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Hypertension or High Blood Pressure

What is blood pressure?

When the heart pumps blood through the arteries, then the pressure exerted on their walls is known as blood pressure.

High blood pressure or hypertension is the condition in which the pressure of blood on the walls of arteries is elevated.

Blood pressure of a person may go up when the person gets exited and the blood pressure of the same person comes down when he/she takes rest. Due to anxiety, fear, stress blood pressure is elevated.

When the arteries become narrower and harder due to deposit of cholesterol and other substances then the heart has to pump harder i.e. has to exert much pressure for sending blood through the arteries, in that case also blood pressure is elevated.

There are also many other factors which affect blood pressure.

Normal blood pressure should be less than 120/80 mmHg (millimeters of mercury). Here the top number 120 mmHg indicates systolic pressure and the bottom number 80 mmHg indicates diastolic pressure.

During measurement of blood pressure at any instant the systolic blood pressure is the peak pressure of blood on the arteries and the diastolic blood pressure is the minimum pressure of blood exerted on the arteries.

Categories and range of blood pressure

                                             Systolic Pressure                                Diastolic Pressure

Normal blood pressure:   May vary from 90 to 119 mmHg                60 to 79 mmHg

High blood pressure:
 Stage I                                May vary from 140 to 159 mmHg              90 to 99 mmHg

Stage II  >=                         160 mm Hg                                             100 mmHg or higher

Hypertension or high blood pressure can have devastating effects on our heart, brain, kidneys and eye sight. Symptoms of high blood pressure are also not always clear.

If you have any one of the following symptoms like:-

i) Irregular heart beat
ii) Shortness of breath
iii) Pain in chest
iv) Blurred vision
v) Nose bleeding
vi) Confusion etc. then you may have high blood pressure and you need to consult a doctor immediately.

Causes of high blood pressure

Factors affecting blood pressure: -
i) Diabetes
ii) Tobacco Smoking
iii) Too much alcohol consumption
iv) Kidney disease
v) Obesity
vi) High fat diets
vii) Atherosclerosis
viii) Coarctation of Aorta
ix) Age

Persons who are in hypertension stage I category can reduce their blood pressure by changing sedentary life style, diets and giving up certain bad habits.

Due to physical activities, blood circulation in every parts of our body especially in brain improves which helps to reduce stress, depression, etc.

A person who is overweight can do light physical exercise. Walking or jogging is very good for weight reduction.

Smoking can damage artery walls. Too much alcohol consumption is also very harmful. Cholesterol causes blockage in artery and is responsible for increasing blood pressure so food containing less cholesterol should be taken. Fried foods and foods rich in saturated fat should be avoided.

Prevention

i) Reduce Sodium intake. Take less salt in food.
ii) Take low fat diet and fat free dairy foods.
iii) Avoid food containing saturated fat.
iv) Take food rich in calcium, potassium and magnesium. Eat vegetables and fruits.
v) Discontinue tobacco smoking
vi) Reduce alcohol consumption
vii) Take less sugar in your diet
viii) Reduce your weight if you are over weight.

Author: S.N.Bhattacharya

Over 25% of the American adult population is at risk of developing hypertension. This disease has the potential to cause premature death because it is a silent killer that has no obvious symptoms. Therefore, the real key to solving this growing problem in our country is prevention.

Such things as regular exercise, no smoking, maintaining a normal weight, and eating a balanced diet are among the regulars in the advice list doctors pass on to their patients. It’s those words, “balanced diet,” that seem to throw a wrench into everything. We Americans just can’t seem to get a grasp on exactly what that entails. So we eat what we like and what’s convenient.

The relationship between food and high blood pressure can basically be summed up into one word, fat. High fat content products contribute to this disease. Maintain a diet lower in saturated fat and those pressure readings goes down. Meat and dairy are very high fat content products. There’s the option of eating “lean” and “low fat,” but quantity makes that null and void in short order. This is why vegetarians generally experience fewer of these complications than people who rely on animal protein as the foundation of their diet.

