Is Your Blood Pressure Under Control?

About 74 million Americans have hypertension and 50 million more are estimated to have prehypertension (mild elevation in blood pressure). High blood pressure is easy to detect and it's almost always treatable, but too few people actually know they even have high blood pressure. That's why it's referred to as the "silent killer" because it typically produces no symptoms of its own. Did you know that HBP left undetected can seriously damage your heart? Even if you have prehypertension 120-139/80-89 the time to act is now. Education and prevention can keep you well...and perhaps even save your life.

The causes of prehypertension and hypertension are essentially the same:

Being overweight or obese

A lack of physical activity

Smoking

Gender does count - men are 30% more apt to have prehypertension

Age is a factor - usually by age 50

Genetics and race also make a difference

HBP often runs in families... African-Americans with prehypertension triple their risk of cardiovascular disease and for Caucasians it is doubled. For most of us; all we have to do is be proactive, move our bodies regularly, care about the way we look and feel and when necessary control our HBP with medication. It's not too complicated. Too many people rely on blood pressure medication though. You need to take a very active role in controlling and improving blood pressure that is skyrocketing and out of control.

You Can Lower Risk of Stroke With Hypertension Medications - 4 Facts

If you have more than normal BP and are at a risk of hypertension, you are exposed to a higher risk for heart disease and stroke. Latest research in this field indicates that risk of stroke can be greatly reduced by taking pills that are prescribed for lowering BP.

If systolic blood pressure is between 120 and 139 and diastolic between 80 and 89, you suffer from beginning stages of hypertension. You are said to have high BP if the reading is 140/90 mm Hg or higher.

Stroke occurs when blood supply to one or more areas of the brain stops temporarily. When oxygen supply to the brain stops even for a few seconds, serious complications arise. If blood pressure is high, blood vessels narrow due to build up in arteries.

Stressed: We All Are - We Just Don't Know It

We live in a world where we are trying to be who we are not. When we live like*this our life is all about survival. We are constantly on the look-out for something that may mean danger.

Imagine an animal that senses danger. Its body instantly goes into a state of "active alert" where survival is all that matters. It switches to the sympathetic mode of the autonomic nervous system where it is flooded with adrenaline in preparation for a fight or flight situation. At this point the single goal of the body is to defend itself and the full impact of the body's energy resources is focused on the limbs; the legs in order to flee and in the case of humans, the arms and hands as well. This means that the natural functions of the body, carried out by the parasympathetic mode of the autonomic nervous system, are suspended for that period of time.

In the pressurised, money oriented world we live in where stress is almost a requirement for success, the body has no chance to be calm, settled and functioning as it should. If we could listen to the subtle signs from the body we would notice a decline in our health long before it became chronic. The body is remarkable; it can survive a long time in a state where it is not properly nourished or listened to. Even living for long periods in the survival mode, just at the point of utter depletion, the lungs are forced to take a breath in order to oxygenate the blood and keep the heart beating. This can only continue for so long. Inevitably we get sick as the body is continually depleted of nutrients and oxygen. We become a haven for parasites and many other conditions.

While the body is "active alert" it remains clenched and rigid. It is not relaxed. What happens with this rigidity in the brain? Eventually protein fragments known as beta amyloids create hard, insoluble plaques between the neurons (nerve cells) of the brain. This prevents the proper functioning of the brain which can no longer assimilate the nutrients required to stay healthy.

5 Ideas to Avoid Sweetened Sugar Drinks for Avoiding High Blood Pressure

There's no doubt that consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages has skyrocketed in recent decades, particularly in the United States. What was once an occasional treat has become a normal part of the diet for many in the U.S., with some estimates as high as 8% of daily calories coming from soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages.

There is increasing evidence overconsumption of these drinks is associated with weight gain, insulin resistance, and diabetes. Many studies have shown that drinking sugary drinks doesn't depress the appetite as much as food containing the same number of calories.

5 Frequently Asked Questions About Angina Pectoris

Angina Pectoris (Latin for squeezing of the chest) is a condition where the sufferer feels discomfort around his chest which manifests as the squeezing, burning, choking, tightness, heaviness, or pressure sensation. Sometimes, the sensations can be felt in other body parts including the jaw, shoulders, neck, or back. What causes angina, how great is your chance of getting the disease, and what is the best treatment for the illness? Read five frequently asked questions below to satisfy your inquiries about the disease.

What causes angina?

Commonly, angina pectoris is caused by coronary artery disease. As cholesterol plaque narrows the coronary arteries, the buildup blocks the supply of blood oxygen towards the heart muscle during exercise or stress. This lack of oxygen to the heart muscles triggers the chest pain or angina. Other less common cause of the disease is the coronary artery spasm. When the muscle fibers of the artery walls contract rapidly, the spasm reduces the blood supply to the heart muscle thus causing angina.

Alcohol And Its Effect On People With High Blood Pressure

Hypertension affects millions of people around the world, and drinking alcohol can make the problem worse. Alcohol raises blood pressure in healthy people, but if your levels are raised to start with, it only makes the problem worse.

Generally, women have a lower tolerance to alcohol than men, and are advised to stick to one alcoholic drink a day to stay within safe limits. If more alcohol than this is drunk, then it will have an effect on the blood vessels and arteries which can raise blood pressure to unsafe levels.

Combating Hypertension Naturally

Hypertension puts numerous Americans at risk for heart failure, kidney failure and stroke; but what's more disturbing is the fact that many don't even know they have it. High blood pressure often occurs without any warning signs. That said, when it is diagnosed, patients are usually treated with prescribed medications that come with a host of undesirable side-effects, such as dizziness and dehydration. Fortunately, most people can control their hypertension naturally by making lifestyle changes that include regular exercise and eating the right types of food.

What is hypertension?

Put simply: your blood pressure is the force or pressure your blood applies to your artery walls. Every single time your heart beats, it flushes blood into your arteries. The pressure is greatest when the heart is pumping blood (systolic pressure), and the pressure is lowest between each heart beat (diastolic pressure).