#1 Best AT-HOME BP Test to Find Clogged Arteries

[00:00] Most people who drop dead from a heart attack have one thing in common. It was slowly damaging their arteries for years, but they didn't feel anything. Here's the worst part. 80% of nurses and doctors, including cardiologists, still measure it wrong. So that leads to two serious problems. False high reading.

[00:20] that trigger unnecessary medication or even worse, false reassurance that everything's fine when it's not. Obviously I'm talking about blood pressure. If you want to avoid a heart attack, blood pressure has to be measured correctly and monitored. So in this video, I'll walk you through exactly how to do that at home.

[00:40] and then show you how that same blood pressure cuff can expose one of the biggest silent killers before it's too late. And by the way, we discussed that in our new free ebook. If you'd like to get a copy, just go to the description of the video, get the link, and download it now. Let's clear something up before we get to the how to.

[01:00] There's a lot of confusion about blood pressure and that confusion leads to missed warning signs and dangerous assumptions. So let me walk you through the top 10 misperceptions I see. Misperception number one, my blood pressure was normal at the doctors, so I'm fine. Let me tell you about George. He's 52.

[01:20] Two, he runs a small repair business and he thought he was doing fine. A little weight gain for sure, but he figured that came with age. His doctor checked his blood pressure once a year. Always fine. Until one day his legs started hurting during walks. He brushed it off, he ignored it, he said,

[01:40] that's probably nothing, but something didn't sit right. So he picked up a home monitor for his blood pressure and started checking himself. It turns out his blood pressure was regularly hovering around 140 over 90. Now if blood pressure is not measured properly, normal might not be safe. You know what I mean? You're thinking

[02:00] it's normal, but it's actually higher. Most clinics don't follow proper technique. Now this is medical clinics don't follow proper technique. They skip the rest period, they use the wrong cuff size, or they don't position the arm correctly. All of that throws off the result. But here's the biggest danger. Even though most of the time some of

[02:20] those mistakes push the number too high. Other times they make it look normal when it's not. You leave thinking everything's fine while the damage keeps building under the surface. Misperception number 2. Blood pressure doesn't change much. Ah, not very not true. Blood pressure changes constantly. Stress, caffeine,

[02:40] lack of sleep, even just standing up changes your blood pressure. That's why we look at blood pressure trends over time. Not a single reading. A number that looks fine today could be 20 points higher in just a few minutes. Misperception number three. Only older people get high blood pressure. Mmm, I wish that were true.

[03:00] I see it in 45 year olds all the time and often even younger. Usually it's tied to insulin resistance, poor sleep, weight gain, cardiovascular inflammation. Aging does increase the risk, but it's not the whole story. Actually this is similar to my own story. Years before I found out I had arterial plaque,

[03:20] I actually noticed my blood pressure started to rise. It was barely high at 130 over 90, but it stayed consistently high. The first time I saw the 130 over 90, I didn't worry too much about it, but it was when I kept seeing it over and over and over again. Now back then, I thought I was doing everything right in regards to life.

[03:40] lifestyle. Back then, this was 15 years ago, I was running marathons following a low-fat diet. Well, I was doing what standard medical care suggested and I did something else. According to standard medical care, I started a blood pressure medication. Now I know that there are other lifestyle changes to do before considering medical care.

[04:00] medications. Misperception number four. If I'm active and I eat well, I don't need to worry about blood pressure. That's sort of the way I felt 15 years ago, and that's just not how it works. You can be fit, eat clean, and still have high blood pressure, especially if you have insulin resistance, chronic stress, and

[04:20] are poor sleep and that's exactly what happened to me. Misperception number 5. I feel fine so my blood pressure must be fine. That's one of the most dangerous beliefs out there. High blood pressure usually doesn't cause symptoms until it's already caused real damage. If you're waiting for headaches or disease

[04:40] dizziness to take your blood pressure seriously, you might be too late. Misperception number six. A single reading is enough. One reading is just the beginning. To really understand your blood pressure, you need to measure both arms and repeat the test on different days and at different times. At least three readings taken under similar conditions. That's what gives us a

[05:00] true picture of your baseline, not just a snapshot of how your body was reacting in a single moment. I actually remember one time I had a blood pressure reading of 130 over 90 in college that young and I didn't have a problem at that point in time. I did check it multiple times. I went to the clinic. I was worried and I went to the clinic and they were pretty

[05:20] clear. I did not have a problem. Misperception number seven. The cuff of the pharmacy is just as good. It's not. Most of the machines' pharmacies are uncalibrated. They're overused. They're beat up. They're placed too low on the arm. And you can get a false high or false low just by sitting the wrong way.

