Lowering Blood Pressure
By Bobby Gill

Lowering Blood Pressure

Lowering blood pressure especially when you have high (BP) is essential for a long, healthy, quality life. Lowering BP should not be much of a problem if you can remove all tobacco products containing nicotine from your life. Lowering BP levels may be a necessity if you have kidney disease, hormonal disorders, thyroid disease and adrenal gland disease. These illnesses may possibly be the cause of your high BP. Lowering BP shouldn’t make you feel sick. Lowering BP protects stroke victims with chronic kidney disease from further strokes. Lowering BP without drugs is possible if you know how and are willing to take action. You should focus on lowering BP without drugs thus avoiding their side effects. Fruits and vegetables can have an amazing effect in lowering BP. There are many fruits and vegetables that are important and effective in lowering BP  naturally. For an overall eating plan, consider DASH, which stands for “Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.”. You can reduce your BP by eating foods that are low in saturated fat, total fat, and cholesterol, and high in fruits, vegetables, and lowfat dairy foods. The DASH eating plan includes whole grains, poultry, fish, and nuts, and has low amounts of fats, red meats, sweets, and sugared beverages. It is also high in potassium, calcium, and magnesium, as well as protein and fiber. Eating foods lower in salt and sodium also can reduce BP.

A new study suggests that dark chocolate and other cocoa-rich products maybe better at lowering BP than tea. But researchers say they contain different types of polyphenols, and those in cocoa may be more effective at lowering BP. If you have a high BP and are looking forward to lowering your BP, then you have to make certain changes in your lifestyle. Stop being unduly stressed and this will certainly help. Medications are available for lowering BP, your doctor usually prescribes these and they all serve particular purposes. Recent research suggests that lowering BP in older people could reduce their chances of dementia. Other research says lowering BP is linked to fewer heart attacks and strokes. Others are not even aware of the possibility of lowering BP naturally. And of course, besides lowering BP naturally, exercise also comes with a whole host of other health benefits. One positive side effect of exercise is weight loss, which contributes to lowering BP  naturally. This is because being overweight is a contributing risk factor for hypertension. Dietary choices form the bedrock of lowering BP naturally. To supplement your attempts toward lowering BP naturally, some simple high BP herbs and foods can also be used as effective herbal remedies for hypertension. Improve your lifestyle and find out how you can begin to prevent or treat lowering BP naturally.

Blood Pressure

BP numbers include systolic (sis-TOL-ik) and diastolic (di-a-STOL-ik) pressures. systolic is measured when your heart pumps the blood out and diastolic is taken while the heart rests. BP is measured in millimetres of mercury (written as mm Hg). BP tends to goes up and down, even in people who have normal BP. BP is a measure of how strongly your blood pushes against the walls of your blood vessels as it's pumped around your body. Blood tests may also be used as an additional diagnostic tool. Blood is essential to life for it delivers oxygen from our lungs to our body tissues, and carries harmful waste to the kidneys to be removed. Blood also transports hormones from our glands to various parts of our bodies, as well as vitamins and nutrients from our digestive tracts. BP often increases as weight increases.

Blood Pressure Symptoms could include:

* Lightheadedness

* Increase In Blood Pressure

* Decreased Urine Output

* Fluttering Heart

* Heart Rate Altered

* Cannot Sustain an Erection

* Breathless - Lying Flat

* Tired

* Pain

* Headache

* Fatigue

* Impotence

* Dizziness

* Chest Pain

* Weakness

* Shortness of Breath

* Tinnitus

* Confusion

* Palpitations

* Double-Vision

* Blood In Urine

* Nosebleed

* Abnormal Heart Rhythms

* Fast Heart Rate

* Visual Problems

* Abdominal Swelling

* Visual Disturbance

* Crushing Chest Pain

* Bounding Pulse

* Hazy Vision

* Problem Getting An Erection

*Swelling of The Hands Or Legs

When the BP is high, the heart is forced to work harder to pump an adequate amount of blood to all parts of the body. BP is considered normal when the top number (systolic) is less than 140 and the bottom number (diastolic) is less than 90.

BP drug groups include:

* Diuretics: Helps the body get rid of extra sodium and fluid so the blood vessels don't have to hold as much fluid.

* Alpha-blockers: Helps keep your blood vessels open.

* ACE inhibitors: Prevent your blood vessels from constricting by blocking your body from making angiotensin II which is a chemical that constricts blood vessels.

* Calcium channel blockers: Helps to prevent your blood vessels from constricting by blocking calcium from entering your cells.

