There was a time, and not that long ago, when onion and garlic were the most commonly used antibiotics.  They can be made into a tea for internal consumption and made into pultases (sp) for external application. 

SJ

 re: hypertension and CHANGED standards

Isn't it interesting that for years and years the gold standeard for a "good" BP was the magic 120/80.  Then, apparently...it was discovered that was all wrong--who knew!?!?!?!

And the new gold standard is 110/70, which is very low and if you track prescription drug sales stats, apparently VERY HARD for most to achieve without the "help" of those many prescription drugs.  

Just have to step back and wonder about that--my BP was FINE for my entire life.  My doc has told me for YEARS my lab values and my BP were GREAT for my age, overall lifestyle, weight. 

And now I have been pre-hypertensive for the past few years and now hypertensive?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? I think not.

I'll take the Lasix for now, lose 10% of my overweight, remain active, and see what happens. 

What is curious is IF the 110/70 is now the desired, why does my doc say my BP is okay at a rate above that and doesn't increase my BP meds?  Curious...

 As long as the pharmaceutical lobby in North America is as powerful as it is I can't help but think this way... 

You have to wonder about that! Because I have never had high blood pressure and I always have been 120/80  or lower even when I was pregnant.  No doctor has ever said I have a problem.

120/80 is the normal, but 110/70 is optimal and seems to be what is pushed for--- 

 I've read (not from "mainstream" medicine) that blood pressure naturally rises as one ages and should be left alone as long as it doesn't get extremely high. High blood pressure medication can cause as many complications or more than the blood pressure itself.

While I don't buy everything I read from alternative sources, it certainly makes one think a couple of times before going along with whatever the doctor orders.

garlic....yes I believe it has healing properties but...dh takes that to mean that he needs to eat 8 - 10 garlic cloves when he feels a cold coming on. I swear the stuff comes out in his sweat and he smells garlicky for days on end lol!! 

 It may work...and repel vampires too?! (or just wives) tee hee

Seriously, eat a balanced diet, exercise, everything in moderation. Dh never had a problem with illness and weight until he was hospitalized in 2000 in ICU for a week with a near-fatal staph infection after having his wisdom teeth extracted. He's never felt the same since. We're wondering if that high of doses of antibiotics for that long of time has killed both the BAD and the GOOD bacteria in him. He is somewhat better now with the help of Probiotics and Intestinal Balance supplements from Hallelujah Acres. But he knows some damage was done during that time in ICU that he can't seem to recover from.

My doctor said that blood pressure does tend to get higher  as one ages, particularly if one has a family history. I was alarmed at how quickly she wanted to get me on medication, though, as my blood pressure  had always been fine before and had only recently gone up. I'm grateful that she gave me a few months to get the weight off and learn some relaxation techniques to get the numbers back down.

   I have to admit, my first impulse was   "It's not that bad, everyone's pressure goes up when they get older, I'm only a little bit overweight", etc....it pissed me off!! The drug companies would profit less off of us if we took our health into our own hands and got rid of extra weight and exercised. Doesn't work for everybody , some are going to have high blood pressure regardless, but it can help.

chamomile:

The drug companies would profit less off of us if we took our health into our own hands and got rid of extra weight and exercised.

Amen! The problem is that doctors don't tell you what you can do for yourself, you have to research and do it all on your own.Too many people don't have that kind of initiative. I'm not just speaking of high blood pressure, there are a lot of things that will "heal themselves" given the right circumstances.

One way you can fight back is to buy your own blood pressure meter and take your BP on a regular frequent basis. If you are a larger person you will need a large cuff. Size makes a difference in readings.  Record it each time and then on a next visit show the record to your doctor. A visit to the Dr. will quite often raise your BP so the reading at his office is not an accurate reflection of your true BP. If he can see that in different instances at different times of the day you BP is normal than he should back off on the prescription recommendations. Up until a few years ago 140/80 was thought to be normal, then they lower the standards and tell you that medication is necessary. It seems they were looking for ways to push more drugs. E