High blood pressure is also known as hypertension. Blood pressure rises and falls throughout the day. A good starting point for normal blood pressure is 120/80 mmHg. The first number represents the systolic pressure. This is the maximum pressure in your arteries that is created during the contraction of the left ventricle. The second number represents the diastolic blood pressure. The diastolic pressure is the measurement of the pressure in the arteries when the heart relaxes. When blood pressure keeps high (more than 140/90 mmHg) you are definitely having high blood pressure. With high blood pressure, the heart works harder, your arteries take a beating, and your chances of a stroke, heart attack, and kidney problems are greater.
You may not have any symptoms of high blood pressure that is why it is called the silent killer. Some symptom you can watch out for are the following. Ringing in your ears. Present head aches. Pain in your chest, abdominal area or lower back. Excessive fluid retention. Heart palpation or irregular heart beat at rest.
There are three main diseases caused by high blood pressure. They are each life threatening and they may or may not have any symptoms other than you having high blood pressure. Many drug stores and grocery stories have blood pressure monitoring machines available to the general public for free. You should check you blood pressure every time you have you see one of these machines.
It is necessary to note that high blood pressure is inseparably connected with some other diseases and conditions, among which are: aneurysm, kidney damage, coronary heart disease, and some others.
Aneurysm
High blood pressure will create a lot of strain on your heart and arteries. Over time the walls of the arteries will weaken and an aneurysm will result. The arteries of the human body have three layers. Then the tough outer layer of connective tissue splits and allows the two inner layers of the blood vessel balloon or bulge out an aneurysm is formed. Its like a tire of an automobile that has split allowing the inner tube to balloon outside of the protective outer tire. If the high blood pressure is allow to continue it is only a mater of time before the aneurysm explodes.
Kidney Damage
Your kidneys are responsible for filtering the waste products from the blood stream that passes through them and to remove excess fluid. High blood pressure can damage the kidneys causing them to become less efficient. When the kidneys stop removing excessive fluid from the blood stream the heart will have to work harder, which in turn will cause even higher blood pressure. It is very important to break this vicious cycle as soon as possible. When a complete shutdown of the functions of the kidney or renal failure occurs, you will need to have kidney dialysis or a kidney transplant in order to survive.
Coronary Heart Disease
The same plaque that blocks arteries to the brain can clog arteries that feed the heart causing coronary heart disease. All cells need oxygen from the bloodstream to survive, so reducing the amount of blood to the heart muscle can severely weaken or damage the heart muscle. If a blood clot blocks one of these coronary arteries of the heart, a heart attack can occur. If the blood is blocked for an extended time some of the cells of the heart will die. When too many of the cells of the heart die the heart can not pump oxygenated blood throughout the body very well and this can lead to other problems with the other organs of the human body and even death.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Lowering Cholesterol Level with a Diet
Recent results from a small clinical trial raised confusing questions about the value of several widely used cholesterol medicines such as Zetia and its sister drug, Vytorin. The future of these drugs now depend on three large clinical trials that may show conclusively if the drugs reduce heart attacks and strokes. Currently underway, these trials are not expected to be completed until 2011. Yet, according to nutrition experts, diet still remains key to lowering cholesterol levels.
“There are two root causes of high cholesterol—heredity and diet,” says Dr. Richard M. Goldfarb, a medical director of the Bucks County Clinical Research Center who is working with eFoodSafety.com, an Arizona-based biotech company developing nutraceutical and whole food products. “Millions of Americans have dangerously elevated levels of LDL, or ‘bad’ cholesterol, due primarily to unhealthy diets and lack of exercise. While patients cannot control their genetics, they can certainly make choices about their diets.”
The American Heart Association recommends that the average person has no more than 300 milligrams per day of cholesterol; for individuals with a history of heart disease, the AHA recommends less than 200 milligrams. “If patients still have elevated LDL cholesterol levels after adjusting their diet,” says Dr. Goldfarb, “one suggestion is trying all-natural whole food products.”
According to Dr. Goldfarb, important elements to look for when choosing dietary supplements include checking for natural ingredients with no fillers or artificial additives. He also suggests checking for high customer satisfaction ratings online, looking for negative side effects, and researching whether the item was produced at an FDA-approved manufacturing facility.
One option, Cinnechol™, an all-natural nutritional supplement, is designed to promote normal total and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels without adverse side effects. The supplement also aims to promote normal triglyceride levels and support overall circulatory health. The ingredients in Cinnechol have also been shown to naturally improve levels of HDL, or “good” cholesterol, by working synergistically to decrease the viscosity, or thickness of the blood, allowing for better circulation, and assist in fighting inflammation which is vital to the health of the heart and blood vessels.