Side effects of antihypertensive drugs can include:

* feeling dizzy when you stand up after lying down or sitting

* lowered levels of potassium in your blood

* problems sleeping

* drowsiness

* dry mouth

* headaches

* bloating

* constipation

* depression

High BP (also called hypertension) occurs when your blood moves through your arteries at a higher pressure than normal. BP is really two measurements, separated by a slash when written down, such as 120/80. You may also hear someone say a BP is "120 over 80. "The first number is the systolic BP which is the peak BP  when your heart is squeezing blood out. The second number is the diastolic BP which is when your heart is filling with blood--relaxing between beats. A normal BP is 120/80 or lower. High BP is 140/90 or higher. If your BP is between 120/80 and 140/90, you have something called "prehypertension. High BP is diagnosed by putting a cuff around your arm, inflating the cuff and listening

for the flow of blood. Your doctor will measure your BP at more than one visit for accuracy to see if you have high BP. Children's BP should be checked occasionally, beginning at about age 2. After age 21, your BP should be checked at least once every 2 years. Check it more often if you have had high BP in the past. High BP damages your blood vessels which is why it's so important to have your BP checked regularly. Treatment begins with changes you can make to your lifestyle to help lower your BP and reduce your risk of heart disease The nicotine in cigarettes and other tobacco products causes your blood vessels to constrict and your heart to beat faster, which temporarily raises your BP. Quiting smoking or using tobacco products can significantly lower the risk of heart disease and heart attack, as well as lowering BP. If you're overweight, losing weight usually helps to lower BP. Not everyone is affected by sodium, but sodium can increase BP in some people. Most people who have high BP should limit the sodium in their diet each day to less than 2,400 mg. In some people, alcohol causes BP to rise quite a lot. If your BP increases with alcohol, it's best not to drink any alcohol. If your BP can only be controlled with medicine, you'll need to take the medicine for the rest of your life. According to the American Heart Association, nearly one in three adults in the United States has high and nearly one-third of those people don't know they have high BP, because it's a silent disease. People can have high BP for years without experiencing symptoms or knowing they have it. In most cases of high BP, the American Heart Association says there is no one identifiable cause. This kind of high BP is called "primary hypertension" or "essential hypertension". The greater your body mass, the more pressure there is on your artery walls. Excessive sodium in the diet can result in fluid retention and high BP, especially in people sensitive to sodium. The risk of high BP increases as you get older. High BP often runs in families. High BP can also be caused by an underlying condition, such as kidney disease, hormonal disorders, thyroid disease, adrenal gland disease, and the use of certain drugs, such as oral contraceptives, or herbs such as licorice. This type of high BP is called "secondary hypertension". Lifestyle changes and natural remedies may help to control high BP, but your doctor may also recommend medication to lower high BP. It is important to work with your doctor, because untreated high BP may damage organs in the body and increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, brain hemorrhage, kidney disease, and vision loss.

Lowering Blood Pressure

Lowering your BP can cut your risk of heart failure in half and your risk of having a heart attack by 25 percent. The biggest blood pressure-lowering benefits come from lowering sodium intake to 1,500 milligrams a day.

The following eight foods are among the best of the best when it comes to lowering your BP.

* spinach

* unsalted sunflower seeds

* beans (black, white, navy, lima, pinto, kidney)

These 8 foods are all loaded with magnesium, a key ingredient for lowering and maintaining healthy levels. A study has showed that blood pressure-lowering drugs called ACE inhibitors provide almost ten percent greater protection against coronary heart disease, compared with angiotensin receptor blockers. Researchers found eating cocoa-rich foods had effects similar to those found using one-drug therapy. They also estimate that the blood pressure-lowering effect associated with cocoa would be expected to reduce the risk of stroke by about 20%, coronary heart disease by 10%, and death from all causes by 8%. One experiment had the participants avoid chocolate for 2 weeks. A very significant lowering of the BP was found on the group that consumed the dark chocolate for 15 days compared to no BP lowering in the group eating white chocolate. Hypertension research scientists have found that certain lifestyle changes can help in lowering BP. While lifestyle changes certainly help when lowering BP and also help improve a person's quality of life, new research indicates that lowering BP and cholesterol below recommended guidelines seems to reduce these risks.

Conclusion

Lifestyle plays an important role in lowering high blood pressure. Lifestyle choices, such as smoking, stress, obesity, excessive use of stimulants such as coffee and tea, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, high sodium intake and a diet high in saturated fats all contribute to high BP. Don't smoke cigarettes or use any tobacco product. Following a healthy lifestyle helps some people delay or prevent a rise in BP. Key steps include following a healthy lifestyle, having ongoing medical care, and following the treatment plan that your doctor prescribes. Indeed, losing weight, physical activity and cutting sodium are the most effective lifestyle changes people can make to lower BP. Those who smoke and have a diet high in salt content can also suffer from raised BP. Continuing high stress in your lifestyle can contribute to high BP. Many diseases and disorders of the heart can cause BP to become raised. Active monitoring of blood pressure, heart rate, weight, body fat, body mass index (BMI) and blood oxygen levels when combined with proper diet, nutrition and physical fitness can help ensure a longer, more healthy lifestyle. The latest studies into the longevity and lifestyles of the oldest people in the world have confirmed that the human heart is perfectly capable of functioning for many more decades than the average age of death from heart related illness in the population would suggest. If you examine your lifestyle and make moderate improvements to reduce the above risk factors especially stress, this will reduce your overall risk more substantially than an extreme effort to reduce just one or two of the heart health risk factors. An amazing conclusion from another study was that the effect that a boss has on one's health appeared to outweigh all other considerations, including workload and lifestyle considerations, such as smoking, lack of exercise or obesity, or high cholesterol. "The average American diet is high in fat, cholesterol, calories and salt, and our lifestyles are far too sedentary. Studies have shown that sedentary lifestyles tend to elevate BP, while regular exercise can reduce it. The prevalence of high increases with age and is often related to lifestyle habits.