Showing posts with label hypertension. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hypertension. Show all posts

Friday, November 12, 2010

Natural High Blood Pressure Cures That Work By Tom Chua

Uncontrolled high blood pressure or hypertension damages the arteries and organs like the brain, heart and kidneys. About 90 to 95 percent of people suffering from hypertension have no known causes. Experts know that there are many factors involved including lifestyle, stress, smoking and diet.

Below are five top natural supplements that can treat hypertension recommended by experts in natural cures.

#1 - Hawthorn
This is one of the well known herbs that is used to treat hypertension. Studies show that hawthorn causes blood vessels to relax and this in turn will treat hypertension.

#2 - Calcium and Magnesium
These two minerals are known to help keep the bones healthy and strong. But studies also show that calcium and magnesium can bring hypertension under control as these two minerals are involved in muscle contractions.

As an added benefit, it will also keep your bones strong. To ensure proper absorption of calcium, take vitamin D as well.

#3 - Potassium
Potassium lowers high blood pressure but you will need a dose around 2,000 mg daily. Several studies show that it works well. However, keep in mind that this is a high dose and you will want this therapy to be supervised by your healthcare professional.

#4 - Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)
There is a lot of interest in using coenzyme Q10 to treat cardiovascular diseases. It is a vitamin-like substance that seems to strengthen the heart and treat hypertension. Some hospitals are giving patients who suffered heart attacks Co Q10 supplements along with conventional prescription medications.

#5 - Fish Oil
Fish oil not only protects the heart and blood vessels, it is commonly used in patients suffering from hypertension. No experts will disagree that fish oil, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, is a must-take supplement for anyone with any type of cardiovascular disease.

Signs And Symptoms Of Hypertension Headaches By Greg J Ray

Hypertension has become a common lifestyle disease and about 1 in every 6 individuals is diagnosed with high blood pressure. There are a number of signs and symptoms of hypertension on which you need to keep a check to avert any fatal consequences. Headache is very commonly associated with hypertension. If you are suffering from unexplained headaches, it is very important that you are going for a medical checkup to diagnose the individual cause.

There are quite a number of effects of hypertension headaches. There is a pulsating feeling behind the eyes. In some extreme case, people also tend to experience sudden blackouts. Some of the other symptoms of hypertension on which you need to keep close watch are shortness of breath, frequent urination, cramping in legs, fatigue, nervousness, restlessness and irregular heartbeats. Induce vomiting and inability to digest foods is some of the other factors that the patients tend to suffer from.

Hypertensions most of the times are accompanied with mild headaches. This must be considered seriously and doctor must be consulted as early as possible to ensure that there is nothing really serious with your health. The symptoms, if left untreated can lead to fatal consequences.

Hypertensive headaches usually occur towards the morning and the pain is experienced usually at the back of the head. Age and gender are two other factors, which are taken into consideration while offering proper care for hypertension. According to the research findings, women are more susceptible to headaches compared to men. Again compared to the older patients, those under 50 years are more vulnerable to hypertensive headaches. Obesity and too much of stress are two very prominent factors for hypertensive headaches.

If you are experiencing morning symptoms of hypertension headaches, you must visit a doctor as early as possible. With an early diagnosis, you can protect yourself from devastating effects. Headaches can seriously interfere with your daily activities and you may not be able to carry out the day-to-day activities of yours.

Proper medication and changes in lifestyle are some of the factors that you should constantly take care of to ensure that you are able to carry out your basic activities. Regulated diet and regular exercise are two of the best things that you can practice to keep your pressures within normal range. Poor circulation and sluggish metabolism are two primary reasons that add to the stress and lead to increase in the blood pressure level.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Natural Hypertension Treatment - Yes, It's Possible to Lower Blood Pressure Without Drugs By Dr. Wayne Sodano

With cardiovascular disease remaining the number one killer in the United States, an estimated 50 million or more Americans are at risk of heart attacks and strokes because of high blood pressure. What gets less publicity is the fact that your high blood pressure can often safely and naturally be reversed.

