Former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Crystal Minkoff is sharing her recent health scare surrounding high blood pressure and a “stroke” scare.
“Stroke” Levels
During the April 27th episode of her “Humble Brag With Crystal and Cynthia” podcast, Minkoff started off by saying, “I was late to come here because I was at my doctor’s.”
“My blood pressure was really high this week. We talked about it a few weeks ago because now it’s conscious,” she revealed. Minkoff’s blood pressure measured 160 over 110, where a healthy average for adults is below 120/80, according to the American Heart Association.
Minkoff said, “I was like, ‘OK, so we’re in the realm of [a] stroke now. They call it the silent killer.”
When talking about her health, the star noted she’s felt “a constant pressure” on her chest, later telling her doctor the same thing.
“We did my blood pressure when I got there. He’s like, ‘Your heart rate is very low,’” she added. “It’s very low. He’s like, ‘That pressure is your heart working too hard.’ It’s real. So we did my EKG and he said my heart was slightly enlarged.”
Lifestyle Changes
Minkoff discussed lifestyle changes with her specialist.
“We doubled up my medication. He’s like, ’80 percent is definitely hereditary, but the 20 percent are all the little adjustments that I can make.’”
Plus, the doctor discussed Minkoff’s exercise and the need to do more. Women need to exercise and use weights, as they “lose muscle very quickly as [they] get older.”
She was also told to prioritize cardio. “He wants me to do five days or five hours of exercising a week. He said, ‘You’re 43. Hiking is not enough for you to make your heart work,’” she shared.
“He’s like, ‘You need to get to a point where it becomes a mental thing for you.’ I need to feel like I should exercise or else I’m not feeling mentally healthy.”
Minkoff’s Doctor
Crystal Minkoff shared that her specialist is “a very, very famous doctor” who is all about “being super healthy.”
She shared, “His whole thing is exercise forward. He doesn’t like meds, but he also is like, ‘If you need meds, you need meds.’ I only say this because I’m 43 and he’s like, ‘Look, you can wait 10 years, but by the time you’re in your 50s, you’re not going to have any motivation left.”
She added, “I need to start now or I’m going to really suffer in [my] 60s.”
Past Health Issues
Minkoff has been candid about her eating disorder recovery, but she also opened up previously about another heart incident during a 2024 episode of RHOBH.
During a trip to Barcelona, Minkoff experienced high blood pressure, and she felt “dizzy” after an intense bout of motion sickness. The sickness brought on nausea and caused her veins to bulge.
She was transported to the hospital after paramedics recorded her blood pressure at 177/108.
After, Minkoff shared how “scary” the ordeal was.
“My family history has a history of high blood pressure [and] hypertension and it’s something that I know that I’ve struggled with, but I didn’t realize it could get to this point.” She added, “It was so scary. … I’ve never been faced with my mortality.”