TIA HELP

[Monkey]

Hi All,

So recently had a suspected TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack) going through the identification process.

Would love some views from the board.

I have been told to

Reduce salt in diet, reduce fat in diet, exercise daily and lower blood pressure.

For the exercise I am going to use Rope work and dumbells (swings etc in the kettlebell style).

If anyone can help please do. I want to get the breathing right first of all (both at rest and during exercise) as I feel intuitively this will helpp lower blood pressure... thoughts...

If anyone can let me have any exercises or recomendations I would be grateful.

Atb

Monkey

[admin]

Monkey,

Welcome to the Forum! Here are some suggestions:

Coach Sonnon's tape Be Breathed would be a good first choice of tools for your road back to healthy lungs. Or perhaps Steve Barnes' Five Minute Miricle, which incorporates the Be Breathed approach with the ancient 5 Tibetans yoga asanas (and a whole lot more). Both will lay a good foundation for any exercise you choose to do. If video is not an option, there is much in the archives to discover about proper breathing. Go to the Search page and type in 'breathing'.

Regarding TIA and your treatment, I would, in addition to whatever your doctor might advise for you, not hesitate to go to Google and type in 'TIA' and begin exploring for yourself what might best serve you.

Good breathing to you!

[rbibbs]

Monkey, good functional suggestions from Michael. I have a philosophy about tension you might be able to work into a biofeedback-type of therapy. At best, it could relax you. At worst, it's still harmless even if it turns out to be ineffective.

When we're in optimum health, we store and release tension distributed evenly throughout the musculoskeletal system. That's 'where it belongs', where it performs a function. Misdirected tension can indeed induce pathologies.

Maybe to feel generalized relaxation, we sometimes errantly focus the tension in one place, one target organ system. "Popular" storage places for tension can be the lower back, the digestive tract, or the vascularity. I say "popular" because these areas are frequent sites of discomfort or disorders that lead to requests for medical intervention.

The philosophy is, that if you give the body the tension it seeks, and teach it where to store and release tension, it will be less likely to 'hoard' it inappropriately. Voluntary exposure to tension brings it more under conscious control, and recalibrates the balance toward equilibrium with relaxation.

Where to get this 'voluntary tension'? Moderate, flowing, overall musculoskeletal motion, like Michael's examples. Very light weights, 5# or less, in slow, relaxed circular (or as your ROM at the time permits) motions as in WW. Coach had a tension/relaxation drill I think he called "clenching" where you tense every muscle you can, standing flexibly, hold it for 5 seconds, and release all at once.

Run any exercise ideas/suggestions past your cardiologist to make sure he approves. Please keep us updated on your progress with your BP. Just for reference, what was it last time you looked?

Rick

[Monkey]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the replies. I will look at Be Breathed.. was looking at all of Caach Sonnon's stuff, especially Be breathed and the Z-system.


My BP was 140/90 on the cusp of being high. If it was a TIA then I need to get this down (hell I need to do that anyway!! :wink: ).

Beeen trying to do some Rope work with the sponge breathing and working with the forced exhale and no intent inhale and this seems to be providing less strain.... exhaling to a 5 count (is that too much)...

Definately going to look a the archives.... want to start now, but will also be buying some videos...

Thanks for the input so far....


Monkey

[Vbrown]

If the TIA was due to suppected transient hypertension (as you are at lease pre-hypertensive now), I would wait on the higher intensity work of rope work.

I would recommend (again, if the above assumption is true) a more moderate heart rate (topping out at 60% for a longer stretch) until the resting blood pressure came down. Recall that an increase in heart rate yeilds and increase in blood pressure. And if that is a problem, then you don't want to spike it up till you are in a safe range.

Again, with advice, you get what you pay for. Spend 6 weeks working on your diet and doing moderate work for longer time and see what your numbers are, as well as signs/symptoms. And get your MD's opinion from there. Weigh it as you see fit.

Vince (who is not a doctor, and is poor, so don't sue. Can't get blood from a turnip)

[Monkey]

Vince

Thanks man. The Doctor was fairly non committal about what to do.... referral to specialist and diet advice really... I am about (on the BMI) 20 pounds over weight ... so working on decreasing this.

For the hypertension I am trying to relax and work out. The TIA was not exercise related (as far as I know at the moment)...

Hey promise not to sue anyone here and also only to follwo advice I like ( :wink: ) , guess thats the balance...

Thanks

Monkey

[Vbrown]

The TIA may not have been exercise related, true enough. But if you've had some sort of vascular change or you have a heart irregularity causing blood clots, then an increase in BP, especially as in high intensity exercise could make a TIA move into the next catagory...and that is bad.

So you are going through the panel of tests now? Are you allergic to aspirin? (my dad breaks out in hives)

Lose the weight, lower the salt. You can try a reduction in salt and upping your water intake (helping to flush the salt out) so food can still have a taste.

Anyway, that's as far as I feel comfortable going. I wish you good health.

Vince

[Monkey]

Vince,

Thanks.

No allergy to aspirin and taking daily on doctors advice. Been for blood tests today (cholesterol etc).

Have increased water intake to 2 litres approx a day. Is this enough?

Salt, vever added it before but if you look at processed food amount of salt is shocking.... so cutting back...

ATB

Monkey

[Monkey]

Hi All,

Thought I would update

Blood Test results came back Triglycerides and Lipids are both ok. One of the liver function results was a little high (by 10 or something) but this could be due to i) Taking aspirin and/or ii) strenuous exercise. Having a further series of tests (blood again and clotting).

Had a BP test yesterday and after rushing their getting lost and frustrated BP was 130/80, which compared to 140/90 12 or so days ago. This I attribute to some Autogenic Breathing exercises and the physical exrcises.

Two weeks now since suspect attack and no repeats. Feeling optimistic.

ATB

Monkey

[Monkey]

Hi All

Been a while since I posted and I wanted to update everyone and wish everyone Good Holidays.

Since my last post I have had further tests by a Nuerologist who thinks what I have are complicated migraines, all the tests appear to be normal (cholesterol was 4.5 which I thought a little high but no concerns from Docs).

Bought myself an blood pressure monitor and at rest this shows a blood pressure in the 125/75 range. Resting pulse is around 50 bpm.

The Docs have decided that further tests are probably too "invasive" and have decided we just wait and see. While this has pleased me I still get a little jumpy if I feel the slightest headache etc.

I have continued with the rope work and have introduced the Slavic Endurance Gait into my training, really used as an extended cool down at the moment (trotting for 25 minutes or so) after the rope, although I did uuse it last week to get back home (about 5 miles) and felt good when I got there. I have also introduced other elements of Z-Health to try to relieve residual tension (which I agree when "misplaced" has a negative effect on the body).

I want to introduce more biomechanical exercises (and look at kinetic chains) in the near future.

Thanks to everyone who advised, it helped guys.

ATB

Monkey