Hypertension = High Blood Pressure

Physicians distinguish between two forms of hypertension. Primary Hypertension is when there is no obvious cause of elevated blood pressure, although genetics, nutrition, environmental factors, lack of exercise, tobacco use, and stress contribute to it. Secondary Hypertension occurs as a predictable result of some other disease, such as kidney disease or diabetes, among others.

Many times, Hypertension has no visible symptoms and is detected only through a routine blood pressure check at the doctor's office.

Over the last quarter century, mainstream medicine has focused on drug treatments rather than prevention. However, by finding the underlying cause of a particular patient's hypertension and using natural therapies, practitioners can help lower a person's blood pressure to the point where this resolves the problem.

Alternatives to Drugs

Because of the potential side effects of traditional medications used for Hypertension, if your high blood pressure is not at an advanced stage, it makes sense to begin with a conservative natural approach. Sometimes all it takes is a little investigative work to identify and then remove the cause of the problem.

Many drugs and over-the-counter substances are known to raise blood pressure. These include steroids, oral contraceptives, NSAIDS (such as ibuprofin and aspirin), appetite suppressants, nasal decongestants, and certain antidepressants.

Nutritional deficiencies of magnesium, calcium and other essential nutrients are also linked to hypertension, and these can be remedied through supplements. Diuretic drugs cause nutrient losses of important minerals that help to regulate the electrical activity of the heart.

Stress causes an increase of adrenal hormones, which can lead to Hypertension, so lifestyle changes that reduce or manage stress can lower blood pressure.

Lifestyle Changes That Work

A change to a healthier diet, drinking adequate amounts of water, an increase in regular exercise, and learning stress management techniques are excellent tools with profound effects in lowering blood pressure. If you smoke, it is essential to stop.
Practicing Yoga or Tai Chi, and having acupuncture or massage treatments are excellent stress reducers and often help resolve Hypertension.

Where to Find Help?

Functional Medicine practitioners, who may have the professional health care identity of a chiropractor, naturopath, acupuncturist, nutritionist or medical doctor, are trained as medical detectives. They track down the cause of an individual's symptoms rather than assuming that similar symptoms in two different people should be treated in the same way. Also, they tend to help patients with natural, science-based treatments besides drugs.


Dr. Wayne Sodano, D.C., is a chiropractic internist and a faculty member of Functional Medicine University, a training program for medical professionals. He also sits on the Advisory Board of YourMedicalDetective.com, a site that helps the general public understand the root causes of medical conditions - including high blood pressure and a broad range of other health problems

The Link Between Drinking Water and Managing Your Hypertension By Robert Reddin

There may be no cure for hypertension, but there are things we sufferers can do to manage our condition effectively. One simple step we can take is to ensure that we drink sufficient water, for there is a link between our high blood pressure and the amount of water we drink each day.

Water is the natural cleanser for our bodies. That means it is the most effective way of flushing toxins out of our bodies. Whilst those toxins do not directly cause our hypertension, they can contribute to it by causing to other conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, which often goes hand in hand with our condition.

In addition, drinking plenty of water each day helps to eliminate excess levels of sodium. We need some salt in our diet. However, our modern Western diet is high in processed foods, fat and salt. We are consuming far too much sodium without even realizing it. The effect of this is to skyrocket our blood pressure to levels that would be dangerously high if they were to be maintained. Yet, by the nature of our diet and modern sedentary lifestyle, that is exactly what we are doing. Drinking adequate amounts of water each day helps to flush out the excess sodium through our kidneys and lower those all-important readings.

Keeping our bodies properly hydrated is important for our overall health. It helps our bodies to function more efficiently. One advantage of proper hydration is that it helps to keep our blood vessels elastic. Our hearts need to pump blood at higher pressures when our blood vessels lose their elasticity. Our blood vessels lose their elasticity as we grow older, which is one reason why older people tend to have higher blood pressure than do younger people. Drinking plenty of water can help alleviate this.

An indirect benefit of drinking plenty of water is that it makes us feel fuller for longer. This can be a useful aid to a healthy diet as it reduces the temptation to eat between meals and can contribute towards weight loss. As high blood pressure is often associated with obesity, losing weight is beneficial to our condition.