“The controversy surrounding certain cholesterol medications should only encourage individuals to examine their nutritional habits more closely and work to lower cholesterol levels the old-fashioned way, via healthy eating,” says Dr. Goldfarb.
Taken from: http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080226005058&newsLang=en
“There are two root causes of high cholesterol—heredity and diet,” says Dr. Richard M. Goldfarb, a medical director of the Bucks County Clinical Research Center who is working with eFoodSafety.com, an Arizona-based biotech company developing nutraceutical and whole food products. “Millions of Americans have dangerously elevated levels of LDL, or ‘bad’ cholesterol, due primarily to unhealthy diets and lack of exercise. While patients cannot control their genetics, they can certainly make choices about their diets.”
The American Heart Association recommends that the average person has no more than 300 milligrams per day of cholesterol; for individuals with a history of heart disease, the AHA recommends less than 200 milligrams. “If patients still have elevated LDL cholesterol levels after adjusting their diet,” says Dr. Goldfarb, “one suggestion is trying all-natural whole food products.”
According to Dr. Goldfarb, important elements to look for when choosing dietary supplements include checking for natural ingredients with no fillers or artificial additives. He also suggests checking for high customer satisfaction ratings online, looking for negative side effects, and researching whether the item was produced at an FDA-approved manufacturing facility.
One option, Cinnechol™, an all-natural nutritional supplement, is designed to promote normal total and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels without adverse side effects. The supplement also aims to promote normal triglyceride levels and support overall circulatory health. The ingredients in Cinnechol have also been shown to naturally improve levels of HDL, or “good” cholesterol, by working synergistically to decrease the viscosity, or thickness of the blood, allowing for better circulation, and assist in fighting inflammation which is vital to the health of the heart and blood vessels.
“The controversy surrounding certain cholesterol medications should only encourage individuals to examine their nutritional habits more closely and work to lower cholesterol levels the old-fashioned way, via healthy eating,” says Dr. Goldfarb.
Taken from: http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080226005058&newsLang=en
Monday, February 18, 2008
Essential Facts about Hypertension
Have you ever felt your heart to be pumping so hard especially when you are at the height of extreme emotions like anger or happiness? Have you ever felt a sudden rush of blood when you are nervous or excited? Are these conditions related to hypertension?
What is Hypertension?
Commonly referred to as high blood pressure, hypertension is a medical condition characterized by the elevation of blood pressure. There are different kinds of hypertension but the most common is the arterial hypertension. This condition could also be classified into two - essential and secondary.
Essential hypertension refers to the condition when there is no specific medical cause that could explain the occurrence. On the other hand, secondary hypertension is caused by secondary conditions like kidney malfunctions or adrenal tumors. When not treated immediately, this condition could become persistent and could cause a lot of other ailments especially those that concern the heart. It has known to be the common risk strokes, heart attacks, heart failure and arterial aneurysm. It is also said to be the leading cause of chronic renal failure. As an effect of hypertension, a person who frequently suffers such is known to have lesser life expectancy.
Though medicine poses specific ranges of blood pressure that are considered to be at the level of hypertension, the condition is still relative to a person. Sometimes, hypertension is dependent on how a patient can sustain certain blood pressures. When the blood pressure rises 50 percent above what is known to be the normal to a person, it already calls for a treatment.
Signs and Symptoms of Hypertension
Hypertension is only determined through a blood pressure measurement equipment and reads the systolic and diastolic of the blood. There is actually no identified sign of hypertension; rather, it varies from one person to another. Some people report to have experienced headaches, fatigue, dizziness, blurring of vision and facial flushing.
One of the misconceptions of hypertension is its association with stress, mental tension and anxiety. These conditions may affect the flow of the blood but those could not alone cause the imbalance condition of the blood flow. However, accelerated hypertension is closely associated with somnolence, confusion, visual disturbances, nausea and vomiting.
Being in a hypertension condition is not permanent; and it could not be severe enough to cause symptoms. Symptoms only surface when signs of end-organ damage are determined or are possible; otherwise, the condition is still considered accelerated hypertension. Malignant hypertension, on the other hand, is caused by increased intracranial pressure. These could be diagnosed through retinal examination.
