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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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