There is another beneficial side effect of drinking adequate amounts of water each day. That is, the more water we drink, the more we need to pass water. Our bodies try to maintain a natural balance. Part of which is balancing the volume of blood in our bodies, thus helping to maintain normal levels of blood pressure. In a way, drinking plenty of water is a natural diuretic, but without some of the side effects.

What, then, is an adequate amount of water? It is easy to become over enthusiastic and treat this method of managing our condition as a panacea. It is not. Most doctors and dieticians agree that our bodies need at least two litres of water a day to function efficiently, but there are health risks in drinking too much water too quickly.

We should aim to drink between six and eight glasses of cold water spaced out throughout the day. That will keep us properly hydrated. If we drink too much water or drink too much too quickly, while increasing the elimination of salt and water from our bodies, we may also be robbing ourselves of valuable minerals such as potassium and magnesium. This can leave us weak and confused.

Drinking an adequate amount of water each day may not be a panacea, but it is a very effective and simple way of helping us to manage our hypertension.

Reducing our hypertension does not necessarily mean that we have to take drugs to normalize our BP readings.

Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure - The Top 3 By John M Anthony

There are many natural ways to lower blood pressure, and most, if not all of them hold some merit. Getting rid of Hypertension however, is not a sprint, but a marathon. In addition to this, it's often best to combine the efforts of a few natural ways to reduce BP readings to gain the best results. The goal of course is to always avoid taking Pills. Once you start taking pills, you can expect to feel significantly worse in many departments. This article will rate three different natural means of lowering your systolic and diastolic readings, and hopefully be of some use to hypertension sufferers.

3: Change your diet!

One of the most tried and true natural ways to lower blood pressure is of course to make changes to your diet. We all know that eating healthy has a huge overall effect on our well-being, and to lower BP, it's essential to be eating the right foods. Some kinds of foods that help with hypertension are high potassium foods (spinach, tomatoes, apricots etc) foods high in calcium, and garlic. Diet is a great start to lowering blood pressure, but probably has the least sizeable impact.

2: Increase your cardiovascular Health
Another of the natural ways to lower blood pressure that people often groan when they hear is to actually exercise and attempt to improve their cardiovascular health. Despite it being one of the toughest and most laborious ways to improve your BP readings, it is indeed a very important and effective method. Going for a 30 minute jog daily is enough, and will have you dropping a few points both systolic and diastolic in no time.

1: Slow Breathing Techniques
Interestingly, the most powerful and easiest natural way to cure hypertension is to practice slow breathing techniques. It's been known for a long time by experts that daily use of slow breathing techniques can have a huge positive effect on your BP, yet the information has never really hit the mainstream in any real way. It really is a great way to reduce stress and indeed take points off your BP Readings.

If done correctly, to a proper system, slow breathing has been known to reduce blood pressure by up to 40 Points systolic and 15 points diastolic - not bad results!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

How to Relieve Stress - 4 Ways How to Relieve Stress

There are many ways to relieve stress. In fact, with such a plethora of ideas to choose from it could become stressful! After becoming an adult with all of the responsibilities and strains that come with it, it seems like we slowly lose our natural ability to have fun. With our hectic lifestyles, we tend to ignore our stress levels and act as if chronic stress is somehow natural. But sadly, uncontrolled stress levels can lead to physical or mental illness and cause or contribute to dangerous conditions such as high blood pressure. So it's important to take stock of your stress and take action to relieve it.

Firstly, if at all possible the best way to start is to take some time off your normal, mundane and tiring routine and have break! Take a day or two off and take a getaway trip to some exciting or interesting place you've been wanting to see. If you're pressed for case or don't like travel you can achieve the same results by just doing something different or going somewhere new in your local area. Sit back and enjoy the scenery. It feels great to leave the boring everyday life behind now and then. Enjoy the new sights and sounds and appreciate them, because most people are not able to do this regularly. This is strictly a tactic for urgent circumstances and can help kickstart you onto a new, lower stress pathway.

