Cure Your Hypertension Today

Wednesday, November 28th, 2007

Renovascular Hypertension

Renovascular hypertension is another form of high blood pressure, which is usually caused by some type of narrowing in the renal artery.

While we know that primary hypertension affects millions of people worldwide, and accounts for over 90% of all hypertension cases.  It is of great help to a doctor to know if there is another disease present, which can be contributing to the elevated blood pressure levels.  A range of tests are usually prescribed to see if this is in fact the case and if so, this is known as secondary hypertension.

The most common form of secondary hypertension is known as renal hypertension.  It is relatively rare as it affects no more than 1% of all adults who have primary attention.

There are two known forms of renovascular hypertension.

Atherosclerotic renovascular hypertension is when plaque is deposited along the renal artery.  These deposits build up in time and narrow the archery, which in turn affects the blood flow.  This type of renovascular hypertension is most common in men over the age of 45.Atherosclerotic renovascular hypertension accounts for two thirds of patients who have renovascular hypertension.  In the majority of patients this hypertension affects the renal arteries leading to both kidneys.

Renovascular hypertension can also be caused by fibromuscular dysplasia.  This however occurs mostly in woman under the age of 45.  Patients who suffer from fibromuscular dysplasia suffer the same fate with the arteries constricting to reduce blood flow, however instead of plaque being the culprit, cells from the artery walls in this case over grow, which causes the narrowing of the arteries.

Renovascular hypertension is an age-related problem, lifestyle, genetics and environment can all lead to hypertension.  Obesity, high salt diets, stress and smoking can all increase the chance that you will develop either a case of primary hypertension or renovascular hypertension.

Renovascular hypertension is usually diagnosed when hypertension develops all of a sudden, and people who are under the age of Verity or over the age of 55 years.  At this time there is no definitive diagnosis for renovascular hypertension.  There are however the tests that you can take to help diagnose renovascular hypertension, but these tend to be expensive, and have a certain risk factor involved.

Wednesday, November 21st, 2007

Hypertension Exercise

hypertension exercise

Hypertension exercise is something that you should do on a regular basis.  It is a sad fact that there are nearly 50 million Americans who have a resting blood pressure which is considered to be so high that it is a danger to their health.

Hypertension is known as the silent killer, simply because there are no obvious symptoms that can be readily diagnosed.  Hypertension itself is a very serious condition.  If left untreated, the chance of artery disease increases rapidly, as does the chance of a stroke.  In fact the chance of having either one of these conditions, increases by three to sevenfold.

A person’s normal blood pressure should be around 12/80 mmHG.  The first number represents the systolic pressure, which is the pressure against artery walls when the heart contracts, and the second number as the diastolic pressure, which is the pressure against the artery walls between heartbeats.

Recent research indicates that regular hypertension exercise is very beneficial to lowering one’s blood pressure.  The exertion for any type of hypertension exercise should be low to moderate intensity.

When beginning any type of hypertension exercise regimen one should always consult with their doctor or health professional before beginning.  It is important to realize that it is the consistent effort over a prolonged period of time which will give you the most health benefit.  Do not try and conquer the earth in one day, let your body slowly adjust to the new hypertension exercise programme.

Exercises such as swimming, cycling, walking and any other low impact hypertension exercise should be the core of your program.  Any type of hypertension exercise that can cause rapid fluctuations in your blood pressure should be avoided.

As you notice your aerobic conditioning improving, start to introduce low resistance high repetition weight training to your hypertension exercise programme.  When ever you are training with weights, make sure that you don’t hold your breath as this can quickly elevate your blood pressure.

Any hypertension exercise programme should be maintained ideally five to six times a week for a period of at least 30 minutes a day.

If you follow a hypertension exercise programme like this, then without doubt your blood pressure will slowly come down.  In addition, not only will your blood pressure come down, but you will start to feel healthier, you will have more energy, and you will even start to physically look better.

Hypertension exercise is the key to lowering that blood pressure.

Monday, November 5th, 2007

Chocolate and Hypertension

At last, a good excuse for eating chocolate.

