Managing High Blood Pressure

infernowolf36 asked:


i get frequent nose bleeds, it’s the tail end of the cold weather though.. however i noticed that it also could be caused by high blood pressure..

Agnes

Jeremiah Slivka asked:


Knowing about your body can be very beneficial to your health as you age. Knowing about your blood pressure can help prevent strokes, heart disease and kidney disease. In this article you will find everything you should know about your blood pressure.

Anyone can have high blood pressure. It doesn’t matter your age, race, ethnicity or gender. Many people suffer from high blood pressure and have a higher risk of strokes and heart diseases than those with regular blood pressure.

What is high blood pressure? High blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of your arteries. Your blood pressure is always rising and falling throughout the day and if it rises and stays that way over time, you have high blood pressure.

High blood pressure is usually referred to as hypertension. When you have high blood pressure it puts more pressure on the heart, making it work harder than usual. This is why you end up at risk for strokes or heart disease.

What is the normal blood pressure level? The normal blood pressure level is less than 120 over 80 or less. The first number is your systolic pressure and the second number is your diastolic pressure. Your numbers are read 120 over 80, etc. If your pressure is 140 over 90 or higher you have high blood pressure.

What is systolic blood pressure? This is the force of blood in your arteries when your heart is beating.

What is diastolic blood pressure? This is the force of blood in your arteries when your heart is relaxing.

What are the risk factors of high blood pressure? The most common risks of high blood pressure are stroke and heart disease. There are a few other risk factors that can be modified and some that cannot be. The following are some risks: Tobacco Physical Inactivity Diabete Abnormal Cholesterol Being overweight

Who can get high blood pressure? Unfortunately anyone can get high blood pressure but it is more common among African Americans. Nearly one in three American adults has high blood pressure. African Americans also have a much higher death rate from kidney disease and stroke than white Americans. Even so, with treatment you can help lower your blood pressure.

How can I lower my blood pressure? Fortunately there are many different ways of helping to lower your blood pressure. Exercise is a great way to lower it. Doing physical activity will make your heart stronger over time. If you have a stronger heart it can pump blood easier lessening your risks of stroke and kidney diseases. It is never too late to start exercising!

If you are concerned about your blood pressure consult your physician. Ask any and all questions you might have and find the best way for you to lower it. If all regular ways fail, consider medication. Talk with your doctor about your health and lifestyle so he can choose the best medicine for you. If you want to live a healthy life, taking control of your blood pressure is very important.



Cody

Stan Kitchen asked:


High blood pressure is one of the leading causes of heart disease, stroke and heart attacks, and yet, thousands of people walking around with high blood pressure do not even realize that they have it. Experts sometimes call this condition hypertension, but no matter what you call it, it is bad for your heart and your health.

Nutrients

Because your blood carries nutrients to every organ system and tissue in your body, it is important to make sure that you keep your heart and blood vessels in good working order.

High blood pressure can prevent your heart from working efficiently and can compromise cells and tissues that need oxygen and other nutrients that are circulated through enough heart pumping action.

Your heart pumps about five quarts of blood throughout your body, from the heart muscle itself to the tiniest capillary on the tip of your little toe. Without such circulation, body cells, tissues and organs would soon die.

Clogged Blood Vessels

If your blood vessels are clogged or blocked, blood flow can be inadequate for the needs of such body cells and tissues. Such blockages cause the pressure in the arteries and veins to increase as the heart tries to pump the blood through those narrowed or clogged vessels. The result is high blood pressure, which causes the increase of pressure in arteries and veins that can lead to damage. If left unchecked, high blood pressure can cause devastating conditions.

Unfortunately, there are no real symptoms of high blood pressure until after damage has occurred, which is why many people call high blood pressure, or hypertension, ‘the silent killer’. There are things you can do however, to ensure that you keep both your heart and your arteries in good working order. One of those is to eat properly and to get plenty of exercise. Having your blood pressure checked regularly also helps to prevent the results of high blood pressure such as strokes, coronary heart disease and heart attacks.

