Cardiologist told me to eat more salt! Anyone else...

Yeah it's all new to me..basically I had an angio that showed three 40 percent narrowings in my arteries and really really bad family history of heart disease. I have high blood pressure as well thus the new meds. I dunno what way is up right now. Just seems like weird theory to me as I have high blood pressure but perfect sodium/post levels....I'll figure it out. Thanks for your help/sugesstions.

call your doctor tomorrow

please make sure you double check with your MD that he wants you to *increase* your Na intake. if you have coronary artery disease, AND high blood pressure, a ton of salt is only going to make your pressure worse. Your doc is not prescribing it as a diuretic as others have suggested- there are more effective and safer meds for that. Your low heart rate might be related to sick sinus syndrome/bradycardia, stemming from loss of normal function of your natural heart pace makers (sometimes due to coronary artery obstruction). This is advanced heart disease, and something you need to be very careful about.

tldr- CALL your cardiologist tomorrow. I hate giving "serious" medical advice on the internet, but you gotta make sure you're not hurting yourself

bradycardia.... means slow heart beat. it isnt a illness. just medical terminology to say slow heart beat. secondly. a sinus infection would cause tachycardia since your breathing is reduced, lower o2 is in blood stream and your heart has to beat faster to maintain distribution of O2 to cells.

Didyou even read? she doesnt have coronary artery obstruction. She has a 40% occlusion... Where are you getting this crap from?

Sick sinus syndrome refers to the sinus node of the heart. Also, 40% occlusion means less O2 is getting to myocardial tissue.

you realize she had an angiogram.... if that occlusion as at all impeding her hearts blood flow, she would have stent in 2 seconds flat. so, no, she doesnt have less blood flow.

I also saw a cardiologist and he told me to triple my salt intake and to also double my water intake.
The reason was that your blood volume needs to increase so you stop fainting.
I have taken the advice and have not fainted or passed out since April last year.
Its important that the salt you do consume is the good kind - macrobiotic or celtic sea salt as it contains the right minerals!
It really does work - as they were going to put me on anti seizure drugs - not knowing why I kept passing out.
I no longer faint - it really works
All the best with everything

My blood pressure tended to be on the lower side but is now normal. Never too low.

I am a cardiac nurse practitioner who has worked in advanced heart failure and heart transplant for 8 years at a large academic medical center. Here's the reason we tell people to liberalize their sodium intake. Sorry if this is more than you really want to know - but I really do know exactly what this is all about.

Blood pressure and body hydration are inter-related (probably pretty obvious). Blood that flows through your arteries is in great part water. One of the roles of sodium (based on osmotic pressure) is to hold water inside vessels. Yes, with inadequate sodium, water will literally seep into tissues. Fluid has to stay in the vessels to keep blood moving smoothly to get to organs and provide tissues with oxygen and nutrients. Kidneys (very finicky, but smart little creatures) need good blood flow and adequate fluid volume in that blood to function appropriately. Also, the fluid volume in blood helps maintain blood pressure. Your cardiologist is trained to adetect whether you have adequate fluid volume by looking at the veins in your neck to see how distended (or not) they might be. Also, blood tests will reflect your fluid balance (directly impacted by your dietary sodium) by looking at your kidney function numbers (BUN and creatinine). Your kidneys, again very smartly, can regulate sodium and try to maintain "normal" sodium levels. A "normal" level on labs does not equal sufficient sodium intake. There is ALOT more to blood sodium concentrations than just how much you eat. Basically what I am saying is that your "sodium levels" in your blood will likely stay within normal limits - regardless of intake. It's just much more complex than just diet.
So, not knowing your specific diagnosis, I will make a stab at the reason your doctor told you this. Presuming that your cath and stress tests were normal, perhaps the reason you are passing out is related to blood flow to your head. As in, periodically, some people have issues with the tone or elasticity of blood vessels (a phenomenon know as dysautonomia or autonomic dysfunction). If you have lower fluid volumes (are in a sense dehydrated without enough fluid in the vessels) you may not be able to maintain blood pressure if the vessels spontaneously relax or dilate. So if he/she looked at you and your test, had no other good explanations for your fainting episodes (as in all of your tests were normal - no heart attack or rhythm disturbances and NO 40% partial occlusion is not significant enough to cause this sort of issue) then it makes sense to eat more salt, hold onto a little more fluid to help support blood pressure in an attempt to maintain upward blood flow (against gravity) to your brain - thus (maybe) preventing fainting episodes.

