What You Need To Know About Blood Pressure- Maintain the Silent Killer
Blood Pressure is measured by the force of your heart contracting to release blood over the pressure of the heart relaxing to draw blood in. The systolic pressure over the diastolic pressure lets your doctor know the amount of pressure your blood is pressing against your arterial walls. A normal adult reading should be 120/80 mmHg.
Both high and low blood pressure are dangerous if chronic, so be sure to seek a doctor’s opinion if you notice your reading falling above or below the average. The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada writes, “Low blood pressure is when the pressure in your arteries drops and your heart is pumping your blood at a slower rate than normal through your blood vessels. Blood pressure levels below 120 / 80 may be considered normal unless you feel light-headed or dizzy. Your healthcare provider can help you determine if you have low blood pressure.”
How to Lower Blood Pressure
For patients diagnosed with type 1 hypertension, or chronic high blood pressure, lifestyle changes are often prescribed as a method of reducing blood pressure. Your doctor will ask you if you smoke cigarettes, take recreational drugs, and how often you imbibe alcohol. All these things cause high blood pressure and kicking these bad habits can drastically improve hypertension disorder. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute explains, “There are many risk factors for high blood pressure. Some risk factors, such as unhealthy lifestyle habits, can be changed. Other risk factors, such as age, family history and genetics, race and ethnicity, and sex, cannot be changed. Heathy lifestyle changes can decrease your risk for developing high blood pressure.”
Exercise, proper sleep, and eating healthy whole natural foods also helps. Removing salt, lowering fatty meat intake, and avoiding high sugary foods will also help lower your blood pressure. In extreme cases, your doctor may put you on a special diet or refer you to a nutritionist. He or she may also recommend medication.
What is Considered High Blood Pressure?
High blood pressure occurs when your pressure reading is 130/80 to 139/89 (hypertension type 1) or 140/90 (hypertension type 2). Elevated blood pressure levels can mean many things, but if they reain high for an extended period it could lead to trouble. According to The American Heart Foundation, “This stage of high blood pressure requires medical attention. If your blood pressure readings suddenly exceed 180/120 mm Hg, wait five minutes and then test your blood pressure again. If your readings are still unusually high, contact your doctor immediately. You could be experiencing a hypertensive crisis.”
High blood pressure leads to heart disease, stroke, damaged blood vessels, clots, and dementia. Seeking treatment immediately is the best plan of action. If you are unable to see your family doctor for some reason,Telemediccine is a great alternative and can often prescribe refills for hypertension medication when required.
What are The Symptoms of High Blood Pressure?
If you haven’t tested your blood pressure in a while but have experienced the following symptoms
1.) chronic fatigue, drowsiness
2.) dizziness
3.) nausea
4.) chest pain
5.) intense blinding headaches
6.) Vision impairment
7.) Shortness of breath
8.) Arrhythmic heartbeat
9.) Pounding sensation in your ears and neck
These are all symptoms of hypertension and cause for concern.
Sometimes high blood pressure shows no symptoms, making it difficult to diagnose on your own. This is one reason regular doctor’s checkups become so important as you age. Men over the age of 55 are more at risk of developing hypertension disorder than younger men, but age is not always a defining factor. Young men and women are at risk as well. Similarly, women are at a greater risk of hypertension during menopause when hormones are fluctuating.
You can test your blood pressure at any blood pressure machine, commonly found in pharmacies across America. You can also schedule an appointment to have your doctor check your blood pressure and run tests for any other heart health concerns you may have. If you are unable to retrieve a prescription for your hypertension disorder due to a vacationing doctor or an inability to wait long times in a medical waiting room, try a telemdicine service. Never leave hypertension untreated.
In the past there have been several scientific studies that show high blood pressure to be a leading cause of headaches in North America and across the globe, but new information has shown that a high salt diet might also be to blame. This is not surprising as the number of processed foods with growing levels of sodium can be spotted on every grocery store shelf, and with less time to cook and a much larger appetite than ever before, the world is eating up these sugary and salty meals without thinking twice about the repercussions. Of course, obesity has reared its ugly head, and that is one serious side effect to a poor diet, but apparently, recent medical news supports the idea that salt and sugar can also cause you to get a bad headache.
Focusing On The Facts
This latest scientific study was founded by Dr. Lawrence Appel, who works for the Welch Center for Prevention, as well as for the Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore in the Epidemiology and Clinical Research Department. Dr. Appel has suggested that the headache is one of the most highly recognized and common medical issues found globally, and that it is usually related to a disorder of the nervous system. Facts show that forty-six percent of adults have a headache disorder with chronic pain that leads to high levels of missed work and a poor quality of life. Medical News Today writes: “Dr. Appel and his colleagues say that current data support a link between blood pressure and headache; however, evidence on the link between headaches and sodium intake or other dietary factors is sparse, with most research focusing on the role of monosodium glutamate (MSG) consumption.”
