5/05/2009

Methods to Lower Blood Pressure Naturally

As you get older, your chances of getting hypertension increases. In order to offset this occurrence, you will want to change your lifestyle, and if possible, eliminate specific foods and add supplements to your diet that are designed to reduce your blood pressure.


By following a few simple steps and adding some new supplements that are designed to lower your blood pressure naturally and quickly.

If one wants to know how to lower blood pressure naturally, they must exercise. Not only is it beneficial for your blood pressure, but also your heart, and helps with stress and weight levels. If you commit 30 minutes of your day to moderate exercise, like walking, lower blood pressure will be right around the corner, literally.

First thing to do is to find out your weight, if you have the interest to reduce the blood pressure. When a person is obese it increases the blood pressure and this weight issue is there with most of us. New medicines have been introduced which would help reduce the blood pressure quickly and consuming supplements in your diet will be of great help.

If you can reduce the intake of sodium, it would help you in reducing the blood pressure. But it's not that easy to do it. It is obvious that a person would add salt to the food to improve the taste. Though it tastes, sodium is harmful for blood pressure. If not all at least it can be reduced to 1,500 mg per day. It would help you get the taste you wanted and also would help you reduce the blood pressure.

Another method of naturally lowering your blood pressure is to take personal time for yourself throughout your day. Hectic schedules and family needs make it seemingly impossible to stop and smell the roses. The truth is that it isn't impossible. In fact, it is an absolute necessity. Your hypertension and stress levels are symptoms of never stopping. Techniques such as tai chi and yoga are perfect for helping you unwind.

Natural supplements are an excellent way to combat hypertension. Hypertension is caused by the stiffening of arteries over time, which constricts blood flow. In addition to leading a healthy lifestyle, you can take supplements to help offset this age-related damage. Hypertension can also be triggered by stress, and while symptoms can be lessened through meditation and stress management, there are a number of supplements available to help.

Adding heart healthy supplements to your daily routine like L-arginine, Grape Seed Extract, Lycopene, and Pycnogenol which have all been proven to help. This is how to lower blood pressure naturally. Smoking, sweets, caffeine, sugar and stress - all of these contribute to an increase in hypertension.

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5/04/2009

Treat Hypertension by Acupuncture

Traditional Chinese Medicine has a plenty of methods to treat hypertension; acupuncture is one of them.The practice of hypertension treatment by acupuncture can be generally divided into two types: one is to treat the symptom of high blood pressure; and the other, to treat the patient as a whole.

To treat the symptom of high blood pressure is more simple: some acupuncturists know that when certain acupoints are stimulated with needles, the elevated blood pressure will descend, so they always puncture on these points as soon as a diagnosis of hypertension is made; To treat the patienta s a whole is much more complicated, it must be based on differentiation of syndromes. An acupuncturist, by analysing the clinical phenomena of the cases, such as the symptoms and signs, including the pulse conditions and the tongue appearances, determine the type and nature of the case, and then choose an appropriate method to treat it.Chinese doctors have found that hypertension has four main types of syndromes:

1.Syndrome characterised by clinical phenomena such as dizziness, headache, flushed face and eyes, bitter taste in the mouth, restlessness, red tongue with yellow coating, taut and vigorous pulse.

2.Syndrome characterised by clinical phenomena such as headache, dizziness, dry mouth, restlessness, hot feeling in the palms and soles, palpitation, tinnitus, amnesia, sleeplessness, taut, thin and rapid pulse.

3.Syndrome characterised by dry and uncomfortable feeling of the eyes, dizziness, weakness of waist and legs, tinninus, hot feeling in the palms and soles, sleeplessness, red and dry tongue with little coating, thin and taut pulse.

4.Syndrome characterised by dizziness, headache, tinnitus, palpitation, tiredness, weakness of the waiste and legs, pale tongue with white coating, taut and thin pulse.

