Showing posts with label Pressure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pressure. Show all posts

My High Blood Pressure

I have probably had high blood pressure for a long time. This is the story of how I found out.
In hindsight, I can identify many symptoms of high blood pressure, but I either ignored them or thought they were related to other things.

The major symptom I had was headaches. Most days I would either wake up with a headache or develop one. Some of them were real "head splitters" ... occasionally I would have to lie down to stop the nausea. I remember often working in front of my computer and trying very hard not to move my head to avoid feeling sharp pains.

Since being diagnosed with high blood pressure and starting medication, I have not had one headache (around nine months now). My headaches were definitely due to my high blood pressure, but back then I thought they were due to stress, or poor posture due to sitting at a computer all day ... or any number of things.

THE DIAGNOSIS
I had been told for years by doctors that my blood pressure was high, but that it was probably due to the "white coat"effect. Turns out it wasn't. I went to a new doctor, and as she took my blood pressure, she had a very worried look on her face.

My systolic blood pressure reading was over 200.
She told me to go to hospital immediately and made me promise I would not ignore her warning. At the time I did think she was over-reacting, and I pictured myself sitting in the hospital emergency waiting room for a couple of hours, waiting for a doctor to see me, giving me a couple of pills to take, and heading home.

The actual story was very different.
I arrived at emergency and was given the standard "patient detail" form to fill out. Before I was 1/3 of the way through, a nurse turned up to take my blood pressure. She also got a worried look on her face, and took me straight to one of the emergency beds. This is in a hospital system famous for making people wait hours in emergency.

I had doctors all over me ... injecting things, taking blood, scanning me and god knows what else.
My clearest memory of that day was suddenly feeling very light headed.

The doctor later told me that I "liked" a drug (I think it was hydralazine) he injected into me. I say "liked" because only a doctor could think I "liked" it. In about 30 seconds I went from feeling what I then considered normal, to being drenched in sweat, head spinning and throwing up my lunch. The nurses told me later that I was as white as a ghost.

I remember asking one of the emergency nurses if she thought I would be able to go home that night. She laughed.

I ended up spending 4 days in intensive care, and 6 days in the general hospital before they let me go home.

The quality of the care, the doctors and the nurses were all amazing. We have a free hospital system in Australia which sometimes gets a bad rap, but my experience was very positive.

MEDICATION
They never found a cause ... I just have high blood pressure. I take a fair bit of medication, and my blood pressure is now at normal levels.

My doctor told me to buy a blood pressure monitor and record my readings each day. Because I kept forgetting to take my readings, I wrote a software program to remind me. The software also charts the readings from my home monitor, and it is clear that my readings have been dropping over the last six months.

My readings are now around 110-120 over 70-80. Much better, but more importantly, I feel a lot better ... I had no idea that high blood pressure could make you feel so unwell.

If you also have high blood pressure I wish you well! If you have not seen a doctor about it, I highly recommend it ... don't leave it as late as I did, they can help you to feel a lot better!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/18353

Probiotics may help control blood pressure

Regularly consuming probiotics, or the “good” bacteria found in yogurt, milk and cheese, may help control blood pressure, according to a new review of past studies.

Researchers found that consuming the proper amount of probiotics over at least two months appeared to modestly lower blood pressure.

“I do not think the general public understands how probiotics might be beneficial to health at this stage,” said Jing Sun, who worked on the study at the Griffith University School of Medicine and Griffith Health Institute in Queensland, Australia.

“The challenge to us is to convince patients and clinicians to accept the product in daily life,” Sun said.

Past studies have shown probiotics can have a positive effect on blood sugar, cholesterol and certain hormones - all of which can impact blood flow, she noted.

The new findings do not mean people should replace their blood pressure medication with probiotics and it is still unclear which strain or combination of strains might work best.

The American Heart Association considers normal blood pressure to be a systolic reading of less than 120 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and a diastolic reading of less than 80 mm Hg. High blood pressure starts at 140/90 mm Hg and increases a person's risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disorders and other health problems.

For some people with high blood pressure the only effective treatment has been medication, but that means costs and possible side effects.

The new review, published in the journal Hypertension, combined the results of nine studies that randomly assigned participants to take probiotics or not. Seven of the trials were double-blind, meaning neither the participants nor the experimenters knew who received probiotics and who received a probiotic-free placebo until the end of the study. The different strains of probiotics were delivered in products like yogurt and milk.

The studies included a total of almost 550 people.
The researchers found that on average, probiotic consumption lowered systolic blood pressure (the top number) by 3.56 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) by 2.38 mm Hg, compared to a placebo or no treatment.