Another misconception is that hypertension is known to be only experienced with people in old age. However, this condition could also occur in children and teenagers. Obesity in children is known to be a factor of developing the occurrence of such phenomenon. The detection and intervention in childhood hypertension could be determined though early evidence of the development of atherosclerosis. Aside from that, temperature could also affect the condition in children especially that they are in the height of an active lifestyle.
Complications of Hypertension
Hypertension , as mentioned earlier, could cause a lot of complications. Alone, it is not considered as illness since it is temporary. However, this condition increases the risk in developing other health conditions. Complications include cerebrovascular accidents or strokes, heart attack, heart failure, damage to the retina of the eye and renal failure.
Republished from: http://www.article-buzz.com/Article/Hypertension---Symptoms--Complications-of-this-Silent-Killer/117668
What is Hypertension?
Commonly referred to as high blood pressure, hypertension is a medical condition characterized by the elevation of blood pressure. There are different kinds of hypertension but the most common is the arterial hypertension. This condition could also be classified into two - essential and secondary.
Essential hypertension refers to the condition when there is no specific medical cause that could explain the occurrence. On the other hand, secondary hypertension is caused by secondary conditions like kidney malfunctions or adrenal tumors. When not treated immediately, this condition could become persistent and could cause a lot of other ailments especially those that concern the heart. It has known to be the common risk strokes, heart attacks, heart failure and arterial aneurysm. It is also said to be the leading cause of chronic renal failure. As an effect of hypertension, a person who frequently suffers such is known to have lesser life expectancy.
Though medicine poses specific ranges of blood pressure that are considered to be at the level of hypertension, the condition is still relative to a person. Sometimes, hypertension is dependent on how a patient can sustain certain blood pressures. When the blood pressure rises 50 percent above what is known to be the normal to a person, it already calls for a treatment.
Signs and Symptoms of Hypertension
Hypertension is only determined through a blood pressure measurement equipment and reads the systolic and diastolic of the blood. There is actually no identified sign of hypertension; rather, it varies from one person to another. Some people report to have experienced headaches, fatigue, dizziness, blurring of vision and facial flushing.
One of the misconceptions of hypertension is its association with stress, mental tension and anxiety. These conditions may affect the flow of the blood but those could not alone cause the imbalance condition of the blood flow. However, accelerated hypertension is closely associated with somnolence, confusion, visual disturbances, nausea and vomiting.
Being in a hypertension condition is not permanent; and it could not be severe enough to cause symptoms. Symptoms only surface when signs of end-organ damage are determined or are possible; otherwise, the condition is still considered accelerated hypertension. Malignant hypertension, on the other hand, is caused by increased intracranial pressure. These could be diagnosed through retinal examination.
Another misconception is that hypertension is known to be only experienced with people in old age. However, this condition could also occur in children and teenagers. Obesity in children is known to be a factor of developing the occurrence of such phenomenon. The detection and intervention in childhood hypertension could be determined though early evidence of the development of atherosclerosis. Aside from that, temperature could also affect the condition in children especially that they are in the height of an active lifestyle.
Complications of Hypertension
Hypertension , as mentioned earlier, could cause a lot of complications. Alone, it is not considered as illness since it is temporary. However, this condition increases the risk in developing other health conditions. Complications include cerebrovascular accidents or strokes, heart attack, heart failure, damage to the retina of the eye and renal failure.
Republished from: http://www.article-buzz.com/Article/Hypertension---Symptoms--Complications-of-this-Silent-Killer/117668
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Three Underlying Causes of Hypertension
Today, I beg you to let go of prejudgments and propaganda produced by the traditional health business and apply your common sense. That's the one thing that never lies.
Why do I ask you to do that?
There is a lot of propaganda going on in the health business. After all, it is a business. And what do they want you to believe?
They try to convince you, the only effective method to deal with hypertension is using prescription drugs. Other things, like exercising and changing diet, may be dealt with in a paragraph or two. But the main focus is on the important of medications.
And like it wasn't enough to be put on medication. They also claim, you'll have to be on these medication ( and suffer all the side effects) for the rest of your life.
And what do they claim to be the cause for hypertension?
No1 ... They don't know
No2 ... Genetics
No3 ... Other illnesses
And one more time, the treatment...
DRUGS, DRUGS, and again DRUGS!
As you see, even if the medical business admits that they don't know the cause for hypertension most of the time, they refuse to even discus any other treatment than medications.
But if you apply your common sense, you'll see in a second what really causes high blood pressure.
Here it comes... You've probably often experienced your blood pressure ski-rock. And I bet you, whatever you were dealing with at that time was very stressful. Wasn't it?
