It is estimated that one third of the population has high blood pressure.  Very few even know it! Unfortunately their first indication is too often a heart attack or a stroke. This is why it is often referred to as the ‘Silent Killer.’ It is important that lower blood pressure becomes a focus for these people.

Despite declining blood pressure statistics in the 1970′s and 80′sthe trend seems to be increasing again. Women are showing an increase in high blood pressure compared to men.

Interestingly this trend seems to be following the high increase in obesity throughout the population.

In this same period, the high consumption of sugar, specifically high fructose corn syrup has risen accordingly. As a nation we consume triple times the amount of sugar that our bodies need for optimum health.

Think maybe this could have an effect on our health? 

Drugs are by far the common choice to reduce blood pressure and in the short term they do work.   However, at what cost? The side effects of using drugs to make blood pressure lower are extensive and in some cases dangerous. Studies have shown that calcium blockers can actually cause heart attacks!

Pharmaceutical studies has shown that, in the majority of cases, one prescription invariably, leads to an average of 4 or more drugs within 5 years. More drugs, more side effects!

  The healthy alternative to reduce blood pressure requires lifestyle changes such as:

>Reduction of sedentary activity

> Eliminating fast processed foods!

>Reduce over weight (generally from the above)

> Reduce stress.

A good first start is to collectively, as a family, eliminate soda pop and fried foods.

If your inactive-Get Active. If your overweight- Lose It! If your diet is poor- improve it! If your stressed out learn to relax! Take the time to smell the roses.

Easy to say but obviously not easy to do. Give yourself a break and realize you do have the power to change your health.  Just take it one step at a time.

Today, people realize that there are natural alternatives to lower your blood pressure such as herbs, vitamins and antioxidants. Besides the numerous health benefits, using these natural supplements can take the pressure off making changes in your lifestyle which as we all know you can’t do ‘overnight’. 

Herbs such as garlic, hawthorn and bilberry are all proven to clear arteries and reduce blood pressure.

There are generally no noticeble symptoms of high blood pressure, so you usually will not feel it. In fact, nearly one-third of people who have symptoms of hypertension don’t know it. The only way to find out if you have high blood pressure is to get your blood pressure checkedregularly. This is especially very extremely important if you have a close relative who with high blood pressure.

Generally speaking be aware of your overall demeanor. Do you always feel rushed or stressed? Are you overweight and ‘flush’ or perspire easily. Are you always eating ‘on the go’?  Do you continuously need a ‘coke’ or a coffee? Do you ever take time to just relax and listen to music or ‘daydream? 

If your blood pressure is extremely high, there may be certain symptoms to look out for:

• Severe or constant headaches
• Blurriness of Vision
• Fatigue or confusion
• Vision problems
• Chest pain
• Trouble breathing or shortness of breath
• Irregular heartbeat
• Blood in the urine
• Pounding in your chest or neck,
• Ringing in your ears
• If you have any of these symptoms, see a doctor immediately. You could be having a hypertensive crisis that could lead to a heart attack or stroke.

Untreated hypertension can lead to serious diseases, including stroke, heart disease, kidney failure and eye problems.

Don’t wait till you become a ‘statistic’. You know what I mean; “and he was so young and seemed so healthy”.

If you’re over 40 be sure you are following a healthy lifestyle.   Make sure that you are acquiring plenty of exercise and fresh air. You’re eating a balanced diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables and fiber ,and drink at least several glasses of water each day. Do not smoke or drink excessive amounts of alcohol. You’re not too much overweight. You take the time each day to relax, read a good book or listen to favorite music. You LAUGH everyday and interact with people you enjoy.

Major lifestyle changes take time and commitment. Protect yourself with supplements or herbal products. A ‘happy heart’ leads to a happy life.

The U.S. Institute of Medicine (also known as the IOM) has issued a new report that says high blood pressure, which affects one American in three, is the most neglected disease in the United States.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, may be a factor in one death in every six annually in the U.S., according to the report.

Part of the problem is that high blood pressure has few symptoms and many people don’t even realize they have it. This has been known for some time. High blood pressure has become known as a “silent killer” for that reason.

But this new report also says hypertension has become a “no man’s land in the medical community.” In other words, says Dr. David Fleming, head of the IOM committee behind report, high blood pressure falls between the cracks because it’s both a public health issue and a medical issue. Neither community, according to the report, is doing enough to combat it.

