Managing High Blood Pressure

Cass M asked:


So, I just went in to get birth control and I was told that my blood pressure is a little higher than they would like. I’m going back in next week to get it re-checked, hoping things will have calmed down in my life.
What are options for birth control (besides condoms) if someone has high blood pressure? Are there just different types of pills, or IUD, or patch, or what? I forgot to ask when I was at the office. Any help would be great.

Miguel

abetterway7 asked:


I would like to get off my high blood pressure medicine safely. Please respond if you have been successful in such an endeavor with the details of how you did it.

Ramon

linbell20 asked:


I know there are tons of allergy medications, however, my mom has high blood pressure so she is restricted to most medications for allergies. Any suggestions?

Martha

tattyhead65 asked:


Since turning 40 I’m alarmed at how much weight I’ve put on and it’s really hard to lose any. I’ve also developed high blood pressure so I’m wondering whether one has caused - or contributes to - the other.

Diane

bliss22 asked:


I take betablocker (Toprop XL) for high blood pressure and also a statin (Lovastatin) for high cholesterol. I have noticed quite a decrease in the amount and quality of my sleep . It is difficult for me to fall asleep, I wake up during the night, and I wake up early feeling tired. My question to a professional is: is there a connection?
Thanks.

Melinda

mike legg asked:


If you are looking for ways of how to lower high blood pressure perhaps we should first talk about what causes high blood pressure in the first place. Well the truth is that there are many different causes ranging from, poor diet, lack of exercise, stress and hypertension. High blood pressure that is left untreated can lead to other more serious conditions, including stroke and heart attack. Having some knowledge of what causes high blood pressure will help you to avoid the risks.

Changing your diet and watching what you eat and drink will greatly help reduce high blood pressure. One of the major causes of high blood pressure is cholesterol. People with high levels of cholesterol are almost certain to have higher blood pressure when compared to someone with a healthy diet. Cholesterol causes fatty deposits to coat the artery walls. Over time these fats form into a hard plaque that reduces the size of arteries and blood vessels making them smaller and smaller. Your body still needs to pump the same amount of blood through these blood vessels, and this is what causes high blood pressure.

Another great way of how to lower high blood pressure is to reduce the amount of sugar in your diet. We all like our sweets and desserts but here again simply by lowering your sugar intake can really help reduce high blood pressure. Eating high amounts of sugar or sugary foods causes your blood to thicken due to the glucose. If your blood is thicker than it normally should be it is again harder to circulate and so causes high blood pressure.

Another good way to help reduce high blood pressure is to cut down on other things that have been shown to be causes of high blood pressure. These include nicotine which is in cigarettes and other tobacco products. Excessive alcohol consumption has also been proved to increase the risk, so by lowering your alcohol intake it will also help reduce high blood pressure, as will cutting down on the amount of caffeine in your diet.

Exercise has also been shown to greatly help reduce high blood pressure, but always consult your Doctor or a medical professional before taking up any strenuous exercise programme, as the wrong type of exercise could make your symptoms worse. Weight lifting is something that should be avoided because this can be very stressful on the heart. Highly intensive cardiovascular workouts are also not good for people with high blood pressure as this type of workout greatly raises your blood pressure.

Moderate exercise is the best way, and over a period of time you will lower your cholesterol, your weight and therefore your blood pressure. Things like Yoga and slow movement exercises are especially good to help reduce high blood pressure as they are very heart friendly. Always practice warming up and cooling down exercises before, and after your main exercise as this slowly raises and lowers your blood pressure rather than causing dangerous spikes.

By using these simple tips on diet and exercise you will be well on your way to achieving a more normal range blood pressure level and also help reduce high blood pressure in the future.

Deborah

Bertil Hjert asked:


High blood pressure and stroke are related to each other. High blood pressure is known to be the most significant factor in a stroke attack. It actually increases the risk factor.

Blood pressure can be defined as a measurement of the force that’s exerted on the walls of artery via the pumping blood. In case, you suffer from high blood pressure, the blood is pumped harder as compared to what it should. This results in to unnecessary strain on the vessels of the circulatory system.

