High Blood Pressure

Summary

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is one of the most common health conditions in the United States, impacting approximately 25% of all adults, 66% of which are younger than 65. The term hypertension simply means that people affected by this problem have higher than normal blood pressure levels as their hearts pump blood through the body`s arteries. This greater than normal force can harm the walls of the arteries, which in turn can result in harmful deposits of harmful (LDL) cholesterol and various poisonous substances. If the process is left untreated, the outcome can be heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular conditions.

Although hypertension is often thought to be an organic consequence of aging, the fact is that many people in the United States in their 20s, 30s, and 40s suffer from high blood pressure clearly indicates it is not an age-reliant disease. In actuality, high blood pressure is the result of poor overall health and lifestyle choices. Conventional medicine primarily focuses on dealing with the signs of high blood pressure instead of addressing its underlying causes. It does this mainly through the use of blood pressure drugs, all of which can cause dangerous side effects.

Measuring High Blood Pressure

Your blood pressure levels may be easily measured utilizing an inflatable cuff device known as a sphygmomanometer that is placed around your upper arm. Once the cuff is fully inflated, blood circulation through the artery is temporarily stopped. Your doctor, listens with a stethoscope and will slowly release the pressure in the cuff. As the blood circulation in the artery starts to resume, a pounding sound can be heard. As soon as it is heard, your blood pressure will be noted. This dimension is known as your own systolic blood pressure. Next, the cuff pressure will be released further till no sound can be heard. Once again your pressure is going to be noted, this time indicating your diastolic blood pressure. Hypertension is indicated when the systolic rises over a reading of 140, and the diastolic rises above 90. For accuracy, your blood pressure should be measured on two separate occasions a minimum of two hours apart.

Note: Elements such as stress, physical exertion, and powerful emotions such as fear and anger can skew blood pressure readings. Therefore, it is suggested that you do not have your blood pressure measured during such times, but wait until you are calm and rested to ensure an accurate reading.

Types of High Blood Pressure

There are two types of high blood pressure, essential high blood pressure and supplementary high blood pressure. Essential blood pressure is high blood pressure occurring without an obvious cause, while secondary hypertension is caused by kidney damage or failings and/or imbalances in the endocrine system. The vast majority of high blood pressure cases—over 90%—are essential high blood pressure.

Caution: If you suffer from supplementary high blood pressure, seek immediate medical assistance.

Symptoms of Hypertension

The most common symptoms of high blood pressure tend to be breathing issues, dizziness, fatigue, gastrointestinal problems, headaches, insomnia, and irritability. Left uncontrolled, however, hypertension can lead to severe heart conditions, such as stroke, and brain and kidney damage.

Causes of Hypertension

Like many other chronic health problems, high blood pressure occurs primarily because of our harmful modern way of life and diet plan. In local cultures all over the world, where a healthy, natural diet is the norm, and western lifestyle factors do not exist, high blood pressure is virtually nonexistent. Therefore, so that you can effectively avoid and change high blood pressure, knowing what causes it is an essential first step. The primary causes of high blood pressure are atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), poor diet, environmental toxins, and lifestyle factors. Numerous pharmaceutical drugs can also trigger or aggravate high blood pressure.

Atherosclerosis: Not only is atherosclerosis a major cause of hypertension, it is also among the primary causes of both heart attack and stroke. Atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, is actually caused by the buildup of plaque inside your body`s blood vessels, especially the arteries. In coronary artery disease, the accumulation of plaque thickens the actual blood and hardens the arteries, making them narrow and less elastic. Combined, these two signs of atherosclerosis produce resistance to the body`s blood flow, raising blood pressure levels.

Poor Diet: While high blood pressure is quite common in western, developed nations, researchers have found it hardly occurs at all among native peoples in Africa, China, South America, and Micronesia. The reason for this is their diet which is much healthier compared to today’s standard western diet. This point is easily proven because when individuals from these indigenous lands relocate to more industrialized places and begin eating accordingly they often develop signs and symptoms of high blood pressure.

The primary dietary factors that can cause high blood pressure are extreme consumption of saturated animal fats and salt (salt chloride), in conjunction with a lack of fresh fruits and vegetables. A diet full of magnesium, potassium, and other nutrients is essential for healthy blood pressure levels. This is especially true of people who depend on fast foods or even who regularly dine out rather than eat at home. Most of these meals are extremely full of both sodium and harmful fats. It is best when prepared foods are made with unrefined ocean or mountain salt and healthy oils and fat, such as avocado butter, extra virgin olive oil or natural butter.