High blood pressure is easy to diagnose and cheap to treat. For many individuals, it’s also simple to prevent.

Since 1995, the number of deaths related to high blood pressure causes has jumped 25 percent.

Part of the problem is that many Americans don’t take the dangers of high blood pressure seriously.

The report also faulted doctors for not treating patients with high blood pressure aggressively enough,
especially in older people and those with high systolic pressure.

The report recommended several courses of action.

One approach included an appeal to health insurers to drop copayments and deductibles for high blood pressure medications.

The committee also urged Americans to educate themselves better about the importance of keeping their blood pressure in a normal range, and to have regular blood pressure readings taken. Lifestyle changes that include a healthy blood pressure diet and regular exercise would also help.

Dr. Fleming also urged physicians to do a better job of helping patients lower high blood pressure.

“Undiagnosed and uncontrolled cases are occurring at alarming rates,” Dr. Fleming states. “Even though many people with hypertension see their doctors regularly.

The report was sponsored by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention.

See our related blog posting on how home blood pressure monitors help keep hypertension in check.

Reducing the amount of carbs in your diet can not only help you lose weight, it can also lower your blood pressure, according to a recent study.

The research team led by William S. Yancy Jr. of the VA Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina concluded that eating fewere carbs was an effective as eating less fat, but participants in the study who ate fewer carbs saw their blood pressure go down.

Researchers followed almost 150 patients during the study. Some focused on eating fewer carbs, others on eating less fat while taking a weight reduction medication called orlistat.

There was little difference in weight loss, Yancy said. But the low carb diet group saw a significant drop in blood pressure that the other group didn’t.

To read more about the study, click on low carbs and high blood pressure. Also see blood pressure foods and ways to lower high blood pressure.

Part of the problem is that high blood pressure has few symptoms and many people don’t even realize they have it. This has been known for some time. High blood pressure has become known as a “silent killer” for that reason.

But this new report also says hypertension has become a “no man’s land in the medical community.” In other words, says Dr. David Fleming, head of the IOM committee behind report, high blood pressure falls between the cracks because it’s both a public health issue and a medical issue. Neither community, according to the report, is doing enough to combat it.

High blood pressure is easy to diagnose and cheap to treat. For many individuals, it’s also simple to prevent.

Since 1995, the number of deaths related to high blood pressure causes has jumped 25 percent.

Part of the problem is that many Americans don’t take the dangers of high blood pressure seriously.

The report also faulted doctors for not treating patients with high blood pressure aggressively enough,
especially in older people and those with high systolic pressure.

The report recommended several courses of action.

One approach included an appeal to health insurers to drop copayments and deductibles for high blood pressure medications.

The committee also urged Americans to educate themselves better about the importance of keeping their blood pressure in a normal range, and to have regular blood pressure readings taken. Lifestyle changes that include a healthy blood pressure diet and regular exercise would also help.

Dr. Fleming also urged physicians to do a better job of helping patients [url=http://bloodpressuresite.com/how-to-lower-high-blood-pressure.html]lower high blood pressure.

“Undiagnosed and uncontrolled cases are occurring at alarming rates,” Dr. Fleming states. “Even though many people with hypertension see their doctors regularly.

The report was sponsored by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention.

Doctors say that even if you know you have high blood pressure (hypertension), you may not understand the value of checking it often with a reliable home blood pressure monitor.

Using a home blood pressure monitor can be especially helpful if you’re trying to lower your blood pressure through diet and exercise, or with the help of blood pressure medication as prescribed by your doctor.

Cardiologists often recommend that individuals with hypertension take a blood pressure reading daily. There are several benefits.

* It reminds you that maintaining a normal blood pressure range is important for preventing heart disease, heart attacks and strokes.

* You can see if your blood pressure is starting to creep back up, which often happens.

* It will help you and your doctor determine how well your blood pressure medication is working (if you’re taking blood pressure medication, of course).

Use your home monitor to check your blood pressure at the same time every day.

According to the American Heart Association, it’s best to use an automatic, cuff-style, upper-arm monitor. The cuff should inflate automatically and give a digital readout.