[05:40] correctly, is far more accurate. Misperception number eight, my blood pressure is only high at the doctor's office, so it doesn't count. That's called white coat hypertension and it's a common reason for high blood pressure readings. Now, this may not mean that you have constant high blood pressure, but it's still a warning sign. Think about it.

[06:00] Stress is causing my high blood pressure and the only time I have stress is when I'm sitting in the doctor's office getting a blood pressure, not when somebody cuts in front of me on the highway or not when I've got a financial challenge or a family challenge. Get real. Think about it. If you have white coat, hypertension, you have

[06:20] some risk. And in fact, you look at the data, the evidence, the research that's out there, yes, white coat, high blood pressure does bring risk. Misperception number 9. Blood pressure meds fix the problem. Yes, they help manage the numbers. They don't fix the root cause.

[06:40] Blood pressure is a symptom. It's a sign. The real drivers are inflammation, insulin resistance, lifestyle, and stress. If if we don't address those, we're just putting a band-aid on a deeper problem. So that's exactly what I do now, both personally, myself, and with my patients. Even though medications help,

[07:00] They're not the answer to the root cause. That is lifestyle. Misperception number 10. There's nothing I can do about it at home. Well that's just flat-out wrong. The most powerful thing you can do is track yourself correctly, consistently, and calmly, understand root cause issues, and deal with the lifestyle.

[07:20] that corrects it. So if you do it right, you're going to catch issues early. That's how we prevent strokes, the number one cause of permanent disability, heart attacks, the number one cause of death. In most countries, a rapidly climbing number two cause of permanent disability, and in some countries now number one.

[07:40] But all this gets prevented only if you follow the right steps. First, give your body a few minutes to settle down. Don't take your blood pressure right after walking around the house or talking or climbing the stairs. Sit down, rest for about five minutes. Just breathe.

[08:00] Let your heart rate calm down. If you skip this step, there's a good chance your numbers will be higher than they really are, and that can lead to overmedication or unnecessary worry. Next, sit the right way, back supported, feet flat on the floor, legs uncrossed. Your arm is closed.

[08:20] should be on a table or a pillow and it should be level with your heart. If it's hanging down or unsupported, the reading won't be accurate. It sounds like a small thing, but it makes a big difference. So let's talk about the cuff. This part gets overlooked a lot, even in doctor's offices. If the cuff is too small, it can give you

[08:40] you an artificially high number because it's struggling to measure that pressure inside your arteries. If it's too big, it pushes on the arteries in too many places and gives you a false low reading. Most home monitors come with a standard cuff, but if your arm is larger than average, you may need a bigger one.

[09:00] Check the manual. It usually has a size and guide. Place the cuff around your arm. Make sure the artery mark in the cuff is pointing right here where the brake wheel artery is located. Once you're set up, stay quiet, don't talk, don't move, don't look at your phone.

[09:20] One mild conversation or shifting in your seat can raise your blood pressure a few points, and a few points can be important. Just sit still. Relax while the monitor does its thing. Take at least two readings, one minute apart. Sometimes the first reading is a little off because your body is adjusting. Take two or three, write them down. Use the actionable actionable actionable actionable actionable actionable actionable actionable.

[09:40] of the last two, that gives you the most reliable number. Here's one more thing I always tell patients. Check both arms the first time. Some people have consistently higher readings on one side. If that's the case, always use the arm with a higher number going forward. But don't just check once and forget about it.

[10:00] Try taking your blood pressure at different times of the day, morning, afternoon, and evening. And do it for several days in a row. We're looking for patterns here, not one-time numbers. Don't ever react to a single one-time number. You need repetition. That's how you catch early warning signs. Now, there's another thing, too.

[10:20] brings this up. A mistake I see a lot of patients make when they start monitoring their blood pressure. It's the kind of personality that's disciplined, sometimes worried, that starts doing the right things in terms of monitoring blood pressure. You can get overly stressed about your numbers. I've seen patients stress themselves out so much about getting a

[10:40] reading that their blood pressure actually goes up because of the anxiety, the cortisol. This is about spotting trends over time, not chasing a single number. Stay calm, be consistent, and trust the process. Now, once you're measuring blood pressure the right way, calmly and consistently,

[11:00] go one step further. Most people walking around with plaque in their arteries have no idea that it's there. In fact, over 50% of heart attacks, the first symptom is sudden death, with no clear warning at all. But here's what almost no one realizes. There are ways to detect early signs of plaque.