Environmental Toxins: Environmental toxins such as cadmium, and mercury, can just about all elevate blood pressure levels. Typically, the levels of environmental toxins within people with high blood pressure are 300-400% higher than those with normal blood pressure levels. Other common environmental toxins or even pollutants have the possibility to raise blood pressure levels, too. Sources of this type of toxin include tap water, toxins circulating in the air we breathe, mercury in dental amalgam fillings, various vaccines, fish and seafood. Chemical substance residues and toxins remain in produce that’s conventionally grown and in the flesh of animals which have been raised with chemically treated feed.

Lifestyle Factors: Typical lifestyle factors that can cause high blood pressure include excessive consumption of alcohol and caffeine, smoking (such as regular contact with secondhand smoke), and a sedentary lifestyle. Studies have shown that both systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels rise in direct proportion in to the amount of coffee a person drinks throughout the day. For alcohol, even moderate use of beer or wine can raise blood pressure amounts in some individuals.

Smoking or exposure to second hand smoke causes high blood pressure because of how cigarette smoking damages cells and narrows arteries. In addition, cigarettes contain an abundance of life-threatening chemicals which further increase overall health dangers. Even smokeless tobacco products for example chewing tobacco and snuff can raise blood pressure amounts because of the ingredients and salt they contain.

Being inactive can also cause high blood pressure simply because a lack of physical exercise results in poor oxygenation of the body`s cells and tissue, and can produce a negative effect on the heart muscle, causing it to have to work harder to do its job.

Pharmaceutical drug Drugs: Based on the Physicians Table Reference Guide, these drugs can all trigger high blood pressure as a side effect of their use: Alfenta Injection, Aredia for Injection, Dobutrex Answer Vials, Epogen , Habitrol Smoking Transdermal Program, Lupron Depot, Methergine Injection and Tablets, Orthoclone OKT3 Sterile Answer, Polygam Immune Globulin Intravenous Human, Procrit Injection, Sandimmune, Sandimmune Soft Gelatin Capsules, Tolectin, Velban Vials, Ventolin Breathing Aerosol and Refill, and Wellbutrin.

Other Causes: In addition to the previously mentioned causes, high blood pressure may also be caused by diabetic issues, high cholesterol, obesity, and chronic stress.

Organic Cures

Traditional medicine relies on the use of drugs to treat high blood pressure. While certain drugs can relieve symptoms of hypertension, they do not tackle its fundamental causes, and can also result in potentially dangerous side effects. By comparison, practitioners of natural healing techniques are usually able to prevent and reverse hypertension safely by dealing directly with the trigger, without dangerous side-effects. Below are overviews of some of the primary holistic treatments used to treat high blood pressure:

Aromatherapy: The fundamental oils rose, marjoram, and ylang ylang, applied topically can help soothe stress related to hypertension.

Ayurveda Medicine: Ayurveda physicians devise treatment plans with regard to high blood pressure based on their patients metabolic type or dosha. There are three primary doshas: vatta, pitta, and kapha. Pitta as well as kapha physical structure are most prone to hypertension due to their genetic traits and lifestyle. Ayurveda treatment generally involves dietary changes, together with various Ayurveda herbs and yoga breathing exercises.

Usually, the diet prescribed by Ayurveda physicians emphasizes vegetables, whole grains, and small amounts of fish and/or poultry, with sufferers advised to reduce their consumption of salt and to avoid fatty meals, milk and dairy products, and all commercial foods.

Among the most generally prescribed Ayurveda herbs is ashwagandha, which promotes relaxation and reduces stress; coral added to rose water acts as a heart tonic and is a good source of the minerals calcium and magnesium, both of which are usually deficient within people with high blood pressure; rauwolfia and its extract, reserpine, which helps to directly control blood pressure amounts; and sankhapuspi, which helps to relieve emotions such as anger and anxiety and reduces poor (LDL) cholesterol while increasing good (HDL) cholesterol, therefore enhancing circulation.

Note: Rauwolfia and reserpine, should only be used under the supervision of a trained Ayurveda physician or herbalist simply because, if used indiscriminately, they are able to cause biochemical and nerve imbalances, and depression. In addition, patients struggling with these problems should not use these specific herbs.

Yoga breathing exercises are advised because of their ability to both improve overall cardiovascular health and to increase relaxation. An easy yogic breathing exercise that you can use for this purpose is alternate nostril breathing. To perform this physical exercise, close your right nostril with your thumb or finger while you breathe through your left nostril. As you complete your exhalation, close your left nostril and replicate the process through your right nostril. Continue breathing via alternating nostrils for 10-15 minutes and repeat the exercise 2-3 times each day. In many cases, blood pressure levels may drop considerably after just 10 minutes of performing this physical exercise, and continue to drop till they become stabilized to healthier levels. Perform this exercise on a daily basis.

