What Causes High Blood Pressure
Risk factors for developing high blood pressure include:
- Family history
- Gender
- Up to age 64, men are more likely to develop high blood pressure than women
- At age 65 and older, women are more likely to develop high blood pressure than men
Risk factors for developing high blood pressure that can be prevented or managed include:
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Stress
Is There Is A High Blood Pressure Diet
In about half of people with high blood pressure, limiting sodium intake by eliminating table salt, cooking salt, and salty and processed foods can reduce blood pressure by 5 mm Hg. Losing weight and participating in regular physical activity can reduce blood pressure further.
If these lifestyle changes and choices don’t work, medications should be added. The medications have been proven to reduce the risk of stroke, heart disease, and kidney problems.
Weight Control
- Aim for a healthy weight range for your height and body type. Your health care practitioner can help you calculate a healthy target weight.
- Even a small amount of weight loss can make a major difference in lowering or preventing high blood pressure.
- You must burn more calories than you take in to lose weight.
- Crash or fad diets are not helpful and may be dangerous.
- Some weight loss medications also carry major risks and may even elevate blood pressure, and great caution is advised in using these drugs. Please ask your health care practitioner or pharmacist for help in deciding if a weight loss medication is appropriate for your situation.
Exercise or Increase Physical Activity
How To Lower Blood Pressure Quickly And Naturally
When someone has high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, it means their blood is pumping with too much force against the artery walls. The condition can eventually lead to heart disease, stroke, or other cardiac conditions. High blood pressure is extremely common in the United States. More than 103 million people in the country have itand many dont even know theirs is too high, because it can be asymptomatic, says John Osborne, MD, director of cardiology at LowT Center/HerKare and a volunteer for the American Heart Association .
The reason many people dont know? There are often few or no symptoms associated with high blood pressure, says Sondra DePalma, a cardiac physician assistant at PinnacleHealth CardioVascular Institute with UPMC Pinnacle in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, which is why it is called the silent killer.
If youre wondering how to lower blood pressure, luckily, there are natural ways to do so with the proper diet and healthy lifestyle changes.
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Possible Causes Of Resistant Hypertension
Resistant hypertension may have one or more other underlying medical conditions. In addition to treating resistant hypertension with medications, doctors typically investigate secondary causes , such as:
- Abnormalities in the hormones that control blood pressure.
- The accumulation of artery-clogging plaque in blood vessels that nourish the kidneys, a condition called renal artery stenosis.
- Sleep problems, such as the breath-holding type of snoring known as obstructive sleep apnea.
- Obesity or heavy intake of alcohol or other substances that can interfere with blood pressure.
Put Down The Saltshaker
Keeping your sodium intake to a minimum can be vital for lowering blood pressure.
In some people, when you eat too much sodium, your body starts to retain fluid. This results in a sharp rise in blood pressure.
The AHA recommends limiting your sodium intake to between 1,500 milligrams and 2,300 mg per day. Thats a little over half a teaspoon of table salt.
To decrease sodium in your diet, dont add salt to your food. One teaspoon of table salt has 2,300 mg of sodium!
Use herbs and spices to add flavor instead. Processed foods also tend to be loaded with sodium. Always read food labels and choose low-sodium alternatives when possible.
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You Can Fight High Blood Pressure
While heart disease is still the No. 1 killer in the United States and around the world, death rates have decreased significantly. Earlier and better treatment of high blood pressure has played a key role in that decrease.
Written by American Heart Association editorial staff and reviewed by science and medicine advisers. See our editorial policies and staff.
High Blood Pressure Treatment
The best way to lower blood pressure begins with changes you can make to your lifestyle to help lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart disease. Additionally, your doctor may prescribe medicine to lower your blood pressure. These are called antihypertensive medicines.
The goal of treatment is to reduce your blood pressure to normal levels. Your doctor may prescribe medicine thats easy to take and has few, if any, side effects. This treatment is highly successful. If your blood pressure can only be controlled with medicine, youll need to take the medicine for the rest of your life. It is common to need more than one medicine to help control your blood pressure. Dont stop taking the medicine without talking with your doctor. Otherwise, you may increase your risk of having a stroke or heart attack.
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What Natural Remedies Therapies And Supplements Lower Blood Pressure
Alternative therapies may be helpful to people trying to control their blood pressure.
- Acupuncture and biofeedback are well-accepted alternative techniques that may help some people with high blood pressure.
- Techniques that induce relaxation and reduce stress are recommended. These include meditation, yoga, and relaxation training.
- These techniques alone may not control high blood pressure for many people. They should not be used as a substitute for medical therapy without first consulting with your health care practitioner.
