Re: need help with hypertension

 What do you think about dandelion and hawthorn berries as a diuretic?

Dandelion root is pretty good due to the high potassium content.  I would not bother with hawthorn berry.

I came across some info that suggested candida overgrowth may be associated with potassium depletion.Several cases have been repotred where antibiotics caused potassium depletion due to candida overgrowth.I can't find anthing about it on pubmed.Have you heard of any connection?

I have not heard of a connection, and I am doubtful of the findings.  Antibiotics can lead to potassium loss through the diarrhea they can cause from the destruction of the flora.  So is the link really the loss of potassium, or the loss of the flora and the potassium loss just happens to be present?

Yesterday I ran for about 30 mins and checked my blood pressure when I got home...it was 118/70....down from 147/80.I think the sweating acted as a great diuretic but the effect only lasts for a few hours.

Blood vessels can also dilate during exercise to help increase blood flow to the muscles.  This can also lower blood pressure.

I am a long time runner (with a CT scan(16 slice) calcium score of 0)so I don't think the hypertension problem is related to vascular or heart disease.

Generally regular exercise like running lowers the blood pressure.

I know diuretics like maxide or htz? are not a long term solution but are they harmful in the short time of 2-3 months?My 75 yr old neighbor has been on them(lasic?) for 20+ yrs and doesn't believe they cause him a problem.

Depends a lot on the diuretic.  Lasix (furosemide) for example is a loop diuretic.  If potassium is not supplemented the lasix can lead to heart arrhythmias in about a week.  On the other hand people need to watch their potassium intake if on potassium sparing diuretics.  Also keep in mind that people can react differently to drugs.  Just because your neighbor is not experiencing any side effects he is aware of does not mean he is not and you won't.  Look at how many people are on a variety of medications.  Often the majority of the medications are treating the side effects of the original drug.  And some medications can be treating the side effects of the drug used to treat the side effects of the original drug.  But people most of the time don't realize that they are taking medications to treat the side effects of another drug.  For example your neighbor is going to be on something like Slow-K to treat the side effects of the Lasix.