adrenals gradually take on the role of producing sex hormones after ovaries stop producing them. If the adrenals are depleted and thus are unable to produce enough estrogen, progesterone and DHEA, women experience more hot flushes, night sweats, low energy and mood, fatigue, foggy brain and weight gain.
    • Adrenal glands (2) located above each kidney are pretty amazing and extremely important organs, their overall function is to help the body cope with stress and survive. They enable the body to deal with stress from every possible source such as disease, injuries but also work and relationship problems. Our energy levels, moods, resilience, endurance and our very life all depend on their proper functioning. It’s well worth it to familiarise yourself with how adrenals work and how to help them to function well through better nutrition and stress reduction. Basically, the hormones secreted by the adrenals influence all of the major physiological processes in the body.
    • Include more sea/unrefined salt in your diet – salt helps to increase blood pressure and also assists in restoring some of the causes of sodium loss within the cells. Salt craving is a common symptom of adrenal fatigue. 
    • Potassium normalises blood pressure – it is a mineral absolutely necessary for normal blood pressure. Adequate potassium in the diet is a simple health basic that just can’t be ignored when dealing with cardiovascular issues. High potassium foods include fruits such as bananas, citrus fruits, vegetables and legumes.
    •  If you are a vegetarian, your blood pressure may be normally lower (around 95/65). If so, then your lower blood pressure does not necessarily mean you have low adrenal function.
    Hope the above information will give you a few ideas to try! Work with your doctor and, if needed, a natural medicine practitioner to help you address this condition.

    All the best
    Joanna

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