High Blood Pressure

Foods to Be Avoided for High Blood Pressure

February 27, 2010 by admin

High blood pressure if left unchecked results in increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and leads to target organ damage such as LVH, retinal changes and vascular changes. The main objective in the management of hypertension is prevention of target organ damage and reduction of cardiovascular risk. The management requires a multi-prolonged approach. Although it is widely accepted that drug therapy is essential for optimal Blood pressure control, it should not be forgotten that nonpharmocological measures are also important in the management of hypertension.

What are the foods to be avoided in high blood pressure? This is very common question my patients often ask me. On one hand, it is exceedingly complicated and complex and has been the continued focus of research by doctors and physicians. On the other hand, the vast majority of dietary recommendations for hypertension have resemblance and similarities to general healthy diet recommendations.

Following Foods should be avoided if you have High blood pressure:

1. Alcohol

The association between alcohol and high blood pressure is well documented both in population and clinical studies. An Alcohol intake of about 80 g/day (Equivalent to four pints of beer) has been shown to raise Blood pressure particularly in patients of hypertension. Blood pressure tends to fall when alcohol is stopped or reduced and remains low in patients who continue to abstain. Patients with hypertension should avoid Alcohol. As alcohol can raise blood pressure directly, is also an important factor in damaging walls of blood vessels, which can elevate the blood pressure further and make it more difficult to treat, while at the same time increasing the risk of complications. Limit consumption of Alcohol to no more than two drinks per day in most men and one drink per day in women and lightweight men.

2. Salt

A restriction in dietary sodium intake can reduce the incidence of hypertension. Studies have shown that there is a clear relationship between dietary salt intake and Blood pressure and people who consume less salt have a smaller rise in Blood pressure with advancing age. Salt restriction to about 100mmol/day (2.4 gm sodium or 6 gm sodium chloride) has been shown to produce a significant reduction in systolic Blood pressure to about 8-14 mm Hg in several randomized placebo-controlled studies. In some people, eating too much salt can make blood pressure much worse and In other cases the same salt consumption may have no effect.

More salt intake will result in more retention of fluid by kidneys and this will lead to more preload on heart, that will result in more blood pressure. You should avoid salt in your diet if you really want to control your blood pressure. If you are already a patient of hypertension, then reduce salt in your diet as it just accentuates the problem. You can lower your blood pressure to a great extent if you reduce salt consumption in your diet. You should not have more than 6 grams (100mmol/day) of salt per day. Pizza, canned foods, frozen diners, broths, canned soups and salad dressings have high sodium so try to avoid these foods. If you are non-vegetarian then make sure you are including white meat like chicken and fish rather than red meat in your diet.

3. Fats

Food that is rich in fats should be avoided. Foods High in Fat are as follows

Fats and oils (like margarine, vegetable oils, butter, lard, salt pork, meat drippings, gravy, and fat back)

Cream, ice cream, Whole milk, 2% milk.

Most pies, pastries, cakes.

Most cheeses (like cream cheese, cheddar, American)

Many snack foods (like nuts and chips)

Fatty meats (like corned beef, regular ground beef, ribs, sausage, hot dogs, bacon, bologna, salami,)

Fried foods (like French fries and fried chicken)

Most cookies contain high fat content

Many fast foods are also rich in fats

Saturated fats are not good for heart and blood vessels. Low density lipoprotein LDL is main factor which causes thickening of blood vessels so causing extra strain on blood vessels in patients of high blood pressure. The balanced high blood pressure diet should include mild amounts of saturated and trans-fats (red meat, fast food), and moderate amounts of other fats (olive oil and canola oil).

4- Caffeine Intake: The evidence from the literature is rather conflicting and the effects of caffeine seem to depend on multiple variables such as daily dose, preexisting Blood pressure and coffee drinking habits. The ingestion of 250mg of caffeine has been shown to cause an increase in systolic blood pressure ranging from 6mm of hg in normal individuals to 10 mm hg in patients with hypertension and an increase in diastolic blood pressure of 5 mm hg in normal individuals to 8.5 mm Hg in patients of hypertension.

