How To Treat Hypertension - High Blood Pressure Treatment
How to treat hypertension naturally, without drugs and in pregnancy
About 20% of Americans a number in the range of 74 million suffer from hypertension. Of these millions of people about a third of them are unaware that they actually have the condition. This is because hypertension symptoms largely remain hidden until its too late, in most cases. Untreated high blood pressure is commonly known as a silent killer. Left unattended hypertension can damage delicate and important internal organs which can lead to strokes, heart attacks, heart failure, kidney disease and even blindness. Yes loss of sight!
The purpose of hypertension treatment is controlling blood pressure in order to protect critical organs from damage which may target the brain, heart, kidneys and eyes. When blood vessels burst in the brain due to untreated high blood pressure this often results in strokes. This is commonly known as brain hemorrhage, a severe and often sudden stroke.
When doctors consider types of high blood pressure in the context of how to treat hypertension it is broken down into two main categories namely essential hypertension and secondary hypertension. In the former, the causes are not known but have been linked to factors such as genetics, age and even food intake. Ironically, causes of low blood pressure are better known than those for hypertension.
Secondary hypertension can be linked to specific underlying causes which are primary to the condition. This could be other medical disorders such as heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease or diabetes and even pregnancy. Side effects of certain medications, for example, stop smoking products and certain organ transplant drugs are also responsible for secondary hypertension.
How to treat hypertension of a secondary nature will therefore involve dealing with the underlying causes involved in order to eliminate the high blood pressure. In most cases patients who undergo treatment of secondary hypertension causes are able to eliminate or at least bring into control the hypertension. This is the first line of treatment for secondary hypertension - dealing with the diagnosed underlying often medical causes.
Hypertension treatment reduces heart attacks by 20-25%, heart failure by at least 50% and stroke by some 35-40%. These are impressive figures which indicate the importance of getting high blood pressure under control. Correct readings are important when treating high blood pressure. Blood pressure machines such as, certainly not limited to, the Omron blood pressure monitors which are approved and recognized by respective hypertension institutions must always be preferred over other models.
Essential hypertension treatment whose causes are unknown to doctors has a slightly different approach. Doctors or yourself will have to check certain things in your lifestyle which will include your diet, your weight, how your exercise, your family tree and your age and so fourth. These factors are thought to be at the center of essential hypertension. Changes in lifestyle are a key approach to do with how to treat hypertension. Eating less salty foods, drinking less alcohol per day reducing it to only 1 to 2 drinks in men and one in women and quitting smoking may help you avoid or better manage high blood pressure.
Overweight or obese people put more pressure on the heart. The heart has to do more work in pumping adequate blood around the body. This over-work will cause heart muscles to enlarge eventually leading to inefficiency and heart failure. Eating salty foods also has a bearing on blood pressure. Salt retains water in the body increasing the amount of fluids in the bloodstream. More fluids in the bloodstream increases pressure on the blood vessel walls, the definition of elevated blood pressure.
Hypertension is divided into four categories namely normal hypertension, prehypertension, Stage 1 and Stage 2 hypertension. These stages are determined by the readings on the high blood pressure monitors most of which are now digital such as the Omron, Samsung, Microlife brands and others. Concerning stages 1 and 2 hypertension, a doctor may prescribe lifestyle changes as is also suitable for prehypertension. Drugs for high blood pressure known as antihypertensives may also be prescribed. The positive effects of these various drugs will include reduction of excess fluid in the bloodstream a sign of sodium sensitivity in many patients, reduction of heart rate and the amount of blood it pumps to preventing the narrowing of the blood vessels,. This is also a factor in high blood pressure.
High blood pressure drugs by name include Diuretics, Beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, Alpha blockers and many others. These drugs are prescribed by doctors and will certainly require constant doctor involvement whilst the patient is under the hypertension treatment.
How To Treat Hypertension Naturally Without Drugs
As started above maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a stock method of dealing with elevated blood pressure without involving drugs. In fact lifestyle change is a critical step in getting hypertension under control. It is an important part of helpful natural remedies for high blood pressure. Eating a healthy diet that dietitians call DASH is essential. There a fruits and vegetables that lower blood pressure. More fruits, vegetables, and low fat products and less saturated and total fat. Even though controversial, some doctors believe that caffeine in coffee and carbonated drinks contributes towards chronic hypertension. It is agreed that there is a link between caffeine and blood pressure in the sense that it causes temporary blood pressure spikes. To what extent it contributes to chronic more sustained long term high blood pressure is what might be under debate.
Salt or sodium should be consumed in moderation. In fact less than 2300mg of salt per day is recommended. This is equivalent to a teaspoon a day or less. Acrobatic exercise is also important when considering how to treat hypertension. Everyday consistent Monday to Friday exercise is more beneficial than weekend only exercise. Excessive alcohol consumption in both men and women must altogether be avoided.
In as much as there could be some herbs that lower blood pressure; generally total caution must be taken when dealing with herbs as your answer to how to treat hypertension. Some common herbs on the market or home grown such as St John's Wort and others might actually result in elevated blood pressure. In fact if you have raising blood pressure consider checking what's in your collection of herbs.
There still remains other options in dealing with high blood pressure without drugs. Studies conducted in a 1999 from the Touch Research Institute in Miami have shown that massage reduces high blood pressure. Using two study groups (one receiving regular massage and one without), results indicated only the group that had massage therapy decreased their diastolic and systolic blood pressure.
How To Treat Hypertension In Pregnancy
The most common problem during pregnancy is high blood pressure. Hypertension in pregnancy complicates 2-3% of pregnancies. The most common treatment of hypertension in pregnancy is bed rest at a certain angle and restricted activity. Again this is an area of some degree of disagreement in the medical world. Some have questioned the effectiveness of bed rest in dealing with hypertension in pregnant women.
All in all the cure for gestational hypertension is delivery. Gestational hypertension is high blood pressure that comes into existence simply because one is pregnant. In such cases doctors will determine if induced delivery would be appropriate especially when the baby is almost due. Delivery will be brought forward.Pregnant women must by all means avoid alcoholic drinks and smoking. Smoking while pregnant is obviously harmful to the baby in other ways apart from elevating blood pressure.
Doctors also use hypertensive drugs on pregnant women as a way of treating hypertension in pregnancy. Drugs by name such as methyldopa, labetatol, nifedipine and hydralazine are most commonly employed. Methyldopa is often the preferred drug. Some specific drugs will be avoided as they have serious side effects even resulting in death. The best approach is to engage your doctor thoroughly to understand what is best for you.
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