Who Gets High Blood Pressure

Picture high blood pressure this way: if you squeeze a tube of toothpaste, the paste will flow normally when the tip of the tube is clean. If old, dried toothpaste clogs the tip of the tube , you have to squeeze harder to get the toothpaste out. Your blood vessels work the same way. Have you ever had the toothpaste tube spring a leak when the tip is clogged? Imagine what such pressure can do to your heart. Remember that high blood pressure can occur in males and females and in all age groups. Some teenagers also suffer from high blood pressure, as well as older adults.

High blood pressure can be treated, which means taking control of your living habits. If you suspect that you may have high blood pressure, visit your doctor to get a reading. If it’s high, your doctor will advise you on steps you can take to lower it. Don’t waste time when it comes to your heart. You only have one of them and they do not last forever. Do not let your heart work harder than it has to.



Johnny

Jay Stockman asked:


Next time you are with a group of 3 friends, take a good look around; one of you will have high blood pressure. The sad part is, since there are no symptoms, you may not even be aware of it. Untreated high blood pressure can lead to heart attack, congestive heart failure, stroke, or kidney failure. Various risk factors contribute to this disease that are both under our control, and out of our control. The only way to determine if you have high blood pressure is to have your blood pressure checked. The insidious nature of this disease makes it a true Silent Killer.

The brain requires unobstructed blood flow to nourish its many functions. Very high, sustained blood pressure will eventually cause blood vessels to weaken. Over time these weaken vessels can break, and blood will leak into the brain. The area of the brain that is being fed by these broken vessels start to die, and this will cause a stroke. Additionally, if a blot clot blocks a narrowed artery, blood ceases to flow and a stroke will occur. Symptoms of a stroke include sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body, confusion, trouble speaking, or seeing, sudden severe headache. If you or someone with you has one or more of these signs, don’t delay, call 911.

Like the brain, the heart requires blood to bring oxygen, and nutrients to its muscle tissue. The narrowing of the arteries due to blockage can cause high blood pressure. If this blockage occurs in the arteries of the heart, coronary arteries, heart muscle damage can occur, resulting in a heart attack. Some heart attacks are sudden and intense, however most heart attacks start slowly with mild pain and discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain. Shortness of breath may occur, as well as nausea, or lightheadedness. It is vital to get help immediately if any of these symptoms occur.

The kidneys act as filters to rid the body of all waste products. Eventually, high blood pressure can thicken, then narrow the blood vessels of the kidneys. The kidneys becomes less efficient, filtering less fluid, and waste builds up in the blood. Over time, the kidneys may fail altogether. When this happens, medical treatment such as dialysis, or a kidney transplant may be needed.

The best way to find out if you have high blood pressure is by having your blood pressure checked regularly. Generally speaking, doctors will diagnose a person with high blood pressure on the basis of two or more readings, taken on different occasions. A consistent blood pressure reading of 140/90 mmHg or higher is considered high blood pressure, or hypertensive. It is vital to take steps to keep your blood pressure under control. The treatment goal is blood pressure below 140/90 and lower for people with other conditions, such as diabetes and kidney disease.

Adopting a healthy lifestyle including healthy eating habits, reducing salt in the diet, maintaining a healthy weight, limiting alcohol consumption, being physically active, and quitting smoking is an effective step in preventing and controlling high blood pressure. If lifestyle improvements alone are not sufficient in keeping pressure controlled, it may be necessary to add blood pressure medications. There are several options that physicians have at their disposal, and each option should be discussed, as to their side effects and efficacy.



Derrick

Gilles Coulombe asked:


High Blood Pressure also called hypertension, is elevated pressure of the blood in the arteries. Blood pressure is the measurement of force applied to artery walls High blood pressure has to be taken seriously. It is a serious disease, the cause of which is more or less unknown. What we do know is that left untreated, high blood pressure over time can lead to serious heart disease and other vascular troubles, even death. Health professionals think that there are some genetic factors but as yet they cannot pin down the range of specific genes involved that cause high blood pressure. Studies suggest that people suffering from chronic high blood pressure may come from autonomic nervous system that controls heart rate, blood pressure and the blood vessels.