The second factor to consider is other people: love 'em or hate 'em! Some people find relief and solace being among their loved ones; others have to get away from them once in a while. If you are a working professional, either a mom or a dad, then chances are you are always busy with your work and have little time to spend with your children. The resulting guilt only increases your stress. So take this opportunity to take your kids out for a picnic, to the beach or a trip to the theme park. For many people, their families are a big source of joy and happiness and spending some extra time with them can go a long way toward de-stressing.

On the other hand, if are single or if your relationships are currently a source of tension you may be better off hanging out with friends! Call up some friends to chill out at the pub and have a great time. Or there may be times when you just want to be alone. There's nothing wrong with that. The important thing is for you to divert yourself away from the source of your stress.

Everyone loves music, whatever form that may take. This effective stress buster is an easy and quick way to relax and loosen up when you don't have a lot of time available. Sing along if you're in the mood. There is a lot of scientific evidence showing that both music and singing relieve stress and lower blood pressure. Singing is actually a good physical workout and relieves muscle tension as effectively as any other exercise.

Speaking of workouts, a good blast of physical activity is a great stress reliever. Some people prefer aerobic exercise and others like anaerobic workouts. While aerobic exercise like jogging is generally better for lowering your blood pressure and strengthening your heart, an intense session on a punching bag or other strenuous exertion can often relieve stress more effectively.

After a workout you may need another form of stress relief: rest and relaxation. Most of us don't even get the eight hours of sleep we used to believe sufficient, let alone the 9 or 10 hours many experts now recommend.

Taking a break, spending time with friends and family, listening to music, exercise and rest; these are just a few easy ways to unwind and prevent modern stress from taking another casualty.

Jan Oliver is an academic, writer and researcher in Natural Health.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jan_Oliver

The Effects Of Stress Could Result In Hypertension And Worse

Could the effects of stress cause high blood pressure? Most people think so. Even worse is the possibility stress, along with other risk factors, has a negative effect on overall health. So, what can we do to make sure all the stress that invades our lives will not hurt us in the long run? In this article, we will examine this question.

There are, of course, different kinds of stress. If we go out for a walk or jog we will put a certain amount of stress on our knees and ankles. In fact, any sort of physical activity we do, even if it is unpacking our groceries and putting cans of food on our shelves, will cause a certain amount of physical stress. However, in one way, physical stress is different than mental stress.

To examine how this can be, take the example of a professional athlete. He or she works out more than most other people. When working out, this athlete will probably do a lot of deep knee bends, a lot of running and a lot of weightlifting.

Of course, these things put a great deal of stress on all the muscles and joints in the body. However, when done correctly, athletes build up their strength as their workouts progress from their beginning stages to their advanced stages.

So, athletes prepare their bodies for more stress as they go along. Mental stress however, is not something we can regulate. Unlike physical workouts we do not choose how much stress we experience in beginning stages, intermediate stages or advanced stages. Stress and anxiety simply come at us.

So, we have to prepare ourselves for stress by learning how not to let it affect us. This is done by practicing relaxation, meditation or visualization and ironically, physical exercise.

Practicing relaxation simply involves deep breathing exercises while seated or laying down comfortably. Usually, relaxation is combined with either meditation or visualization. Simply put, after one gets into a relaxed state he or she visualizes pleasant and calming thoughts. These thoughts could be of some peaceful scene he or she has enjoyed visiting or by simply making up a scene that is relaxing.

Exercise, in itself, helps a person relax, not only immediately after the exercising is done, but on through the day. Exercise brings about chemical changes in the body that help one deal better with stress on a mental level.

The result of exercising and practicing relaxation is being better able to deal with stress, or to put it another way, the ability to blow off stressful situations. In turn, this is very good for the blood pressure and general overall health.

