Mitamins Team asked:


Recent estimates have indicated that one in three adults in the USA has high blood pressure and that a third of these people are unaware of their condition. Your blood pressure is quite simply the force of the blood on the artery walls when the heart beats (systolic pressure) and when it rests between beats (diastolic pressure). The normal values are less 120 mm Hg systolic and less 80 mm Hg diastolic. If your blood pressure is 140-159 mm Hg Systolic over 90-99 mm Hg Diastolic then this is classified as High blood pressure or Hypertension.

There are many causes of high blood pressure; in 90-95% of cases the actual cause cannot be discerned. Nerve impulses cause your arteries to dilate (become larger) or contract (become smaller). If these vessels are wide open, blood can flow through easily. If they’re narrow, it’s harder for the blood to flow through them, and the pressure inside them increases. High blood pressure may occur at this point. The remaining cases high blood pressure may be caused by kidney abnormalities, an abnormality of the aorta, the narrowing of certain arteries.

Blood volume also affects blood pressure – the more blood in the body, the higher the amount of blood returning to the heart and the resulting cardiac output and higher the blood pressure. Arteries thickened by fatty tissue increase the resistance of the blood as it flows and this increased the resistance will contribute to higher the blood pressure. Other factors could also affect blood pressure like blood viscosity or stickiness. This is called your triglyceride levels. A raised triglyceride can be caused by a high alcohol or carbohydrate diet, being over weight or having poorly controlled blood sugars.

Keeping fit through a balanced diet and exercise is an important way to decrease high blood pressure. There is a direct link between rising blood pressure or hypertension and being overweight. Exercise improves the condition of the thickened arteries which helps in the treatment of high blood pressure by making the heart stronger. A stronger heart pumps more blood efficiently, which means that the heart doesn’t have to work as hard. However anyone with high blood pressure should consult a doctor before any exercise plan.

Research has also shown some evidence that exercise reduces the release of nor epinephrine, which is a hormone that raises blood pressure by constricting arteries and increasing the heart rate.

Aiming for and maintaining an ideal body weight is really important in the treatment of high blood pressure. If you are overweight or obese, ask your doctor for a referral to a dietitian who can help you make permanent, achievable changes to the way you eat to assist with weight loss.

Cutting down on your alcohol intake, is very important – as this has a significant role in boosting blood pressure. Women should limit their intake to one drink per day and men two. Smoking injures blood vessel walls and accelerates the hardening of the arteries. Although it does not directly cause even though it does not cause high blood pressure, smoking is bad for anyone, especially those with high blood pressure

Dietary changes can really contribute to the treatment of high blood pressure. In studies sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan has been shown to be effective. Essentially this plan involves consuming increased amounts of fruit and vegetables and choosing low-fat or non-fat dairy products. Studies have shown that eating fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy food and proteins as well as foods with lower saturated fat, total fat, and cholesterol, lower blood pressure and promote overall fitness. Whole grains, poultry, fish and nuts with lower fat content are good choices for the heart. Details of the DASH diet can be found at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov

Foods with large amounts of saturated and trans fats such a fatty cuts of meat, fast food, fries, cakes and cookies should be kept to a minimum. This will also help with limiting the amount of sodium or salt in the diet. You should also try to avoid adding salt in your cooking and at the table, to limit gravy powders, salty soups and seasoning as well as salted crisps and nuts.

So why not have a go at these small changes – they really can make a difference in the treatment of high blood pressure!



Cynthia

Alvin Hopkinson asked:


In order to have a better understanding of what is high blood pressure, and how we can take appropriate actions to lower our high blood pressure, it is a must that we should first understand the properties of a normal blood pressure. To have a thorough knowledge of what high blood pressure is all about will lead us all to good health.

Our body is made up of tissues and organs coming from fifteen trillion cells with specific functions. The heart, skin, kidneys, lungs, and other glands are responsible for the blood pressure. Everything from the muscle and the vascular tissues, as well as the cardiovascular and excretory systems play an important role.

The heart will pump blood loaded with oxygen to the aorta, the largest artery. This will be distributed to the arterioles and capillaries or the smaller arteries, which will be allocated to every tissues and cells.

Blood pressure will now be influenced by the amount of blood pumped, the speed by which blood is pumped and any resistance that it may encounter during the pumping process. Simply stated, blood pressure is determined by the amount of blood the heart will pump out and any factors that may restrict this blood output to flow.

The bringing of blood to and from the muscles and the skin by the arterioles and veins is called peripheral circulatory system. This is the stage where the so called peripheral resistance will be met. There are three contributing factors for peripheral resistance to take place while blood is being distributed. These are:

1. Viscosity of the blood – by viscosity, it means the blood either flows easily or not. The higher the viscosity, the more resistance to flow takes place, since it would have a consistency similar to that of honey.

2. Elasticity of the arteries and veins – refers to the ability of the veins and the arteries to stretch. Hence, if the veins are rigid and hard or pipe-like, the more pressure is exerted to let the blood flow.

3. The number, size, and state of the arterioles – will refer to the ability of the arterioles to dilate as ready receptacles for the blood that flows. Hence, if only a few arterioles are relaxed and dilated, much of the blood will remain in the veins causing pressure, since no form of release can be met.

During the process of distribution, pressure is needed to push the blood to the arteries. One is the systolic or higher pressure responsible for pushing the blood and the other diastolic or lower pressure responsible in keeping the heart to pump out blood.

High blood pressure then takes place, if our dietary intakes, lifestyle, or genetic abilities may in one way cause the three contributing factors to assume the properties that will cause resistance to blood flow. Blood viscosity that may be thick like honey has to pass through veins and arterial wall that are rigid and pipe-like and will be met by only a few dilated arterioles, the rest being constricted, or worse, closed.

Thus, the lower pressure continues to promote pumping of blood while the higher blood pressure will keep pushing to find an outlet for its pressure. Not finding any, all the pressure will remain in confinement within veins and arterial walls and will be liable to pop out of any exit points just to find release.

Anyone who is experiencing this kind of peripheral circulation and resistance, is experiencing high blood pressure already leading to a stroke, or much worse, death. This is why hypertension or high blood pressure was given the moniker: “the silent killer”.

Normal blood pressure varies from every individual. What is high blood pressure to some may be still normal to others. By ordinary standards, the normal blood pressure of adults on the average is 120 systolic and 80 diastolic. This is usually stated as 120 over 80 in millimeters of mercury or 120/80 as expressed in fraction.

Alvin Hopkinson is a leading health researcher in the area of natural remedies and high blood pressure treatment. Discover how you can get rid of your high blood pressure for good using proven and effective home remedies, all without using harmful medications or drugs. Visit his site now at http://www.minusbloodpressure.com



Alex