Understanding high blood pressure

Written by: bgavish | Posted: Jan 15 2009

Many people don’t understand blood pressure and what their goal blood pressure should be. Here’s a primer:

Systolic blood pressure is the pressure in the arteries when the blood is being pumped to the body. Normal systolic pressure is <120 mmHg (which stands for millimeters of mercury). Readings between 120 - 139 mmHg are considered prehypertension.

Diastolic blood pressure is the pressure in the arteries when the heart is at rest or relaxed, between beats. Normal diastolic pressure is <80 mmHg. Readings between 80 – 89 mmHg are considered prehypertension.

When blood pressure exceeds either 140 systolic, 90 diastolic or both, it is defined as high blood pressure (also called hypertension). The majority of people with prehypertension will develop hypertension as they age.

Seventy-two million Americans (nearly one in three adults) suffer from hypertension, which is the major cause of stroke, heart attack and heart disease. Yet, approximately one-third of them don’t realize they have the condition. High blood pressure does not have noticeable symptoms and it is often called “the silent killer”. Seventy percent of people living with hypertension do not have it controlled, despite the wide availability of medication.

Hypertension has traditionally been treated with medications, such as diuretics (often called “water pills”), ACE inhibitors, beta blockers, calcium channel inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). Lifestyle changes, including adopting a healthy diet and exercising regularly, are also recommended for the treatment of high blood pressure.

RESPeRATE is another option — a non-drug way to help you lower your blood pressure naturally, without the costly side effects and inconvenience of many drugs.

Information gathered from the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection and Treatment of High Blood Pressure, National Institutes of Health, 2004

What is hypertension?

Written by: bpackard | Posted: Jan 15 2009

Hypertension simply means high blood pressure — - the pressure created by the blood in the arteries is too high. The  cause of the high blood pressure cannot always be defined.  The condition has been called “The Silent Killer”, because symptoms typically appear only after complications or damage have already occurred.

Many studies show that the higher the blood pressure, and the longer the condition persists, the greater the damage. For this reason, early diagnosis is important in order to normalize blood pressure and prevent complications.