Hypertension is also known as the silent killer. It is so because most people do not realize that they have developed this condition. A person suffering from high blood pressure actually does not suffer from any symptoms. Hence, the only way to diagnose is regular medical check ups.

High blood pressure can be categorized in to three stages namely; mild, moderate or severe. This problem may also result in some serious life threatening disease such as heart attack, kidney disease and heart failure. If hypertension is left untreated, it can result in permanent eye damage.

Blood pressure can be measured in two different ways. The first method is known as systolic where the pressure inside the artery as pulse of blood arrives from the heart. The upper limit is normal and counted as 140. The second method is Diastolic where the resting pressure inside the artery between pulses is checked. The upper limit of normal is 90.

The normal blood pressure is around 120/80. The stage of hypertension or high blood pressure occurs when the blood pressure is (consistent) about 140/90. Studies have proved that a person with hypertension that is left untreated is four times more at risk to have a stroke as compared to one who has a healthy blood pressure.

There are several bad effects at high blood pressure.

The most dangerous is having a risk of stroke. There are numerous ways in which high blood pressure can increase the risk of stroke in many ways.

a) High blood pressure enhances the effects of atherosclerosis. This is a condition where the arteries are narrowed due to the fatty plaques build up.

b) Blockage of blood flow to the brain, know as embolic stroke that’s caused by dislodge cholesterol plaque from the walls of the artery.

c) Weak artery walls usually lead to breakage of vessel as well as bleeding into the brain. The attack is known as hemorrhagic stroke.

d) Constant stress load leading to consistent stress load.

e) People with rare malformation of the blood vessels inside the brain usually suffer from a hemorrhagic stroke.

As your blood pressure gets too high, your chances of having a stroke increase. The stroke is characterized by loss of brain function as a result of lack of blood supply to the brain.

High blood pressure can cause a lot of damage to blood vessels. The damage can be in the following forms:

• Thickening of vessels

• Formation of clot

• Breakage of vessels

You should constantly keep a check on your blood pressure in order to reduce the risk of stroke attack.

Michele

Mitamins Team asked:


Garlic is a natural remedy people have used for millennia to treat and prevent illness. It is commonly used in high blood pressure treatment in adjuvant therapy (in addition to other treatments), and sometimes used alone as an effective high blood pressure treatment.

Studies on garlic show benefits for cancer, immune problems, diabetes and other ailments. Many people swear by garlic as a sure-fire treatment for the common cold. Garlic supplements have many health benefits, not least of which are as a treatment for high blood pressure symptoms.

Nowadays, garlic supplements have replaced garlic and garlic powder as the optimal way to receive the therapeutic benefits of garlic.

Like its cousin, the onion, cooked garlic’s hot, pungently sweet flavor improves spaghetti sauce. But it must be raw to have the maximum health benefit for high blood pressure treatment.

Allicin is the active chemical found in garlic, and is present in regulated amounts in quality garlic supplements, which is very important if you’re using garlic to treat high blood pressure symptoms.

High Blood Pressure Symptoms

High BP, or hypertension, means a pressure above 140/90 mmHg. High blood pressure symptoms are usually absent unless hypertension is elevated above 240/120 mmHg. Hypertension symptoms may be a combination of:

(i) headache, often upon awakening

(ii) blurred vision

(iii) ringing in the ears

(iv) dizziness

(v) facial redness

(vi) nosebleeds

(vii) fatigue

(viii) heart attack

If you have no high blood pressure symptoms, you still need to check blood pressure to see if you need high blood pressure treatment. Don’t put off medical diagnosis.

By monitoring you in a stress-free environment, one hour after caffeine and 30 minutes after smoking, your doctor gets a more accurate idea of whether you need high blood pressure treatment.

Diagnosis of primary hypertension means there is no known cause (in 90% of cases). Secondary hypertension has a known cause, such as obesity. Doctors prescribe similar high blood pressure treatments for both primary and secondary hypertension. You can use garlic supplements as adjuvant therapy (therapy in addition to regular high blood pressure treatment) for either type.

