WHAT IS THE CONDITION THAT AFFECT YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE

There are some startling statistics related to high blood pressure (hypertension). According to the American Heart Association, it affects about 73.6 million people age 20 and over in the United States alone. One in three adults suffers from this condition and 78.7% of them are aware that they have it. 69.1% were receiving treatment, 45.4% had it under control, leaving 54.6% who did not have it controlled.

You might be very surprised to learn that the cause of 90 - 95% of the cases of hypertension is UNKNOWN. However, regardless of that fact, it is easy to diagnose and there are numerous treatments to help control it.

There are a number of conditions that can adversely affect the blood pressure. Eight of them are as follows:-

STRESS
An argument, financial problems, fear and other emotional factors will temporarily raise your blood pressure. This actually is a defense mechanism to enable you to function more efficiently by increasing the amount of oxygen and nutrients available to the cells. Unless you already have high blood pressure, such a temporary increase should not be harmful, but it could bring about a stroke if you are already a sufferer. This is why people who are chronically hypertensive, are told to stay calm and not get too excited.

SMOKING
Literally within seconds of lighting a cigarette, your blood pressure increases as much as 15-20 points. This happens because of the stimulating effect nicotine has on the adrenal glands. They send out a hormone to help defend the body against the poison and the blood vessels constrict and the pressure goes up.

SALT
Common table salt can affect your blood pressure tremendously. It should be noted that not everyone who has HBP reacts adversely to table salt. You should be able to determine very easily for yourself whether you are affected by it or not. Monitor your blood pressure a few times during the day and then when you have a highly salted meal (for instance Chinese food) check your blood pressure a few times over the next 24 hours. People that are sensitive to salt have to be extremely careful with their diet, and make sure they read the labels on cans and boxes. Canned soups are notoriously high in sodium.

KIDNEY DISEASE
With kidney disease, the kidneys are unable to eliminate the liquid wastes from the body and they accumulate, producing edema and toxicity. ("This is the most important factor")

LIVER CONGESTION
All the blood in the body flows through the liver, both to pick up nutrients that the liver stores and for detoxification. If the liver is congested with toxins or chemicals, and has lost its ability to function properly for a number of reasons, a back pressure builds up in the portal circulation. This can be reflected in the whole body circulation as high blood pressure.

ATHEROSCLEROSIS - ARTERIOSCLEROSIS
Many feel that the major cause of hypertension is the narrowing of the arterial system by deposits of calcium, cholesterol, fibrin and other blood constituents resulting in either atherosclerosis or arteriosclerosis. As plaque builds up, the internal diameter of the blood vessel is decreased significantly. This results in increased pressure because the same amount of fluid is being forced through a narrower tube.

TUMORS
In a very small percentage of patients suffering with HPB, other factors, such as tumors, are involved.

NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES A deficiency in calcium, magnesium, potassium and other nutrients have a definite effect on creating the condition of hypertension.