hope someone can help.

[maude]

i have gotten off of my blood pressure meds.they broke me out in a rash.so now the problem is i am retaining water and my kidneys are not acting very much.what can i do naturally for this. i had a stent put in in august and they put me on lipitor and plavix but i got off of them to by the way my blood pressure is down due to me taking garlic in pill form each day.just wanted to let you know what i was taking.

 

[ceeblue]

Since you were seeing the doctors and taking their medicine, your problem may be too complicated for someone to help you over the internet. It's difficult to tell how much, if any, danger you are in from stopping your medicines.

If you tell your doctors about your rash, they'll prescribe different medicines for you. You might think about giving them a chance to get you settled on medication that agrees with you.

You should have an evaluation by a professional herbalist before using herbal treatments. It's one thing to use herbs to build our health and another to use them in place of medicine for an urgent problem. Both really require experience and knowledge.

For now, eat wisely. You know the drill. Leafy greens, cereals, fruits, water. Eat as close to scratch as you can and as little processed foods as possible. And find a local herbalist to help you get your system in sync. Good luck, maude.

Try the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP): http://www.naturopathic.org

Or the American Herbalists Guild (AHG): http://www.americanherbalistsguild.com

 

[cin]

I don't think you should be treating something like that yourself. You are taking a huge risk. I would go back to see the doctor asap and tell them all of your symptoms.

 

[ceeblue]

I agree with Cin.

If you try to make an end run around your doctors on this one, you could wake up dead.

 

[summerthyme]

I agree that you need to work with your doctors on this.

But... and THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE....

Dandelion is an excellent diuretic which also replaces the potassium which is usually lost through diuretic use. A tea of root AND leaf is bitter... but it works. My dad had terribly swollen ankles at one point and because of severe Alzheimers, it seemed that most meds they gave him acted "wrong" or made him worse mentally or physically. I gave him dandelion tea and his ankles returned to normal within a week.

Cornsilk is another very mild diuretic which can be used for long periods of time without harm, for most people.

If you're determined to try and deal with this with herbs, at least get your "numbers" checked regularly at your doctors, please!!

Summerthyme

 

[blue gecko]

As an addition to Summerthyme's information....this is information only and simply meant to give you some tools to use when talking with your MD. Blood pressure is dependent on the sodium/potassium balance in your body. One of the current speculations is that its not so much a matter of too much sodium in the diet but rather not enough potassium to keep the system in balance. Most people get plenty of sodium in their diet but do not eat enough potassium rich foods i.e bananas, kiwis and dandelion as ST mentions. Salt substitutes are usually Potassium Chloride and might be worth discussing with your MD. Supplements to be used in dealing with a pre-existing conditions IMO should only be introduced with the OK from your MD. Too much potassium can cause a seriously dangerous drop in blood pressure. I've know of deaths that have occurred from the 'more is better' attitude.
The only way you can be reasonably sure of how to proceed is by having the facts concerning your situation in hand. I agree you must get your 'numbers' checked professionally.
I know you will take a wise approach to this Maude and I wish you the best. B

 

[Dixielee]

I echo what others have said about getting back to the doctor. My dear grandmother took herself off her BP meds because an uncle told her all she needed was to take his diuretics. She died of a stroke within a month.

Also, when you got your stent, did they explain to you how the plavix works and that you would need to take it to keep the stent open? There is great risk of a clot forming and closing off that vessel if you are not on anticoagulants.

You are a ticking bomb. Talk to your doc and do not mess around with this. It can kill or worse....debilitate you.

 

[Laurane]

Whenever I start to retain fluid......

and the kidneys aren't up to par......even though I am drinking lots of of water, I chew about 6 juniper berries and they seem to get the kidneys working.

But another type of problem can be when I am not getting enough essential fatty acids in the form of Omega 3-6-9, so then I take Evening Primrose oil capsules (usually 2 a day for a couple of days), and I can see my ankles going down in a couple of hours.

I sweat a whole lot when I play tennis and have to really be aware of the mineral balance in the body, as I perspire them all out.....so I take essential trace minerals (there are 70 of them - not the main minerals like Calcium etc, but minute quantities - hence Traces of them). And also I take Sea Salt, which contains these trace minerals, and don't touch table salt which is basically a chemical which makes a person retain fluid.

good luck in finding a solution - lots of reasons you can have these problems.

 

[LA Woman]

Stop eating refined sugar in any form. Limit pastas, rice & bread. This will help with the fluid retention. You should also limit proteins until your kidneys come up to speed. Of course, you probably also already know to limit your salt intake. Lots of fresh vegetables and fruit and only high fiber breads, low sodium, low fat, low cholesterol.....should do the trick.

 

[maude]

i went back to the doctor and she took me off of my bp. meds and put me on a diuretic only. The heart doctor is taking me off of plavix next month. Now they don't like to keep you on it for more than 1 year. I have started on a low carb diet and so far it is helping the water retention. thanks everyone for your advice.