Michael Anthony wrote:
> I have been taking salt as part of my water drinking plan, 1 -2 teaspoons
per
> day.
> I have had hypertension for many years and take medicine for it. Before
paleo my
> hypertension was not responding well to medication but after paleo
hypertension
> disappeared and I was even able to quit taking one of my BP meds. It came
back
> again when I went SAD for 2 months and now it is OK since I came back to
paleo.

When you first drink a lot of water, you will urinate a lot and your body
will spill out a lot of electrolytes. This combined with a low carb diet,
which is diuretic, results in loss of sodium and potassium, and to a lesser
extent magnesium and calcium. You can feel weak and get low blood pressure.

I have found however that after getting over this hump, using extra salt and
potassium, the problem seems to fade away (at least for me) and I can
consume a greater amount of water without adding anything. I think my body
adjusts to the higer water consumption and conserves electrolytes. Does
anyone else have this experience?

I am not surprised about your high BP. I have known other people with the
same experience exactly. I think it has a lot to do with keeping carbs under
control, constantly challenging one's body with high carbs leads to high
blood pressure in many people, and probably to atherosclerosis, diabetes,
etc. Congratulations on getting your health back.

--Richard