High blood pressure is strongly associated with diabetes, both type 1 and type 2. Obesity and insulin resistance are the factors associated with high blood pressure, in type 2 diabetes, the more common type. During the last decade, the number of Americans with high blood pressure has increased by 30%. Over 65 million Americans adults now have high blood pressure. Two thirds of Americans over age 60 have high blood pressure and women in that group have highest rates and higher mortality rates from high blood pressure. About 34% of African American men and women have high blood pressure, it may account for over 40% of all deaths in this group. Moreover, high blood pressure is becoming more common in children and teenage.

Detrimental effects of high blood pressure

It is the reason why high blood pressure has been called the “silent killer”. High blood pressure has detrimental effects on many organs like kidneys, eyes, and heart. High blood pressure is the primary cause of death in over 120,000 cases last year and contributes to 75% of all strokes and heart attacks and even more in African Americans. Research suggests that people with mild high blood pressure have three times more likely to have a heart attack as people with normal blood pressure and ten times the normal risk of stroke depending on the severity of the blood pressure. High blood pressure can also cause mental problems such as memory lost .

Fortunately, controlling blood pressure with the proper treatment can reduce or prevent those health complications. Healthy life style is a must for anyone with blood pressure (120/80mm Hg) and above in order to prevent serious complications of that disease.

Healthy life style includes: exercise on a daily basis, normal weight, healthy diet, reasonable alcohol consumption, limited sodium intake, more potassium and calcium intake. If you want to naturally support healthy blood pressure function, there are some key herbal supplements.

Gilles Coulombe B.A. B.LL D.S.A.

For more information, go to My Site



Robin

trejanos@sbcglobal.net asked:


My brother has Lupus and the doctor has tripled medication on steroids, but recently he has had high blood pressure. is there anything out there that is not a drug and can help him reduce his blood pressure?

Steven

Gilles Coulombe asked:


Also called hypertension, high blood pressure is a wide spread health problem. One in five Americans already has it and more than 90% will get it. The fact that at least 90% of us will develop high blood pressure or hypertension suggests that we are genetically programmed to get it, but it is not our fate, it’s something we do to ourselves.

High blood pressure when a person’s usual blood pressure is elevated. The top number, or systolic blood pressure is the highest pressure that occurs each time the heart beats, and the bottom number, or diastolic blood pressure, is the lowest pressure that occurs when the heart relaxes between beats.

If only one of the two numbers is elevated, a person is considered to have high blood pressure and should be treated. A person that is consistently over 140/90 mmHg, he has high blood pressure.

As we age, hypertension is related to the constriction and narrowing of blood vessels diminishing the blood flow and starving the organs of the oxygen they need causing a heart attack or a stroke. Women are more likely than men to suffer strokes, still unknown why.

Main Causes of High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is a disease of poor lifestyle choices such as excess of salt and excess weight. Kidney and certain hormonal diseases can also contribute to hypertension but less common. Most of the cases (90% to 95%) are related to genetics, physiology and lifestyle. Other remaining cases result from pregnancy, drugs, tumors or diseases.

It is worth mentioning that most people are unaware they have high blood pressure until their blood pressure is measured. It is then most important that people regularly measure their own blood pressure using approved monitoring devices so that you can see if your blood pressure is within a normal range.

Natural Remedies for High Blood Pressure

If your blood pressure reading is higher than 135 mmHg for the top number or 85 mmHg for the bottom number may mean that you should take action. It would be appropriate to lower your blood pressure with lifestyle changes such as cutting back on salt and alcohol, losing weight and getting more exercise before being obliged to use DRUGS.

A healthy diet and exercise can lessen the need for drugs and reduce both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Diet should emphasize vegetables and fruits, lean meat, low-fat dairy products, whole grains and salt restriction meaning intake of no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium a day. Stress is a factor not to be neglected.

Natural Remedies

Natural remedies have been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years to support the solid health of the heart and circulatory system. In more recent times, research has investigated these claims.