I know.... a lot of information, but....you asked for it LOL! J/K

Feel free to message me if you don't understand, or want more explanation.
Dana

I have been dizzy all my life. Recently the doctors have told me I have low blood pressure. I was encouraged to eat more salt. Through trial and error, I have vastly decreased my fainting spells by eating at least 2 grams a day. I am always fine if I go over that, and usually dizzy, and in bad cases fainting, when i eat 1800mg or less (in the range of).

I found that when i eat really healthy, fruits and veggies and good stuff, and keep my calories down, my sodium is still down! I get frustrated by that. so, i made a sort of 'tea'. chicken boulion and hot water in a mug. it doesn't taste good but drinks quick, and gets me a swift kick of sodium to help out.

I had a doctor many years ago that suggested that I keep up my salt intake and recommended a particular kind of sea salt. Fast forward to this year, I was taken to the ER with bradycardia, low blood pressure, low sugar. The ER doc said to increase hydration, protein, calories. I got to thinking of the other doctor who recommended the salt, and have since been trying to increase my salt intake, as well as potassium and magnesium (because I also get muscle spasms and cramps.) My HR is now normal, but my BP is still slightly low, but normal for me, around 90/60. Listen to your doctors and your body. If something seems off, its time for a second opinion or to do something different.

I am a cardiac nurse practitioner who has worked in advanced heart failure and heart transplant for 8 years at a large academic medical center. Here's the reason we tell people to liberalize their sodium intake. Sorry if this is more than you really want to know - but I really do know exactly what this is all about.

Blood pressure and body hydration are inter-related (probably pretty obvious). Blood that flows through your arteries is in great part water. One of the roles of sodium (based on osmotic pressure) is to hold water inside vessels. Yes, with inadequate sodium, water will literally seep into tissues. Fluid has to stay in the vessels to keep blood moving smoothly to get to organs and provide tissues with oxygen and nutrients. Kidneys (very finicky, but smart little creatures) need good blood flow and adequate fluid volume in that blood to function appropriately. Also, the fluid volume in blood helps maintain blood pressure. Your cardiologist is trained to adetect whether you have adequate fluid volume by looking at the veins in your neck to see how distended (or not) they might be. Also, blood tests will reflect your fluid balance (directly impacted by your dietary sodium) by looking at your kidney function numbers (BUN and creatinine). Your kidneys, again very smartly, can regulate sodium and try to maintain "normal" sodium levels. A "normal" level on labs does not equal sufficient sodium intake. There is ALOT more to blood sodium concentrations than just how much you eat. Basically what I am saying is that your "sodium levels" in your blood will likely stay within normal limits - regardless of intake. It's just much more complex than just diet.
So, not knowing your specific diagnosis, I will make a stab at the reason your doctor told you this. Presuming that your cath and stress tests were normal, perhaps the reason you are passing out is related to blood flow to your head. As in, periodically, some people have issues with the tone or elasticity of blood vessels (a phenomenon know as dysautonomia or autonomic dysfunction). If you have lower fluid volumes (are in a sense dehydrated without enough fluid in the vessels) you may not be able to maintain blood pressure if the vessels spontaneously relax or dilate. So if he/she looked at you and your test, had no other good explanations for your fainting episodes (as in all of your tests were normal - no heart attack or rhythm disturbances and NO 40% partial occlusion is not significant enough to cause this sort of issue) then it makes sense to eat more salt, hold onto a little more fluid to help support blood pressure in an attempt to maintain upward blood flow (against gravity) to your brain - thus (maybe) preventing fainting episodes.

I found this really informative, thank you for taking the time to post it.

p.s. having normal sodium levels will not stop you from losing weight.

also, make sure your getting enough calcium, potassium and magnesium... as these also effect your heart. Having too little or too much can cause major issues.

truth.
The more water you drink, the more weight you'll lose. It will balance the amount of sodium you intake.
8 oz isn't enough, you really should have over a gallon a day.

Hey there so just went through some major health scares....always been a fainter all my life and had dizzy spells but recently went down three times well visiting someone in the hospital....the right place to be right?
So went through stress test, ct scans and eventually an angiogram....now on three medications. The weird thing is though my resting heart rate is in the 40's.
Now I am not a supreme athelete or anything however I am in the gym 6 days a week and have kept my sodium to under 2500mg a day for over two years now as everyone says it's the best thing to do.
Now this cardiologist is telling me that I need to eat at least 4grams of sodium a day as per my heart rate issues/fainting issues. I also have discovered I have coronary artery disease thus the three new medications. Medications do not include a beta blocker however because of my low heart rate....
I have lost over 150 pounds and the cardiologists tell me this saved my life.