Animal protein foods have higher levels of sulfur-containing amino acids than plant foods which causes sodium to be retained in the body. This in turn causes fluid retention and hypertension. Soy protein is a great food to use as an alternative for meat. The lower content of sulfur-containing amino acids in soy brings about a greater excretion of salt via the kidneys.

The fermented soy foods, natto and miso, contain antihypertensive peptides. These are chains of amino acids that occur in a specific order. These peptides interfere with the enzyme that promotes the chemical, angiotensin, which elevates the bloods pressure. An interesting note about this is that many of the medications used today to remedy the program are trying to block that very same enzyme. Now I’m not advocating that you immediately run out to find natto and miso to add to your diet. My understanding is that they have very strong flavors and acquire some getting used to. But they are traditional Japanese foods and their usage as a source of nutrition dates back hundreds of years. They may be foods that you’ll want to investigate and try.

To lower blood pressure it’s imperative to switch from an animal based diet to a plant mainstay. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains and beans should create the larger percentage of the “balanced diet.” All of these vegan foods contain calcium, which is well known for its value for bones and teeth, but calcium also plays a needed role in the regulation of hypertension.

About the author: Dee Overly is an artist who discovered the health benefits of soy milk and now sells a Soymilk Maker at www.SoymilkCrossroads.com.
Source: http://www.articlesbase.com

Blood pressure is determined by the amount of blood your heart pumps and the amount of resistance to blood flow in your arteries. The more blood your heart pumps and the narrower your arteries, the higher your blood pressure.High blood pressure is also called hypertension. High blood pressure is a blood pressure reading of 140/90 mmHg or higher. Nearly 1 in 3 American adults has high blood pressure. Once high blood pressure develops, it usually lasts a lifetime. Hypertension can be classified as either essential (primary) or secondary. Essential hypertension indicates that no specific medical cause can be found to explain a patient’s condition. Secondary hypertension indicates that the high blood pressure is a result of another condition, such as kidney disease or certain tumors.

People with hypertension had greater declines in all three functional measures than those with normal blood pressure. High blood pressure might also be caused by another medical problem. Regardless of race, age, or gender, anyone can develop high blood pressure. At severely high pressures, defined as mean arterial pressures 50% or more above average. Sodium is an environmental factor that has received the greatest attention. Hypertension is one of the most common complex disorders, with genetic heritability averaging 30%. Approximately 60% of the essential hypertension population is responsive to sodium intake. Sleep apnea is a common, under-recognized cause of hypertension. Another claimed cause of hypertension is the misalignment of vertebrae within the spinal column.

Certain medications including birth control pills, cold remedies, decongestants also may cause secondary hypertension. You can control high blood pressure through healthy lifestyle habits and taking medicines. Calcium channel blockers (CCBs) keep calcium from entering the muscle cells of your heart and blood vessels. Nervous system inhibitors relax blood vessels by controlling nerve impulses from the brain. Vasodilators open blood vessels by directly relaxing the muscle in the vessel walls, causing blood pressure to go down. Reducing sodium (salt) diet is proven very effective. Weight reduction and regular aerobic exercise (e.g. jogging) are recommended as the first steps in treating mild to moderate hypertension. Avoid tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking has been shown to lower blood pressure.

High Blood Pressure Treatment and Prevention Tips

1. Beta blockers medications reduce the workload on your heart.

2. Reducing sodium (salt) diet is proven very effective.

3. Nervous system inhibitors relax blood vessels by controlling nerve impulses from the brain.

4. Thiazide diuretics medications act on your kidneys to help your body eliminate sodium and water.

5. Angiotensin II receptor blockers medications help relax blood vessels by blocking the action.

6. Weight reduction and regular aerobic exercise are recommended.

7. Avoid tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking has been shown to lower blood pressure.

About the author: Juliet Cohen writes articles for Diseases. She also writes articles for Makeup and Hairstyles.
Source: http://www.articlesbase.com