There are now a number of published clinical studies demonstrating the ability of a range of herbs to support the cardiovascular system and to maintain blood pressure within the normal range. High-Rite from Native Remedies is what you need. Also, to control your blood sugar, I suggest Advanced Blood Sugar Solution from Health Resources .Take action and be in charge of your health.

I don’t know what I would have done without High-Rite… I only wish that I had known about it sooner because it really works!

For more information, go to My Site.



  

By Gilles Coulombe



Brittany

Stephen Morgan asked:


Doctors and Healthcare Practitioners are slowly but surely changing the way we not only look at high blood pressure but the way we treat the condition when diagnosed.

According to a study published recently in the Robarts Research Institute in Canada, scientists appear to have developed a simplified and potentially much more effective method of treating high blood pressure.

The project leader, Dr Ross Feldman, a clinical pharmacologist, demonstrated through the study that more patients had their blood pressure lowered and actually to a greater extent when the healthcare practitioners or family doctors involved used a simplified treatment protocol rather than having to choose from the rather large (and growing) number of drugs available to treat the condition.

The other side effect of this particular study was that though the primary focus of the study was purely in relation to hypertension or high blood pressure it would appear from the initial results of this study that it could cause a massive change in the way healthcare practitioners and doctors treat a whole series of chronic conditions and diseases.

The trial, otherwise know as the Simplified Treatment Intervention To Control Hypertension (STITCH) trial was a programme that analyzed the results of the treatment of both the 2100 patients with high blood pressure spread over 45 family practices in Ontario in Canada.

What is it about high blood pressure that makes it a problem and when ignored so lethal?

Barring a definitive diagnosis, most sufferers of high blood pressure, that is to say usually 19 out of every 20, are tragically ignorant of their condition.

Quite often an apparently symptom less disorder, a diagnosis of high blood pressure can be missed for years and hence the morbid description “the silent killer”.

If spotted there are a couple of signs that can be attributed to high blood pressure and if these are observed and with out apparent cause then they should not be left untreated.

These symptoms can include the following: Dizziness, Ringing in the Ears , Morning Headache , Depression .

Though the above can indicate high blood pressure it has to be emphasised that they might just as easily indicate other associate conditions.

What does high blood pressure mean?

Well, if we are to go back to basics then the body’s major tissues and organs are supplied and fed with blood pumped to them from the heart via a network of hose like vessels called arteries.

In nine cases out of ten then the particular cause of high blood pressure is hard to identify and as such in these cases the high blood pressure is termed “Primary (Essential) High Blood Pressure”.

In the majority of cases where the cause of the high blood pressure can be traced directly to one particular failing organ or cause then it is not uncommon for the associate problems to be treated successfully where this “Secondary High Blood Pressure” is not the direct cause of the associate high blood pressure.

In less than 10% of the incidences of high blood pressure diagnosed, the diagnosis falls into the category known as “Malignant Hypertension”. Quite often this is discovered totally by accident and may be as a result of an associate test such as an eye test whereby the Optician can sometimes detect the condition by merely looking into a patients eye.

It would appear that from this month onwards that treatment of high blood pressure will soon never be the same again.



Tommy

Steven R Arnold asked:


Many times, there are no obvious high blood pressure symptoms at all. In fact, high blood pressure, aka hypertension or simply HBP, often goes unnoticed until it has advanced to severe degrees and begins causing damage to various bodily systems. That’s why it is often referred to as the Silent Killer. Left untreated, high blood pressure can cause a person to have significantly higher probabilities for coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke and kidney problems and/or failure.

Symptoms of High Blood Pressure

In the earlier stages of HBP development, no symptoms may be present at all. However, there are reports of those who experience regular:

Nausea; Blurry vision; Headaches; Dizziness;

 

Of course, these symptoms can be representative of many ailments and are therefore difficult to discern as signs of HBP per say. If you are concerned about possibly having or developing high blood pressure, the best approach to take is to purchase a home testing device and check yourself regularly. It is important to realize that all of our blood pressure readings fluctuate many times throughout each day.

