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High Blood Pressure: What Causes It? |
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Written by Carl Pruitt
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Saturday, 12 April 2008 |
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High blood pressure (hypertension) is often referred to as the silent killer because it rarely exhibits any symptoms until significant damage is already done to a person's body. A routine physical is the most common method of finding out that one has the disease. However, the lack of symptoms should not lead to taking this disease lightly. The vast majority of patients who suffer heart attacks and congestive heart failure have hypertension first. High blood pressure is the top cause of heart disease. One in three people in the United States has high blood pressure.
by CarlPruitt
High blood pressure (hypertension) is often referred to as the silent killer because it rarely exhibits any symptoms until significant damage is already done to a person's body. A routine physical is the most common method of finding out that one has the disease. However, the lack of symptoms should not lead to taking this disease lightly. The vast majority of patients who suffer heart attacks and congestive heart failure have hypertension first. High blood pressure is the top cause of heart disease. One in three people in the United States has high blood pressure.
Standard preliminary procedures will include a blood pressure check with every physical. This is usually done prior to even seeing the doctor and often before being taken to an examination room. Be alert to a common syndrome in which a patient's blood pressure increases significantly due to nervousness about visiting the doctor. This is often referred to as White Coat Syndrome. I react that way personally, and it has often lead to attempts to send m to the emergency room. The solution was to buy a home blood pressure monitoring unit to check blood pressure every day. These units are cheap and actually very accurate. Do not stop doctor visits just because you are following your blood pressure at home.
Although hypertension is the leading cause of strokes and coronary heart disease, the sad fact is that the cause of the disease is unknown or unclear in more than 90% of the cases. There are no easy answers to why high blood pressure occurs and there is no simple catch-all solution to the problem. Hypertension is most effectively treated holistically with major lifestyle changes.
Ordinarily, a person's body keeps blood pressure under control naturally. In a non-hypertensive person blood pressure stays within strict limits. When blood pressure falls, the body automatically constricts the arteries and increases blood pressure. When blood pressure is high, this process occurs in reverse. For some reason, this process malfunctions in people with long term high blood pressure. When this happens the disease must be controlled by diet, drugs and lifestyle changes.
Here are some of the factors doctors think cause high blood pressure:
* Excess consumption of alcohol
* Smoking
* Obesity
* Excessive amounts of dietary sodium
* Excessive Stress
* Taking in too much caffeine
* Inherited tendencies
Most of the factors listed are well within our individual control. We can make great progress toward controlling blood pressure with natural techniques. Switching to a healthy diet with more fruits and vegetables and less fat can make a huge difference. Losing just a few pounds of excess fat can work wonders in lowering blood pressure. Easy exercise such as walking for 30 minutes 3 times a week has beneficial effects on blood pressure. Switching to the low sodium DASH diet has been proven in studies to lower blood pressure. These actions will have greater effects when combined. Be sure to consult your medical doctor before beginning any new exercise program or making major changes in your diet.
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