A new study has concluded that eating dark chocolate may in fact help reduce hypertension.
November’s issue of the Mayo Clinic health letter suggests a recent German study found that by eating a small amount of dark chocolate every day, as has the positive effect of reducing your systolic (top).  Blood pressure level by almost 3 mm.  In addition, and found that also affected the diastolic (bottom) blood pressure level by about 2 mm.

Dark chocolate is rich in flavonoids.  Flavonoids are thought to be rich and antioxidants which can help improve the function of the body’s blood vessels.

A study, published in the July 4, 2007 edition of the Journal of the American medical Association, took 44 adults, who had high blood pressure and assign them to eat 6 g of either white chocolate or dark chocolate every day for 18 weeks.  The group that ate the white chocolate saw no change in their blood pressure levels.

While the study yet again suggests that chocolate can be beneficial to one’s blood pressure, Mayo Clinic doctors stressed that there is not enough evidence to recommend eating, dark chocolate as a proven remedy for high blood pressure or hypertension.

Dark chocolate

Tuesday, October 30th, 2007

Hypertension Cure

Is a hypertension Cure and available thanks to technology?  Apparently so.  There is now a new cell phone size implant that one can use to keep their blood pressure at acceptable levels.  This implant is placed within the chest, much like a traditional pacemaker.  In fact, it works similar to a pacemaker by controlling how often the heartbeats.  The little device works by detecting when there is a rise in blood pressure, if it senses this, it will send an electrical signal to the brain via the carotid arteries in your neck.  This triggers the brain into action, and in turn, the brain will signal to the body for its own natural system to reduce blood pressure.

A hypertension Cure has long been sought after by the medical fraternity.  Millions of people worldwide are affected by hypertension.  Previously, only medication, diet and exercise were the tools that doctors could use to control it.  Now, thanks to technological advances a hypertension Cure has been found which can lower blood pressure, which in turn will keep people alive for longer.

Annette Lawrence was one of the first to undergo this procedure.  At the age of only 37, she constantly lived day in and day out with life threatening, high blood pressure.  In fact, her blood pressure was so bad that it was often up in the 200s.

The proper name for this new technology is the Rheos Baroreflex Hypertension System, and it is saving Annette Lawrence’s life.  Once the cell phone size implant is working correctly, it will constantly monitor your blood pressure.  Once it feels Annette’s blood pressure rising it will send a signal to the brain, which in turn, the brain will tell the body to decrease the heart rate, open its blood vessels, and to release more fluid from the body’s kidneys, essentially, triggering the bodies natural response to lowering blood pressure.

While it is some risk of implanting the system, it is relatively low.  Patients are simply placed under a general anesthetic, and then it takes two to three hours for the installation.  To date, there are no visible side-effects of having this implant.  However, this device is not everyone.  Patients must have tried alternate methods such as diet, exercise and medication before they will be considered for this.

Monday, October 29th, 2007

Naturally Lower Your Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is now at the stage were at is almost considered normal in American society.  The amount of people diagnosed with hypertension is increasing at a staggering rate.  This is often caused by the number of factors, with diet and lifestyle, being the main causes.  About a third of all Americans do not even know that they have hypertension simply because it is an insidious condition, with no direct pain being felt by the sufferer.  People with high blood pressure or hypertension are five times more likely to suffer strokes, three times more likely than the average person to suffer a heart attack, and two to three times more likely to experience fatal heart failure.

Latest research, however, has concluded that hypertension is not predetermined.  Choosing the right lifestyle and nutritional changes, taking the right minerals and vitamins and adopting a healthy dietary pattern are all things that will get you back on the right track to a normal blood pressure.  Even something as simple as losing weight and exercising can help prevent hypertension, and in fact, it can completely reverse it.

It may seem pretty obvious, but the most significant change and beneficial change that you can make to help your blood pressure is to exercise regularly.  Exercising strengthens and improves your muscles, and seeing how you will most important muscle in your body is your heart, this can only help your heart to pump blood throughout your body more efficiently.

A heart attack occurs when the heart does not receive enough blood supply, which contains the oxygen for it to function properly, and so it begins to die (myocardial infarction).

This is why exercise is so important, as it can help stimulate and regenerate damaged parts of the heart.  Research has concluded that moderate exercise at regular intervals (several times a week) is much more effective in building up these oxygen pathways to your heart, then exercising vigorously.

