Hypertension: What Causes It? | Hypertension

By CarlPruitt
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High blood pressure, or hypertension, is known in the health care field as the "silent killer". It usually exhibits no symptoms until it has already done substantial damage to a patient's body. Most people only find out about their hypertension when they go in for a routine physical, but most people also tend to skip their routine physicals. Do not take this disease lightly, or delay treatment, just because there are no symptoms. A great majority of the people who experience heart attacks or develop congestive heart failure start out with hypertension. High blood pressure is the number one causative factor in heart disease and one out of every 3 people has high blood pressure

Your blood pressure will be checked as a standard preliminary procedure to any physical. Usually before you are even assigned to an examination room. Be aware of a condition known as White Coat Syndrome in which a person's blood pressure actually increases dramatically as a direct response to visiting the doctor. I react just that way myself, often leading my doctors and their nurses to try to send me to the emergency room when they see my normally high blood pressure become extremely high blood pressure once the cuff is strapped on me in the doctor's office. My solution to this was to buy a home digital blood pressure monitor. They are relatively cheap, and are very accurate. Don't use it to replace the doctor though.

Although hypertension is the leading cause of strokes and coronary heart disease, the sad fact is that the cause of the disease is unknown or unclear in more than 90% of the cases. There are no easy answers to why high blood pressure occurs and there is no simple catch-all solution to the problem. Hypertension is most effectively treated holistically with major lifestyle changes.

Normally, blood pressure is naturally controlled by a person's body, keeping it within very strict limits. If blood pressure drops, the body contracts the arteries, decreasing the size of the blood's pathway, thus increasing the resistance encountered by the blood trying to push its way through. Blood pressure increases. If blood pressure becomes too high, the body will reverse this process. In people with long term hypertension, this process does not function correctly for some reason and must be managed by diet and drugs.

Some of the factors which are thought to cause high blood pressure include the following:

* Too much alcohol

* Tobacco

* Obesity

* Too much sodium intake

* High stress levels

* Excessive Caffeine

* Genetics

Clearly, most of the above factors are well within the patient's control. Therefore, controlling blood pressure naturally can help a great deal. Increasing fruit and vegetable intake while lowering dietary fat and cutting out a few bad habits will usually substantially lower blood pressure. If you are too fat, dropping a few pounds will make an amazing difference in blood pressure. Walking for 30 minutes a few times a week will lower blood pressure through weight loss and stress relief. Switching to the clinically proven DASH diet will help as well. Of course, with any medical condition, you need to consult with your doctor before you begin any exercise program or drastic dietary changes.

About the Author

Controlling high blood pressure is crucial to avoiding health problems during lby going toer years. Learn more about how to control high blood pressure by going to http://bloodpressuredanger.blogspot.com

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