High blood pressure is a problem that afflicts many people. Although high blood pressure is but natural for a person who is getting older whose blood vessels become less pliable, there are normal ranges by which blood pressure should be kept within range. Medical literature suggests that the normal blood pressure of a person should be somewhere within the range of 120/80, the higher number referred to as the systolic blood pressure or the highest pressure on the blood vessel while blood circulates in the body while the lower number represents the diastolic or the lowest blood pressure when the heart relaxes.

As a person gets older, say older than 30 or 40, blood pressure increases. The targetted normal blood pressure of 120/80 will be normally exceeded. So the rule to find out the normal blood pressure as a person gets older according to some medical literature can be computed by simply adding 100 to a person’s age. For example, if a person is 35 years old, his normal systolic blood pressure should be 135 mm Hg.

At one point, I have had a high blood pressure of 180/100 and I felt dizzy and feel my left arm got numb. This definitely is a symptom of high blood pressure that may lead to stroke. I was brought to the hospital and given medication. My blood pressure subsided after about two hours and I was advised to spend the night in the hospital.

Since then, I had a maintenance dose of 100mg of Lifezar (Losartan potassium). I took this for more than 6 months. But I experimented a little with my diet taking potato most of the time (see the benefits of potato) and avoiding meat. I gradually reduced my dose to half and compared my systolic and diastolic pressure after about 30 days. I noticed no difference using statistical comparisons, halved my dose again, and after about 45 days checked if there is a significant difference in blood pressure.

When I consulted my doctor about my findings and saying I only took one-fourth of my dose, he said one-fourth of Lifezar has no effect at all and I could leave out my maintenance. It was an exhilarating find. Potato plus virtually no meat lowered my blood pressure for keeps. My high blood pressure was gone.