The link between both is fairly clear, but with the numbers for sodium intake in the United States alone, it is easy to see how the large numbers of chronic headaches could be related. The American Heart Association, also known as the AHA, has reported that in the United States, people consume roughly three thousand and four hundred milligrams of sodium each day. This is more than double the amount of daily sodium intake that is recommended by doctors and nutritionists.
Setting Up The Study
In order to better recognize how the sodium was affecting people and their headaches, the research team selected 390 subjects to participate in a special diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, and dairy that is low in fat, or to stick to a regular “American” diet, so that they could see what, if any, differences took place. This occurred over a month, during which each member of the research team ate a high sodium diet at one feeding period, and a low sodium one the next, then a survey was completed. Many Blessings explains: “When we eat diets that are too high in sodium, which is incredibly easy in modern society, the bloodstream contains more sodium ions and thus more water is attracted to the bloodstream. This same water leaves the cells, causing the cells to become somewhat dehydrated. When the cells in the brain become dehydrated, we call this a headache.”
This test would help support the team’s theory on the possibility of salt doing more than just causing dehydration, which is a well-documented reason for the occurrence of a headache. Instead, they wanted to represent the other reasoning behind the reaction of salt and head pain.
What They Found
The results that they found weren’t surprising; those subjects who ate high sodium were found to have 33% more headaches than those who ate diets with lower sodium levels. This was judged with 8 grams of sodium being high and 4 grams being low or reasonable. They also found that there was no difference in these results based on a “normal” American diet, or the DASH diet with fruits, vegetables, and dairy. Although the findings weren’t a surprise to the team, they may be a shock to other members of the scientific community where it has been believed for quite some time that this DASH style diets high in fruit and veg and low in fat could prevent headaches. As it turns out, it isn’t the style of diet at all that alters this pain, but the levels of sodium that are present.
What Your Level Of Sodium Means For You
In most cases the levels of sodium being ingested by the American population is far beyond what is necessary and recommended, and most adults in the United States are eating more than they need. The Daily Mail reports: “Professor Graham MacGregor, of Queen Mary University, London and World Action on Salt and Health (WASH) - who was not involved in the study - said scientists do not fully understand why cutting salt reduces headaches, but they suspect it is because it lowers blood and pulse pressure.”
This study is not the first, or the last to wonder at the connection of salt and headaches, but it is among a few recent ones that have popped up to provide proof that cutting back on your sodium intake could be a wise move.
Study Shows That Vitamin D Drops Blood Pressure Modestly
Because some research studies had suggested that vitamin D deficiency could be linked to cardiovascular disease, researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts decided to test vitamin D in a randomized controlled prospective study They investigated vitamin D and its effects on hypertension. The principal investigator, Dr. John Forman, is a nephrologist who chose 250 African Americans for the study, because they have a greater likelihood of vitamin D deficiency than other races. They also are more at risk for hypertension.
In this study, participants divided into four groups received doses of 1000 international units, 2000IU, or 4000IU of vitamin D, with one group assigned to a placebo group. The improvement in systolic blood pressure was modest, but significant, a drop of 4 points on average among the group taking the higher dose of vitamin D. The placebo group, in contrast, averaged a 1.7 point gain in their systolic blood pressure.
The mechanism of action is unclear, but Dr. Forman speculated that vitamin D might decrease the resistance of the blood vessels, or perhaps help the kidney eliminate salt. The study did suggest that the drop in blood pressure might be the reason vitamin D deficiency is linked to cardiovascular disease. Because people stay indoors more these days, vitamin D is not absorbed by many. The body requires this nutrient for several functions.
The Salt Factor
There are many causes of hypertension. The kidney normally keeps the body in salt balance, and in some people, the system that maintains the salt and water ratio in the body does not respond to the body's elaborate feedback system. These people tend to retain sodium and this in turn increases the intravascular volume, increasing the blood pressure. There are several classes of medication that are used to treat hypertension that work through maintenance of the sodium and water balance in the blood that filters through the kidney.
As people age, their blood vessels also become less elastic. They are less able to dilate and constrict as needed, and instead may become somewhat sclerotic. These people can be treated with medications that decrease the intravascular volume, or diuretics.
