Hypertension or High blood pressure

High blood pressure or hypertension is one of the most prominent and silent killers of the modern times. Our lifestyles have grown very hectic, living very little time for rest and relaxation. The mental and physical pressures resulting from the industrial and metropolitan environments have caused psychological tensions. Worry and tensions raise the adrenaline in the blood and this in turn causes your blood pressure to rise.

Hypertension is one of the common diseases in old age affecting even the healthy people. This disease is a precursor to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. More than 1/3 of old people in the age of 65-74 have pressures greater than 160 mmHg systolic and/or 95 diastolic. Industrial societies have seen the rise in blood pressure of the old people. Hence treating hypertension is very important to reduce the fatalities in the old age.

The blood circulating within the arteries supplies every cell of the body with nourishment and oxygen. The force that your heart exerts as it pumps the blood into the large arteries creates a pressure within them and is called blood pressure. A certain level of blood pressure is essential to keep the blood from circulating within the body. But when the pressure becomes too high, it gives rise to hypertension. This is due to the spasm or narrowing of the small blood vessels called capillaries throughout the body. This increases the stress on your heart to pump blood vessels through the capillaries. The pressure of the blood goes up in proportion to the pressure on the heart.

You measure blood pressure in millimeters of mercury. The highest pressure that is reached during each heartbeat is systolic pressure while the lowest between two beats is called diastolic pressure. Systolic pressure gives the pressure of the contraction of the heart when it pushes the blood through the body and indicates the activity of the heart. Diastolic pressure gives the pressure in the artery when the heart is relaxed and denotes the condition of the blood vessels.

If your blood pressure reading is 120/70, it is normal. But at times even a pressure of 140/90 may still be normal. Any reading within this range on the lower scale is good for you. Range of 140/90 to 160/95 is the borderline area, 160/96 to 180/144 is mild hypertension while any reading of 180/115 and above is serious hypertension. A high diastolic pressure is far more serious than the raised systolic effect as it can have serious harmful effects.
There is no standard normal blood pressure in the old age. You can apply less stringent standards in the old age than while you are young. Ignore the systolic pressure as it may be high due to decrease in vascular elasticity. If you diastolic pressure is 110 mmHg under relaxed conditions, then you are hypertensive. You need to note this carefully because as you grow old, your blood pressure might be unstable. Initially or when you go for an examination, your readings might indicate high blood pressure and you might be classified as hypertensive but after some time your reading might be perfectly normal.

Symptoms of Hypertension :

• Pain in the back of the head and neck on waking up but which disappears gradually.
• Dizziness
• Aches and pain in the arms, shoulder, leg and back
• Palpitations
• Pain in the heart region
• Frequent urination
• Nose-bleeding
• Nervous tension and fatigue
• Crossness
• Emotional upsets
• Tiredness
• Wakefulness

Many high blood pressure people cannot do any serious work, as they get tired frequently. There may be difficulty breathing and an attack of dyspepsia. Hypertension in the long run, may lead to heart attacks or strokes or disability like detachment of retina.

Causes of hypertension :

• Stress because it elevates your blood pressure. If the stress continues for a long time, your pressure may remain high permanently, even though no stress is present.
• Wrong lifestyle choices. Irregular lifestyle, excess of intoxicants like tea, coffee, colas and refined foods destroy the natural pace of life.  This prevents the wastes and poisons from being eliminated the arteries and veins become slack. Hardening of arteries, obesity, diabetes and severe constipation give rise to high blood pressure.
• Excess consumption of pain-killers
• Large amount of table salt
• Food allergies
• High-fat, low-fiber diet and processed foods lacking the essential nutrients.

Eliminating the poisons from the system is the best way to treat hypertension. Your diet should be well-balanced, combined with plenty of exercise and rest. Diet plays a prime role in the treatment of this disease. Go on an exclusive fresh-fruit diet for at least five days with fresh juicy fruits at an interval of 5 hours 3 times a day. Eat plenty of oranges, apples, pears, mangoes, pineapple, papaya and watermelon as they are very effective. Add milk to this diet after 5 days. Start cereals after 10 or more days.