[11:20] even at home just using regular blood pressure cuff. Most doctors never bring this up, but if you know how to do it right, that cuff can sometimes show you if blood flow is already being blocked. And that can be your window to act before it's too late. It's a simple test. You can do it at home with just a blood pressure cuff.

[11:40] paper, and a clock. It can tell you if there's restricted blood flow, one of the clearest signs that plaque is building up. Let me show you how it works. First, lie down and rest for at least five minutes. Don't skip this part. If you take your readings too quickly, the numbers won't mean that much. Let your heart rate settle and your

[12:00] body relax. Then take your blood pressure in both arms. Use the proper cuff size, place it correctly, and stay quiet during the measurement. When checking blood pressure for this test, lying down is more accurate than sitting. It keeps the blood level, the body level, and avoids pressure changes caused by posture right down the surface.

[12:20] systolic number. That's the top number from each arm. And here's the fun part. Now you'll measure your blood pressure in your ankles. That's because many times plaque and arteries, especially in the pelvic area, start reflecting on reduced leg blood flow. Here's a quick warning. If you've been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis,

[12:40] or if you have painful swollen legs, don't do this test. Once both arms are done, wait at least one full minute before moving on to the legs. You want to give your circulation time to stabilize again. Next, take your blood pressure at each ankle. Place the cuff above the ankle bone over the artery. Again,

[13:00] stay still and quiet. After the first ankle reading, wait another minute before doing the second leg. This reduces any carryover effect from the last reading and keeps the numbers clean. Once you've got all your readings, do a simple calculation. Take the highest systolic number from your ankles and divide it

[13:20] by the highest systolic number from your arms. It doesn't matter which arm or which leg scored higher. You could compare right arm with left leg and vice versa. Just use the higher number. This has a name. It's called ankle brachial index or ABI, which is also the name of the test. So.

[13:40] Let's talk about the results. If the result is between 1.0 and 1.4, that's normal. Good. Congratulations. But if it's between 0.9 and 1.0, that's borderline. Less than 0.9, that's a warning sign. It likely means plaque is reducing blood flow to your legs. And if it's over 1.0,

[14:00] 0.4, that suggests your arteries may be stiff or calcified. Also, something to take seriously. Now this test won't pick up every single case of plaque. Think about it. If it's too high it can be a problem. If it's too low it can be a problem. Sometimes you get a mix of impacts and it looks like

[14:20] it's okay when it's not. If your ABI is low, you can be fairly certain there's plaque and that means a higher risk for heart attack and stroke. If you remember George, remember we talked about him earlier in the video, after watching one of our videos, he did an ABI test and it turned out he did have a low number. It was plaque building silently.

[14:40] just like most people who have heart attacks. But here's the part that matters. He didn't ignore it. He made changes. He cleaned up his diet. He started strength training, hit training, high-intensity interval training. He managed his stress. He got serious about tracking his numbers. And a year later, his blood pressure is routinely in the one-tenths, like sisalic of one.

[15:00] 116 or 118. Now he's still running his shop, but now with a lot more confidence that he's not a ticking time bomb. Now there's one more question to answer and I get it asked. People ask this all the time. What's the best blood pressure cuff to use at home? You want an upper arm cuff, not a wrist cuff. Risk cuffs are less accurate just because they're harder to use.

[15:20] They're more sensitive to positioning. You just move your wrist a little bit and you get high blood pressure, which was not accurate. So they overestimate the problem. Stick with a validated automatic monitor. Brands like Omron, A&D, MicroLife and Welch-Allen, they all have solid track records and are used in clinical studies. Just make sure.

[15:40] that the cuff size fits your arm. A too small cuff can give you false high numbers. And a too large cuff? False low numbers. I know, I've hit you the whole lot. Trying to take control of your health on your own can feel overwhelming. Most of the time it's hard to know if you're doing everything right. And guess what? You know, doctors make mistakes.

[16:00] too, there's just so much to know and to think about. You might second-guess your numbers, worry that you missed a step, feel like you're flying blind. Now here's the truth. You can do this with the right guidance. I've seen thousands of patients take charge, track their own blood pressure, their own biomarkers,

[16:20] and catch silent plaque early and completely change their risk scores. Not with more medication, but with better understanding and the right plan and the discipline to do something about it. So that's exactly why I put together a free step-by-step guide you can download right now. It walks you through the most important things to check.

[16:40] interpret what you find and what to do to find and reverse plaque before it causes damage. You'll find the link down below in the description. So if your numbers are too high or even just creeping up a little bit, make sure you watch the next video where I'll show you how to lower your blood pressure naturally and effectively.

[17:00] Click here to watch that now.