Can you control high blood pressure without drugs?
In the United States alone, more than 2,600 people die of cardiovascular disease every day. That’s one death every 33 seconds and most of those can be attributed to ‘the silent killer’ - high blood pressure.
So what is high blood pressure and how do you control it?
Because high blood pressure - or hypertension, as it’s otherwise known - is practically without symptoms, it is often undetected.
In fact, it has been estimated that most people in the US who have high blood pressure are unaware that they have - and only around half of those are being treated. What’s more, of those being treated, only about half again actually have their blood pressure under control.
So what’s a normal blood pressure reading - what should you aim for and how do you know if it’s too high? Unfortunately there’s no simple answer since blood pressure readings will vary based many factors like - age, the contraceptive pill, HRT treatment, pregnancy - to name a few. Even “white coat syndrome” can be a cause of elevated blood pressure - some people get high blood pressure just from having their blood pressure measured by the doctor!
Blood pressure is always expressed as a ratio - 120 over 80 for example. The first number is the systolic pressure, or the pressure when the heart pushes blood out into the arteries. The second number is the diastolic pressure, or the pressure when the heart rests.
As a general guideline doctors like to see a systolic pressure (the top number) between 90 and 130 and the diastolic or resting pressure (the bottom number) below 90. If you want to keep track of your own blood pressure - and avoid “white coat syndrome” - buy a simple device
from a pharmacy, drug store or online store. Follow the instructions and use it regularly adjusting your lifestyle if you see results out of the “normal” range.
Number one lifestyle change is weight control. Obesity is the primary cause of high blood pressure - control your weight and you’ll be taking important steps in controlling high blood pressure. A BMI (Body Mass Index) of less than 30 should always be maintained although a BMI of 25 is much more desirable - for looks as well as health.
Aerobic exercise is also important in controlling high blood pressure because it stimulates the production of a chemical within our bodies called nitric oxide, a substance that helps keep our blood vessels open. Walking the dog, taking the stairs instead of the elevator and even doing the housework more briskly than usual - any form of exercise you can weave into your normal day will help lower your blood pressure.
Take a look at what you eat and make sure you maintain a heart friendly diet by avoiding foods that are high in fats - especially saturated and trans fat - as well as the bad cholesterol. Reduce your salt intake or avoid it wherever possible - certainly make sure you keep within the recommended daily maximum. Read all food labels - food manufacturers put massive amounts of salt in all sorts of products - even cakes, cookies and pastries. Use a low salt alternative in cooking and for the table.
When you consider that the average American consumes around 7,000 mg of sodium or salt a day - even though the body only requires about 500mg - and that around 60 million Americans are obese - it’s easy to figure out why hypertension has grown to epidemic proportions.
Smoking and a high intake of alcohol also increases the risk of hypertension. Stop smoking and moderate your alcohol consumption if you want to lower your risk of high blood pressure. Find an alternative - preferably a natural drink you like - and make sure you have plenty in the house. Commit to a quit smoking program now and follow it.
It may feel like you’re abandoning all your pleasures but on the positive side you’ll give be taking major steps to control your high blood pressure and boosting your immune system generally. You’ll also do wonders for your skin since smoking and alcohol both damage the connective tissues and age your skin. Better diet and regular aerobic exercise will give you a glowing complexion and take years off your appearance as well.
If you don’t control high blood pressure through lifestyle changes then you may well end up on prescription drugs. This is definitely not the easy option - they may control your high blood pressure but they come with some serious side effects. Diuretics cause frequent need to urinate and loss of potassium and beta-blockers often leave patients feeling fatigued. Without lifestyle changes you’ll also be dependant on drugs to control your high blood pressure for the rest of your life. More importantly you will have ignored what your body is trying to tell you. Having high blood pressure is not a natural or inevitable thing. It’s a sign that your lifestyle is wrong.
Remember, only you can achieve the best anti aging lifestyle. If you want to live longer and look good as you age, it’s up to you to make the changes necessary in order to reduce your risk of high blood pressure.
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