Doc’s Clinic Tips

Blood Pressure Exam

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    Discussion
  • #386335

    barre
    Keymaster

    Perhaps the most basic test to commence most medical exams is the taking of blood pressure. So what is gleaned from this procedure? You are informed WHAT your blood pressure is, and whether it falls within “normal limits”. An ‘alternative’ to the short-form blood pressure exam is as follows:

    First off, ditch the digital equipment and use a stethoscope and sphygmomanometer! All tests are done in rapid succession:

    1) Patient supine: this BP establishes a baseline for further evaluation,

    2) Patient standing 1: a healthy BP will immediately rise 10 points indicating strong adrenal function. If BP remains the same as supine, or actually dips adrenal insufficiency is a certainty,

    3) Patient standing 2 & 3: this will reveal the ability of the adrenals to rebound after standing,

    4) Patient sits: any rise in BP alerts to kidney issues,

    5) Patient supine: a comparison with the initial supine reading reveals baseline BP stability, and the possibility of Liver involvement.

    Do you ever feel light-headed when rising to a standing position. Adrenal secretions create immediate vasoconstriction, so blood does not pool in the abdomen & lower extremities leaving inadequate perfusion to the head with symptoms. The standing BP readings will verify adrenal issues, while monitoring the health of the entire endocrine system.

    Many elevated BP issues are actually a compensatory mechanism to prevent the possibility of fainting when standing up, while maintaining adequate oxygenation to the central nervous system. Fix the problem and beta blockers and their associated ‘side-effects’ will become unnecessary!

    So bottom line … when a doctor tells you that your BP is normal, high or otherwise based on a single reading it’s basically useless.

    This is a cursory explanation which could be elaborated greatly, but let me know your thoughts & questions.

    • This discussion was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by  barre.
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  • #386338

    maryschurr
    Member

    Can I do this myself on myself? So, this will help show where hypertension might be coming from? Which organ may be experiencing issues or at least ruling out certain organs?

    • #386371

      barre
      Organizer

      Hey Mary

      Thanks much for getting the discussion going! First off, please read this 1st BP example within the context of the group description.

      The purpose of this group is to get folks more pro-active with the doc-client relationship, and to become more aware of how deficient the average conventional exam process really is beginning with the basics typically relegated to an office assistant prior to sending you through a battery of digitalized and spurious labs that are then considered definitive.

      I did this on every patient on every visit, which I’d then corroborate with additional tests and also use to track future progress along with other methods.

      It is not a stand-alone diagnosis, as no single test can possibly be. The postural BP evaluation is, however, invaluable for the reasons stated and others too lengthy to explain here.

      That being said, it’s very useful as a self-monitoring technique especially for those on meds or otherwise concerned about BP or general health. If one is not trained with BP cuff/stethoscope use simply get a digital device at the pharmacy to get a more than approximate reading.

      If you register any of the aforementioned BP deviations, and your provider is taking short cuts, they’re either ignorant or on a tight office schedule, and it may be time to shop around.

      When regular BP postural hypotension readings are chronic it may be telling you to be more kind to the adrenal system with lifestyle changes. If other tendencies that I mentioned are consistently present it may prompt a preventative visit to an ND, DC or Chinese/Ayurvedic Medicine specialist.

      So to answer your question, yes, it can be a very useful self-assessment practice, as long as you don’t jump to conclusions that I wouldn’t do myself in a clinical practice. I hope this puts things into greater perspective and empower people with greater self-monitoring skills.

  • #386386

    maryschurr
    Member

    Thank you, Dr. Barre for your time in clarifying. Actually, the conventional practices have deviated so much they don’t even follow their conventional recommendations for taking blood pressure. Feet uncrossed on the floor, arm resting on a table and not in mid-air, etc. Most do this now (digitally) while one is standing up or with their feet and arms dangling as soon as one has walked a few miles to an exam room after stressfully searching for parking for 1/2 hour. Is it a blood pressure reading or a stress test? 🙂

    Still, I think it is worth while for me to learn how to properly take blood pressure and what you shared tells me much if I can ever find a practitioner who understands this there will probably be purple unicorn working as their assistant.

  • #386992

    Dorothy
    Member

    Thank you so much for continuing to demystify health care. A long ways to go I’m sure but very appreciative of each piece u share.

    Dorothy

  • #387014

    maryschurr
    Member

    @barre , I actually subscribed to the channel, then after reading other posts came upon your post without realizing the channel it was on was for practitioners, lol. Thanks for your thoughtful kindness in your reply.

  • #387507

    Beck
    Member

    How many years at university and i never understood BP measurements so clearly as from this post??!! Thankyou Barre. This is invaluable information for practitioners! Are you able to elaborate on importance of systolic/diastolic measures? With gratitude, Beck

  • #395295

    Kathy M
    Member

    A bit late to the discussion however, I learned some of the functional medicine examination in my functional nutrition course and it was amazing to me to learn about some basic language of the body was more informative than many expensive tests.

    One simple one was the Coco’s pulse test which anyone can learn, to check sensitivities to foods and beverages, etc.

    Sit for a few minutes at a table with a clock with a second hand nearby. Take a resting pulse rate for a full minute. Then take the suspected food and place it on your tongue for a full 30 seconds. Insalivate it but do not swallow. After the 30 seconds begin another 1 minute pulse reading. If the pulse increases 4 or more BPM, the food is provoking a stress response and is an irritant. If it drops 4 or more it is also an irritant. The idea is to avoid that food for a month or so then recheck. Wait several minutes before checking another food.

    Test the foods you crave, if you are cravings specific foods. It can be done with any product you use on your skin.

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