Hypertension isn’t really the disease on its own, it’s more a symptom of things that are not functioning properly within your body.  There are a number of other factors which can contribute to this, such as obesity, hereditary, and of course lack of exercise.

However, just because one thinks they are suffering from hypertension, this does not mean that one should launch themselves into a vigorous exercise programme without first consulting a doctor.  Here are some tips to help you out:

1. Before beginning any exercise programme, consult with your doctor to see if it is okay.

2. Take it slow and easy.  Rome was not built in a day, and your blood pressure is not going to be lowered in a day.  Gently ease yourself into any exercise programme, this will avoid your body from going into shock from the sudden onslaught of exercise.  If you ease into it your body can slowly adapt to it.

3. Know your limit.  No pain, no gain.  An adage that you should not listen to.  Your body lets you know about pain for a reason, if you feel an excessive amount, then stop and rest.

4. Exercise often.  You should aim to exercise a minimum of three times a week and you should look to exercise a maximum of five times a week.

If you are willing to adjust your dietary habits, and are willing to begin an exercise regimen, then lowering your blood pressure should be very easy.  Fruit and vegetables, minimal salt and exercise are all you need to beat that hypertension.

Monday, October 29th, 2007

Hypertension Treatment

Hypertension is otherwise known as high blood pressure, it is very dangerous because it can lead to other more serious problems such as: heart failure, heart attacks, strokes, and even kidney disease.  The aim of hypertension treatment is to lower ones, high blood pressure so we can protect important organs in our body , like the brain, kidneys and heart from damage.  Amazingly, treatment for hypertension has reduced the amount of strokes that occur (reduced on average, 35% to 40%), heart failure (50%) and heart attacks (around 20% to 25%), this according to available research.

If your blood pressure reading is more than 120/80, then you should really consider making lifestyle changes, namely diet and exercise.  A critical step in lowering your blood pressure is your lifestyle.  You should consider: losing weight, if you are carrying excess weight or are obese, quit smoking if you do smoke, eating a balanced diet, which consists of more fruits and vegetables and less fatty compounds, reducing the amount of sodium (salt) to less than 1 teaspoon a day, getting regular exercise (taking a walk for at least 30 minutes a day), limiting your alcohol intake to around two drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women.

There are several types of drugs that we can use for hypertension treatment, these can include:

beta-blockers
diuretics
calcium channel blockers.
receptor blockers
ace inhibitors.

Diuretics are usually the first port of call for hypertension treatment.  If you find this treatment doesn’t agree with you then consult with your doctor as there are other types of diuretics available.

There are cases, however, where your doctor may start you on an ace inhibitor, instead of a diuretic, especially if you have diabetes.

If the doctor finds that your blood pressure is more than 20/10 over what it should be, then your doctor may consider starting you on two drugs instead of one.

After you have taken a course of antihypertensive medications, then you should consult with your doctor at least once a month so he can take regular readings of your blood pressure.  This way, they can diagnose if the medication is being effective or not and whether an alternative form of action is warranted.

After you have reached your blood pressure goal, then you should plan to see your doctor every three to six months.  If you have add hypertension for an extended period of time, then there could be other underlying problems (due to the high blood pressure), which you should also check out.  Make sure you are open and honest with your doctor at all times, and if you are not happy with your hypertension treatment, then tell your doctor this as there are other drugs available and also other hypertension treatments available.

Monday, October 29th, 2007

Portal Hypertension

Portal hypertension is another form of the commonly known hypertension.  This is caused when there is an increase in blood pressure within the system of veins called for portal venous system.  In a normal situation, the veins would come from the spleen, intestine, pancreas and stomach and merge into the portal vein, which in turn, then branches out to smaller vessels and travels through one of your main organs, the liver.  If however, these blood vessels in the liver are blocked, it can make it hard for your blood to flow.  Thus causing high blood pressure in the portal system.

If the pressure becomes too high, it can cause the blood to back up and find other ways to flow back into the heart, from here, it is pumped into the lungs, where waste products are excreted and oxygen is picked up.  If the liver is blocked, the blood can travel via the veins in the oesophagus, the veins of your anus and rectum, and even through the skin of your abdomen.

