I mentioned before that I’ve become a Reiki practitioner at the master level within the past year. I continue to give myself Reiki treatments, which are incredibly relaxing. People ask me what the hand positions are for giving Reiki to people with high blood pressure. The most obvious hand position is the traditional Reiki area in the upper chest over the heart, between the breasts and collarbone. This Reiki hand position is perfect for heart relaxation and lowering high blood pressure. Keep the energy flowing for twenty minutes or more.

Of course a hypertension patient needs Reiki in all areas from head to feet, but I give extra attention to the traditional Reiki hand positions over the brain, because that is where strokes happen. The first hand position is over the frontal lobe. Both hands are lightly placed on the forehead and just over the forehead, and Reiki - which is life force energy - is channeled into the brain there for at least five minutes. Next we move to the eyes and cup our hands over them, and send energy. Third there’s the Reiki hand position that covers both ears. After that we move to the back of the brain. Our traditional Reiki hand position covers the cerebellum and occipital lobe. For a diagram, see A Guide to Brain Anatomy.

Of course, if you’re particularly concerned about a client’s brain, you can spend time sending Reiki energy - which is very relaxing - into the brain from any angle. Reiki practitioners are not limited to only the traditional healing sites.

Another area I’d spend extra time on for a client with high blood pressure is the upper back. Again, the purpose would be to relax the blood vessels around the heart, and the heart itself. Reiki simply relaxes and lowers the tension, and brings life force back into natural balance. Reiki life force energy will flow to the area that needs it most. The upper back hand position is very hard for me to do on myself, but I wouldn’t hesitate to do it for someone else.

Aside from all these Reiki hand positions, I’d give a client with high blood pressure plenty of Reiki life force energy in all the other traditional positions. This will relax the entire physical body - the entire circulatory system.

It couldn’t hurt!

And while I was doing that I’d play some wonderful relaxing music for Reiki healing sessions such as Reiki, Hands of Light, by Deuter which is intended to promote deep states of relaxation.

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I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. A few days ago I reported here that my blood pressure is lower, and I wasn’t sure why. I thought the only difference was that I’ve been working and on my feet a lot. But then it occurred to me. I had two Reiki attunements since the beginning of April and have been working on myself - a lot - on the advice of the Reiki Master in Pakistan who attuned me. I’m now at Reiki level two and am planning to get the Usui Reiki Master attunement next month.

There’s a series of hand positions used with Reiki that I can use on myself. One in particular is supposed to help the circulatory system and blood pressure. Reiki is extremely stress reducing and relaxing. I think this is why my blood pressure is lower! I’ve been giving myself Reiki nearly every day for weeks now!

See also: Reiki Hand Positions for High Blood Pressure (Hypertension).

I went to see the nurse practitioner last Wednesday. Sure enough my blood pressure was up there, but marginal. Something like 145 over 95 - technically high but not what I’d consider alarming. I wonder what it would be like if I didn’t take the Adalat, aka Nifedipine.

I did some research on Nifedipine today and couldn’t find the article I’d seen before about it being carcinogenic. Instead there’s a widely-quoted article about it being fed to rats for two years and not being found carcinogenic. Well how about humans? There are studies on this but the articles must be purchased. Very frustrating to try to find medical information. That of course adds to my distrust of doctors.

I’ve decided to see a naturopath or holistic health practitioner about my high blood pressure. I can’t trust doctors as much as I used to though I still believe they help more than hinder us most of the time.

One other thing I’m doing for easing my problems with hypertension - is to do a Personal Peace Proceedure using Emotional Freedom Techniques. It is a way of tapping on energy meridians to resolve emotional problems. Since some physical problems are created on the emotional level, it is helpful for them too, a lot of the time. I’m hoping EFT will help my high blood pressure. I know it has helped others with this problem and I’m looking forward to good results using EFT.

Today I phoned the local clinic for an appointment to have an evaluation of my high blood pressure problems. I have tested myself as systolic 170+ a few times in the last few months and would like to discuss other types of medication.

I should get a copy of that page I found here on the interenet that says the medication I’m taking now (nifedipine) is carcinogenic! There’s a big motivation for wanting a safer solution to my hypertension problem.