In China, the acupoints chosen most commonly to treat hypertension are divided into two groups according to their functions:The first group: those used to reduce the excessive yang.The second group: those used to supplement the insufficiency of the vital energy of the body (yin and yang).
In clinical practice, if the case is an excessive liver-yang syndrome, the first group of acupoints is chosen. If the case is a Yin -insufficient yang -excessive syndrome, both groups of acupoints are chosen to supplement the insufficiency. If the case is a Yin insufficiency syndrome of the liver and kidney, then the second group of acupoints are chosen, and reinforcing manipulation is used.
All these mentioned above is based on syndrome differentiation. This is an important principle for the treatment of hypertension by acupuncture.if hypertension is treated under the guidance of this principle, the effects is much better.

The treatment of hypertension by acupuncture has some advantages: for example, its effect is mild, the patients will not feel discomfortable when the elevated blood pressure is lowered. Furthermore, no side effects will appear when a patient is treated for a long time.However, it should be seen that the anti -hypertensive effects of acupuncture are limited. Generally speaking, its effects are better when the case is in the first stage. For those in the second stage or in the third stage, the effects are sometimes not satisfactory. Furthermore, for some complications of hypertension, its effects are not very good yet.

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Chinese Treatment of Hypertension

Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are playing a very important role in the management of hypertension.


Based on the theory of traditional Chinese Medicine, the elevated blood pressure and symptoms are regarded as the superficial aspect of a deeper underlying health condition, so the treatment is not just to eliminate or alleviate the symptoms, but rather treat the underlying cause, and to have a prevention -oriented, holistic approach for hypertension patients. We believe that the partnership between the patient and practitioner is extremely important. Self management should always be emphasized along with the treatment, which includes:

Daily Tai-Chi and Qi-Gong exercises

Daily Meditation

Regular aerobic activity (55% to 70 % of maximal heart rate) for 30 minutes and light resistance training (20-30 repetition per set) at least 3-4 times a week.

Eating more fresh fruits, vegetables, and foods high in fiber. Reduce fats and high cholesterol food (animal fats, fatty meats, full fat cheese, butter, egg yolk, oysters, offal).

Avoid excessive salt intake

Stop smoking

Avoid alcohol, coffee, and spicy foods

Stress management

Weight control program

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5/01/2009

8 Important Things for Hypertension Patients

If you have high blood pressure, it is important that you:

  • Keep track of your blood pressure. Learn to take your own blood pressure at home or have it regularly checked by a health care professional. Write it down each time.
  • Talk to your health care provider about the names and dosages of your blood pressure medicines and how to take them.
  • If you think you're having side effects from taking your medicine, talk to your doctor. Another medicine may be better for you, or the problem may not be related to the medicine.
  • Refill your blood pressure medicines before they run out.
  • Take your blood pressure medicines exactly as directed.
  • Keep your followup appointments with your health care provider.
  • Choose healthier habits--for example, eat a heart healthy diet, exercise regularly, and don't smoke.
  • Ask your doctor or health care provider questions about your treatment and what you need to do to take care of yourself and lower your high blood pressure.

Remember, high blood pressure has no symptoms. If you have it, you cannot tell by the way you feel when your blood pressure level is high.

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Sereval Main Types of Medicines for Hypertension Patient

Usually, the goal is to keep your blood pressure below 140/90 . Ask your doctor what your blood pressure goal should be.

Some people can prevent or control high blood pressure by changing to healthier habits, such as:

    Eating healthy foods that include fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products
  • Cutting down on salt and sodium in the diet
  • Losing excess weight and staying at a healthy weight
  • Staying physically active
  • Limiting alcohol intake.

Sometimes blood pressure stays too high even when a person makes these kinds of healthy changes. In that case, it is necessary to add medicine to help lower blood pressure. Medicines will control your blood pressure but they cannot cure it. You will need to take high blood pressure medicine for a long time.

Blood pressure medicines work in different ways to lower blood pressure. Often, two or more drugs work better than one. Some drugs lower blood pressure by removing extra fluid and salt from your body. Others affect blood pressure by slowing down the heartbeat, or by relaxing and widening blood vessels.

