My Best Health

What is High Blood Pressure?

According to statistics, one out of every three adult Americans have high blood pressure. Blood pressure is defined as the amount of force that the blood uses on the veins and arteries as it circulates through the body. A healthy person’s blood pressure should be around 120/80 mm Hg or even lower. Blood pressure that consistently measures 140/90 mm Hg or higher is considered high blood pressure.

If left uncontrolled, it may increase the risk of serious health problems including heart attack, kidney failure or stroke.

There are two types of high blood pressure: First, there is primary high blood pressure in which there is no known underlying cause and second, there is secondary high blood pressure which occurs as the result of a medical condition or as a side effect from medications.

What makes high blood pressure so dangerous is that most people do not experience any symptoms, even when blood pressure readings are dangerously high. This is why it is called the “silent killer.” However, some people may notice one or two of the following symptoms if their levels are consistently raised: headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, nausea, increased nosebleeds.

What Causes High Blood Pressure?

For most people, the cause remains unknown, making primary blood pressure the more prevalent of the two. While it is not entirely known why primary high blood pressure occurs, research is ongoing and a number of factors have been implicated. Since high blood pressure often runs in families, a strong genetic component has been indicated.

Other risk factors for high blood pressure include smoking, alcoholism, high salt intake, being overweight, lack of exercise, and high levels of stress.

Some conditions known to cause secondary hypertension are: diabetic nephropathy, kidney disease, Cushing’s syndrome, hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism, arteriosclerosis (a thickening, hardening and narrowing of the walls of the arteries), underlying heart conditions, sleep apnea, obesity, pregnancy (especially in cases of pre-eclampsia) and side-effects of certain medications or supplements.

Natural Remedies for High Blood Pressure:

Garlic — Eating garlic is a very good way to lower high blood pressure. It has beneficial effects on the whole cardiovascular system. Clinical studies have shown that garlic decreases the systolic pressure by 20-30 mm Hg and the diastolic by 10-20 mm Hg. During one of these studies people with high blood pressure were given one clove of garlic a day for 12 weeks. Their diastolic blood pressure and cholesterol levels were significantly reduced.

Coenzyme Q10 — CoQ10 has been proven to be effective in treating people with a common type of high blood pressure. A clinical trial was done where half the people were given 60 mg of CoQ10 twice daily for 12 weeks and the other half were given, of course, a placebo. The people taking CoQ10 had an 18-point reduction in systolic blood pressure.

Magnesium — It is well known that magnesium deficiency leads to high blood pressure. Because our modern diet lacks magnesium, most Americans are deficient in this mineral. Many studies have shown that it helps significantly to take magnesium daily for the treatment of high blood pressure. Magnesium can also be taken to prevent hypertension.

Lysine, Proline and Vitamin C — This is a protocol by Linus Pauling, a nobel prize winner, to cure plaque build up in the arteries and thus reduce high blood pressure. To find out more about this protocol go to the saveyourheart.com website.

Cinnamon — In recent studies it was shown that cinnamon helps lower high blood pressure as well as reducing serum cholesterol levels. Below is a list of other herbs that are used to lower blood pressure. Herbs can be taken in capsules, as tinctures, you can use them in cooking if appropriate, or your can use them as a tea.

* Hawthorn

* Gingko biloba

* Ginseng

* Gotu Kola

* Skullcap

* Ashwagandha

* Burdock

* Hawthorn

* Nutmeg

* Cardamom

* Kelp

Lifestyle Changes to Reduce High Blood Pressure:

You might want to get your own blood pressure machine and keep track of your blood pressure yourself. This way you can see what causes it to go up or to go down.

Do about 30 minutes of aerobic exercise each day such as walking. Don’t overdue it and exercise too much as it then becomes stressful to your body and may increase blood pressure.

Eat a lot of potassium rich foods such as vegetables and fruits.

Drink lots of water, between 8 to 15 glasses of water a day. Drinking lots of water mimics what the drugs your doctor prescribes are doing. It relaxes your body, including your arteries.

Learn to relax, slow down and manage your stress levels. Stress is a huge influencing factor in high blood pressure.