Getting at least 100 billion colony-forming units of probiotics each day, the amount in a carton of some yogurts, seemed to be necessary for significant blood pressure improvements. And no change in blood pressure was seen among participants who were given probiotics for less than eight weeks.
The researchers noted that the effect of probiotics was strongest among people who already had elevated blood pressure.

Lori Hoolihan, a researcher at the Dairy Council of California in Irvine who was not involved in the analysis, called probiotics a “functional food.”

She said the review is a step in the right direction.

“Randomized clinical trials are the gold standard in research and they had a strict criteria for choosing the studies and they actually looked at human trials which are stronger than animal trials,” she said.

“They used real foods that had probiotics at realistic levels, they didn’t use supplements or wacky chemical concoctions that no one has heard of. They used foods on the market so you and I could go into the market and pick (them) up,” she added.

“Americans don’t like to think about bacteria so it’s hard for people to embrace it but there are good and bad bacteria and there is no avoiding them. Our gut is home to many bacteria and if bumping up the amount of good bacteria can optimize health and prevent chronic diseases then that’s a good thing,” Hoolihan said.

The price of probiotic supplements varies, but a 30-day supply from the drugstore may cost about $30.

Dr. Shira Doron, who has studied probiotics at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, said that because probiotics only seemed to have an effect under certain conditions in specific groups of patients, it’s hard to know how to make recommendations to patients at this time.

What’s more, she said, “The fact that each study within this meta-analysis was done using a different probiotic or combination of probiotics means that I as a physician am completely unable to say to my patient, ‘Go out and buy probiotic X. It was shown to be effective in clinical trials.’”

“We know no two probiotics act alike,” Doron explained. “One simply cannot extrapolate from a study of one probiotic that another strain or even another dose or another source - dairy product, capsule, sachet, etc. - will work.”

“I don't think this is ‘ready for prime time’ yet, as they say. That being said, probiotics might help, and generally don't hurt, except perhaps your wallet, so if someone with high blood pressure wants to try probiotics as an adjunct to their regular blood pressure medication, I say go for it,” she said.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/07/22/probiotics-may-help-control-blood-pressure/

Reducing Blood Pressure

Recent research underscores the importance of a healthful lifestyle including a fitness regimen for both the prevention and treatment of hypertension. Often, changes in diet and exercise habits are enough to control blood pressure without medication, especially for people with mild to moderate blood pressure levations. Sometimes diet and exercise can even reduce the need for medication, and thereby reduce side effects and lower costs.

If you are already taking medication for hypertension, it's important to discuss your lifestyle changes with your doctor, and continue taking your medication as prescribed. If lifestyle changes result in improved blood pressure, your doctor will want to work closely with you to reduce your dosage in a safe and effective manner. Following are some of the most important things you can do to prevent and control hypertension.

Reducing your sodium intake is a major factor. Many people with hypertension find that reducing sodium intake reduces blood pressure as well. Learn which foods are high in sodium, and avoid them as much as possible.

Regular exercise is the most important hypertension-prevention habit for three reasons:

First, it helps prevent and control hypertension. Formerly sedentary people who begin exercising regularly experience, on average, a drop of six or seven points in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Second, active people have lower death rates than their sedentary friends, even when they have the same blood pressure. Research has shown that exercise reduces risk for cardiovascular and other disease. Exercise also helps prevent obesity, another hypertension risk factor.

Third, regular exercise provides the foundation for successful behavior change programs. Exercise makes you feel good and feel positive about yourself. Stress reduction is one of the greatest benefits of exercise. Stress not only raises blood pressure, but it makes you less inclined to stick to your positive eating plan, your
smoking cessation program or your decision to cut down on your alcohol intake.

Eating more fruits, vegetables and grains increases your intake of important minerals such as calcium and potassium, not to mention vitamins and fiber. One study found that volunteers consuming a diet high in these foods and low in fats (such as the diets created by our on-staff nutritionist) reduced systolic blood pressure by four points, and diastolic by three points. This small but significant reduction was accomplished with diet alone. Add exercise, stress management and weight loss for people who are overweight, and blood pressure reductions often improve much more.

Eating well and exercising regularly are the cornerstone.
Deprivation programs are out! Don't focus on weight loss; focus on a healthy lifestyle. A little weight loss may occur by cutting down on "junk food," eating more fruits, vegetables and grains, and increasing physical activity. Even a relatively small loss, such as 5 to 10 pounds, can reduce blood pressure. The most important goal is the development of healthful habits that stay with you for a
lifetime, so that the weight stays off. Weight cycling (repeatedly losing and regaining weight) may raise your blood pressure and be harmful to your health.

Reducing stress is another lifelong task. Take a stress management workshop, develop your sense of humor and read some good books. Develop coping techniques that increase your resistance to stress related illness. And don't forget the importance of exercise for stress reduction.