Of course I still believe the best thing I could do to resolve this is to lose some weight. I’m working now and think that being on my feet so long five days a week will be a big help, in doing that. I’m also planning to start using coconut oil as a lot of people believe it helps them lose weight.

I’m happy to report I’m making progress in my weight loss. I’ve gone down to 203 (started at about 235) although I gained a couple pounds this week… so the scale today said 205. I’m so ready for it to say 199 or less! But that will come, in time. My boyfriend (and personal trainer) says that I will lose weight better after I get an exercise bicycle. All in good time.

I take my blood pressure every morning and it is holding steady at about 128/80, which is not bad! I rarely see a distolic blood pressure of 90 or more, though the systolic sometimes goes up to as much as 135. In any case, I’m happy with my high blood pressure control and looking forward to the day I can kiss the Adalat goodbye. I’m totally off the Atenolol still, and I don’t need it, that’s the good thing.

My brachycardia is better. My pulse rate was down to about 40 last winter when I freaked and realized I needed to get off the beta-blocker, Atenolol. And now it is usually between 60 and 65, which is better. The best thing is that when I exercise my pulse rate now goes up over 90 so I’m able to actually burn fat and get thinner.

I’m getting a lot of exercise, though it is mild for me. I do Leslie Sansone’s 4 mile walk, “The Super Challenge” … and I take walks outside for up to three miles or so. I’m probably developing muscle and that slows down the weight loss, but I look and feel better. In fact I look so much better than suddenly people are starting to comment on it. I was wondering if they ever would… but on Tuesday evening a woman at the Chamber of Commerce meeting noticed I am getting thinner, and the next day, less than 24 hours later, a neighbor noticed and complimented me on my new look.

Early in June I was sick, and went down to 207 pounds. But since then I’ve been ranging from 210 to 213 pounds. In other words, I’m stuck on one of those frustrating weight loss plateaus even though I barely eat anything.

My blood pressure has been steady… the highest being 148 over 89. My pulse rate is much more normal, which is the greatest relief for me.

Here’s something strange.

I’m almost done with my two-week process to eliminate Atenolol from my life forever. My main motivation for doing this was to have a higher heart rate. Since Atenolol is a beta blocker, it slowed my heart rate so much I had a hard time losing weight.

Well, it is working. My heart rate is now at 72, up from 40 to 45. But even more shocking, my systolic blood pressure has gone down in the last two weeks. Prior to getting off the Atenolol I was getting blood pressure readings like 146 over 77. Well today my blood pressure was 127 over 77, and yesterday it was 114 over 70! I am wondering if the Atenolol has something in it that raises the systolic blood pressure reading.

My lowest weight this week: 212 lbs. - so I’m making progress, albeit slow. We need to get out and start walking again now that the week-long rain storm has passed.

Good news! I saw the n.p. (nurse practitioner) a few days ago and discussed my problem with her. I told her I’m walking up to 5 miles daily, eating very little, and not losing weight.

She looked at my chart and said that I’d lost two pounds since I was there last time. I told her, “That’s not very impressive.” I should be losing a lot more weight than that, but I can’t get my heart rate up high enough to burn fat effectively because Atenolol is a beta blocker - in other words, it slows my heartbeat down.

I have a digital blood pressure monitor I use at home, and it consistently tells me that my pulse rate is ridiculously low… between 40 and 50 unless I’ve recently exercised and then it might be in the 50’s. Well, when I took an EMT training class a few years ago I learned that anything lower than about 60 is considered brachycardia - slow heart rate - and apparently that’s not considered a problem when there are no symptoms . . . but not being able to lose weight beyond 216 is enough of a symptom for me.

Anyhow, the nurse practitioner said since I’d reduced my Atenolol intake from 75mg to 25mg and been on that around a month and my blood pressure was essentially ok . . . that I can now go ahead and wean myself off the drug.

I am elated. I’ve been taking this drug for somewhere between 10 and 15 years. I am so very excited that I’m not going to have to use it anymore. I hope so much that this means that weight loss will be easier for me in the future.

I’m to take half a 25mg pill daily for seven days, then half every-other day for another week. That should do it. I’m so excited.

Wish me luck.