Thank you for this clear and important piece. Love how you highlighted blood pressure as a silent contributor, especially in the context of long-term brain health. This helps connect a common, often overlooked metric to outcomes patients deeply care about, like cognitive function and independence. What stood out to me most is the cumulative nature of vascular stress. Even modest elevations in blood pressure over time can influence cerebral perfusion, microvascular integrity, and white matter changes, which are increasingly linked to cognitive decline. One aspect that might further strengthen the piece would perhaps be to clarify target ranges and variability: how optimal blood pressure may differ across age groups and individual risk profiles, and how factors like measurement technique or time of day can influence readings.
Such a good visual reminder of the damage elevated BP can do to the brain...without any outside warning signs! Folks may want to check out the latest guidelines on the definition of elevated BP and Hypertension. Clinical hypertension is defined as 130/80 and above...and a BP of 121/75 is defined as Elevated! Folks can visit the American Heart Association website and share this information with their provider if they have an interest in optimizing their blood pressure. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/understanding-blood-pressure-readings
Thank you. This makes sense and seems helpful. But it raises a big unanswered question.
"It wasn’t until I threw out the T4 meds in 1999 - and addressed my continuing sub-clinical hypothyroid state - that my blood pressure gradually returned to a solid baseline under 120/80."
How did you address your hypothyroid? And sufficiently so that you stopped T4?
I wrote about this in a previous post. For almost 2 decades, I was treated with T4 meds only (Synthroid) due to Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. Little did I know I was unable to efficiently convert that T4 into active T3 (another gene variant!) - and therefore remaining in a state of subclinical hypothyroidism despite "normal" TSH. More info here: https://www.apoe44.org/p/thyroid-hormones-genes-and-apoe4
That makes sense, thanks. While some people don't effectively convert T4 to T3, many do. For those, T4 supplementation appears to be the only solution. A test battery of free and total T4 & T3 and reverse T3 along with TSH can shed a lot of light.
I use an upper arm cuff (Omron), sit down, wait about 3 minutes - then measure. First thing In the morning within 30 minutes of getting up (before I've had coffee) - then again mid- afternoon and the last time before bed. I track 3x daily for about two weeks at a time, and I repeat every few months with occasional spot checks in between. I use a free app on my phone to record every reading and calculate my average. (118/75)
Thank you for this clear and important piece. Love how you highlighted blood pressure as a silent contributor, especially in the context of long-term brain health. This helps connect a common, often overlooked metric to outcomes patients deeply care about, like cognitive function and independence. What stood out to me most is the cumulative nature of vascular stress. Even modest elevations in blood pressure over time can influence cerebral perfusion, microvascular integrity, and white matter changes, which are increasingly linked to cognitive decline. One aspect that might further strengthen the piece would perhaps be to clarify target ranges and variability: how optimal blood pressure may differ across age groups and individual risk profiles, and how factors like measurement technique or time of day can influence readings.
Such a thoughtful and clinically relevant read.
Such a good visual reminder of the damage elevated BP can do to the brain...without any outside warning signs! Folks may want to check out the latest guidelines on the definition of elevated BP and Hypertension. Clinical hypertension is defined as 130/80 and above...and a BP of 121/75 is defined as Elevated! Folks can visit the American Heart Association website and share this information with their provider if they have an interest in optimizing their blood pressure. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/understanding-blood-pressure-readings
Thank you. This makes sense and seems helpful. But it raises a big unanswered question.
"It wasn’t until I threw out the T4 meds in 1999 - and addressed my continuing sub-clinical hypothyroid state - that my blood pressure gradually returned to a solid baseline under 120/80."
How did you address your hypothyroid? And sufficiently so that you stopped T4?
Inquiring minds want to know.
I wrote about this in a previous post. For almost 2 decades, I was treated with T4 meds only (Synthroid) due to Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. Little did I know I was unable to efficiently convert that T4 into active T3 (another gene variant!) - and therefore remaining in a state of subclinical hypothyroidism despite "normal" TSH. More info here: https://www.apoe44.org/p/thyroid-hormones-genes-and-apoe4
That makes sense, thanks. While some people don't effectively convert T4 to T3, many do. For those, T4 supplementation appears to be the only solution. A test battery of free and total T4 & T3 and reverse T3 along with TSH can shed a lot of light.
How do you measure your blood pressure?
I use an upper arm cuff (Omron), sit down, wait about 3 minutes - then measure. First thing In the morning within 30 minutes of getting up (before I've had coffee) - then again mid- afternoon and the last time before bed. I track 3x daily for about two weeks at a time, and I repeat every few months with occasional spot checks in between. I use a free app on my phone to record every reading and calculate my average. (118/75)