Why You Might Try Garlic Supplements

Whether you’ve just discovered you have high blood pressure or you’ve had it for years, whether it is intermittent or constant, and no matter what the cause of high blood pressure, garlic is almost always worth trying to see if it will help manage or even resolve this potentially life-threatening condition.

1. Eating garlic is very safe.

2.Doctors are familiar with garlic’s safety and sometimes know its effectiveness for high blood pressure treatment. Doctors will usually suggest to their patients to try garlic as adjuvant therapy. Your doctor may adjust medication if, a few months later, garlic proves to be dealing with high blood pressure symptoms well.

3. Studies show that garlic reduces blood platelet aggregation, and that garlic can reduce elevated levels of lipids and lipoproteins in the blood, which combined with high cholesterol eventually causes atherosclerosis. Reducing risk of heart disease by taking garlic makes sense as a high blood pressure treatment.

4. Anyone who has taken a whiff of a fresh garlic eater’s breath knows that garlic supplements are superior to eating raw garlic because they are odorless.

High blood pressure is a condition that is treated with a combination of prescription drugs, diet, daily aerobic exercise, avoiding caffeine, managing stress and - don’t forget - garlic!

Darlene

Carol K asked:


Just recently after seeing the doctor I find out my cholesterol and blood pressure is very high. I have to take medicine and exercise and watch what I eat. I have watch those Nutricious labels and salt in-take. Your advise is most appreciated and web sites to find good affordable nutricious food recipes

Dustin

Stan Kitchen asked:


High blood pressure comes without any obvious warning signs. The inability to recognize something is wrong means you are at risk to fatal health conditions. Strokes, heart attacks and damage to other organs can result from having high blood pressure levels. And many Americans who think they are healthy fall victim to this disease because they do not bother to check their blood pressure. But there are ways to know if you have the symptoms of high blood pressure.

Seeing the Invisible

High blood pressure can cause irreversible damage to the heart and arteries. It gradually damages blood vessels within the body, and proof can be seen in the retina of the eye. During an eye exam, an ophthalmologist can see even the slightest damage done to vessels within the eye.

High blood pressure symptoms, while undetectable to the naked eye, can show as swollen blood vessels at the base of the optic nerve. Noticing such damage may be the first clue to many patients that they are suffering from this silent disease.

Diagnosis

Once high blood pressure has been diagnosed, many people become alert and begin to notice one or more symptoms. Feelings of faintness and shortness of breath are common symptoms of high blood pressure. Others are dizziness, headaches and blurred vision, but, again, many people don’t connect these symptoms to that of high blood pressure. Only a blood pressure reading will verify whether the blood pressure has risen to alarming levels.

Harvard Medical School did several studies on people who show early signs of high blood pressure through the swollen blood vessels in their eyes. They report that these patients are twice as likely to experience stroke, heart attack or heart failure than those who don’t show the symptoms. The studies also show that such damage to smaller blood vessels affect more women than men.

Are You at Risk?

So, if you can’t feel any symptoms, how do you know whether you are at risk? Get your blood pressure checked. Get your eyes checked. Keep a journal for a week or two about how you feel. Try exercising if you don’t normally do it. High blood pressure alone causes tens of thousands of deaths every year, and complications arising from high blood pressure kill over two hundred thousand people a year.

Even though the symptoms are not obvious, you can do something to prevent high blood pressure. Eat right and get plenty of exercise. Today, more and more young people are being diagnosed with high blood pressure. Many doctors link the rising figures to high-fat, high-sugar diets and lack of exercise. The good news is you can prevent high blood pressure.

High Risk People and Locations

Certain races and people living in particular geographic locations are more apt to suffer from high blood pressure, including African-American women living in the Southeast. More African-Americans develop the condition than Caucasians. A high stroke rate has caused some to call eleven states in the south, the ‘Stroke Belt States’.

Prevention is the key when it comes to high blood pressure. You should get your pressure checked before it is too late.

Anne