A Case of Hypertension Controlled by Intermittent Fasting

M.T. is a 46-year-old female who used to have obesity and hypertension

I saw M.T. 7 months ago during a family get together. I was aware of her long-standing weight problem. She told me that she has been trying very hard to get the weight off. We talked about the benefits and how to do intermittent fasting.

Last week, after I launched this website, she sent me a thank you email about her weight loss. M.T.’s email is as follows:

“Hi, Dr. Jesse. I have meant to thank you for a while now, but I wanted to see for myself first how far I can go in my weight loss journey to be healthy. Yesssss Dr. Jesse, I did it!!! Thanks to you, I lost 30 lbs, and I hope to continue until I reach my most ideal weight in my height and age. I’m off now with my hypertension medicine. Without your introduction and explanation of intermittent fasting, I’m sure to this day, I’m still clinically obese. Though I lost 30, I’m still overweight by standards. I’m doing a lot of walking during weekdays and hike on the weekends. You are a big help for people like me, thanks so much, Dr. Jesse.”

That is genuinely a nice thank you email. I saw M.T. last week, and she looked at 30 instead of 46 years old.

What Happened?

M.T. was obese and hypertensive. Now she is just overweight. She continues to fast to achieve a healthy BMI. She has lost a lot of abdominal/visceral fat that causes chronic inflammation throughout her body. What is significant is that she is off her hypertensive medications.

The way our body maintains a healthy blood pressure is complicated and involves multiple organs, including the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, brain, and many hormones. It takes into account the blood volume, heart rate, and state of hydration of a person. The blood pressure adjusts automatically depending on our state of hydration, emotion, and activity.

Blood pressure medications act on only one aspect of blood pressure regulation. When the body senses the effect of the drug taken, the body attempts to adjust the other organ systems involved, and thus the blood pressure rises again. The 2017 Guidelines for High Blood Pressure in Adults recommend that two antihypertensive medications are to be started right away. The patient is then instructed to monitor their blood pressure and make the necessary adjustments. Sometimes a patient may end up with four or more medications if there are coexisting medical conditions like diabetes and a previous history of heart conditions. That is not unusual because often, the hypertensive patient also has metabolic syndrome and it’s resulting complications.

Blood pressure medications work well if there is nothing else going on with the patient. However, if another condition occurs like, diarrhea, the patient runs the risk of d severe dehydration that may lead to renal failure. A decision should be created on whether to decrease or stop the medication. Another example is if a drug like a beta-blocker, which slows down the heart, is missed, then a very rapid heart rate can occur that can lead to a heart attack.

Taking medications carries with it the responsibility of knowing what the medicines are for and how to adjust them if another medical situation happens. Your doctor may not be available at all times. If there is a significant concern, then your only recourse may have to go to an emergency room and spend hours there.

M.T. was able to control her blood pressure with fasting. She does not depend on drugs to maintain healthy blood pressure. She saved money and lessened her risks for strokes and heart attacks.

There are less stress on her hips, knees, and ankles after losing 30 lbs. Which could have led to more medications with their side effects and possible early surgeries. Now she feels lighter and has more energy.

Don’t you wish you can be like M.T.?

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What Happened?

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