Q: My blood pressure and my cholesterol are too high? Can I reduce them without drugs? How do I do that?

A: It depends on the numbers.
There are times when I say to patients, “I know you want to exercise, but this number is too high to go untreated.”
I firmly recommend a blood pressure or cholesterol medication. You can work on it and then we can talk about weaning it later on once you have a regimen going and your numbers are improving.
You don’t want to give yourself a stroke while you are waiting for your body to respond to the exercise. Sometimes, it is not about exercise and how many things you change.
If you have bad kidneys and your blood pressure is high, that is something that you inherited and you are going to have to deal with it. Not every patient is the same.
Most people are able to make an impact if they lose weight, diet, and exercise, however, all of that takes time and sometimes you need to be treated along the way.

 

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