Lifestyle adjustments that can help decrease blood pressure will also have a positive affect on cardiovascular health. These lifestyle adjustments include eliminating or reducing dietary salt and processed foods, which usually rely upon high levels of salt to make them tasty.
The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet, or DASH diet, can lower blood pressure within weeks. The National Institutes of Health recommend the DASH diet, which limits sodium consumption to 2400 mg per day, through consumption of fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts, and low fat dairy. There is also a more restricted DASH low sodium diet, which keeps sodium consumption at 1500 mg per day. This diet is linked to significant drops in blood pressure.
Stress and Smoking Cause Vasoconstriction
Exercise has a positive effect upon blood pressure, and experts believe this has to do with body relaxation. Increased discharge by the body's sympathetic nervous system, also are responsible for producing the "fight or flight" reflex, and this mechanism can cause hypertension. One of the ways in which the body reacts to stress is by vasoconstriction in some areas of the body, so that blood can preferentially flow to the head and gut. If the body is perpetually under stress, the vessels eventually lose their ability to adapt to changing conditions. The vessels remain constricted, and the blood pressure elevates.
Cigarette smoking stimulates the sympathetic nervous system and contributes to high blood pressure. If you smoke, your blood vessels constrict every time you light up. Blood pressure regulation is extremely complex, and the process involves various body systems. There are physiologic feedback systems that help the body maintain a healthy blood pressure. Sometimes those systems fail, leading to high readings of blood pressure.
Alternative Remedies that Seem to Work
Some homeopathic remedies for hypertension make sense, in the light of what we know about blood pressure regulation. One is the coenzyme Q supplement, and researchers found this alternative medicine causes a significant drop in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The mechanism of action is unclear, but they also found that it has a beneficial effect in reducing blood sugar in type II diabetics. Fish oil, another natural product, contains docohexanoic acid, which many claim lowers blood pressure.
Garlic has been used traditionally to lower blood pressure, but it interacts with many medications and vitamins. For this reason, you should not use it frequently or without consultation with your physician. It has a mechanism of function similar to aspirin, which prevents blood from clotting. It should not be used prior to or just after surgery.
Holistic practitioners believe that folic acid lowers blood pressure by decreasing homocysteine levels in the blood, and also that calcium has a modest effect on blood pressure. Potassium intake may also be linked to lower blood pressure, possibly working at the kidney level. Just as magnesium helps asthmatics by relaxing the smooth muscles surrounding the airways, some experts claim that it helps with blood pressure by relaxing the smooth muscle of the arterial walls.
In addition to exercise, several activities appear to have a beneficial effect on blood pressure, including meditation, yoga and biofeedback. Biofeedback is a technique through which people become aware of their bodily processes and learn to better control them. Traditional Chinese medicine utilizes acupuncture and herbs for control of blood pressure. They attribute hypertension to anger, obesity and high intake of fatty acids. Finally, you should avoid some dietary supplements, as they cause an increase in blood pressure. These include licorice, ephedra and ginseng.
Summary
Can vitamin D help bring your blood pressure down? Are you deficient in this essential nutrient? These are things you should discuss with your doctor. Hypertension is a serious disease with serious consequences. Now that you understand the causes, treatment options, and current research, make a decision to get your rates down and keep them down.
References
John Forman, M.D., M.Sc., assistant professor of medicine, renal division and Kidney Clinical Research Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston; Michael Holick, M.D., professor of medicine, physiology and biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine; Gregg Fonarow, M.D., spokesman, American Heart Association, and professor, cardiology, University of California, Los Angeles; April 2013, Hypertension.
National Institutes of Health (2013). The DASH diet. Retrieved from:
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/apr97/Dash.htm
QuickRXRefill - High blood pressure hypertension online prescription page.
WARNING: Limitations of Online Doctor/Medical Consultations and Online Prescriptions, QuickRxRefills Cannot and Will NOT Prescribe, Dispense, or Resell any and all medications Narcotics/Controlled Substances (this policy is fully enforced by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)) for Anti-depressants, Pain, Anxiety, Weightloss, Sleep, ADHD/ADD, Anabolic Steroids, Testosterone Replacement Therapy and any and all Medications that contain GabaPentin or Pseudroephedrine including non-controlled substances or any medications that are considered controversial, Off Labeled (Growth Hormone aka HGH) or recalled in nature such (i.e. Retin-A, Accutane). Furthermore, QuickRxRefills is not a substitute for an office based physician in your location nor is it a substitute for Emergency Medical Care or 911. If you do experience a "true" medical emergency your are encouraged to pick up the phone and dial 911 as soon as possible.
