Another thing that is very different today is that we have effective blood PRESSURE meds. High blood pressures along with high blood sugars are a triply lethal combination.

They didn't develop pills that really helped with BP until the 1960s and the ones they have now are a lot better than those.

About BP and diabetes:
I'm fortunate to have a very good GP doctor.He is a diabetic
and has put a lot of time researching the disease.
My BP is normally pretty good by normal standards.The worst my
BP ever gets is probably something like 130-80( I monitor my
BP twice a day).During my last checkup,my doctor chastised me
for not keeping my blood pressure under 115-65.I scoffed at this
but he explained that,even though my basic blood tests have
shown no kidney damage,my BP was probably putting too much
pressure on my kidneys(a consideration for diabetics).I grudgingly gave in to my doctor and accepted a prescription for
20 mg Enalapril.It works very well.Why not play it safe?
Go cowboys? Go saints?
Cheers
Eddie

Eddie,

after you've been on huang lian su a couple weeks more, you might want to monitor your blood pressure. In combination with your Enalapril, you're possibly going to experience fairly low blood pressure.

I was averaging about 135/85 with some readings as high as 145/90. With only the huang lian su, it is now averaging 120/65, with some readings as low as 115/60 and as high 125/70.... Staying off the huang lian su for 3 weeks did not affect my blood pressure.

Ron

Some studies released at the latest big European diabetes convention, EASD, seemed to show that lowering blood pressure too much increased heart attack risk, too.

80/120 look about right.

The recommendation that people with diabetes keep their blood pressure even lower than what had long been considered normal was not backed up by research data, but seems to have been another one of these guidelines pushed by big pharma.

80/120????? I'd probably have to stand on my head or something to get that one...

When a person lowers blood presssure, it drops to whatever it is going to drop to and that's about it. If my blood pressure is currently averaging 120/65, I doubt there is something I could do to keep the top number of 120 where it is now and get the bottom number of 65 to 80...

I've heard from my team of Doctors that as a diabetic, that my top number is not nearly as important as my bottom number and they have long recommended that I try to keep the bottom number at 75 or less. I don't have references, but I'm sure I've read in serveral places that 75 or less is a good target to shoot for if you're diabetic.....

It sort of goes along with my Doctors also advising me that as a diabetic, I should keep my cholesterol a little lower than the average non-diabetic. I've not read anything to support that claim though... I don't feel cholesterol is all that important even though mine is currently much lower then I ever intended to get it...

Here it is...

Sodium = 139 mEg/L
Potassium = 4.4 mEq/L
Chloride = 99 mEq/L
Total CO2 = 23 Meq/L
BUN = 18 mg/dl
Creatinine = .92 mg/dl
Calcium = 10.0 mg/dl
Glucose = 73mg/dl
Ggb A1c = 5.7%
Cholesterol = 200 mg/dl
Triglyceride = 138 mg/dl
HDL = 60 mg/dl
LDL = 112 mg/dl
VLDL (Calc) = 28 mg/dl
Chol/HDL Ratio = 3.3
TSH = 2.358 uIU/ml

All my numbers have improved and I'm virtually in the normal range in everything. I can't believe what only 3 months of low carbing has done!

~Danielle

woooow,
Can you also post your before scores please and what you weighed previously.

I'll try and dig up my old. They are in moving boxes - LOL

My A1c was 6.5% and my weight was 270 lbs

~Danielle

They say reducing 10% of your body weight has a huge difference on these numbers. You are almost there... imagine what your nummbers are going to be at your goal.

Nice shot Danielle.

Thank you Rachel!

~Danielle