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Salt And Hypertension

June 2nd, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

In many homes and for many people, salt is a staple used at most meals. For many, it’s used to such an extreme that it’s added to their food before even tasting it. If this describes you, detaching your hand from the salt shaker may pose quite a challenge, but if you have hypertension, it’s an act you really need to make.

Studies have shown that for those with hypertension, the greater the intake of salt, the higher blood pressure rises. Excess salt causes water retention and as fluid becomes stored in tissues, it puts pressure on the body. Hypertension is not the only disease aggravated by the use of excess salt, salt also plays an adverse role in asthmatic conditions, the acceleration of kidney disease, osteoporosis and even stomach cancer.

The Solution

There is only one way to escape the effects of an excess salt intake – and that is to simply quit using it. Though it may be a challenge at first, as everything will taste a little ‘off’, (or have no taste at all), but after a while you’ll find yourself questioning why restaurants and manufacturers have to put so much salt in their food. According to the DHFSA (Department of Health and Food Standards) the optimal amount of salt an adult should consume per day should not exceed five to six grams.

In addition to cutting out the salt that you yourself add to food, you need to start looking at the labels on prepared/packaged food. The amount of salt in processed foods can be staggering. It would be foolish to alter your intake by cutting out what you’re shaking onto your food, while continuing to consume the massive amount in many of the store-shelf prepared foods.

More Foods To Watch Out For

High concentration of salt is found in sausages, dried fish, processed cheese, dried soup/noodle packets and stock cubes. Some brands of tomato sauce contain high amounts of salt. Also you will want to use sparingly ketchup and soy sauce.

The Food To Consume

Probably in every hypertension-related article posted on this site you will read that you will want your diet to be focused on fresh fruits and vegetables, high fiber and low fat foods. These foods may seem unappealing at first, but once you start to manage your taste buds instead of allowing them to manage you, you will start to desire the foods that contribute to your health and wellbeing, instead of those that steal it from you.

Indications of Hypertension

May 28th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

High blood pressure, clinically termed hypertension, can be easily diagnosed simply with repeated blood pressure monitoring. With more than 50 million Americans effected by the disease, it’s not uncommon, however it’s not termed the ’silent killer’ without cause. Without treatment, high blood pressure may affect various body organs and can even lead to death. Therefore, the sooner it is discovered, the greater the chance to lessen adverse effects.

Unfortunately hypertension does not reveal itself with any specific symptoms like most health conditions do. There are however, a few signs to watch for that may give a heads-up for early detection.

Blurred Vision

A common sign of hypertension is that vision can become blurred. Lack of sharpness causes an individual to see objects without any fine details. The impairment of vision in this case is caused by the hypertension and not some eye condition itself.

Dizziness

Blurred vision can also play a part in another common hypertension experience, which is dizziness. When vision is blurred, the brain is challenged to distinguish fine details of external stimuli, which subsequently adversely affects the manner in which information is processed, which results in dizziness. This may be considered as one of the most important warning signs of hypertension.

Nausea and Vomiting Without Apparent Cause

Another indication of hypertension or pre hypertension is continual nausea and vomiting, which seems to be without cause.

Nose Bleeds

Hypertension can be the cause of nose bleeds, though this is very rare in the early stages. The can happen either periodically or regularly.

Other Possible Indications

Apart from the conditions identified above symptoms such as persistent headaches, sleep disturbances and fatigue, heart issues such as a racing heart or heart palpitations and even chest pain could all be indicative of hypertension.

Systolic and Diastolic Pressures

The only true way to diagnose high blood pressure is to have your blood pressure monitored to get the reading of both the systolic and diastolic pressures. One high measurement does not mean that you have high blood pressure, as in the case of white coat hypertension, but may alert the doctor to the possibility of the condition and therefore signal the need for additional monitoring. Indication of any of the other warning signs in combination with an actual elevated reading should be well noted to ensure that adequate attention is given to the possibility of the disease.

Managing Hypertension – What You Can Do

May 16th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Worldwide hypertension is one of the most commonly diagnosed and potentially serious health conditions. Also known as high blood pressure, the first challenge of this condition is discovering it, as for the most part it is symptom-less. Hypertension affects both men and women of all ages with genetics listed as one of the major contributing factors to this condition.

As all individuals are unique, so is each case of hypertension. However, in most individuals with this condition, there is an abnormality of their arteries; in their tiny arteries most distant from the heart, there is an increased blood flow resistance.

A Strategy for Managing Hypertension

After being diagnosed as having high blood pressure it will be necessary to start taking steps to manage it. Managing hypertension is important from two aspects. First in taking measure to deal with the condition as it currently is, but also as important is to prevent it from getting any worse.

Changes in Lifestyle

Lifestyle changes are first and foremost on the list. It’s important to reduce your salt intake, avoid refined flour and sugar, reduce your fat intake, eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and foods high in fiber. As in any good diet regime, you need to drink plenty of water. The DASH Diet (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension) outlines a plan recognized by the American Heart Association as effective in the reduction of high blood pressure. Exercise, rest and effective stress management techniques are also measures that have proved beneficial in managing hypertension.

Medical Intervention

If lifestyle changes alone do not bring your blood pressure back in line, or if your condition is already at an alarm stage, your doctor may recommend high blood pressure medication. Drugs typically used to try and manage hypertension include diuretics, beta blockers, and calcium channel blockers. If these fail to bring blood pressure back within the ‘normal’ range, then other medications may be prescribed. The medical approach may depend on whether the hypertension is the problem itself, or if it is the result of another medical condition.

Educate Yourself

Due to the serious nature of hypertension - that being - potentially fatal, it’s a condition that needs to be closely monitored as the symptoms are usually unnoticed or subtle at best. Educating yourself about the disease and implementing the lifestyle changes are proactive steps you can take on your own. Work with your doctor and ask questions to gain as much of an understanding as you can about all that you can do to manage it in hopes of only having to resort to medication when all other measures have failed.

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