| Blood pressure
is the amount of force within the vessels that transport your
blood. Those vessels include arteries and veins and their
smaller components arterioles and venules. Blood pressure
that is over 140/90 is considered hypertensive. Blood pressure
that ranges between 120/80 and 140/90 is considered pre-hypertensive.
Blood pressure is not a
bad thing; it is a sign of life. Some healthy people have
lower than average blood pressure; they walk around with a
blood pressure of 90/60 and feel just fine. That is all right,
as long as they do not have weakness or dizziness there is
no need for concern. On the other hand some people feel great
with a blood pressure of over 140/90; that is not good.
When the blood transporting
vessels have too much pressure, the body responds to correct
that. The heart works harder in order to get the blood to
its intended destination. The extra load of work on the heart
causes the heart muscles to increase in size, and then eventually
the heart becomes inefficient and fail. Don’t panic,
failure will not happen immediately. You can effectively manage
your health by taking an active role in monitoring your blood
pressure and adopting lifestyle changes that affect your blood
pressure.
Blood pressure fluctuates
during the course of 24 hours. Check your blood pressure at
different times of the day for about 7 days. See if there
is a pattern. Does your pressure measure higher in the morning
or at night? Take your blood pressure during a stressful period.
Is there any difference? These measures and times can help
your practitioner decide the dosage and time of treatment
—if any is needed. For example let’s say your
blood pressure is consistently 150/98 in the mornings, but
decreases during the day, then a practitioner will probably
advise you to take you medicine at night to give you better
morning coverage.
Here
are a few things you can do to positively impact your
blood pressure.
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Eat
and drink for your health. Avoid overeating;
stop eating as soon as your stomach feels full. This
is an effective weight loss program. Increase your fruit
and vegetable intake. If fresh fruit is not always accessible,
then frozen and canned will do. Onions and garlic have
some lowering effect on the blood pressure. Avoid the
salt shaker; salt occurs naturally in most foods and
salt is usually already added during cooking. Be conscious
of your alcohol intake. Too much alcohol is damaging
to your body. Avoid caffeinated products. |
Are
you a smoker? Quit! Smoking constricts blood
vessels making it hard for the blood supply to get to
the lungs, kidneys, eyes, heart—everywhere. It
is also the reason why some men prematurely need Viagra.
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Exercise. A brisk 30 minutes walk daily
is all it takes to increase the heart rate, improve
circulation and strengthen the heart. |
Natural
therapies: Include garlic, onion, hawthorn
and magnesium. Hawthorn is a mild diuretic (cause you
to urinate more and promotes fluid reduction.). Hawthorn
also dilates arteries. Magnesium relaxes the artery
walls. Be aware that natural medicine is still medicine
and they should be taken with caution and proper medical
supervision. |
Be
Balanced. Don’t focus on one therapy
and ignore the rest. Some people are exercise and diet
conscious, but they live lives of time bombs stressed
out and unhappy. |
Reduce
your stress level. Skip the news sometimes.
Take some days off and do nothing. Be less critical
of your self and others. Find a satisfying relaxing
hobby. |
Hypertension is best
controlled as soon as possible, because it is often a companion
for other vascular related diseases: Strokes, heart attacks,
blood clots and certain organ failures like kidney failure.
Do not ignore high blood pressure; seek healthcare as soon
as possible and take every preventive measure available to
you.
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