High Blood Pressure

There is nearly one out of every three adults who have hypertension worldwide- which is known as the “silent killer”. High blood pressure can affect people of all shapes, sizes, and age.  High blood pressure occurs when the smallest arteries also known as “arterioles” constrict, causing the heart to pump harder in order to distribute the blood throughout the body. Since the heart is a muscle- the harder it works the bigger it gets; what can happen is an enlarged heart.

Pressure against the walls of the arteries occurs when the heart contracts (systolic) pressure, and when the heart relaxes between beats (diastolic) pressure.  The pumping of the heart and how well it works circulating the blood throughout the body can be affected by many factors, health, heart muscle, and elasticity of the artery walls.
Stress, alcohol, nicotine, drugs and weight often lead to heart disease. Blood pressure can fluctuate but a normal range is 120/80. When the hearts systolic reaches 140 and the diastolic exceed 90- disease is present. Left untreated it can cause –strokes, heart attacks, and kidney failure. Controlling blood pressure can cut your stroke to 30-40%, and heart attacks 20-25%.

A stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is blocked due to a blood clot. A heart attack occurs when blood supply to the heart muscle is blocked.
There are methods that can be taken to control your blood pressure by diet, exercise, life style and natural remedies. Reduce your stress the best way you can, try yoga, aerobic exercises, walking, and hiking. Avoid smoking completely and lose weight. Just these few methods will enable you be able to control or prevent high blood pressure.

 Diet is important and you need to watch your cholesterol levels which if they are high, can put you at risk of cardiovascular disease. Cut back on red meat, eggs, salt, and foods high in fats. Be watchful of caffeine and alcohol they constrict the blood vessels so take these in moderation. Easting fish is recommended because it has unsaturated fatty acids that can have the effect of lowering blood pressure. By just losing 10 pounds you can lower your blood pressure.