An Ultimate guide to Hypertension
All you should know about BP, Prevention, Treatment modalities and your dose of Motivation.
Firstly, do you know what Blood pressure is ?
The name suggests some sort of Pressure induced by the Blood. Yes, it is Pressure induced by our blood on our Blood vessels.
Let me take you back to School.. Do you remember the blood vessels in our body - Arteries and Veins. Arteries are those which take blood to all the parts of the body from the Heart. Veins carry blood back to the heart.
So, Blood Pressure as a vague term indicates the pressure on the walls of arteries. Who is causing this Pressure? Its the blood itself. Just like water flowing through a Pipe induces some pressure on the wall of the Pipe, Blood too induces Pressure on the arterial walls.
You might ask, why not on the veins? What did they do wrong? Simply put - Veins are made different - they are very flexible and can sometimes collapse too, on the other had Arteries are strong, elastic and are well built.
Blood pressure, if you notice, is told in 2 numbers. Your doctor might say that your blood pressure is "130 over 80." The top number is the pressure inside your arteries when your heart is contracting - the "LUB". The bottom number is the pressure inside your arteries when your heart is relaxed - the "DUB"
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Having high blood pressure puts you at risk for heart attack, stroke, kidney damage, and other serious problems. The medicines your doctor prescribes to treat high blood pressure can help reduce the risk of these problems and even help you live longer.
What is a normal range of Blood Pressure - It is 120 -130 mm Hg to 70-90 mm Hg.
When is your Blood Pressure "high" -
- Stage 1: 130 to 139 over 80 to 89
- Stage 2: At least 140 over at least 90
This is the basic thing you should know, although there is lot more in classification of high blood pressure.
Most adults with hypertension have primary hypertension (formerly called "essential" hypertension), which means that the cause of the high blood pressure is not known.
But some people also have secondary Hypertension. That means there is some underlying disease which is causing high blood pressure - likely a Kidney or hormonal problem.
- I checked my Blood pressure today, its 140/90 mm Hg...!!! Should I start taking medicines?? No!
There are some things you can do before you can start with tablets. Ofcourse if you have very high values more times on a single day, you should consult your Doctor.
I would advise you to buy an electronic Blood Pressure machines readily available in Pharmacies these days.
When it's time to check your blood pressure:
- Go to the bathroom and empty your bladder first. Having a full bladder can temporarily increase your blood pressure, making the results inaccurate.
- Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the ground. Sind relax for a minute before measuring.
- Try to breathe normally and stay calm.
- Attach the cuff to your arm. Place the cuff directly on your skin, not over your clothing. The cuff should be tight enough to not slip down, but not uncomfortably tight.
What can I do for to control my high Blood Pressure?
- Lose weight if you are overweight - I will advise you to lose weight even if you did not record high Blood pressure values.
- Choose a diet low in fat and rich in fiber. Fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products are good sources of fiber
- Reduce the amount of salt you eat. Salt attracts water - as you eat more salt, more water will be retained in your body. More water = more blood volume - more pressure on Artery walls = more Blood Pressure.
- This type of Diet is called DASH - Dietary approach to stop Hypertension - It is high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fiber, and low-fat dairy products, with reduced saturated fat, total fat, and meat intake
- Workout - or do something active atleast for 30 minutes in a day. Walking in the home or in office doesn´t count. Although any amout of exercise helps - remember something is better than nothing. American Heart Association suggests 3-5 hours of moderate exercise every week. High intensity workouts too help you reduce weight and also achieve good Blood pressure. It helps also to keep you Cholesterol in control - there by reducing the risk of further heart and brain injuries.
- Reduce the amount of alcohol you drink. High alcohol intake will only harm your body.
- Dont Smoke! Its tough to ask - if someone is smoking for a long time. But I dont have to say it - you know it - Smoking is very much injurious to your blood vessels and in turn affecting Heart, Brain, Kidneys and any organ - you name it, smoking will harm it.
The changes listed above might sound like a lot, but don't worry. You don't have to change everything all at once. The key to improving your lifestyle is to "start low and go slow." Choose 1 small, specific thing to change and try doing it for a while. If it works for you, keep doing it until it becomes a habit. If it doesn't, don't give up.
But its always better to take the opinion of a Doctor.
She/He will check your Blood Pressure - not once like you did at home but multiple times - he might even suggest a 24 hour continuous blood pressure monitoring.
He will prescribe Tablets based on 1. how high you Blood pressure is, 2. keeping in consideration your health conditions or any other known diseases and 3. he will call you after a week or so to check if the tablets are working well. Dont miss the follow up from your doctor - so that he can give you the best suited Therapy.
Are you curious about what are these substances which can magically reduce your Blood pressure.
How does these Tablets work?
There is no single way in todays world we can control our Blood pressure - Scientists discovered multiple ways to influence the values through medicines
- "Diuretics" or the Water pills - these will increase your urine output - reducing blood volume and BP.
- "ACE inhibitors" (Angiotensin Converting Enzyme inhibitors) or "ARBs" (angiotensin receptor blockers) - They work on Kidneys - to be precise Renin - Angiotensin Mechanism and reduce the BP.
- "Calcium channel blockers" - They work directly on the walls of Arteries and help reduce BP. Did you ever play with a pipe while watering plants. If you squeese the pipe - the pressure increases and water flows with high pressure. Calcium channel Blockers will increase the diameter of Artery - thereby reducing the Pressure.
- "Beta blockers" - Fancy name isnt it! They act on selective Beta receptors on Heart thereby influencing Heart rate and Blood Pressure.
These are some of the most widely used Blood pressure medications all over the World. There are even more.
Remember every medicine you use is not a natural substance that is available in the Body - and hence they can cause side effects- which you should monitor and inform your Doctor.
When people have a high blood pressure emergency, their blood pressure is usually "180 over 120" or higher. Also called "hypertensive emergency" or "malignant hypertension."
What happens in a Hypertension Emergency?
- Blurry vision or other vision changes
- Headache
- Nausea or vomiting
- Confusion
- Loss of Consciousness or seizures – Seizures are waves of abnormal electrical activity in the brain that can make people move or behave strangely.
- Weakness or numbness on 1 side of the body, or in 1 arm or leg
- Difficulty talking
- Trouble breathing
- Chest pain
- Pain in the upper back or between the shoulders
- Urine that is brown or bloody
- Pain in the lower back or 1 the side of the body
As the name suggests its an Emergency and the Patient must be taken to a near by Hospital.
Time for some Motivation ... !
Whatever you tackle first, choose specific, realistic goals, and give yourself a deadline. For example, do not decide that you are going to "exercise more." Instead, decide that you are going to walk for 10 minutes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and that you are going to do this for the next 2 weeks.
When lifestyle changes are too general, people have a hard time following through.
Now go. You can do it!
Dr james Dinicolantonio’s book the salt fix has some interesting information on salt
It only changes the blood pressure 3-5 points in large majority of people
Water follows salt
Low salt or hyponatremia is deadly
Low blood pressure increases heart rate, increasing work for the heart