Your body is actually doing exactly what it should be doing when it raises your blood pressure. In a stressful situation, your body goes into so called flight or fight mood.
This is an essential mechanism to deal with dangerous situation. This is the mechanism our forefathers depended on to run away from or fight predators. When you go into the flight or fight mood, your blood pressure rises and your muscles get tense.
It isn't your body that's dysfunctional, it's the world we live in. We're faced with stressful situations, even life threatening situations, every day. In the big cities, surrounded by people we don't know. They may be murderers for all we know. Our being is threatened.
We have the internal pressure of reaching "a life standard". And the dread of not being able to fulfill it. Money dread is probably the biggest stress factor in the modern world and most likely kills more people than any other thing.
This is only an example. Anything you're stressed about will roar your blood pressure. And most people have these nagging, worrying thoughts all day and all night.
So what can you do? There is very limited chance to drastically change the world. But you can take a few minutes brake!
And it's actually quite easy. Giving your mind a few minutes focused brake is all it needs to recover. Your blood pressure drops drastically during these few minutes and stays down for a long time afterwards. You'll feel relax and happy.
The best part is how quickly this works. Even people suffering from hyper high blood pressure are usually off medications and back to normal pressure within a week of working my exercises.
You can do the same.
Republished from: http://www.classicarticles.com/Article/What-Causes-High-Blood-Pressure----Really-/45548
Why do I ask you to do that?
There is a lot of propaganda going on in the health business. After all, it is a business. And what do they want you to believe?
They try to convince you, the only effective method to deal with hypertension is using prescription drugs. Other things, like exercising and changing diet, may be dealt with in a paragraph or two. But the main focus is on the important of medications.
And like it wasn't enough to be put on medication. They also claim, you'll have to be on these medication ( and suffer all the side effects) for the rest of your life.
And what do they claim to be the cause for hypertension?
No1 ... They don't know
No2 ... Genetics
No3 ... Other illnesses
And one more time, the treatment...
DRUGS, DRUGS, and again DRUGS!
As you see, even if the medical business admits that they don't know the cause for hypertension most of the time, they refuse to even discus any other treatment than medications.
But if you apply your common sense, you'll see in a second what really causes high blood pressure.
Here it comes... You've probably often experienced your blood pressure ski-rock. And I bet you, whatever you were dealing with at that time was very stressful. Wasn't it?
Your body is actually doing exactly what it should be doing when it raises your blood pressure. In a stressful situation, your body goes into so called flight or fight mood.
This is an essential mechanism to deal with dangerous situation. This is the mechanism our forefathers depended on to run away from or fight predators. When you go into the flight or fight mood, your blood pressure rises and your muscles get tense.
It isn't your body that's dysfunctional, it's the world we live in. We're faced with stressful situations, even life threatening situations, every day. In the big cities, surrounded by people we don't know. They may be murderers for all we know. Our being is threatened.
We have the internal pressure of reaching "a life standard". And the dread of not being able to fulfill it. Money dread is probably the biggest stress factor in the modern world and most likely kills more people than any other thing.
This is only an example. Anything you're stressed about will roar your blood pressure. And most people have these nagging, worrying thoughts all day and all night.
So what can you do? There is very limited chance to drastically change the world. But you can take a few minutes brake!
And it's actually quite easy. Giving your mind a few minutes focused brake is all it needs to recover. Your blood pressure drops drastically during these few minutes and stays down for a long time afterwards. You'll feel relax and happy.
The best part is how quickly this works. Even people suffering from hyper high blood pressure are usually off medications and back to normal pressure within a week of working my exercises.
You can do the same.
Republished from: http://www.classicarticles.com/Article/What-Causes-High-Blood-Pressure----Really-/45548
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Could Hypertension Simply Be "Thick" Blood?
Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? Well, that's what many renowned natural health practitioners refer high blood pressure to.
What causes hypertension or high blood pressure? Some people think it's being overweight, stress, salt and a host of other factors.
Here's another idea. Your blood becomes dirty. Normally, the dirt is filtered out by the liver. But eventually your liver gets dirty too. So your blood can't flow easily through the liver, and it gets blocked. Often medical doctors put patients on blood thinners to thin it out to work it through the liver.
But the problem is, that filter still has to filter. And if it's dirty, it can't do the job. So the course of wisdom would be to detox and strengthen the liver.