One of the most common causes of portal hypertension as cirrhosis.  Cirrhosis can result from scarring of the liver, which may have been caused by alcohol abuse, hepatitis or another form of liver injury.

Other known causes of portal hypertension are blood clots in the portal vein, as well as blockages that carry the blood from the liver to your heart.

Symptoms of portal hypertension are somewhat vague.  However, it is known that if you have liver disease, which leads to cirrhosis.  Then you have a very high chance of developing a case of portal hypertension.

Some of the main symptoms that you may experience if you have portal hypertension include:

Gastrointestinal bleeding (black faeces caused by blood haemorrhaging).
ascites (causes an accumulation of fluid in your abdomen)
confusion and forgetfulness, caused by decreased liver function.
Unfortunately, the majority of cases of people with portal hypertension, cannot, in fact be treated.  Instead, treatment is centred on managing and preventing any further complications, especially bleeding.  Surgery, diet, endoscopic therapy and medication can all play a role in the treatment of the prevention of any complications.  Other forms of treatment may be prescribed, depending on the severity of the symptoms, and how well you another is actually functioning.

Keeping a well-balanced diet and regular exercise can help to aid your liver function.  However, there are some things that you can to to help you liver even more.

1.  Refrain from using any alcohol or recreational drugs.
2. Do not take any prescribed medication without talking to your doctor first, as some of these medications may in fact, make your liver condition worse.
3. Reduce your sodium intake (salt).  Your doctor or nurse may tell you to reduce your intake to no more than 2 g of salt per day.  At this stage, when you are considering altering your diet, you may opt to consult with the dietician.

Monday, October 29th, 2007

Hypertension Symptoms

You should have your blood pressure checked every time you make an appointment with your doctor.  If you do not visit your doctor on a regular basis, then you should go down to your local health clinic and ask them to take your blood pressure.  If that is not an option, then you can purchase devices that will check your blood pressure at the push of a button.  Having high blood pressure and being unaware of it can have serious consequences, like heart attacks or strokes.  Luckily, there are a few hypertension symptoms that we can keep an eye out for if we can’t have regular blood pressure tests.
If you find you are getting regular headaches for no apparent reason, or if you find that your eyesight is becoming somewhat blurry, then these can be some other more common signs associated with high blood pressure.  High blood pressure has been known to be the cause of blockages in your veins and arteries around your body.  These blockages are usually built up fatty deposits, which cause the heart to work harder than it has to, to get blood around the body.  This is why you end up with the headaches and blurred vision.

If you are having headaches and blurred vision, you should immediately make an appointment to see your doctor.  He will give you an all over checkup, and most importantly take your blood pressure.  If your blood pressure is too high, a doctor may prescribe you a course of hypertension medication.  This medication is made to help you remove the fatty blockages that are in your veins and arteries, in addition, it will also aid in slowing down your heart rate.  Hopefully this will help reduce your blood pressure levels to a more reasonable rate.

Aside from the medication, your physician will most likely ask you what type of lifestyle you are leading.  They may ask whether or not, you drink alcohol, and if so how much and how often.  They will ask if you smoke or not, and most importantly, whether or not you participate in regular exercise.  Now it is in your best interest to make sure that you answer your doctor honestly, if you lie about things that you do and do not, and then it is only going to hurt you in the long run.  Once your doctor there has the answers to his questions, then he can begin to come up with an appropriate plan of action to reduce your blood pressure.

So make sure you are proactive about your house, look out for hypertension symptoms and monitor your blood pressure, on a regular occasion.  This will help keep the risk of you having a stroke or a heart attack to a minimum.

Monday, October 29th, 2007

Hypertension Medication

Many people suffer from high blood pressure or hypertension, and for one reason or another, they may have to be put on hypertension medication.  There are various different types of medication that one can use, but as with a lot of today’s treatments there are certain side-effects.  This may not be the case with all prescribed medication, but in some cases, there will be.

One thing that you should look out for, if you’re prescribed a hypertension medication is an antihypertensive agent.  These will be the medication is, that will result in the most side-effects.  However, these do seem to be an effective type of medication to lower your blood pressure.  So you may have no choice in the matter.

