How To Treat High Or Low Blood Pressure

Reducing High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is a condition that afflicts much of the older generation. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to avoid high blood pressure and to reduce it if you already have a problem.

Your blood pressure should be under 140/90 mm Hg. However, if your blood pressure is over this number you may have a serious problem.

It is best to visit with your doctor to discuss what can be done to resolve it. This condition can lead to a variety of negative side effects that could affect your health for the worst.

For example, this condition may result in high risk for a stroke or heart attack. It could also result in other serious heart conditions that may lead to death.

If your doctor says that you are at risk for these things, he or she will probably give you a prescription medicine which will help you reduce your blood pressure. Be sure to take this medicine as prescribed.

Sometimes some medicines can make you experience some of the negative side effects. If this is the case you will need to visit your doctor again to see if there is an alternative to the medicine he or she first gave you.

Your doctor should also be able to answer any other questions that you may have at this point. Another thing that can negatively affect blood pressure is your weight.

Obese people are at a much higher risk for problematic blood pressure and the other serious heart conditions. In addition, these conditions can be much more difficult to treat when you are overweight.

Your body mass index number will be able to tell you whether or not you need to lose weight. If your body mass index number is 25 or greater you could probably stand to lose several pounds.

Another indicator of whether you should lose weight or not is your waist size. Women should generally have a waist size smaller than 35 inches and men should usually have a waist size smaller than 40 inches.

Your doctor will also be able to tell you whether or not you need to lose weight. One of the best ways to lose weight and to keep it under control is to exercise for at least 30 minutes every day.

Running can help you lose the most calories, but it also has other negative side effects. The key to exercising to lose weight is to find an activity you enjoy and feel motivated enough to do on a consistent basis.

In addition, you do not have to exercise for 30 minutes straight. Instead you can work out for shorter segments that add up to 30 minutes.

Even if you do not need to lose weight, exercise can help you keep your blood pressure normal. Likewise, it offers hundreds of other benefits that you can enjoy.

What you eat will also obviously affect your weight and your blood pressure. Foods that are high in salt or sodium are generally bad for you and will make your condition much worst.

The general rule is that Americans should not eat any more than 2.4 grams of sodium in a given day. This is about six grams or one teaspoon of salt a day.

If you are already suffering from high blood pressure you probably will want to eat even less salt than this during a day. As always it is also a good idea to stay away from high cholesterol foods and to focus on fruits and vegetables.

It can help you to make wise decisions if you read the nutrition labels on the foods you eat. When you go shopping be sure to examine the labels and pick the variety of food that has the least sodium and fat and the most nutrient.

As you practice reading these labels you will be able to know about how much sodium you are eating every meals quite easily. Keeping track of your sodium intake is important if you are going to reduce how much salt you eat.

You may even want to write down how much sodium you ate every day. This will help you review how much salt you ate and which foods contribute the most to your problem.

You will then be able to reduce the problem foods and increase the foods you like that help alleviate your problem. If you miss the flavor, try to replace the salt with other seasonings whenever possible and you may find that removing salt from your diet is not such a huge problem.

More Reduce Risk Of High Blood Pressure Articles

Herbal Supplements and Remedies for Hypertension and High Blood Pressure

Article by Neal K

Herbal Supplements and Remedies for Hypertension and High Blood Pressure – Health – Supplements and Vitamins

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Introduction

Globally more than 1.5 billion people have Hypertension or High Blood pressure. It is a chronic medical condition and often called a silent killer since it can cause a lot of damage to the affected before the disorder is identified. Usually when the heart beats, it creates force which gets transferred to the blood. The blood takes the force to the arteries and creates pressure within the arteries which is known as blood pressure.

Systolic pressure and diastolic pressure

During each heartbeat the blood pressure varies between a maximum or Systolic and a minimum or Diastolic pressure.

Systolic pressure is the part of the normal cardiac cycle when the heart contracts and blood flows out of the heart while Diastolic pressure is that part of the cycle when the heart relaxes and fills with blood. Blood pressure readings measured via the “sphygmomanometer” correspond to the Systolic pressure and diastolic pressure readings. The abnormal elevation in either or both of these measurements will lead to hypertension. Below 120/80 is the normal value of systolic and diastolic pressures, 139/89 value represents pre hypertension and 140/90 or above value is considered as High Blood pressure.

Types and Causes of Hypertension

There are two types of Hypertension, Primary or essential and secondary.

Almost 90-95% of those diagnosed with Hypertension are affected by Primary or essential Hypertension. There are various causes for this condition.

Individuals who consume excess salt in their diet – specifically more than 5.8 grams a day, are more prone to high BP
Obesity, lack of physical activity
Aging
Genetic propensity
Excessive alcohol indulgence for those sensitive to alcohol

Secondary Hypertension is less common and affects only about 5% of the patients. This hypertension develops due to a disorder of any specific organ or blood vessel, hence called Secondary Hypertension. Secondary hypertension can be caused by endocrine diseases, kidney diseases, specific medication, tumors and sometimes occurs during pregnancy.

Long term and Short term effects of Hypertension

Heart Attack and Heart Failure – When there is excessive pressure, the heart begins to function harder, which increases risk of heart attack. The heart muscles are thickened by the additional pressure leading to heart failure.
Stroke – Any interruption in the flow of blood in the brain will cause stroke. The important parts in the brain get damaged due the disturbance in the blood flow. Stroke also occurs when there is any blockage in the blood vessels. Hypertensive patients are at high risk of stroke and brain hemorrhage.
Kidney disease – The primary function of the sensitive filters in the kidney is to regulate the fluid in the body; Hypertension and irregular blood flow can damage sensitive kidney filters. High Blood Pressure patients are at high risk of developing kidney problems.

Eyes – Hypertension can damage the tiny vessels in the eyes resulting in loss of vision.

Hypertension or high blood pressure may lead to bone mass density loss, sexual dysfunction as well as epistaxis (nose bleed) or uterine bleeding.

Lifestyle changes which help in management of Hypertension

Diet — Add Fish, lean meat, chicken, fruits, nuts, vegetables, legumes and whole grains in diet. Avoid unsaturated fats in your diet.
Reduce Weight — Reduce the excess weight, since excess of visceral and abdominal fat may worsen Hypertension and can also lead to other diseases like diabetes
Salt Intake — Maintain a low salt diet. Use low sodium salt and restrict your daily salt intake to less than 5.8 grams
Exercise Regularly –Exercise will help maintain proper circulation, burn calories and strengthen the heart

Home Remedies for managing Hypertension

Vitamin C helps in reducing hypertension. A teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice mixed with honey and water is a very beneficial for those suffering from hypertension
Amla or Indian Goose Berry is very beneficial for High BP. One tablespoon full of fresh Amla juice mixed with honey and taken every morning is beneficial in managing high BP
Fenugreek seeds can be taken with water in morning and evening on an empty stomach
Fresh papayas, eaten on an empty stomach can be beneficial. Papayas are rich in Carpain – a cardio supportive enzyme

Herbal Supplements for Hypertension

Garlic – Lasun

Lasun or Garlic reduces cholesterol accumulation. It helps in normalizing blood pressure and preventing heart disease.

Arjuna is an ayurvedic herb which helps to reduce hypertension, reduces cholesterol and protects and tones the heart.

Click here to more about Natural Herbs.

About the Author

Neal K is a keen follower of trends in Ayurveda and Health Supplements. He also has professional interests in the field and manages health related websites and blogs.

Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines
whereby the original author’s information and copyright must be included.

Neal K

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