Conventional allopathic medicine assures us that there is no cure for hypertension--only control which must be continued for life. Often this control consists of daily medication which is in the form of strong chemical diuretics. These chemicals leach potassium out of the body at an astounding rate. The leached potassium is then replaced by the administration of inorganic caustic chemical potassium which does more harm than good. The kidneys can become overworked by the processing of these drugs.
Why not go to the cause of hypertension instead of merely treating symptoms? Naturally, we have been provided with herbs and foods that will totally provide for the proper chemical balance of potassium and sodium in the body, as well as stimulate sluggish livers.
In nature, the ratio of sodium to potassium is about 1 to 5. Man has altered this state by the ingestion of massive amounts of salt in the diet. We are able to assimilate about 20 grains (the small salt particles) a day into our human system. The average American man ingests about one teaspoon of salt a day. This comes in processed foods, such as cheese, processed meats, breads, snacks, etc., as well as additional salt from the old salt shaker.
Excess sodium can force its way into the spaces between the tissues constricting capillaries that are so small only one red blood cell may pass through them at a time. This phenomena shuts down blood and nutrient (including oxygen) supplies to various areas of the body. Unchelated sodium also has the ability to hold water in the tissues causing edema. Salt is also very hard on the small tubules in the kidneys and has an affinity for cholesterol--another substance which plugs up arterial plumbing.
Dr. John Christopher, N.D. would often recommend foods high in potassium to help in blood pressure regulation. Grape juice, potatoes, tomatoes, citrus fruits and green vegetables are only a few of such foods.
In other words, by combining lifestyle modifications with whole-food supplements designed to bring the body into homeostasis, you'll have a winning combination to balance the body's electrical construction.
Many monitor their hypertension with a sphygmomanometer and a stethescope. Today, that market produces easier monitoring devices. In any case, once you are in harmony with nature's cures and the electrical construct of both the universe and your body, you will not need external instruments to measure your health, which I'm sure you'll agree is a gift.
Reprinted from: http://fileblogs.com/Could-Hypertension-Simply-Be-Thick-Blood&article_7326
What causes hypertension or high blood pressure? Some people think it's being overweight, stress, salt and a host of other factors.
Here's another idea. Your blood becomes dirty. Normally, the dirt is filtered out by the liver. But eventually your liver gets dirty too. So your blood can't flow easily through the liver, and it gets blocked. Often medical doctors put patients on blood thinners to thin it out to work it through the liver.
But the problem is, that filter still has to filter. And if it's dirty, it can't do the job. So the course of wisdom would be to detox and strengthen the liver.
Conventional allopathic medicine assures us that there is no cure for hypertension--only control which must be continued for life. Often this control consists of daily medication which is in the form of strong chemical diuretics. These chemicals leach potassium out of the body at an astounding rate. The leached potassium is then replaced by the administration of inorganic caustic chemical potassium which does more harm than good. The kidneys can become overworked by the processing of these drugs.
Why not go to the cause of hypertension instead of merely treating symptoms? Naturally, we have been provided with herbs and foods that will totally provide for the proper chemical balance of potassium and sodium in the body, as well as stimulate sluggish livers.
In nature, the ratio of sodium to potassium is about 1 to 5. Man has altered this state by the ingestion of massive amounts of salt in the diet. We are able to assimilate about 20 grains (the small salt particles) a day into our human system. The average American man ingests about one teaspoon of salt a day. This comes in processed foods, such as cheese, processed meats, breads, snacks, etc., as well as additional salt from the old salt shaker.
Excess sodium can force its way into the spaces between the tissues constricting capillaries that are so small only one red blood cell may pass through them at a time. This phenomena shuts down blood and nutrient (including oxygen) supplies to various areas of the body. Unchelated sodium also has the ability to hold water in the tissues causing edema. Salt is also very hard on the small tubules in the kidneys and has an affinity for cholesterol--another substance which plugs up arterial plumbing.
Dr. John Christopher, N.D. would often recommend foods high in potassium to help in blood pressure regulation. Grape juice, potatoes, tomatoes, citrus fruits and green vegetables are only a few of such foods.
In other words, by combining lifestyle modifications with whole-food supplements designed to bring the body into homeostasis, you'll have a winning combination to balance the body's electrical construction.
Many monitor their hypertension with a sphygmomanometer and a stethescope. Today, that market produces easier monitoring devices. In any case, once you are in harmony with nature's cures and the electrical construct of both the universe and your body, you will not need external instruments to measure your health, which I'm sure you'll agree is a gift.
Reprinted from: http://fileblogs.com/Could-Hypertension-Simply-Be-Thick-Blood&article_7326
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