Jason Falson once battled with serious hypertension but now has normal BP readings. He has credited his remarkable recovery to following a few simple rules. Of course, one of these rules is following his doctor's orders. His Website, Blood Pressure Symptoms discusses Jason's rules of blood pressure control. Also, learn more about the connection between hypertension and anxiety and how to control your anxiety at Dealing with Anxiety.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Falson
Jason Falson - EzineArticles Expert Author

Stress Relief Exercising Could Help Reduce High Blood Pressure

Stress relief exercising can be very helpful in one's pursuit to feel better and reduce high blood pressure. At first, doing exercises to relieve stress, you may feel better simply because exercising has a tendency to reduce nervousness. Over a longer period of time, this can result in feeling better on a whole different level because being calm over a long period of time helps reduce blood pressure and has a positive effect on one's feeling of well-being. In this article, we explain stress relief exercising.

To begin with let's remember there is no substitute for regular medical checkups. If during one of these checkups you are diagnosed with hypertension, make sure to follow your doctor's orders.

Prepare the Body
Most people are familiar with progressive relaxation. Progressive relaxation is a form of stress relief exercising because it can take a person from being very anxious to an absolutely peaceful state of mind. When relaxation is combined with the proper mental imagery, stress relief will result. Here's how it's done:

Make yourself as comfortable as you can by either sitting or lying down. Many people have the greatest success lying down at home in their bed. However, others have better success being in a reclining chair. Then again I and some others I know of have had successful stress relieving exercise sessions in their cars while they were parked in a parking lot.

Take a deep breath to the count of five while filling your lungs completely. Then, hold your breath for 3 to 5 seconds. Some people have no problem holding their breath for 5 seconds, while for others, it is a struggle. So do the best you can. If you can only hold your breath for one second that is fine.

The next step is to exhale. With relaxation exercising, you always want to exhale to twice the count of your inhale. So, since you have inhaled to the count of five, exhale to the count of ten. Do this four more times.

Deep Relaxation

Turn your mind's attention to one of your feet. Whether it is your left or your right, it does not matter. In your mind, instruct your foot to relax. Then move your attention to your other foot and instruct it to relax. While doing these things get the feeling the muscles in your feet are actually loosening up while they are relaxing. Move your attention upward to your calves. Little by little, move your attention up your body as you Instruct each body part to relax.

Continue relaxing all of your body parts until you get to the top of your head. Tell your scalp to relax. Next, get the feel of being totally relaxed. Then, turn your attention to your breathing. Don't listen to anything else just your breathing. If any negative thoughts should come into your mind, don't try to fight them. Just let them do what they will and continue to listen to your breathing.

As you listen to your breath enter into and exit your lungs, feel yourself becoming more and more peaceful. Study how this peacefulness feels to you and examine it from all aspects. Enjoy this feeling for several minutes. You will know when it is time to get back up and resume your normal activities.

You should practice this exercise at least three times a week. The exercise sessions usually last from 20 minutes to a half hour, but it is fine if they go longer.

Take Relaxation with You
At any time during the day you can recall the feeling you had when you were in a totally relaxed state. Recalling the mental imagery of yourself being totally relaxed will help squelch any sudden adrenaline flow that may come over you because something stressful has occurred during your day.

This will benefit you greatly because you will be able to hear stress knocking but by recalling the calmness you have experienced, that stress will not be able to come through your door. This is one of the great benefits of stress relief exercising. The long-term benefit may be better blood pressure and a better possibility of not being afflicted by the many illnesses and diseases we normally associate with stress.

Jason Falson once battled with serious hypertension but now has normal BP readings. He has credited his remarkable recovery to following a few simple rules. Of course, one of these rules is following his doctor's orders. His Website, Blood Pressure Symptoms discusses Jason's rules of blood pressure control. Also, learn more about the connection between hypertension and anxiety and how to control your anxiety at Stop Anxiety.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Falson
Jason Falson - EzineArticles Expert Author

Fact About Hypertension

Hypertension is one of the common ailments that people have. In the United States, a statistics of one out of every three adults have High blood pressure. An estimated two million teenagers and children have Hypertension which is a really alarming and major public issue.

What is Hypertension?
Hypertension, also known as High blood pressure is defined as a pressure that builds up in the arteries. The arteries are where our blood is being carried from the heart to all over the parts of our body.

There are stresses like emotional tension that elevates pressure of the blood. However, it doesn't mean that you already have a Hypertension.