Wrist monitors are okay if your arm is too large to fit into an arm cuff. Accuracy may be an issue however, because the reading may vary depending on the position of the arm and wrist during measurement.

Blood pressure monitors that you put on your finger are not considered reliable.

The Houston Chronicle online edition, chron.com, recently mentioned three home blood pressure monitors that have a good track record.

Microlife Advanced Digital Upper-Arm Blood Pressure Monitor with Irregular Heartbeat Detection, Model 4104/3BT0-AP. Cost is $74.99

One of the benefits of this model is that gives you a warning signal if there’s an irregular heartbeat. It also stores up to 99 readings with date and time.

Omron Ultra Premium Wrist BP Monitor with PC Software, Model HEM-670IT. This monitor is a little more expensive at $119.99, but comes with an important capability: a sensor confirms positioning of the monitor at heart level for a more accurate reading. You can also transfer readings to your computer.

LifeSource Talking Auto-Inflation Blood Pressure Monitor, Model UA-767T. This one sells for $134.19. It’s a good choice for anyone with impaired vision. This monitor gives blood pressure reading and pulse in two ways: on a large digital display and as an audio announcement.

Approximately 75 million Americans have high blood pressure. About 3.5 million of those who have hypertension are kids. All are at increased risk for a heart attack or stroke.

Recent research also indicates that there’s a connection between high blood pressure and memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

In other words, there are plenty of good reasons for lowering high blood pressure. A home blood pressure monitor is one of the tools that can help you do it.

Got hypertension? Cut down the amount of carbs in your diet and you’ll stand a good chance of lowering your high blood pressure.

While this will not come as earth shattering news to many of the already-health-conscious, they’ll be happy to know that their suspicions have been confirmed by a recent study.

The study showed that overweight or obese individuals who cut down significantly on carbs in their diets lost about the same amount of weight as those who reduced fat intake and took certain weight loss drugs.

The study also indicated however, that those who avoided a lot of carbs also lowered their high blood pressure.

The research team led by William S. Yancy Jr. of the VA Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina studied participants with common conditions like diabetes and heart disease. In similar previous studies, participants were overweight or obese volunteers who were healthy except for a high body mass index.

People with certain health issues usualy weren’t recruited for weight loss studies, Yancy said.

Yancy and members of his team tested 146 patients. Some received instruction on eating a low-carbohydrate diet. These started out by eating fewer than 20 grams of carbohydrate daily.

Other took 120 mg of a weight loss drug called orlistat three times a day and ate a lower calorie, lower-fat diet.

After almost a year, the low-carb group had lost about 9.5 percent of their body weight, compared to 8.5 percent for the orlistat group. By itself, there wasn’t a significant difference. Both groups also showed some improvement in their blood cholesterol levels.

But those on the low carb diet experienced about a 6 percent drop in their systolic blood pressure and a 4.5 point drop in their diastolic pressure (the lower number).

In contrast, there was almost no blood pressure reduction in the the orlistat group: 1.5 (systolic) and 0.4 (diastolic).

According to Yancy, the two “fairly powerful weight loss treatments were equally effective, and one of them was more effective for lowering high blood pressure,” Yancy said.

Those in the orlistat group were more likely to report gas, bowel incontinence, and diarrhea than those in the low-carb group. Orlistat works by blocking the body’s absorption of fat from food so people who use it must reduce their fat intake or risk unpleasant side effects like gas and even incontinence.

Related information is available by clicking on blood pressure foods, and foods that lower blood pressure.

Vitamin D may play a role in maintaining healthy blood pressure and preventing kidney problems, heart disease and diabetes, according to an article in the February 1 edition of the New York Times.

The article cited recent research that indicates vitamin D may be a “super nutrient” that can help not only those with high blood pressure, but can also prevent kidney disease and a host of other health issues.

Vitamin D is made naturally in the human body through exposure to sunlight. It’s also available in foods like fish and fortified milk. Supplemets are available too.

At this time, there’s been little research however into how much vitamin D is optimal. However, a new study is planned that will examine the benefits of vitamin D in older adults. The study will include both men and women in their 60s. It will focus on ways vitamin D can help prevent kidney and diabetes problems, reduce the need for blood pressure medications in those with hypertension, and prevent heart disease and cancer.

If you’re interested in learning more about the study, click on www.vitalstudy.org.