Below are the types of medicines used to treat high blood pressure:

  • Diuretics are sometimes called "water pills." They work by helping your kidneys flush excess water and salt from your body. This reduces the amount of fluid in your blood, and your blood pressure goes down. There are different types of diuretics. They are often used along with other high blood pressure medicines and may be combined with another medicine in one pill.
  • Beta blockers help your heart beat slower and with less force. Your heart pumps less blood through the blood vessels, and your blood pressure goes down.
  • Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors keep your body from making a hormone called angiotensin II, which normally causes blood vessels to narrow. ACE inhibitors prevents this narrowing so your blood pressure goes down.
  • Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers are newer blood pressure drugs that protect your blood vessels from angiotensin II. As a result, the blood vessels relax and become wider, and your blood pressure goes down.
  • Calcium channel blockers keep calcium from entering the muscle cells of your heart and blood vessels. This causes blood vessels to relax, and your blood pressure goes down.
  • Alpha blockers reduce nerve impulses that tighten blood vessels, allowing blood to pass more easily and causing blood pressure to go down.
  • Alpha-beta blockers reduce nerve impulses to blood vessels the same way alpha blockers do, but they also slow the heartbeat, as beta blockers do. As a result, blood pressure goes down.
  • Nervous system inhibitors relax blood vessels by controlling nerve impulses from the brain. This causes blood vessels to become wider and blood pressure to go down.
  • Vasodilators open blood vessels by directly relaxing the muscle in the vessel walls, causing blood pressure to go down.

It is important that you take your blood pressure medication the same time each day.

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4/28/2009

Herbal Ways of Treatment for Hypertension

Herbal Treatment is becoming more and more popular among so many forms of hypertension treamment. As High Blood Pressure is a lifelong problem, the conventional medicines for Hypertension include the taking of tablets every day for the rest of one’s life. Even when patients try to leave taking the tablets, the problem invariably recurs and patients are forced to return back to the tablet regimen once again. Thus, other courses of Hypertension treatment, where the medication turns to the methods close to the living and eating habits of people, are gaining popularity. Herbal Treatment of High Blood Pressure is being examined with greater interest nowadays.


Herbal Treatment of Hypertension uses herbs, spices and food to overcome the problem. The source for this knowledge and the method of using them are being taken from traditional sources. The folklore of these traditional people contains several references to the herbs and spices and the potency and cures that can be obtained from them. Working on these sources of information, a set of herbs have been processed. These herbs are believed to have some positive effects in the treatment and control of High Blood Pressure.

The most common form of Herbal Treatment for Hypertension turns out to be Ayurveda.. There is yet, no clinical proof available about the curative potency of the herbs used by Ayurveda practitioners. Most Ayurveda users for treatment of High Blood Pressure are told that the herbs provide maximum benefit to the patients, who have faith in this system of medicine. Most of the herbs used for Herbal Treatment of High Blood Pressure are eaten directly. They are generally pleasant to taste as the herbs are made on a base of honey, rice syrup and ghee or clarified butter.

The most common herbs used for treating Hypertension is garlic. This source helps in breaking up toxins which lead to blood pressure. It also stimulates blood circulation and helps the digestive system. Even ginger is recommended for Hypertension Treatment. Some Herbal Treatments for Hypertension include celery, as this herb increases the flow of urine.

Most of the Herbal Treatments for Hypertension stimulate the kidneys. These treatments control blood pressure, because most of them are diuretic. Similarly, hawthorn is used as a sedative for heart related problems .Nutmeg, kelp and cardamom are also introduced for the Herbal Treatment of Hypertension. Indian herbs like arjuna, jalamamsi, shankhapushpi and manjishta are used by Ayurveda clinics for Herbal Treatment of Hypertension.