Dietary supplements and alternative medications and therapies are sometimes recommended for high blood pressure.
- Examples include vitamins, garlic, fish oil, L-arginine, soy, coenzyme Q10, herbs, phytosterols, and chelation therapy.
- While these substances may be beneficial, the exact nature of their benefits is not known.
- Scientific studies have produced no evidence that these therapies lower blood pressure or prevent the complications of high blood pressure.
- Most of these substances are harmless if taken in moderate doses. Most people can take them without problems.
- Talk to your health care practitioner if you are considering any of these treatments. Substituting these therapies for medical therapies that have been shown to lower blood pressure and the risk of complications may have a harmful effect on your health.
Habits That Prevent Hypertension
Salt can be a cause of hypertension. So watch that your daily intake of salt does NOT exceed 2300 mg per day. It is also very good to walk or do some sport. Remember not to eat too many sausages, beers or cured cheese. These foods have high levels of amines that promote hypertension.
Among the foods that improve your blood pressure are watermelons, kiwis, bananas, blueberry juices and skim milk. Hibiscus tea, coconut water, tofu and soy will also be very helpful. Generally, a healthy and balanced diet is one that will help you prevent dangerous rises in pressure.
If you think this article might be useful for other people, do not hesitate to it. There are lives at stake that, simply by making this information known, you can save.
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Cacao Powder To Bring Down Blood Pressure Naturally
One of the best drinks for high blood pressure to enjoy is hot chocolate made from cacao powder.
One study into the effect of cacao drinks on hypertension found that they can help reduce blood pressure by around 4 mmHg.
Other studies have found that the rich antioxidant content in cacao drinks is good for helping to manage high blood pressure in elderly people.
Avoid Heavy Alcohol Drinking
Drinking too much alcohol has been associated with high blood pressure. Heavy drinking also contributes to stroke. The CDC recommends that men drink two or fewer drinks per day. Women are recommended to drink one or fewer alcoholic beverages per day.
Alcoholism is a disease that is difficult to treat on your own. If you find it difficult to control your drinking, many people have successfully limited or quit drinking through counseling and drug treatment. You can reach the national substance abuse hotline anytime at: 1-800-662-HELP .
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What Is Considered High Blood Pressure
The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology have recommended guidelines to define normal and high blood pressure .
Guidelines to define normal and high blood pressure stages chart
| > 139 | > 89 |
Based on these new 2017 guidelines defining high blood pressure, as many as half of all Americans will have this disease . Uncontrolled high blood pressure is responsible for many cases of death and disability resulting from a heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure.
According to research studies, the risk of dying of a heart attack is directly linked to high blood pressure, particularly systolic hypertension. The higher your blood pressure, the higher the risk. Maintaining lifelong control of hypertension decreases the future risk of complications such as heart attack and stroke.
About 1% of people with high blood pressure do not seek medical care until the high blood pressure is very severe, a condition known as malignant hypertension or a hypertensive emergency.
Cut Back On Sugar And Refined Carbohydrates
Many scientific studies show that restricting sugar and refined carbohydrates can help you lose weight and lower your blood pressure.
A 2010 study compared a low-carb diet to a low-fat diet. The low-fat diet included a diet drug. Both diets produced weight loss, but the low-carb diet was much more effective in lowering blood pressure.
The low-carb diet lowered blood pressure by 4.5 mm Hg diastolic and 5.9 mm Hg systolic. The diet of low-fat plus the diet drug lowered blood pressure by only 0.4 mm Hg diastolic and 1.5 mm Hg systolic .
A 2012 analysis of low-carb diets and heart disease risk found that these diets lowered blood pressure by an average of 3.10 mm Hg diastolic and 4.81 mm Hg systolic .
Another side effect of a low-carb, low-sugar diet is that you feel fuller longer, because youre consuming more protein and fat.
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How To Bring High Blood Pressure Down Immediately In Case Of Emergency
The first step you should do is to measure the pressure. Remember that, for the person who has the symptoms of high or low blood pressure should be totally still and sitting, without speaking. If the systolic pressure exceeds 180 or the diastolic pressure is less than 120, you should be concerned. In case of not having a blood pressure monitor, you should wait for a specialist. In the meantime, you can help the person or yourself by doing the following.
Relax and breathe deeply: To help anyone with high blood pressure, help them to take a proper posture and maintain a good temperature. Also, make them breathe slowly and deeply. The nitric oxide we breathe in opens up blood vessels and lowers blood pressure. Another positive effect of this oxide is that in this way you reduce the hormones that cause stress.
Transfer to a hospital: Even if you manage to control blood pressure, you must go to a hospital as soon as possible. After an increase in pressure, other problems are likely to occur. In any case, it is always better to prevent them.
