But if the relatively benign stress of being in a doctor’s surgery is enough to make your blood pressure rocket, what is going to happen when you are in a really stressful situation in the aircraft?
Timothy wrote:
But if the relatively benign stress of being in a doctor’s surgery is enough to make your blood pressure rocket, what is going to happen when you are in a really stressful situation in the aircraft?
Does that matter? Hypertension is a medical problem if it’s permanent, not temporary … or?
Timothy wrote:
But if the relatively benign stress of being in a doctor’s surgery is enough to make your blood pressure rocket, what is going to happen when you are in a really stressful situation in the aircraft?
Everyone’s blood pressure rises under stress. It is consistently high BP that is the problem.
Another possible cause of hypertension in doctor’s office may be the air temperature. If you undress in a cool room, your blood pressure jumps up. Conversely, feeling hot makes your blood pressure decrease.
Everything you wanted to know about health and blood pressure is here 
It really depends on how high your BP is. If it is say 150/95 then a decent AME should re-test you a bit later. He/she will also know that the right arm produces about 3/3 less than the left arm. Other things, under your control, are:
If your AME is out to get you he will do the BP the moment you walk in, and will use the left arm. I’ve had that
In the longer run – see the above link – go plant based. I know most people take the p1ss out of what I posted on this topic, and pilots do tend to eat especially crap food, but it works brilliantly… Doesn’t have to be religious, and anyway is almost impossible to achieve when travelling or eating out. You will lose 10% of your weight in 2-3 months without going hungry and stay that way and feel great; none of the commercial diets achieves this. Your BP will go down at least 10%.
Peter wrote:
In the longer run – see the above link – go plant based…. You will lose 10% of your weight in 2-3 months without going hungry and stay that way and feel great; none of the commercial diets achieves this. Your BP will go down at least 10%.
Yes, death will reduce your blood pressure too. Doesn’t make it desirable. :)
My blood pressure seemed to be in the 130 – 140 systolic and 85 – 95 diastolic for some time. The main thing I did to reduce them by around 10 mmHg was increase my water intake. It wasn’t significant and was rarely much more than 2 litres a day but it seems to make a difference to me. I also reduced my coffee intake to one or two coffees a day, the rest were decaffeinated coffees and regularly exercise for 15 minutes in the morning by going up and down a flight of domestic stairs 60 times after getting up followed by stretches and thirty press ups (very efficient use of time, no travelling to a gym and only one daily shower needed). None of what I did seemed to have as big an impact as drinking water.
Yes, like the good old joke
Dr: do you drink
P: yes, drink from time to time
Dr: can’t do that, gotta dope completely. Smoke?
P: Ocaadionally, cigar at weddings
Dr: No way, stop. Meat?
P: yes, 2-3 times a week
Dr: gotta go vegetarian. Sex?
P: some times.
Dr: gets your Heart rate up. Gotta stop i
P: but dr… if I do all that, how long more will I leave?
Dr: can’t say, but it will feel much longer :)
It has often been said that going to the gym regularly extends the life by about the time you spend in the gym. This is of course great if you like going to the gym, but if you hate it – why bother?
But what also matters is how healthy and fit you are, not just the time you have before kicking the bucket.
If you suffer from very bad white coat, do a 3 day water fast before you go in. Guaranteed 20 points lower or more.