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4/25/2009

Cure Hypertension by Exercise, Lifestyle Change and Medication

Healthy Eating Plan


Extremely important to take every step to control or lower your blood pressure. It is important to understand why taking control of blood pressure is good for body. The goal is to keep blood pressure reading around 120/80. This becomes more important for those people having other medical complications such as diabetes, kidney and heart problems. The first and most important change needed in your life is lifestyle change. The healthy lifestyle changes and medication can bring the level down or help in controlling your blood pressure.

It is well known that following healthy eating plan helps in reducing the risk of high blood pressure or lowers elevated high blood pressure. The recommended eating plan is DASH,which is short for "Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension". The DASH is a lab test and clinical study detailing results of different foods and nutrients in blood. The DASH plan emphasizes more inclusion of vegetables, fruits, low fat diary products, low saturated fat and low in cholesterol. The eating plan also includes whole grain, poultry, fish and recommends reduction in red meat,
sweets and alcoholic beverages. This plan also advises to take food in low salt and sodium.

Medications

There are many medications for blood pressure. The medications are often given based on individual medical conditions. The blood pressure medications are doctor prescribed and not available on counter. It is advisable to check with your doctor for medication. The list presented here is common medication used in controlling it.
Depending on medical condition and elevation of blood pressure, doctor may advise one or combination of blood. This coupled with changes in lifestyle will help in lowering already elevated or helps in controlling hypertension.

1. Diuretics - also known as water pills, removes excess water and sodium from body.
2. Beta-blockers - reduce nerve impulses to the heart and blood vessels.
3. ACE inhibitors - prevent the formation of a hormone called angiotensin II, which normally causes blood vessels to narrow.
4. Angiotensin antagonists - shield blood vessels from angiotensin II
5. Calcium channel blockers (CCBs) - Stops calcium from entering the muscle cells of the heart and blood vessels.
6. Vasodilators - Helps in opening blood vessels by relaxing the muscle in the vessel walls.
7. Nervous system inhibitors - relax blood vessels by controlling nerve impulses.

Exercise

It is important to know how small changes in your daily routine can make a big difference in your life. We get everyday older and the risk of high blood pressure increases as we age in life. Daily 30 minutes of exercise will reduce risk of it or will help in reducing already elevated blood pressure.
Wondering - How Exercise helps By doing exercise daily helps in building strong, so is heart. The stronger body can lift weight with little excretion; similarly stronger heart will pump more blood into arteries with minimum effort. With less pressure on heart and little force to pump it in arteries reduces pressure on blood vessels.Anyway doing exercise is helpful to body, Even though you are healthy it still can help in stopping blood pressure to rise. As age advances our physical activities start decreasing thus it is becomes more important to do minimum 30 minutes of exercise. Start with stretching, walking, dog walking, swimming or running. If you are stating exercise after long gap, start with 10 minutes daily and keep increasing to minimum 30 minutes. Take extra cautious in doing exercise, you don't want to break and injured yourself.

The best option will be to contact your doctor who can advise you for lifestyle changes, medication and can guide for suitable exercise for your age.

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4/24/2009

12 Tips for Optimizing Your Blood Pressure

Hypertension(high blood pressure) affects millions of people throughout the world. The incidence of hypertension continues to rise. Responsible factors include stressful living, inappropriate diets, obesity, nicotine and alcohol use.


Blood pressure between 80 and 120 mmHg is considered optimal for adults. A systolic pressure of 120 to 139 mmHg or a diastolic pressure of 80 to 89 mmHg is considered "prehypertension" and should to be observed carefully. A blood pressure reading of 140 over 90 or higher is considered elevated.

Your blood pressure can be lowered by medication and natural therapy. A change in your lifestyle and diet are important factors in naturally lowering you blood pressure. Lifestyle changes include stress reduction, exercise, and relaxation techniques.

Following a few simple tips can optimize your blood pressure. This will also lower your risk of the complications secondary to hypertension.

