Archive for the ‘blood pressure’ Category

Until now you must have believed that high blood pressure or hypertension is a problem that occurs only with people of higher age. But that’s not the complete truth. Even teens can suffer from hypertension and related disorders.

With changing lifestyles and ever-increasing pressurized living, more and more teens are falling into the trap of high blood pressure. The fact, which is all the more disturbing is that hypertension or high blood pressure does not affect alone, but is accompanied with the onset of many other diseases, that certainly grows with the age of your teen.

Therefore, it becomes important for you to keep a proper tab on the health of your child, especially a regular check on his/her blood pressure. Any deviation from the normal measuring- you should immediately consult a good medical practitioner and get your teen treated as soon as possible.

There is a plethora of factors that can influence the level of blood pressure in your teen. These factors are the type of dietary plan followed, amount and degree of physical activities the teen indulges in, capability to cope with stress and tension with the frequency of emotional breakdowns. Sometimes, medicines that are taken for some other disease or disorder can also interfere with the normal blood pressure levels.

The worst part about teens with high blood pressure is that, as they grow older, they have more chances to develop other blood pressure-related diseases. If not taken care of, high blood pressure can take form of some serious cardiovascular diseases with arterial blockages.

So the best way to help your child fight from falling into the ambit of high blood pressure and related diseases is with a good parental guidance. It is only you who can help him fight back. Offer your help by making them understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Always start with the basics. Make them learn to draw a line between the right and the wrong. Help them understand their body well. Only a good understanding of the body will result in a healthy livelihood.

Besides this, there are certain other things that you should keep in mind. Always try to maintain the recommended height to weight ratio of your teen. This can be done with the follow up of a regular exercising pattern. Exercising does not allow the deposition of extra fat in the body. Besides this, a good exercising regime also keeps the heart and the related organs in a healthy state of working.

Try to include as many fresh fruits and fresh vegetables in the diet plan of your teen. Keep salt intake to low levels, as high dosage of salt is not good for high blood pressure. Do not let your teen fall into the trap of smoking and drinking.

It calls for just a little care and attention from your side and you can gift your teen a healthy life forever.

Ashish Jain
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/parenting-tips-to-cure-blood-pressure-in-teens-122635.html

High blood pressure can be caused by a number of reasons. Most of the reasons are quite known and sound rather familiar. However, there are still others that are not as common. Among such uncommon blood pressure causes, one is kidney problem. In fact, kidneys have an important role to play in maintaining blood pressure.

It is a cause of worry when the flow of blood to one of the kidneys is somehow reduced. The kidneys, in response to this reduction in the blood flow, release a hormone called ‘angiotensin.’ This constricts the blood vessels and the blood pressure shoots up.

This kidney problem is better understood when the way angiotensin is made is understood. Produced by angiotensinogen, it is an alpha-2-globulin released by the liver, and around 453 amino acids go into its making.

When the blood pressure is low, renin produces angiotensin I, which turns into angiotensin II. It is the presence of angiotensin II that makes the blood pressure rise. Arteries constrict due to angiotensin II, besides blood clots are also promoted due to platelets aggression, which promotes blood clots.

Angiotensin II is also responsible for increase in kidneys’ sodium absorption. This further worsens the blood pressure condition. It is basically an attempt on body’s part to increase the blood flow to kidney. And when the body succeeds, which it makes sure it does, you see your blood pressure reading skyrocket.

Apart from the above-mentioned ailment, there is another kind of kidney problem leading to high blood pressure. This normally afflicts the younger people, like the teenagers. It is called renovascular hypertension. It is caused when the renal arteries leading to the kidneys get narrow naturally. The renin is, thus, released and the above-mentioned cycle leading to high blood pressure is set in motion.

That was the problem part. Coming to the solution part, we all tend to pin our hopes to medication and so when things start going wrong with our blood pressure we rush to the nearest chemist. That is not the right thing to do. It is the doctor that you must consult and take the medication only when he prescribes and only those that he asks you to take.

Ashish Jain
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/kidney-problem-can-also-cause-high-blood-pressure-122787.html

It is of utmost importance to realize that high blood pressure can go unrecognized and undiagnosed for years, causing no high blood pressure symptoms but causing progressive damage to the heart, blood vessels and other organs. By the time high blood pressure, or hypertension, is diagnosed, the damage done may be irreparable - leading to heart attack, heart disease, or stroke.

