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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

Most people, unless they have symptoms which demand immediate attention, limit their visits to the doctor to an annual or semi-annual checkup. As long as everything checks out OK, they don’t make many changes in their diet and exercise until it’s time for the next physical.

Because hypertension–high blood pressure, also known as the silent killer–usually does not announce its arrival, someone could go for six month to a year, until the next checkup, without having it diagnosed. But there are people, and you may be one of them, who should be keeping track of their high blood pressure on a regular basis.

If high blood pressure is common among your family members, you should be doing things to avoid developing it, but just as importantly, you should be keeping track of your blood pressure so that if it does seem to be elevated over a period of a month or so, you can get to the doctor before it’s time for your next physical. You should consider buying a home blood pressure machine.

How A Home Blood Pressure Machine Works

Home blood pressure machines are very similar to the ones the physician’s assistant uses to take your blood pressure prior to your annual checkups; except that they do not require you to be trained in reading the gauges. As with the machine in your doctor’s office, there is a band which tightened around your upper arm; you use a Velcro attachment instead of a pump to tighten it.

When it feels sufficiently tight–not excruciatingly so–you will press its start button, and the blood pressure machine will spend a few seconds sensing your blood pressure. Your reading will appear in clearly readable figures on the home blood pressure machine’s screen.

Where To Buy A Home Blood Pressure Machine

Home blood pressure machines are widely available; you don’t even have to go to a medical supplies store to find one. Look for them at any pharmacy, or at any store with a pharmacy department, and you’ll be likely to find at least one make of blood pressure machine. Many stores offer a selection of them and you can go with the one which best suits your budget.

If you are already suffering from high blood pressure, check with your health insurance company to see if they will cover the cost of a home blood pressure machine. It would be a low-cost way of saving them some significant money later on.

Home blood pressure meters are easy to operate and easy to read. All you have to do is stick your arm through the band and tighten up the band with the easy to use Velcro attachment. Once your arm is secure, just press the start button and in a few short seconds, your blood pressure will be presented to you on the easy to read screen in large letters. So, if you want to be sure that you always know what your blood pressure is at, then you need to head down to your local drugstore and see if you can purchase a home blood pressure machine.

About the author: You can also find more info on Blood Pressure Medication and Blood Pressure Monitor.
Source: http://www.articlesbase.com