1. Use the appropriate sized cuff.

2. Take your medication as directed before your visit to the doctor.

3. Keep your feet flat on the floor when checking your blood pressure.

4. Keep your arm at the level of your heart when checking your blood pressure.

5. Invest in a blood pressure cuff for home monitoring.

6. Take your blood pressure cuff with you to your doctors appointment, at least once, to compare the readings of your home monitoring to your physician's.

7. Do some type of exercise daily.

9. Work on weight loss.

10. Decrease the salt in your diet.

11. Decrease your alcohol intake.

12. Eliminate nicotine.

Some patients have normal blood pressures at home, but their blood pressure is always elevated in the doctor's office. This is known as white coat hypertension. This may be present in 15-20 percent of patients. Treatment may not be needed if your home readings are consistently normal.

Following the above 12 tips will help improve your blood pressure, lower your risk of heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, and eye disease. Financial benefits may also be seen by lowering your expenses for medications and physician's office visits.

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3/14/2009

Diet for Hypertension People

We are often told that reducing body weight, decreasing intake of dietary salt, and limiting consumption of alcohol can be beneficial for people with hypertension.Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension can bring about a reduction in blood pressure in people with normal blood pressure or high blood pressure . DASH actually has an additive effect in reducing the blood pressure.


The DASH "combination diet" lowered blood pressure and may help prevent and control high blood pressure. Which is rich in fruits, vegetables, and low fat dairy foods, and low in saturated and total fat. It also is low in cholesterol, high in dietary fiber, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, and moderately high in protein.

Whole wheat bread, English muffin, pita bread, bagel, cereals, grits, oatmeal
----major sources of energy and fiber.

Tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, peas, squash, broccoli, turnip greens, collards, kale, spinach, artichokes, sweet potatoes, beans.
----rich sources of potassium, magnesium, and fiber.

Apricots, bananas, dates, oranges, orange juice, grapefruit juice, mangoes, melons, peaches, pineapples, prunes, raisins, strawberries, tangerines.
----Important sources of potassium, magnesium, and fiber

Skim or 1% milk, skim or low fat buttermilk, nonfat or lowfat yogurt, part skim mozzarella cheese, nonfat cheese
----Major sources of calcium and protein

Select only lean; trim away visible fats; broil, roast or boil, instead of frying; remove skin from poultry
----Rich sources of protein and magnesium

Almonds, filberts, mixed nuts, peanuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, kidney beans, lentils ----Rich sources of energy, magnesium, potassium, protein, and fiber


It is a sample menu above based on 2,000 calories per day.


Tips on how to eat the DASH:

Start small. Make gradual changes in your eating habits.

Center your meal around carbohydrates, such as pasta, rice, beans, or vegetables.

Treat meat as one part of the whole meal, instead of the focus.

Use fruits or low fat, low-calorie foods such as sugar free gelatin for desserts and snacks.

Please make it part of a lifestyle that includes choosing foods lower in salt and sodium, keeping a healthy weight, being physically active.

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2/24/2009

For People With Pulmonary Hypertension

There are many causes of pulmonary hypertension. Tools of identify it including heart catheterization, echocardiography and CT.

There are two different kinds of pulmonary hypertension.Treatments for pulmonary arterial hypertension include medications and, in rare instances, lung transplant.Other forms of pulmonary hypertension are caused by emphysema, blood clots to the lung or congenital heart disease.
Pulmonary hypertension is a serious illness that becomes progressively worse and eventually may prove fatal.
Pulmonary hypertension begins when the lungs' tiny arteries narrow or become blocked.It causes increased resistance to blood flow in your lungs, which in turn raises pressure within the pulmonary arteries. Your heart's right ventricle must work harder to pump blood through the lungs, finally causing the heart muscle to weaken and sometimes fail completely.
The following are some causes of pulmonary hypertension:
The diet drug "fen-phen."
Liver diseases, rheumatic disorders, lung conditions.
Certain heart diseases.
Thromboembolic disease.
Low-oxygen conditions.
Genetic predisposition.

