Combating Hypertension Naturally

Hypertension puts numerous Americans at risk for heart failure, kidney failure and stroke; but what's more disturbing is the fact that many don't even know they have it. High blood pressure often occurs without any warning signs. That said, when it is diagnosed, patients are usually treated with prescribed medications that come with a host of undesirable side-effects, such as dizziness and dehydration. Fortunately, most people can control their hypertension naturally by making lifestyle changes that include regular exercise and eating the right types of food.

What is hypertension?

Put simply: your blood pressure is the force or pressure your blood applies to your artery walls. Every single time your heart beats, it flushes blood into your arteries. The pressure is greatest when the heart is pumping blood (systolic pressure), and the pressure is lowest between each heart beat (diastolic pressure).

What should my reading be?

When you go to the doctor's office, a nurse usually takes your blood pressure by testing both your systolic and diastolic pressures. Most often, one is placed over the other to provide a general "reading."

If your reading rests at 120/80 or lower, you are said to have normal pressure; if it is above 140/90, your pressure is considered high; if your systolic pressure falls between 120 and 139 and/or your diastolic pressure falls between 80 and 89, you may have prehypertension.

What can I do?

Although many consider hypertension to be a disease, it is actually a symptom of a greater problem. To get more oxygen to our organs and muscles, our bodies increase blood pressure when necessary. Often, this is prompted by poor lifestyle habits that negatively affect our overall health. If you want to lower your blood pressure naturally, you should reduce your body mass, eat a better diet and exercise more. That said, not everyone knows what they should and shouldn't be eating.

If you've got hypertension, you should stop eating or substantially limit your consumption of fast food, processed food, junk food, sodas, sugar and unhealthy oils. Not only do these foods clog your vasculature, they promote weight gain, which ultimately increases blood pressure. You can also reduce hypertension by eating foods and herbs that naturally reduce hypertension. These include, bananas, cinnamon and garlic. There are also some very good all-natural dietary supplements available at your local health food store; however, before you take any type of herb, you should consult a physician.

Blood Pressure Warning

Hypertension, more commonly referred to as "high blood pressure", has earned the nickname "silent killer" due to its lack of presenting symptoms. Most people that are affected by hypertension do not demonstrate physical signs and symptoms until damage has occurred.

What is Hypertension?

A person's blood pressure gives the physician a clinical picture of the patient's cardiovascular status. It measures the amount of resistance exerted on the blood vessel walls and is related to changes in cardiac output or a change in peripheral vascular resistance (the blood vessels that run throughout the body). The physician examines the blood pressure by looking at the values of the systolic (the top number) and the diastolic (the bottom number) measurements. A patient is diagnosed with hypertension if their blood pressure is 140/90 or greater at three consecutive visits to the doctor. The reason the first visit is not always used is because some people experience "White Coat" hypertension. Just visiting the physician's office causes anxiety and an elevation in the blood pressure readings. The normal range can be between 100/60 to 139/89 depending on the person and their physical make-up. However, a patient may be diagnosed as pre-hypertensive if the blood pressure is 130/80. Remember, the physician will conduct a thorough exam to determine the course of action.

What Factors Can Cause Hypertension

Uncontrollable factors:

Narrowing of the arteries in the kidneys and acute kidney disease
Some medications
Pregnancy
Diabetes
Age (55 and older for men; 60 and older for women. But hypertension can occur at younger ages)

Controllable factors:

Smoking
Stress/anxiety
Obesity- BMI ≥ 30
Sedentary lifestyles
Complications of hypertension

Long term hypertension can lead to heart disease, stroke and chronic kidney disease. Untreated hypertensive episodes can lead to death.

Treatment

Treatment is determined by your physician who will also perform a complete physical exam and make a decision on the best course of action. Treatment is based on individual situations. Treatment is determined by such factors as severity of disease, other additional illnesses, age, sex, weight, and race. Often the first medication is a vasodilator to help dilate the blood vessels and decrease resistance. Another consideration is a diuretic that will decrease circulating fluid volume.

How You Reduce Risk Factors?

Weight reduction - a healthy BMI between 18.5 - 24.9

Adopt the DASH (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension) eating plan - The diet consist of fruit, vegetables, low fat dairy products, reduced saturated fats and total fats. Cut out fried fatty foods from the diet. Also consume low sodium (salt) food items and monitor the sodium content of food. Read labels.

Physical activity - engage in regular physical aerobic activity such as a brisk walk (at least 30 minutes/day most days of the week).

Moderation of alcohol - limit to 2 drinks for most men; 1 drink for most women (1 drink = 24 oz. beer, 10 oz. of wine, and 3 oz. of 80 proof whiskey).