The cardio-protective properties many of the foods consumed in countries such as Italy, Greece, Portugal, Spain and France gave rise to the term ‘The Mediterranean Diet’. The beneficial effects of this way of eating came to light through studies in the mid 1940’s that showed particularly low incidence of heart disease in the Mediterranean Basin. However, the benefits of the Mediterranean diet in high blood pressure treatment have only been re-discovered since the 1990’s.

A closer look revealed that the type of foods eaten were far healthier for the heart than the high sodium diet of the US. The vegetables were not overcooked and there was a choice of raw vegetables and fruits, meaning more vitamins and minerals beneficial to high blood pressure treatment were retained. A large amount of the protein came from vegetable sources, thus reducing the amount of saturated fat which often accompanies animal protein. Total amounts of saturated fats and trans fat which are known to raise blood cholesterol and blood pressure levels were low. These bad fats were replaced by monounsaturated fats, thought to be beneficial in the treatment of heart disease and hypertension.

So what’s in the Mediterranean diet that can help in the treatment of high blood pressure?

1.Anti-oxidants - such as vitamins A, C and E prevent the accumulation of cholesterol in the arteries. This prevents the narrowing of the blood vessels and effectively help in high blood pressure treatment

2.Potassium - helps in the treatment of high blood pressure by counteracting the bad effects of sodium in the blood stream

3.Folic acid - which helps to reduce the formation of homocysteine which can contribute to heart disease.

4.Omega 3 - found in oily fish common in the Mediterranean diet, have special heart protective properties. Such properties include reducing heart arrhythmias, reducing the stickiness of the blood and reducing injury to artery walls. All of this contributes to the treatment of high blood pressure.

As with any other dietary change, choosing a Mediterranean way of eating will produce maximum effect in reducing heart disease only when coupled with other positive lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking and increasing exercise.

However increasing your intake of roasted Italian vegetables, barbecued Spanish sardines plus the odd glass of French wine certainly sounds like a pleasurable way to reduce heart disease!

Mitamins Team
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/high-blood-pressure-treatment-mediterranean-style-122547.html

According to some studies more than 50 million of people are suffering from high blood pressure in the United States of America. The major trouble with being a high blood pressure patient is that nobody can make out if you are suffering from it. That is, one would seem perfectly normal with this disease. And this very fact makes it even more dangerous a disease.

It is also seen that 30 per cent of the patients suffering from high blood pressure don’t even realize that they are suffering from it. Therefore a high blood pressure patient needs an immediate treatment. Otherwise, the disease may start affecting their body parts and prove lethal in the long run.

Stroke, the third most hazardous disease in the western world, can also be caused due to high blood pressure. Nowadays, the most common life threatening diseases are also caused because of high blood pressure. Indeed, it has been observed that heart diseases have taken more than 5,00,000 lives in the United States alone.

After seeing the dangerous effects of high blood pressure, which shortens a person’s life by up to 20 years, a new name has been assigned to it– The Silent Killer.

After having a look at the effects of high blood pressure, it is must to recognize and diagnose it as early as possible. In order to ensure that the percentage of sufferers from this disease is lowered down, the level at which high blood pressure was considered normal has been decreased and also given a new term called, “Pre High Blood Pressure”. To check the sufferers at the lower level only is the main objective of this move.

Now, most of the medical practitioners take 115/75 mm Hg as a base point and the raise of 20 point in the upper figure (the systolic pressure) or decline of, say, 10 points in the lower figure (the diastolic pressure) are seen as danger points.

In case you get a minor hint of depression or stress, get yourself checked thoroughly so as to prevent things from worsening. High Blood Pressure, if diagnosed at an early stage, can be avoided.

To treat this ailment you need to bring in some lifestyle changes including your eating habits. This will keep your high blood pressure away and a combination of proper medication with it will necessarily cure your problem.

Ashish Jain
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/detect-symptoms-of-blood-pressure-early-118452.html

You do not have to be diagnosed with high blood pressure to check your blood pressure. Many people do so, however, to insure they keep a normal blood pressure reading. But what, exactly, is normal?

Blood pressure is considered normal if it falls around 120 over 80. The top number shows the systolic pressure. This is the pressure your heart exerts when it contracts just before pumping blood from the heart out into the arteries of the body. The last number represents diastolic pressure, or the pressure in the heart at rest between heartbeats.