Detoxification Therapy: Detoxifying your body periodically is an excellent way to keep blood pressure amounts in balance. During the process of detoxification, your body becomes better able to eliminate stored toxins, such as heavy metals, out of your cells, tissue, and organs, helping to decrease high blood pressure.

Consuming a light diet plan of fresh organic meals, drinking real filtered drinking water and natural, fresh-squeezed juice throughout the day, is an easy way to help your body detox. For added benefit, include fresh squeezed lemon juice and a dash of cayenne pepper to the water you drink, and take hot baths or sit in a sauna each day. Extreme caution: If your condition is serious, do not try saunas without medical guidance.

Among the many advantages of a detoxing regimen are the improvements that occur in the liver and the lymphatic system, each of which can have a significant positive influence on blood pressure levels. To help cleanse your lymphatic system, spend 10 minutes every day scrubbing the body with a dried out brush and jump on the rebounder (mini-trampoline) for 5-10 minutes twice a day.

Other detoxing methods that can help improve hypertension include colon cleaning, colonics, enemas, juice fasts, and saunas.

Diet: Adopting a healthy diet is perhaps the most important step you can take to prevent as well as reverse hypertension. Ideally, your diet should consist of 20-25% protein, 30% wholesome fats, and 45-50% carbs. Fish such as blue fish, cod, Greenland halibut, mackerel, and wild- caught salmon are excellent sources of both proteins and healthy fats. Avoid farm-raised salmon, because of the antibiotics and food dyes they contain; tuna, which is high in mercury; as well as shellfish, which contain a high level of contaminants. Your consumption of red meat should also be minimized, and if consuming red meat, bison or lamb are favored. Choose free range, natural poultry, preferably turkey. Maintain small portions between 4-8 ounces. Superb vegetarian choices include tempeh, tofu, eggs, and soaked sprouted steamed beans or legumes.

Also include plenty of organic, clean fruits and vegetables, as well as non-wheat complex carbohydrates, and drink lots of pure, filtered water during the day. For additional benefits, also include garlic and onions and use raw virgin coconut butter/oil or extra virgin olive oil for all of your cooking needs. For preparing salads, olive as well as flaxseed oils are suggested. Raw, unpasteurized dairy products in moderation are suitable. During the chillier months a great breakfast choice is organic oatmeal, which has been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol, blood pressure levels and to reduce the overall risk of cardiovascular disease. Optionally, cream of wheat cereal or amaranth flakes can be consumed as a delicious warm breakfast cereal. In the summertime months consider smoothies, fruit salad or even unsweetened granola and fruit.

Excellent choices for fruits and vegetables are organic avocados, bananas, cantaloupe, honeydew melons, grapefruit, nectarines, oranges, asparagus, broccoli, brown rice, cabbage, cauliflower, green peas, lima beans, abundant green vegetables, nuts such as almonds, cashews, walnuts and pecans, potatoes, and yams. Wheat seed, ground flax seed and oat bran can also be used to ensure sufficient levels of fiber in your diet.

Additionally, avoid just about all sugars and refined carbohydrates, as well as alcoholic beverages and caffeine, and minimize your salt intake, using sea salt instead of commercial or refined table salt with regard to seasoning.

Herbal Medicine: The following herbs can all help prevent and reverse high blood pressure and its associated symptoms: Garlic, hawthorn berry, olive leaf extract, and the medicinal mushrooms maitake and reishi.

Garlic — Over 2,000 healthcare studies have confirmed the many health benefits associated with garlic. Studies have shown that eating a clove of raw garlic once a day can not only reduce blood pressure amounts, but also reduce bad (LDL) cholesterol as well as triglyceride levels, both of which are associated with heart disease. Garlic has also been shown to decrease fats within the bloodstream and to help prevent blood platelet adhesion as well as harmful thrombus. For people who wish to avoid the smell associated with consuming raw garlic, garlic capsules can be used instead, or you can roast the garlic cloves before consuming them.

Hawthorn Berry – Hawthorn berry has a long history and is used in Europe and Asia by herbal healthcare specialists as a natural remedy for heart disease. Research has proven that hawthorn berry improves overall cardiovascular function while reducing hypertension. It is also a safe and natural sedative, helping to calm symptoms of stress. Among the benefits provided by hawthorn berry are reducing and stabilizing elevated blood pressure levels caused by physical activity, enhancing one’s heart muscles ability to contract, increasing the rate of blood moving into the heart during exertion, and decreasing overall heart rate. Hawthorn berry is available in pills, tea, or as an infusion.