That is completely normal as there are various factors that change blood pressure. It takes a physician to actually diagnose high blood pressure and at which of the possible stages of development that it is in. In general, people are diagnosed with having high blood pressure if their blood pressure readings are found to be consistently high over a given time period through regular professional testing.

High Blood Pressure Diet

The best method for combating high blood pressure readings and regulating them is to initiate a high blood pressure diet into your everyday lifestyle. It’s actually quite straightforward. The HBP diet is comprised of foods that are low in sodium, low in fats, low in simple sugars (monosaccharides), high in calcium, high in potassium and also high in quality proteins, fiber and magnesium. In other words, you need to eat a lot of plants – vegetables, legumes and fruits.

In addition, you need to keep away from foods that are processed. These are commonly overloaded with sodium, preservatives and are other nutritionally-void and detrimental substances. Here are the foods that you should concentrate on – in order of importance:

Water; Vegetables; Fruits; Legumes; Grain foods; Unsalted nuts; Non-fat dairy products; Fish; Poultry;

 

You should avoid the following foods to maintain normal blood pressure readings:

High-sodium foods; High-cholesterol foods; High-saturated/Trans fats foods; Red meats; Excessive alcohol; Fast, fried, processed, microwave and bleached foods;

 

In addition to a sensible high blood pressure diet, you should also begin to exercise for about half an hour every single day. Living healthily by eating properly and exercising daily is your right – and it is a blessing to yourself and to those around you. Take the time to manage your stress as well. Meditation, Yoga, Pilates, breathing exercises (pranayama) and simply intending to remain positive in all situations makes you thrive through life and remain vibrantly happy.

High blood pressure symptoms are manageable and almost always able to reversed. Just love yourself by eating right and staying active. The results will begin to show almost immediately!



Melissa

Adam Douglas asked:


Over 80 percent of patients who suffer from high blood pressure do not necessarily know that their blood pressure is high as the symptoms are often confused with the more general headaches, the lack of fitness or the common cold. Over the years, high blood pressure has been known as the “silent killer” because the causes of high blood pressure are hard to pinpoint and trace. Millions of people are completely oblivious to the fact that they have been having high blood pressure for years and just leave it undetected and untreated. When this condition continues, it could cause severe damage to your internal vital organs, slowly leading to a fatal condition by which time it is too late to take any meaningful treatment. Therefore, it cannot be stressed enough the importance of having an annual medical check up to ensure your blood pressure is within a healthy range.

There is a correlation between high blood pressure and heart attacks, as well as a stroke. When the high blood pressure is left untreated, the risk of a heart attack or a stroke is significantly increased. As more research is done on identifying the causes of high blood pressure, one of the latest theories is based around the fact that it is the brain, not necessarily your heart that is causing the high blood pressure. Intrigued? In 2007, a team of British scientists discovered that a defect in a protein located in the brain of lab rats caused the area of the brain that is responsible for regulating blood pressure in the body to be blocked. This caused an elevated blood pressure in the lab rats. While we cannot discount the possibility that certain conditions or defects of the heart could contribute to increased blood pressure, it is interesting to see the latest scientific analysis that purport to show the brain could also cause blood pressure to rise.

Believe it or not bearing a child during pregnancy can also cause high blood pressure. This is one of the more known causes of high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. It has been proven in scientific studies that link pregnancy to the development of hypertension in about 1 out of every 10 pregnant ladies. Left unnoticed and untreated it could have devastating effects on the pregnancy and could also cause potential complications for the expecting mother. It is therefore very important to seek immediate medical attention from the doctor to deal with this hypertension of pregnancy. Unfortunately doctors are not able to prevent the unavoidable high blood pressure that a child can cause after they are born.

Another commonly known cause of high blood pressure is the dilating or narrowing of arteries surrounding your heart that can significantly affect a person’s blood pressure. These conditions will need to be further tested to determine the exact problem and it is not uncommon this will result in surgery to correct the condition. Whatever the circumstances, it is vital that you treat high blood pressure very seriously and give it the attention it requires to avoid causing more damage to other internal organs.



Diane