The pressure that a heart normally exerts to force blood to all blood vessels, and in time, to every living cell and tissue within the human body is considered normal if it does not rise above a certain number. While all of us have days when we are more stressed than usual, and our heart rates quicken, long-term acceleration of your heartbeat can lead to damage and even strokes or heart attacks.

Exercise
If your blood pressure rises above 130 for more than a day or two, you might want to see your doctor. This does not mean that you need to be alarmed while exercising or enjoying active sports. Such a rise in blood pressure during such activities is normal and healthy. Exercises keep your heart strong. Remember, your heart is a muscle and you need to exercise it to keep it in peak working condition. Your heart beats millions of times during a lifetime, so remember the adage, “use it or lose it”. The same goes for your heart.

Unfortunately, bad eating habits and lack of exercise are leading more and more people of all ages to suffer from varying degrees of heart disease caused by high cholesterol, stress and lack of exercise. High fat diets and stressful jobs account for growing numbers of strokes and heart attacks in both men and women. The median age that many people start to suffer the ill effects of poor eating habits and lack of exercise are dropping at an alarming rate. Obesity is the number one leading cause of heart damage in society today, due mostly to our fondness for fast-food.

Symptoms
If your blood pressure reads more than 130 for systolic pressure and 100 for diastolic, you may be suffering from high blood pressure. There are no symptoms to alert you that you may be prone to high blood pressure, so the only way you can track it is to have your blood pressure regularly checked and monitored.

Digital blood pressure monitors are available at most drug and pharmacy stores for a reasonable price, so you may want to consider buying one to document your blood pressure on a monthly, or even weekly, basis. Heart health is important to all around health, and knowledge and information is a key to maintaining a healthy living style. Knowing what is good and bad for your heart can make all the difference in the world.

Antonio Silver
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/normal-blood-pressure-reading-it-is-not-what-you-think-125036.html

You do not have to be diagnosed with high blood pressure to check your blood pressure. Many people do so, however, to insure they keep a normal blood pressure reading. But what, exactly, is normal?

Blood pressure is considered normal if it falls around 120 over 80. The top number shows the systolic pressure. This is the pressure your heart exerts when it contracts just before pumping blood from the heart out into the arteries of the body. The last number represents diastolic pressure, or the pressure in the heart at rest between heartbeats.

The pressure that a heart normally exerts to force blood to all blood vessels, and in time, to every living cell and tissue within the human body is considered normal if it does not rise above a certain number. While all of us have days when we are more stressed than usual, and our heart rates quicken, long-term acceleration of your heartbeat can lead to damage and even strokes or heart attacks.

Exercise
If your blood pressure rises above 130 for more than a day or two, you might want to see your doctor. This does not mean that you need to be alarmed while exercising or enjoying active sports. Such a rise in blood pressure during such activities is normal and healthy. Exercises keep your heart strong. Remember, your heart is a muscle and you need to exercise it to keep it in peak working condition. Your heart beats millions of times during a lifetime, so remember the adage, “use it or lose it”. The same goes for your heart.

Unfortunately, bad eating habits and lack of exercise are leading more and more people of all ages to suffer from varying degrees of heart disease caused by high cholesterol, stress and lack of exercise. High fat diets and stressful jobs account for growing numbers of strokes and heart attacks in both men and women. The median age that many people start to suffer the ill effects of poor eating habits and lack of exercise are dropping at an alarming rate. Obesity is the number one leading cause of heart damage in society today, due mostly to our fondness for fast-food.

Symptoms
If your blood pressure reads more than 130 for systolic pressure and 100 for diastolic, you may be suffering from high blood pressure. There are no symptoms to alert you that you may be prone to high blood pressure, so the only way you can track it is to have your blood pressure regularly checked and monitored.

Digital blood pressure monitors are available at most drug and pharmacy stores for a reasonable price, so you may want to consider buying one to document your blood pressure on a monthly, or even weekly, basis. Heart health is important to all around health, and knowledge and information is a key to maintaining a healthy living style. Knowing what is good and bad for your heart can make all the difference in the world.

Antonio Silver
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/normal-blood-pressure-reading-it-is-not-what-you-think-125036.html

Being diagnosed with high blood pressure does not mean having to change every aspect of your life. It means having to watch your diet, to exercise regularly and to take prescribed medications. It also means having to monitor your blood pressure, either daily or weekly, or however often your doctor requires you to do so.