Eating raw vegetables is the best cure for treating hypertension. It has been shown that the vegetarians have far lower blood pressure than others. If you are cooking the vegetables, ensure that their juices are not burnt while cooking. Cucumber, tomato, onion, radish, cabbage and spinach are the best vegetables to be consumed in their raw form. Cut them in small pieces, sprinkle a little salt and add a juice of lemon to increase their palatability. Do not take more than 4 grams or ½ teaspoon of salt daily. Since baking powder contains sodium carbonate, you should avoid it.

Treatment for Hypertension :

 Garlic plays an important role in treatment of hypertension. It has the power to ease spasm of the small arteries and hence can reduce pressure and tension. It slows the pulse and modifies heart rhythm. It relieves dizziness, numbness, shortness of breath and the formation of gas within the digestive tract. Take 2-3 capsules a day to make a dent in the blood pressure. T is rich in adenosine, which is a smooth muscle relaxant.

Since ancient times, celery has been used to lower blood pressure. It contains a blood pressure reducing drug called 3-n-butyl-phthalide, responsible for imparting aroma to the vegetable. This compound is found in very high concentrations in celery unlike most of the other vegetables. Celery lowers pressure by reducing the concentrations of stress hormones found in the blood which cause the blood vessels to constrict. Take 2 stalks of celery a day to get good results.

You can use Indian gooseberry to treat high blood pressure. Take a tablespoon of fresh amla juice and honey together every morning. Lemon is also good remedy to control high blood pressure. It is an excellent source of vitamin C, present in both the juice and the peel of the fruit. Vitamin C is needed to prevent capillary fragility.

Eat watermelon to safeguard against high blood pressure. Substance extracted from watermelon seeds acts in dilating the blood pressure. Eat the dried and roasted seeds in liberal quantities.

Boiled potatoes play a vital role in lowering blood pressure. If you boil them with the skin, they absorb very little salt. Hence you can safely include them in the salt-free diet recommended for high blood pressure. Besides, they are a rich source of potassium but low in salt. The magnesium plays a crucial role in lowering blood pressure.

Dietary calcium and potassium are very important minerals in controlling hypertension. If your diet is rich in potassium and calcium you will not suffer from high blood pressure even if your salt intake is high. Research has revealed that people with hypertension do not get adequate amount of calcium from their diet. These two primary nutrients help your body in throwing off the excess sodium and are involved in important functions which control the vascular system. Fruits and vegetables are abundant in potassium while the dairy products give you calcium.

Taking vitamin C in high doses will also help in hypertension. Vitamin C in fruits and vegetables is the most effective weapon against hypertension. Those whose vitamin C intake is the lowest have the highest fatalities due to blood pressure and stroke. Those who consumed vitamin C from a single orange were twice as likely to suffer from high blood pressure as those who ate 4 oranges a day. Systolic pressure was reported to be 11 points higher and diastolic pressure was up by 6 points amongst the people who ate minimal vitamin C. Low levels of vitamin C increased systolic pressure by 16% and diastolic pressure by 9%.

Olive oil is another good remedy for hypertension. Amount of monounsaturated fats in olive oil decreased systolic pressure by 9 points and diastolic pressure by 6 points. Take 2/3 tablespoon of olive oil daily to bring down your blood pressure by 5 systolic points and 4 diastolic points.

Eat a well-balanced diet consisting of 20% carbohydrate, 10-15% protein, fat 5% and fruits and vegetables 60-65%. Eat one meal of raw foods, while the second meal can include cooked foods. Eat slowly in a relaxed atmosphere. Masticate your food well as the process of digestion commences in the mouth. Do not take late night dinner.

Exercise regularly as it is the single most important factor in treatment of hypertension. Go for regular walks as they relieve tension, build up the muscles and helps in circulation of the blood. When your blood pressure goes down, include other activities like bicycling, swimming and jogging. Yogic asanas like vajrasana, padmasana, pavan-muktasana and shavasana can help in controlling your blood pressure. Simple pranayamas like anuloma-viloma and abdominal breathing are helpful. However, if your blood pressure is above 200 mm, stop all the asanas except shavasana.

Take prolonged neutral immersion bath daily for 1 or more hour as it will work wonders.