I received this email from a correspondent in Germany. It raises a provocative question and I think we should debate this. Please post a comment if you have any extra insight into this.
I have been a patient at a small cancer hospital in Germany for four of the last seven months. In Germany they have checked my BP practically every day and it is nearly always normal, with the diastolic pressure between 80-90 mmHg.
However, during this same seven month period, at times when I was not in Germany, and have had my BP checked by an American physician or dentist office they have nearly always found the diastolic pressure between 90-100, or some ten points higher than the Germans.
I have come to suspect that the US sphygmomanometers are intentionally mis-calibrated in order to sell blood pressure drugs. Do you have any thoughts on this?
Gary Clark
OMG (in the largest font possible!!!!). I was recently ‘diagnosed’ with high blood pressure, put on a ‘new’ medication, and given a free blood pressure monitor to be part of a study for three months. After one week on the medication (taken very reluctantly), and checking my blood pressure each evening (was supposed to check weekly), the variance was, er, let’s say, suspect to me. So at the end of the week, I saw my cardiologist (unscheduled visit; he did not remember me!) whose nurse measured my BP with the Machine, and it was horrendously higher than it had ever been…I was shocked to say the least, because 1.) I had been taking the meds for a week and DID feel a difference, and 2.), the veins at the back of my hands, indicative by their visibility and my cue of whether my BP was high, were barely visible. When the cardiologist measured me without the Machine (using the conventional method), it was 40/20 points lower! Just today, I happened to be speaking with a 75 yr old woman (in great shape; she uses homeopathy, eats well, exercises, etc.) and she had had similar experiences and was ALSO suspect of the Machine, as there was a consistent 10 point (higher) difference using IT.
It’s interesting to come across your article about B/P machines. I ALWAYS get a highly elevated B/P when they use the electric machines to take my pressure!! The machines are so tight on your arm that it MAKES my pressure go up—just anticipating the pain from the cuff. Most times they cannot get a measure at all ! Then they end up using a manual B/P cuff and read it using the stethoscope. I TRULY THINK THAT YOU AND GARY CLARK ARE ONTO SOMETHING HERE. I also think many doctors know this, but are afraid to acknowledge it !!
That’s sad—-but it shows the “stranglehold” that the big “Pharmas” have on everyone.
When is this going to stop???
Wow! That is interesting! I don’t have high blood pressure, but it is always higher at the doctor’s office than at home. It made me wonder if my machine is off, so next time I see a doc I think I’ll take my machine and compare them.
I know for sure you can’t trust scales at doctors’ offices. Once I had quite a wait and saw two different scales in the hallway leading to exam rooms. When I tested them, they were some seven pounds apart!
A German friend of mine who lives in the US but visits Germany often to tend to his clinic (or as they say in Germany, his sanatorium, which a cross between a hospital and a wellness center) finds discrepancies between his blood in both countries. He has his own machines to test his pressure — and thinks the difference may have to do with the non-chlorinated water, fresh air and healthier food in Germany. He also finds Germany less stressful.
Some of the comments refer to blood pressure measuring machines. However, when I sent the original comment and question to Dr. Keith, I was not referring to those machines (which, I think, are terribly inaccurate anyway). I was only referring to blood pressure measurements done manually using a conventional cuff and done by a nurse.
Dear Gary,
You can’t fake the weight of a column of mercury.
It’s either 145mm or not (whatever reading).
The blood pressure readings go back to the days when the measurement was that of the height of a column of mercury in a glass tube.
Prof.
Trust is no longer equated with doctors or drugs. You must take care of yourself.
BP machines are always higher than the BP cuff preformed manually. I won’t even let the nurse waste my time when I visit the doctor. I insist the doctor does it manually. Since I pay the doctor, I’m the boss, especially when it comes to my health. The doctor follows my way, or it’s the highway. I’ve found the best trained MD’s, are also the most open.
I don’t see a conspiracy, but a doctor that trusts a machine and prescribes drugs without confirming himself, is clearly guilty of malpractice. Take your money elsewhere. There are still a few good doctors out there.
Allowing your doctor to treat the symptom, instead of the cause, is tantamount to not caring about your health!
Strong words Dr Sandy! But I agree, Keith
I had my blood pressure taken, as a matter of course, at my local pharmacy (with the machine). The reading was 150/99, horrendously high for a person whose blood pressure was always low or normal. That same afternoon I went to my doctor who did a manual blood pressure test, twice to make sure, and it came out 105/75. So I was diagnosed with LOW blood pressure (I had the symptoms).But notice the difference? I would never have taken prescribed medicine for HPB, we all know that it is a sure way to develop high blood pressure forever, not to mention all the other side effects.
I was referring to the manually operated cuff that is hand-inflated using a rubber squeeze bulb, as opposed to those more recently developed automaticlly inflated jobs that also have a digital readout. All my BP readings have been taken this way, with the nurse using a stethoscope. I was not referring to any type of electronic BP measuring device nor any automated device. All these things use a dial gage, not a mercury column. It’s the calibration of that dial gage that I hold suspect. Hope this clarifies it.
I have seen this repeatedly with patients who check their BP at home with a machine or in the grocery store, etc. which is a bit ironic because we’re always taught to be wary of the BP readings in office due to white coat hypertension. I don’t particularly trust the electronic thermometers either.
I have had several patients who were working very hard to lower their blood pressure with diet, exercise, supplements, etc. doing everything right and what do you know, they never had a problem in the first place.
I’m really getting upset with these automatic BP machines! I’ve been taking my blood pressure for about a month now and it always comes up high, especially for me (my BP is usually about 110/60 and it has been registering at about 148/80). So now everytime I go to the doctor where they use automatic cuffs, my pressure is high, but then when the doctor took it manually, it came in at about my regular BP. Can it be that some people’s pressure always comes up high on the automatic cuff and then is regular on the manual? Am I alone?
Nice! Blood pressure and hypertension have been interests of mine for a long time, and I think that a balanced holistic approach is overall the most promising. You have to eat healthy, exercise, and regularly watch your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and then things should be not too hard.
Hi there,
This is a inquiry for the webmaster/admin here at alternative-doctor.com.
Can I use some of the information from this post above if I provide a backlink back to this website?
Thanks,
Peter
Yes you may Peter.
Don’t forget the link!
[…] blood pressure machines fake high readings to sell medications […]
This is so lame, people nowadays are capable of doing silly things just to sell their products. If lots of people find out about this they will probably lose their credibility.
I have also been told that frequently the arm is not positioned correctly to get an accurate reading no matter the device used. Theoretically, an office nurse/assistant knows how to do it. Not necessarily.
Look for the exact positioning online since I don’t remember.
If the person taking your pressure is not doing it correctly, ask your doctor to recheck it.