Taking your own blood pressure is not a difficult endeavor, and with a little practice, you can become as adept as a nurse at reading and monitoring your own blood pressure. There are many different kinds of blood pressure monitors available these days, and many of them work with the simple push of a button. Determining which kind you feel comfortable with and also which one is most affordable determines a little research and knowledge of a few basics.

Digital Versus Analog
First, you must decide whether you want a digital blood pressure monitor or an old fashioned analog style. Both work equally well, though the digital models on the market today are fast, easy and user friendly. If you are familiar with the older models, which are still used in many doctor’s offices today, you will understand the difference between the two. With a digital model, all you have to do is wrap the cuff around your wrist or upper arm and push the button.

The machine will automatically inflate the cuff and display a systolic and diastolic blood pressure reading within a minute or less. With an old-fashioned cuff, you will need to wrap the cuff around your upper arm and then with the use of a stethoscope, inflate the rubber ball, pump the cuff to the appropriate pressure and then release a little knob on the rubber ball that will allow the cuff to deflate. This method requires that the user have good hearing, so keep that in mind when shopping.

Seniors
For most seniors, a digital blood pressure monitor is fast, simple and easy. Often, digital monitors will have enlarged numbers for display, making it easy for those with poor eyesight to read the numbers. Not having to listen for heart sounds with the use of a stethoscope makes this model favored among older people.

In addition, many people suffering from arthritis or weak fingers and joints have difficulties pumping up the rubber ball that inflates an old fashioned cuff, something that is not necessary with an electronic digital blood pressure monitor. Keep in mind however, that a digital monitor is more expensive than the older, analog cuff method, but provides conveniences that more than outweigh the increase in cost.

Also, there are several other types of blood pressure monitors available for those diagnosed with high blood pressure, and your doctor may suggest one over the other for various reasons. When speaking with your doctor about blood pressure monitors, ask his or her opinion about which will work best for your condition, abilities and needs.

Most blood pressure monitors are covered by health insurance plans, but ask both your doctor and your insurance company before you buy. In some cases, your physician may have to write a prescription for one in order for it to be covered.

Stan Kitchen
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/how-to-use-a-blood-pressure-monitor-123730.html

Being diagnosed with high blood pressure does not mean having to change every aspect of your life. It means having to watch your diet, to exercise regularly and to take prescribed medications. It also means having to monitor your blood pressure, either daily or weekly, or however often your doctor requires you to do so.

Taking your own blood pressure is not a difficult endeavor, and with a little practice, you can become as adept as a nurse at reading and monitoring your own blood pressure. There are many different kinds of blood pressure monitors available these days, and many of them work with the simple push of a button. Determining which kind you feel comfortable with and also which one is most affordable determines a little research and knowledge of a few basics.

Digital Versus Analog
First, you must decide whether you want a digital blood pressure monitor or an old fashioned analog style. Both work equally well, though the digital models on the market today are fast, easy and user friendly. If you are familiar with the older models, which are still used in many doctor’s offices today, you will understand the difference between the two. With a digital model, all you have to do is wrap the cuff around your wrist or upper arm and push the button.

The machine will automatically inflate the cuff and display a systolic and diastolic blood pressure reading within a minute or less. With an old-fashioned cuff, you will need to wrap the cuff around your upper arm and then with the use of a stethoscope, inflate the rubber ball, pump the cuff to the appropriate pressure and then release a little knob on the rubber ball that will allow the cuff to deflate. This method requires that the user have good hearing, so keep that in mind when shopping.

Seniors
For most seniors, a digital blood pressure monitor is fast, simple and easy. Often, digital monitors will have enlarged numbers for display, making it easy for those with poor eyesight to read the numbers. Not having to listen for heart sounds with the use of a stethoscope makes this model favored among older people.

In addition, many people suffering from arthritis or weak fingers and joints have difficulties pumping up the rubber ball that inflates an old fashioned cuff, something that is not necessary with an electronic digital blood pressure monitor. Keep in mind however, that a digital monitor is more expensive than the older, analog cuff method, but provides conveniences that more than outweigh the increase in cost.

Also, there are several other types of blood pressure monitors available for those diagnosed with high blood pressure, and your doctor may suggest one over the other for various reasons. When speaking with your doctor about blood pressure monitors, ask his or her opinion about which will work best for your condition, abilities and needs.

Most blood pressure monitors are covered by health insurance plans, but ask both your doctor and your insurance company before you buy. In some cases, your physician may have to write a prescription for one in order for it to be covered.

Stan Kitchen
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/how-to-use-a-blood-pressure-monitor-123730.html