Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
If you have persistent HTN then you are at risk to have heart attacks , heart failures, arterial aneurysms, and kidney failures. Your life expectancy is already shortened if you have a moderate elevation of blood pressure. You will have to change your lifestyle and your diet in order to improve your pressure and decrease any health complications. You will probably even have to take medications if the changes in your lifestyle and diets arent sufficient to lower your blood pressure. Blood pressure (BP) is based on the systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Systolic BP is the pressure in vessels during a heartbeat. Diastolic BP is the pressure between heartbeats. When your doctor or nurse tells you that you have HTN, they are telling you that either the systolic or the diastolic BP measurement is higher than the accepted normal values for your age. CAUSES Although there are no direct causes that give HTN, there are many factors that increase your chances. Such as smoking, stress, obesity, potassium deficiency, too much salt intake, too much alcohol intake, and vitamin D deficiency, and prolonged periods of inactivity also known as couch potatoes. The risk also increases with age. And if there is a history of HTN in your family, then chances are that you are likely to have it too. PREVENTION The following lifestyle changes are recommended: Stop using tobacco products Reducing dietary sugar Reducing salt intake Applying the DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) which is rich in fruits and vegetables and low-fat or fat-free dairy products. This diet has been sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Losing some weight and doing regular exercise (e.g.,walking) Reducing stress Increasing omega 3 fatty acids
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