The Two Types Of Blood Pressure

High blood pressure affects millions of Americans. These individuals have to deal with many of the problems that can occur because of this disease. High blood pressure makes the heart pump blood throughout the body faster than normal. This is dangerous because it forces the heart to work harder than it should. It also causes the arteries to harden.

Even today, the exact triggers for hypertension are not one hundred percent known. However, there are many common factors that are believed to contribute to the disease. These include smoking cigarettes, being overweight or morbidly obese, a lack of physical activity or exercise, having too much sodium in your diet, consuming too much alcohol, high levels of stress, old age, a history of kidney disease, and having family members with hypertension.

There are two types of elevated pressure of the blood - essential and secondary.

Most individuals in the United States suffer from what is known as essential hypertension. Medical literature usually defines this as having blood pressure that is consistently higher than the average but that cannot be explained by a single cause.

What makes the underlying cause so difficult to pinpoint precisely is that most individuals who are diagnosed with this condition will actually have several risk factors that contribute to their problem.

What we do know is that high blood pressure tends to run in families. Genetic tests have also shown that men are more likely than women to suffer from hypertension. Men whose father and grandfather had high pressure are more likely to have essential hypertension. African American males are the highest risk group for hypertension.

We also know that sodium is an important component of high blood pressure. We know this because the degree of essential hypertension usually lessens when individuals decrease the amount of salt in their diet. This is particularly true for salt sensitive patients where any amount of sodium that is above what their body needs to function can cause their pressure to rise.

Secondary hypertension affects a much smaller part of the population - probably less than six percent overall. It is normally diagnosed when it can be linked to a specific medical condition. For example, there is a direct correlation between developing kidney disease and developing high blood pressure. The same is true for anyone afflicted with Cushing's disease. In these cases, when the underlying cause of the primary disease can be successfully treated, the hypertension will go away as well.

High Blood Pressure Medication Types and What They Do

Medical conditions such as hypertension should never be ignored. Your overall health depends on how your body processes what you eat, as well as your genetic predisposition to certain health problems. High blood pressure medication is designed to help lower your blood pressure and maintain a healthy pressure within your veins.

Hypertension is characterized by a systolic reading of 160 or higher and diastolic reading of 100 or more. The systolic reading is measured when the heart is contracting; the diastolic reading is measured during the period of relaxation between contractions. Hypertension is damaging to the body's vital organs such as the heart, and veins as well.

Four of the most common drugs for hypertension include beta blockers, ace inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, and angiotensin receptor blockers. Each of these high blood pressure meds works slightly differently based on the patient's needs.

Beta blockers, most commonly used, reduce the signals received by blood vessels, the heart, and nervous system. These agents block adrenergic receptors, which help mediate the fight or flight response. That single effort helps reduce the effects of hypertension.

ACE inhibitors keep vessels in a more relaxed state by reducing the amount of hormone that causes them to contract. Also used to treat congestive heart failure, this medicine was originally created from compounds found in pit viper venom.

Calcium channel blockers prevent calcium from entering the cells of the heart and vessels, allowing the vessels to relax. This type of blocker is used to treat migraines and Raynaud's disease as well as hypertension. Calcium channel blockers are rarely used long-term due to long-term side effects.

Angiotensin receptor blockers prevent angiotensin from affecting vessels, allowing them to expand more freely. Primary uses include hypertension, diabetic nephropathy, and congestive heart failure.

Each of those high blood pressure meds help in very specific ways. Many people choose not to use conventional medications in lieu of natural remedies. Hypertension symptoms and risks should always be discussed with your doctor. Never self medicate without discussing options with your primary care physician.

Symptoms of hypertension include headache, fuzzy vision, lightheadedness, and queasiness or vomiting. Many of those symptoms are also connected to other medical problems and should be discussed with a doctor before pursuing treatment.

The causes of hypertension greatly vary from person to person. Some people are simply genetically predisposed. No matter how healthy they live their life, they suffer with hypertension. Just because your parents have hypertension, doesn't mean you will; just that you could.

Obesity, age and gender also play varying roles in your chances of being hypertensive. Some treatments for other diseases may trigger hypertension. An unhealthy lifestyle, excessive alcohol and cigarette smoking are contributors to high blood pressure.

Many of today's natural remedies are designed to work alone to maintain a healthy blood pressure or in conjunction with high blood pressure medication to ensure a healthy body. Maintaining a healthy blood flow is essential to overall health and well-being.

Maintenance of a healthy body means choosing healthy alternatives to unhealthy meals and choices. The choice to become healthy and maintain that healthy lifestyle is a big undertaking. Sometimes maintaining a healthy body means taking blood pressure medication and changing an unhealthy lifestyle.