I didn't know beans about high blood pressure...

[MacFromOK]

Ya'll ain't gonna believe this (there's a pun in the title btw).

THE BAD NEWS
Back in December, I went to the doctor and my blood pressure was 180 over something (yeah, I shoulda paid more attention). I knew it was high, because the cicadas I've heard for several years were singing really loud, and I was having frequent nosebleeds and headaches.

So he put me on a small dose of beta blockers (50mg metoprolol, once daily). Those things literally almost killed me in the first week (I have a bum ticker), so I cut them in half (which was a legitimate option) and took 25mg once daily for about 6 weeks.

They did lower my heart rate and blood pressure (although the cicadas rarely stopped completely), but also gave me severe muscle weakness (we're talkin' about 2-3 attempts to just stand up sometimes). So I stopped taking them about the middle of last month (Feb), and took one every other day for a week to taper off a bit. Still feeling some muscle weakness almost a month later, but it's much better.

And sure enough the cicadas started up again with a vengeance. Checked my blood pressure about a week ago and it was 175/100. And liquor always makes it worse (I'd been out for over a month).

THE GOOD NEWS
I had noticed in times past that a few meals with beans seemed to lower my BP a bit, but never went on a full-out bean regimen. Until this week.

- Monday (day before yesterday), I ate a whole can of Van Camp's pork & beans for one of my meals.

- Tuesday (yesterday), I had a can of Great Value (Walmart's brand) pinto beans for breakfast, and a can of Taco Bell fat-free refried beans for supper. I freely salted the pinto beans.

- Wednesday (today), the cicadas are pretty much gone (more so than on the BP meds!). And I've also been drinking & eating junk since last Friday when we bought groceries. I had a can of pinto beans with some shredded chicken for breakfast today, and will have beans of some type again later.

As mentioned, ya'll may not believe this, but beans are apparently about as close as it gets to a blood pressure "miracle cure" for me. And they don't cause as much gas as usual if I don't eat bread with them. Lol, that may be more info than ya wanted.

Also... a whole can of beans is only around 400 calories or less (and very filling), so if I keep this up, there should be some weight loss involved.

DISCLAIMER
I am not a doctor, and nothing I post should be construed as medical advice. I'm just sharing my experience.

Ya'll have a great day. I am.

 

[rc508pir]

MY GOD MAN!!!!! Hope you have a healthy stock of Febreez on hand

 

[Annie]

Dang! Rarely am I at a loss for words. Ya got me! Glad you are feeling better but keep an eye on it.

 

[bigred1]

Thanks for sharing.... I'm gonna buy some stock in Great Northern tomorrow.

 

[Glock 'em down]

Ah yes, beans, beans, the magical fruit. The more you eat, the more you toot. The more you toot, the better you feel, let's have beans at every meal.

It sounds like a pretty good way of controlling your BP, but my God man! How did you choke down a can of pinto beans for breakfast!

 

[RKM]

Ha! Went the bean route for two days and thought they were going to shut the office down. Lucky I did have a can of Febreze at my desk.
Try no salt diet. Brown rice, veggies and fish (salmon and tuna) for lunch and dinner. Yogurt smoothies with almond milk in the morning.
No junk foods until I get everything under control.

 

[steelfingers]

Which is more annoying, the cicadas or the howling winds?

 

[MacFromOK]

I actually like beans. And as mentioned, they're much less gassy without bread.

Going to try some Bush's baked beans when we go to the store again.

I don't know of anything else that can give such dramatic results in less than 3 days. Well, outside of opening a vein...

 

[steelfingers]

Since we all know the effects of beans on the human body, I encourage you to incorporate gun safety over to bean safety.
Make sure there's not one in the chamber when you dry fire.

 

[p238shooter]

Thanks for sharing.
I accidentally found I had HBP when I was 29, that was 41 yeas ago. Been on light meds ever since with little side effects except for the diuretic and having to take extra potassium. I do suggest you get a good home BP checker and use it frequently just to keep an eye on it. I will pay more attention to the bean thing and see if I can tell any difference in mine.

I had a gall bladder removed and accidentally found eating at least a half cup of fried okra a day and I could eat anything else I wanted with no stomach problems. Could not find any medical information anywhere about that, but it consistently worked for me. The chemistry of each of our bodies is a strange thing.

Good luck to you, do take care of your self.