Olive Leaf Extract – In addition to being a potent defense booster, olive leaf extract has been proven by researchers to significantly reduce high blood pressure amounts, and increase blood circulation to the heart.

Maitake and Reishi Mushrooms – Both maitake and reishi mushrooms act as overall herbal medications for the entire body and can significantly reduce blood pressure amounts.

Hydrotherapy: Hydrotherapy is the process of using water, ice, steam and alternating hot and cold temperatures to maintain and restore health. Treatments include full body immersion, vapor baths, saunas, sitz baths, colonic irrigation and the use of hot and/or compresses. Hydrotherapy works well for treating a wide range of conditions and may easily be used in your home as part of a self-care plan. Many Naturopathic Physicians, Physical Therapists and day spas make use of Hydrotherapy as part of their treatment. We suggest several at-home hydrotherapy treatments. Make sure you seek the advice of your alternative health care practitioner before undergoing these methods to make sure they are appropriate for you.

*Purified water is an essential part of any hydrotherapy treatment. Remedies for treating bath water offer clear instructions and recommendations.

Juice Therapy: The following liquid combinations can help prevent and reverse high blood pressure because of the vitamins and minerals they include: Beet, carrot, and celery; carrot and cucumber, spinach, and parsley. To improve results, add a clove of garlic to your juices.

Lifestyle Changes: The primary lifestyle change required by many people with high blood pressure is to shift from a sedentary lifestyle to one that’s more active and that provides regular exercise a minimum of three times per week. Two excellent exercise options that are safe and enjoyable are brisk walking as well as swimming. Other available choices include bicycling, running, or working out on a rebounder (mini-trampoline). Studies have shown that such actions can lower blood pressure due to the aerobic (oxygenating) benefits they provide.

Note: If you are not used to exercising, do not begin an exercise program without first consulting with your personal doctor.

Other lifestyle changes that can be an advantage to your overall health and reduce high blood pressure include avoiding or minimizing alcohol consumption and quitting cigarette smoking and dropping excess weight.

Nutritional Supplements: The following supplements can all help to avoid and reverse high blood pressure: Vitamin A, beta carotene, vitamin B3 (niacin), supplement B6, vitamin C, bioflavonoids (particularly rutin), vitamin E, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), evening primrose oil, fish oil, calcium, magnesium, potassium, selenium, and zinc. The amino acids cysteine, taurine, and tryptophan can also be helpful.

Note: Dosages of vitamin E above 400 IU/day aren’t recommended for people who suffer from hypertension, rheumatic heart disease, or ischemic heart disease. For the best results, begin with a low dose (100 IU) and gradually increase to 400 IU while being monitored by a physician.

Tension Management: Learning how to decrease and correctly manage stress is essential for anyone who is suffering from high blood pressure. Holistic health practitioners help their patients make this happen through the use of various mind/body treatments techniques, such as biofeedback, hypnotherapy, and relaxation exercises.

Meditation is another type of stress management that can be impressive for reducing high blood pressure amounts. So much so, actually, that since 1984 it’s been recommended by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) more than conventional blood pressure medications with regard to cases associated with mild hypertension.

There are many ways to meditate. One of the easiest is simply to sit comfortably in a seat with your eyes closed and begin to focus on your breathing. Try this for 5-10 minutes twice daily and gradually extend each session to 20-30 minutes. To enhance your time and efforts, concentrate on psychologically repeating a peaceful expression each time that you inhale and exhale, allowing all other ideas to arise and pass without becoming involved in them. At first, this may seem difficult, however with committed exercise you will eventually find yourself able to meditate while experiencing greater degrees of calm and peace.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM): According to professionals of TCM high blood pressure is caused by obstruction in the circulation of essential energy (Qi) as it moves through the body`s energy facilities (meridians). Consequently, practitioners associated with traditional Chinese medicine concentrate on bringing the flow associated with Qi back to balance. TCM practitioners combine energy medicine with the use of traditional Chinese herbs, and diet plan, by educating their patients in the practice of deep breathing, Qigong, and Tai Chi.

Alternative Expert Care

These therapies can also help to prevent and reduce high blood pressure: Traditional Chinese Medicine, Bodywork (acupressure, Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais Method, massage therapy, reflexology, Rolfing, shiatsu, Therapeutic Contact),Chelation Therapy, Detoxification Therapy, Energy Medicine, Environmental Treatments, Hypnotherapy, Magnetic Therapy, Orthomolecular Medicine, and Yoga. (See Resources for additional information regarding these and other alternative therapies).