When To Seek Emergency Care
High blood pressure causes damage to your organs over time. However, its possible for BP to rise suddenly and cause what is called a hypertensive crisis. Hypertensive crises can manifest as either hypertensive urgency or hypertensive emergency.
When checking your blood pressure, measurements over 180 for systolic and 120 for diastolic are warning flags. Wait a few minutes before you check again. If readings still exceed 180/120, then this is indicative of a hypertensive emergency.
If left unchecked, a hypertensive emergency may have severe consequences. Possible outcomes of uncontrollable high blood pressure include:
- Stroke
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Fifth Misconception About High Blood Pressure: Treatment Doesn’t Work
In fact, if you work with your doctor to develop a comprehensive program for managing your high blood pressure, that plan can work. To maximize the benefits of your plan, follow these steps:
- Check your blood pressure as often as recommended by your doctor.
- Follow your treatment plan consistently. Let your doctor know right away if you have problems with parts of the plan. Your doctor may refer you to other health care professionals who can help.
- See your doctor as often as requested. Bring your blood pressure records to show your doctor how the plan is working.
- Ask your doctor or pharmacist for information about medication side effects. Know when to call your doctor if there is a problem.
- Reduce how much salt you take in.
Learning about high blood pressure and how it can harm your health is the first step in controlling this condition so you can remain healthy for years to come.
Drugs Vs Lifestyle Change
First, keep in mind that drugs have limited success. Most studies on diuretics and other blood pressure-lowering drugs suggest they lower the risk of cardiovascular events among those with blood pressure between 140/90 and 159/99 by 15 to 20%.3 The problem is, with this range of blood pressure, the risk of cardiovascular-related deaths has increased by 300 to 400% compared to people with normal blood pressure.
So, while treating hypertension with drugs is generally better than no treatment, it is far from a cure, asserts Dr. Fruge.
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Extra Virgin Olive Oil:
Another tip on how to treat high blood pressure naturally at home that I really want to show you and my other dear readers reading this article is to make use of extra virgin olive oil to deal with and eliminate the signs and symptoms causing by the high blood pressure issue.
Extra-virgin olive oil has antioxidants known as polyphenols, which can help to protect LDL cholesterol from oxidation and reduce high blood pressure. Moreover, olive oil has monounsaturated fatty acids that can aid in improving heart health.
According to a research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 2000, the use of extra-virgin olive oil can help in lowering the daily antihypertensive drug dosage demand.
Consume 2 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil on a daily basis to enjoy its wonderful effects. Use it in healthy dips or salad dressings. You can use it for baking or cooking as well.
Apple Cider Vinegar Can Help Lower Blood Pressure Naturally
Although apple cider may not lower blood pressure immediately, it could help treat some types of hypertension.
Most of the medicinal properties of apple cider vinegar come from its content of acetic acid. One study found that acetic acid helps to inhibit certain enzymes that can cause high blood pressure. Scientists found that acetic acid solutions had a positive effect on blood pressure levels.
You can learn more about the therapeutic effects of apple cider vinegar to help cure hypertension without medication.
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Take Help From Family And Friends
It is advised to seek help from family, friends, and neighbors in case of uneasiness.
Visiting a crowded function increases the risk of hypertension by almost 52%.
Wondering how to quickly lower blood pressure in minutes?
One way is to be careful about your surroundings. If visiting someplace which might trigger anxiety, go with a family member.
That way, even if you feel mild discomfort, youll have someone by your side. It is good to have a known face around the time of crisis.
Remember hypertension is a product of irregular lifestyle and stress. If you have a close friend around, you might feel less anxious already.
What Diet Helps Control High Blood Pressure
- Eat foods that are lower in fat, salt and calories, such as skim or 1% milk, fresh vegetables and fruits, and whole grain rice, and pasta.
- Use flavorings, spices and herbs to make foods tasty without using salt. The optimal recommendation for salt in your diet is to have less than 1500 milligrams of sodium a day. Don’t forget that most restaurant foods and many processed and frozen foods contain high levels of salt. Use herbs and spices that do not contain salt in recipes to flavor your food do not add salt at the table.
- Avoid or cut down on butter and margarine, regular salad dressings, fatty meats, whole milk dairy products, fried foods, processed foods or fast foods, and salted snacks.
- Ask your provider if you should increase potassium in your diet Discuss the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet with your provider. The DASH diet emphasizes adding fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to your diet while reducing the amount of sodium. Since it is rich in fruits and vegetables, which are naturally lower in sodium than many other foods, the DASH diet makes it easier to eat less salt and sodium.
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