The normal range would be around 120/80 or below. If the pressure falls between 139/89 and 120/80, you are in danger of hypertension. If the pressure goes up to 140/90 and above, you are now in the Hypertension category.

The first number that is mentioned in the blood pressure reading is called systolic blood. It measures the pressure within the arteries as the heart contracts and pumps blood in and out.
The last number that is mentioned in the pressure reading is called diastolic pressure. This one measures the pressure in the arteries when the heart goes on relaxation after pumping the blood.

Hypertension can't be easily discovered. That's why people call it the "Silent Killer". You're lucky if you showed symptoms like feeling dizzy, blurred vision, loss of breath and headaches. You can still have medications and prevent it. Usually, people will only know they already have a high blood pressure if and when complications already went through. Hypertension is normally discovered when a person have been already rushed to a clinic or any hospital because of stroke, heart attack, kidney failure or impaired vision.

There is only 1% of the current population that has malignant Hypertension already. The diastolic blood pressure exceeds 140 which can already lead to a stroke. The person would experience kidney failure, dizziness and visual symptom or sever head ache already. It's a very small number because people wouldn't go to a checkup not unless they're feeling something already.
So how do we prevent Hypertension? We can prevent it by living healthy. It's easier said than done but this is the safest thing we can do. If you want to have an added precaution, you can have a regular check up with your doctor. It's better to be safe than sorry.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eric_A_De_Jesus

Hypertension - Foods That Can Help Lower High Blood Pressure

Hypertension, which is more commonly referred to as high blood pressure is one of the major health predicaments that a lot of individuals are scared to encounter. This is because hypertension is known to be related with several health conditions that can bring about life-threatening conditions like heart attack and stroke. While it is bothering when you have been discovered to be suffering from hypertension, you should not prevent this from causing too much trouble which may lead to worsening of the condition since stress can also be a factor that can make the person more hypertensive.

However, the condition can be managed by following a healthy lifestyle and consumption of medications specifically to lower the blood pressure. Following a healthy lifestyle includes eating foods that can help in reducing increased blood pressure level or at least maintaining a good blood pressure level.

It should be noted that the food you eat is one of the most significant factors that can contribute to having high blood pressure. This explains why hypertension can be hindered if you consume foods that are favorable and avoid foods that can cause high blood pressure. This is why doctors always recommend a healthy diet specifically for hypertensive patients only. This article will name some of the foods that should be included in the diet plan of a hypertensive patient.

Fruits Fruits do not contain fats or carbohydrates and other nutrients that when taken in large amounts would contribute to increasing the level of blood pressure. Apple, banana, strawberries, oranges, and apricots are some of the common and easy to find fruits that are classified as anti-hypertension foods or fruits. Including appropriate servings of any of these foods would help you keep up with a healthy diet for hypertension patients.

Lean Meat For sure, even hypertensive patients would also like some variety in the foods that they will eat as part of their diet plan. To stay on the safer side, it would be ideal to include lean meat either red or white meat. If you want to eat poultry recipes, it is better that you remove the skin of the chicken. It is greatly advised that you either grill or bake it instead of frying the meat in oil.

Dairy Products If you want to drink milk, it is greatly advised that you choose low fat varieties including skimmed milk and other low-fat milk products. To have your regular supply of calcium, you can also try fat-free cheeses that are available in groceries and supermarkets.

Vegetables Vegetables are known to be healthy foods because it comes with essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that can all bring good benefits to your body. Vegetables like spinach and tomato are known to be responsible in maintaining normal blood pressure level.

Whole Grains Complex carbohydrates in the most natural form are considered ideal food sources for people diagnosed with hypertension. Oats and barley products are some of the common foods that you can include in your hypertension-free diet plan.

In keeping up with a hypertension food plan, it is important that you stay away from eating foods that are processed because they possess high levels of salt, which is not good for people suffering from hypertension. Generally, ideal foods for hypertension patients should be low on fat, moderate levels of proteins, and rich in fiber nutrients.

Tono has been writing articles for nearly 4 years. His latest interest is about weight loss.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tono_Ruggeri
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