You Are In Charge Of Your Hypertension
Posted on 25. Nov, 2009 by Kathy Forcey in Diet & Nutrition
Most people think of hypertension as the inevitable consequence of age or factors like being overweight. But research has found that nearly everyone is susceptible to developing high blood pressure during their lifetime. Currently nearly one-third of all Americans suffer from high blood pressure, many of whom don’t even realize it, thus making the need to manage hypertension a top priority.
Unlike many other diseases or illnesses that manifest obvious symptoms, hypertension or high blood pressure frequently remains undetected until something bad happens and the patient needs to visit a doctor. Typically, this can be unexplained dizziness or bad headaches that don’t go away even with rest or over-the-counter remedies.
While in many cases, the causes of hypertension may be unknown and may not result in immediate consequences, hypertension itself can lead to serious health conditions such as stroke, heart attack and even heart or kidney failure. That is why it is so important to get regular checkups and monitor for any changes in your blood pressure.
Prolonged high blood pressure can damage your arteries. Basically, blood pressure is a measurement of the force of blood flowing through the body’s arteries when pumped through the heart’s contracting action. When the pressure is too high, the arterial wall can become weakened and the risk for heart failure increased.
High sodium consumption, excessive alcohol consumption and an inactive lifestyle are the leading factors that contribute to high blood pressure. By refraining from these high-risk behaviors, you can make a difference in your health and not only manage hypertension, but significantly reduce the risk for developing it later on if you don’t already have it.
One effective way to treat high blood pressure is through the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet, also known as the DASH diet. This diet is, as the name suggests, designed to manage hypertension through food intake. Permitted foods include mainly fish, poultry, fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, whole grains and limited non-fat or low fat dairy products. Increasing your daily physical activity can also help.
Hypertension is a lifelong disease. Once diagnosed by your doctor, prescription medications are the most common way to manage hypertension. Both you and your doctor will need to keep an eye on the blood pressure levels your doctor will determine is appropriate for you, given factors such as age and activity level.
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