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Dr.Armughan maintaining site Diabetes symptoms cure treatment High Blood Pressure Symptoms Treatment

Effective Ways to Reduce High Blood Pressure

February 26, 2010 by admin

Are you health conscious??? If you have a better idea to reduce high blood pressure, let us know, your views and comments will be appreciated. High blood pressure, commonly known as Hypertension/arterial hypertension is a state of body in which blood pressure in your body is chronically increased. In this techno world, hypertension is the most common disease, people are becoming careless and life has become so fast that very few of us are truly health conscious. With digitization of world, moving towards automation from manual systems, fast food has become way of life. Truth is that today we are not able to intake fresh food – vegetables and fruits that we consume all have high concentration of chemicals and pesticides that indirectly affect our health. But in case you are unaware about blood pressure then this is the right time to have a better understanding about blood pressure. Blood pressure also known as vascular pressure relates to the force applied by circulating blood on the walls of blood vessels. In medical terms, it can be defined as the force of the blood pushing against the walls of the arteries.

The important factor to note is that every time your heart beats, it impels out blood into the arteries. The heart which acts as a vital muscular pump applies the pressure to circulate the blood throughout the body. The blood vessels called arteries have resilient walls and so provide some resistance during the flow of blood. Thus, there is pressure in the system, even between heartbeats. Blood pressure alters during the day and it gets lower when you sleep and rises when you get up. It may rise when you are excited or tensed.

Now, blood pressure is calculated in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and BP reading below 120/80 mmHg is considered normal. However, BP of 140/90 mmHg or higher is measured arterial hypertension and commonly known as “Silent Killer”. Any individual with arterial hypertension can be very dangerous and is one of major risk factors for Stroke, Heart Attack or Kidney Damage. Moreover, hypertension is the next major threat for congestive heart failure. In congestive heart failure the pumping power of heart gets lowered, beating gets harder and harder and as a result heart losses its ability to pump sufficient blood to meet up the body’s requirements. In addition to this high BP can also lead to burst of eyes blood vessels. Therefore it becomes very important to control high BP.

The frequency of people suffering from high BP increases naturally with age and can be often related to lifestyle habits. Ayurvedic health care acts as anti-hypertensive for maintaining pressure of blood in your body. These days most doctors advise patients to re-establish your BP 80/120 level by making changes in lifestyle. Some of the natural and effective ways to bring down rising pressure of blood are:

1. Reduce salt intake: Now it is very important to understand that high consumption of salt is directly linked to high blood pressure. Commit yourself to consume not more than 2,000 milligrams of sodium per day, which estimates around 1 teaspoon of salt. You can lower your sodium intake by eating less processed and fast foods.

2. Quit smoking: The nicotine in cigarettes makes your blood vessels to compress and heart to beat faster, which automatically results in raising your blood pressure. If you are a smoker then make sure to quit smoking. By quitting you can keep your blood pressure in line and this in turn helps in reducing the threat of cardiovascular disease.

3. Reduce your extra body weight: Make sure your body weight does not exceed; it should be proportionate to your height. As per recent studies it has been proved that high blood pressure has a direct link to overweight. The more weight you have, higher is the chance of having high blood pressure. Keeping weight off is one of the most vital tactics for calculating blood pressure. Even losing a pound in a week can be a noteworthy step in the right direction.

4. Limit alcohol consumption: This is one of the most important ways to reduce high blood pressure. It is important to understand; in case of healthy people alcohol does not cause hypertension while in some it does not. If you drink alcohol try to have limited consumption 1 or 2 drinks per day. If your blood pressure rises with alcohol, it is better to avoid drinking alcohol.

5. Do exercise regularly: Regular exercise helps in lowering your blood pressure. It further helps in lowering cholesterol, and stress management. Perform any activity that you enjoy like walking, jogging, or swimming. Initially start your work-out slowly and then work your way up to 30-60 minute sessions of moderate exercise each week. Then, slowly begin aerobic exercise into your daily life; increase the time and intensity at a speed and try for at least 30-minute workout in most days of the week.

According to recent studies the ratio of high blood pressure is increasing day by day and because it does not show any symptoms most of the nearly don’t know they have high blood pressure. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to various disease so have proper medical check up and normal blood pressure to live a healthy life. Healthy lifestyle is key of maintain your blood pressure, give away your tension.

The author is an aspirant writer on Yoga, Meditation and Health, Ayurveda health care. To buy books online on effective ways to reduce high blood pressure, best seller books on different ways to reduce blood pressure, Ayurveda, yoga & meditation log on to online book store, online Indian books on Meditation, yoga and health treatment store.