The issue i am having here is the increase in sodium. This theory is freaking me out. I know I will see an increase on the scale and I am a big researcher and can not seem to find alot of research on this theory on the web.

Seeking out anyone on MFP that knows anything about this.

I will trust my doctors and do what they say but the theory does not make sence to me.
Anyone?

Perhaps your dizzy spells are due to low blood pressure, if so, extra salt or sodium will raise your blood pressure and so, in turn, stop the dizzy spells.

I've also been told to increase my sodium intake because my body doesn't regulate my blood pressure correctly. It's already pretty low anyway, but three times I've had seizures & gone into shock because it dropped so low, and two of those times I almost didn't pull through. It did seem strange at first to be told to take in more sodium, but I was desperate to feel better so I gave it a shot and it made a BIG difference in how I feel. FWIW, I didn't notice a big difference on the scale.

Good luck...I hope you feel better soon!

I've also been told to increase my sodium intake because my body doesn't regulate my blood pressure correctly. It's already pretty low anyway, but three times I've had seizures & gone into shock because it dropped so low, and two of those times I almost didn't pull through. It did seem strange at first to be told to take in more sodium, but I was desperate to feel better so I gave it a shot and it made a BIG difference in how I feel. FWIW, I didn't notice a big difference on the scale.

Good luck...I hope you feel better soon!

Do you by any chance have POTS? i have reflex anoxic seizures from Pots but have been seizure free for over 190days.

Yeah it's all new to me..basically I had an angio that showed three 40 percent narrowings in my arteries and really really bad family history of heart disease. I have high blood pressure as well thus the new meds. I dunno what way is up right now. Just seems like weird theory to me as I have high blood pressure but perfect sodium/post levels....I'll figure it out. Thanks for your help/sugesstions.

No offense, but you're a walking example of why "a little knowledge" can be dangerous. The "sodium levels" in your blood are very carefully regulated by your body. They better always be close to perfect b/c otherwise you're going to be severely sick or dead soon. Eating a normal diet that is either relatively high or low sodium diet should not have any effect on the sodium levels in your blood. Instead it affects how much fluid your body is holding on to. You'd have to eat a ton of salt (or not drink any water for a very long time) to become hypernatremic, much more than your doctor is recommending!

The association of salt and HTN is based on a CHRONIC high salt diet, and it's only an association and only seems to affect 1/3 of the population.

^^ This. I personally am sodium sensitive and control my blood pressure with diet and exercise, but many people with HTN can't do the same. Follow your doctors advise and increase your sodium. Also, don't increase your fluid intake like another poster suggested unless your cardiologist tells you to

I'm only 19 so when I started getting lightheaded and nearly passing out several times my primary care doctor was puzzled so he sent me to a cardiologist who told me to eat more salt among other pieces of advice which I thought was weird cause my levels were in the normal range, I only started adding more salt recently but it seems to be helping. Also when these lightheaded episodes were occurring it turns out I was orthostatic so my blood pressure would drop some while my heart rate would go from 60 to 100 which we don't believe to be a functional deficit but I have a halter monititer and an echocardiogram coming up.

emancipateurself wrote: »

Hey there so just went through some major health scares....always been a fainter all my life and had dizzy spells but recently went down three times well visiting someone in the hospital....the right place to be right?
So went through stress test, ct scans and eventually an angiogram....now on three medications. The weird thing is though my resting heart rate is in the 40's.
Now I am not a supreme athelete or anything however I am in the gym 6 days a week and have kept my sodium to under 2500mg a day for over two years now as everyone says it's the best thing to do.
Now this cardiologist is telling me that I need to eat at least 4grams of sodium a day as per my heart rate issues/fainting issues. I also have discovered I have coronary artery disease thus the three new medications. Medications do not include a beta blocker however because of my low heart rate....
I have lost over 150 pounds and the cardiologists tell me this saved my life.


The issue i am having here is the increase in sodium. This theory is freaking me out. I know I will see an increase on the scale and I am a big researcher and can not seem to find alot of research on this theory on the web.

Seeking out anyone on MFP that knows anything about this.

I will trust my doctors and do what they say but the theory does not make sence to me.
Anyone?

Any increase in weight will be water, and will be temporary. Once your kidneys adapt to the increased salt intake, they will deal with the extra water weight by themselves.