Pulmonary hypertension treatment:

Medications

Oxygen — replaces the low oxygen in your blood.
Anticoagulants or "blood thinners" such as warfarin sodium (Coumadin) — decreases blood clot formation so blood flows more freely through blood vessels.
Diuretics or "water pills" — removes extra fluid from the tissues and bloodstream, which reduces swelling and makes breathing easier.
Potassium— replaces potassiumthat may be lost with increased urination when taking diuretics.
Inotropic agents — improves the heart’s pumping ability.
Vasodilators— lowers pulmonary blood pressure and may improve the pumping ability of the right side of the heart.
Bosentan— helps block the action of endothelin, a substance that causes narrowing of lung blood vessels.
Epoprostenol, treprostinil sodium, iloprost — dilates pulmonary arteries and helps prevent blood clots from forming.
Sildenafil— relaxes pulmonary smooth muscle cells, which leads to dilation of the pulmonary arteries.

Surgical therapies

Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy.
Lung transplantation. The right side of the heart will generally return to normal after the lung/lungs have been transplanted.Many people are on the waiting list, yet a shortage of donors is the major limiting factor. Your health care provider will discuss transplantation if it is an appropriate treatment option for your condition.
Heart/lung transplantation. This type of double organ transplant is very rare but is necessary for all patients who have combined lung and left heart failure.

Primary pulmonary hypertension is usually progressive and ultimately fatal. The immediate reduction in pulmonary artery pressure is associated with an improvement in right ventricular function.

Prognosis

The median duration of survival after the diagnosis of primary pulmonary hypertension is 2.8 years,25 but this figure is highly variable. As a result of new treatments, patients without hemodynamic evidence of right ventricular dysfunction may survive for more than 10 years.

The prognosis for patients with secondary pulmonary hypertension depends on the underlying disease, as well as right ventricular function. For instance, patients with COPD and moderate airflow obstruction have a three-year mortality rate of 50 percent after the onset of right ventricular failure.26 Survival is similarly influenced in patients with interstitial lung disease and pulmonary hypertension.

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2/21/2009

Symptoms of Hypertension

Hypertension means high pressure in the arteries. Normal blood pressure is below 120/80; blood pressure between 120/80 and 139/89 is called "pre-hypertension", and a blood pressure of 140/90 or above is considered high,which is so-called hypertension.

Some people with uncomplicated hypertension may experience symptoms such as headache, dizziness, shortness of breath, and blurred vision. In many cases, a person visits or is brought to the doctor or an emergency room with a heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, or impaired vision . Affected persons often experience severe headache, nausea, visual symptoms, dizziness, and sometimes kidney failure.

The vast majority of patients with essential hypertension have in common a particular abnormality of the arteries: an increased resistance. The arterioles supply oxygen-containing blood and nutrients to all of the tissues of the body.

The hypertension in 5% of people is caused by a specific disorder of a particular organ or blood vessel, such as the kidney, adrenal gland, or aortic artery.

Renal hypertension is usually first suspected when high blood pressure is found in a young individual.

Not only can kidney disease cause hypertension, but hypertension can also cause kidney disease. Therefore, all patients with high blood pressure should be evaluated for the presence of kidney disease so they can be treated appropriately.

In 95% of people with hypertension, no specific cause is found, while 5% of people with hypertension is caused by an abnormality somewhere in the body, such as in the kidney, adrenal gland, or aortic artery.

Poorly controlled hypertension ultimately can cause damage to blood vessels in the eye, thickening of the heart muscle and heart attacks, hardening of the arteries, kidney failure, and strokes.

The goal of therapy for hypertension is to bring the blood pressure down to 140/85 in the general population and to even lower levels in diabetics and people with certain chronic kidney diseases.

Screening, diagnosing, treating, and controlling hypertension early in its course can significantly reduce the risk of developing strokes, heart attacks, or kidney failure.

Greater public awareness and frequent blood pressure screening may help to identify patients with undiagnosed high blood pressure before significant complications have developed.

So contrast you with the symptoms above,and find it earlier before it's getting too late .

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