Limiting your alcohol and caffeine intake will make a profound difference in your health. You should strive to drink alcohol and caffeine in moderation, if at all.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6869

Clinical Depression Symptoms With 2 Ideas on Eliminating It!

In this article I'm going to share a few major clinical depression symptoms, what this condition really is and 2 ideas on eliminating it. I remember a while ago I broke up with my girlfriend and I was very depressed for a long period of time. Have you ever been really depressed before?
I think everyone feels sad from time to time such as receiving an unexpected bill, but clinical depression or some people call it major depression is when someone feels this way all day long. According to Web Md it's for at least 2 weeks. Now I wasn't this depressed for 2 weeks, but it was a couple of days and luckily I was able to snap out of it.

One of the most common signs of this condition is not having any ambition to do activities that were once enjoyed. To give you an example perhaps someone used to enjoy playing the guitar and now doesn't. Depending on the song maybe that is a good thing. Don't play "Fade to Black" by Metallica or "Loser" by 3 Doors Down if you're really sad because those are really depressing songs.

Another classic symptom would be not wanting to get out of bed or do anything. I could remember sitting in my chair and starring out at space for long periods of time. I kept thinking about bad things that have happened in the past. Yea, that is not good right?

Of course when you're this depressed anxiety about the future can show up and that doesn't help when trying to get a good night's rest. Insomnia really is another classic sign. Next up would be a change in eating habits.

Eating lots of food or possibly not eating at all. For me, it was strange because I didn't have much interest in food. You know there is something wrong when someone is like that.
To get over clinical depression I think it's a good idea to trick yourself. What I mean by this is have you ever heard that if you force yourself to smile you will feel happier? It sounds a little cheesy right? If you force yourself to start being active and do anything, then your mind is not focused on what your troubles are and you may feel better.

The way I got over my big depression was by forcing myself to stay busy. This included going on bike rides, reading and just doing anything to be active. This really helped me and possibly could help other who are suffering from this condition.

Another idea would be taking omega 3 fats. In a Norwegian study with around 22,000 people the conclusion showed that people who regularly took omega 3 fats were about 30% less likely to have symptoms of depression than those that didn't. That is a really big number!

So to sum everything up the top signs of clinical depression is not being interested in activities that someone used to enjoy, not wanting to get out of bed, being really lazy, insomnia, eating too much food or too little. To get over this problem a person could try to keep active and take omega 3 fats.
Supplements and alternative medicine can be confusing and even harmful.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8600280

Organic Solutions for High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is one of the leading causes of several health ailments, including strokes and heart attacks. Many people take medications to control their blood pressure. However, over the counter medication have the disadvantage of being addictive and could cause many side effects. Hence, more and more individuals are opting for natural ways to manage their blood pressure.

Four natural ways to manage blood pressure:

1. Aromatherapy therapy

Your nerves are stimulated by a pleasant aroma and each aroma has its own special properties. Aromatherapy is growing in demand due to its stimulating and relaxing nature. The candles used in the process are made from natural materials, which calm your nerves and mind. It helps to relieve stress from your body and is a perfect de-stressing tool. It can also serve your meditation purposes. You can try out incenses that have a sweet smell. Buy incense sticks online from a reputed organic lifestyle retailer and see its calming effect.

2. Oil massage

Certain types of oil like the olive oil have de-stressing and skin purifying properties. Regular head massage from Sheetkriya Hair Oil can help you feel relaxed and rejuvenated. You can get calm and a refreshed mental state because of its excellent composition. Look for Ayurvedic hair oil online and get your stock.

3. Herbal Tea

Move over traditional teas that are mass-produced and opt for herbal ones. These teas imbibe all the goodness of nature in tea form. The lack of caffeine makes it all the more safer to drink. They are the source of minerals and vitamins, which are of organic nature. Herbal teas have no added artificial ingredients or preservatives and are very easy to make. You just need hot water in adequate quantities to prepare a perfect herbal tea.

4. Eye pillow

You need a perfect night's sleep to feel refreshed and invigorated. After a good night's sleep, your blood pressure comes back to normal. However, in a city or urban setting, it is very difficult to get a proper night's sleep due to the abundance of factors. If you have a feeling of fatigue first thing in the morning, it will be best to get yourself an eye pillow. Such pillows are specially designed to give your eyes maximum comfort and darkness. Your eyes will feel restful when awake in the morning.

The above four solutions are pure organic in nature and will help control your blood pressure. Try them out today and purchase certified buy organic cleansers materials from reputed dealers online.

Mohit Kumar is a Management graduate and writes on Organic Clothing and Chakra Balancing Tool.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mohit_M_Kumar