High blood pressure

I suffer from anxiety, depression and panic disorder. It has been suggested that a lot of the pain symptoms I have been suffering are TMS related.

I went to see the nurse at my local health centre and she checked my blood pressure. Unfortunately, I was told my blood pressure is high at 147/97 and I have been told to get another reading done later in the week. However, this is causing me worry. What is making me worried is that I got my blood pressure checked last year when I still suffered anxiety and panic disorder but my blood pressure was fine. Now my blood pressure is high.

I am obese and about 84 pounds overweight and have went through a very stressful time in the last couple of months due to welfare disability assessments which caused me great stress.

I don’t really want to take pharmaceutical medication for high blood pressure and would rather go the natural path. What foods, supplements can I take to reduce blood pressure. Can high blood pressure be TMS related? Please advise.

 

Hi Artmuzz,

I'm sorry to hear that you're suffering. In answer to your question about high BP, yes it can be TMS, there is a great chapter in The Divided Mind about this written by a cardiologist. It is not always TMS but it can be in some circumstances. It can also be caused by "white coat syndrome" aka anxiety at the doctor's office (I definitely had that for a bit when I was pregnant). You could try taking your BP at home when you're relaxed to see if it's different.

Although there is a correlation between higher weight and some health diagnoses, it is my view based on evidence that this is not causation. Check out the Health At Every Size model of healthcare (what I personally use for myself and my patients) for a weight-neutral approach to health. Losing weight will not cause your BP to change. Exercise, meditation and other non-medication routes can be helpful for some people overall regardless of your body size. Medication can also be helpful depending on why your BP is high (some people's is genetically high for various reasons). Folks of all sizes have difficulty with blood pressure.

I would stay away from foods and supplements to reduce BP. Overall, a medium to lower salt diet can be helpful depending on the cause of the high BP. If your high BP is TMS/anxiety related, eating less salt won't do anything. That only works for certain people with a sodium issue... a good cardiologist (like the one in the Divided Mind book) could tease this out.

If your BP is TMS related, the treatment, of course, is TMS methods.

 

Thanks MindBodyPT for the reply.

I went to see the nurse again and my blood pressure is much higher than it was yesterday which has got me panicking. I have to go back in 2 weeks and if blood pressure is still high then I’ve got to wear a device for 24 hours to check bp. If that is high then I have to get my bloods checked.

I am trying not to get too upset about this because feeling that way is more fuel to the fire with the anxiety and panic disorder I already suffer.

I will buy myself a blood pressure monitor and test myself when I am relaxed and see if there are any differences in the readings.

 

Yes definitely test when it’s a relaxed situation! The difference can be stark. Good luck! Even if you wind up needing meds it’s ok, lots of folks take them successfully.