Some of the side-effects of hypertensive medication can include the person becoming depressed and showing obvious behavior changes.  It is important to make sure that you take your medication at the prescribed dosage, and that you don’t miss any doses.  These instructions however, will be clearly printed on your bottle or box, when you take possession of it.

Beta blockers are now becoming quite a popular form of hypertension medication, essentially, these cause your heart rate to slow down, which in turn helps to lower your blood pressure.  It goes without saying that there should only be used when your doctor as prescribed in.  You may have heard of beta-blockers being used illegally in certain sports such as professional darts, professional snooker and golf.  These beta-blockers don’t tend to have very many side-effects, and so are quite popular with those that suffer high blood pressure.  However, some of the side-effects may include: poor circulation, dry mouth, eyes and skin and fatigue.

Alpha blockers are also used in the treatment of hypertension.  Alpha blockers help relax muscles, which in turn keeps your blood pressure down.  However, as with the beta-blockers.  There are side-effects with the Alpha blockers.  These can include: the raising of your bad cholesterol, a seemingly pounding heartbeat, fatigue, weight gain, nausea and migrates.

Vasodilators are generally thought of as a last-resort medication as they are known to have serious side-effects.  The side-effects can include: vomiting, nausea, headaches, flushing, dizziness, heart palpitations, fluid retention, rapid heartbeat, chest pain, and last but not least, excessive here growth (as if hypertension isn’t enough to worry about!).

Obviously, medication should only be thought of as a last resort.  If you eat healthily and exercise regularly, then the chances of you having high blood pressure or hypertension is greatly reduced.  If you do find yourself with high blood pressure or hypertension, and you don’t want to take these hypertension medications then, I seriously suggest that you do, change your lifestyle habits.  Or else you will have no other option but to take these hypertension medications.

Monday, October 29th, 2007

Controlling High Blood Pressure

It is very important to your overall health that you do all that you can to control, high blood pressure.  Your chances of having a heart attack or stroke are greatly increased if you have an elevated blood pressure reading.  The main cause of high blood pressure is when there are in excess of cholesterol or fatty deposits in your arteries and veins.  This means that your heart has to work harder to be able to pump the amount of blood that your body needs to function properly.

Here are they few simple tips to help you lower that blood pressure.

1. Eat dark chocolate

According to the Journal of the American Heart Association, eating a small amount of dark chocolate is beneficial to the body as it can help dilate blood vessels and lower blood pressure.  Research has found that dark chocolate is full of antioxidant rich compound is known as flavonoids. One thing that you would love, if you’re a lover of chocolate is that dark chocolate contains more flavonoids than any other food; this includes green tea, blueberries, and even red wine.  While a little is good, our lot is not, simply because it contains a lot of high calories.
2. Potassium: a mineral Mecca

Potassium is important because it maintains that electrolyte balance in our body, which regulates heart and muscle contraction.  A recent study conducted at Duke University, showed that a daily intake of a potassium supplement can reduce high blood pressure significantly.  Aside from supplements, is recommended that you try it shall potassium from natural foods.  Food such as watermelon, sardines, raisins, oranges, carrots, cantaloupes, beets and bananas are all high and potassium.
3. Water: mother Nature’s milk

One sure way to raise your blood pressure is to dehydrate your body.  Dehydration is one of the fastest ways that you can raise your blood pressure.  Water is one of the most quick and effective ways to law blood pressure.  A good water intake will balance fluid, both inside and outside your cells. You should make drinking adequate amounts of the water, a daily habit.  Not only will it help law blood pressure but it will improve a lot of your other body functions.  You will start to feel more alert and vibrant; your skin will start to glow as your body thanks you for looking after it.

4. Take big breathes

Research tends to indicate that slowly breathing may help lower your blood pressure, even if this is only done a few minutes a day.  You can try this simply by; taking a slow deep breath, expand the diaphragm, then the abdomen, and then exhale slowly making sure you empty all the year from your lungs.  Your goal is to develop a slow steady rhythmic cycle, which is about 10 breaths a minute. You may at first find this difficult, but like anything else, the more you do it , the easier it is.
So try a few of these tips to see if they can help you control your blood pressure a bit better.  Like anything else, you have to step to the routine for it to show any benefit.