|
Blood pressure refers to the
amount of pressure in your arteries, which changes with each pump of
your heart. The normal blood pressure is 120/80 mm of Hg. Hypertension
occurs when the pressure in the system gets high enough to start causing
problems in your body. When blood pressure rises above normal, the
bloods normal pulsating is replaced by a pounding. This relentless
battering is very hard on the walls of the blood vessels and weakens
them. The high pressure can also cause damage to various organs like
kidney, Brain, Heart etc.
Symptoms of
high blood pressure are:-
The specific cause of
hypertension is generally unknown in almost 90% of the cases, the
measures recommended to prevent high blood pressure covers a broad
spectrum.
STEPS TO PREVENT HIGH BLOOD
PRESSURE
MAINTAIN
AN APPROPRIATE BODY WEIGHT
Obese individuals have 50%
more risk to develop high blood pressure than others. If body fat is too
high, even a small decrease in fat level can significantly lower blood
pressure.
LIMIT
ALCOHOL INTAKE
Try to stop the intake of
alcohol or it should be limited to 2 drinks a day.
DO NOT
SMOKE
Nicotine has been shown to
constrict small blood vessels and raise blood pressure. In addition it
increases the risk of heart attack.
MODERATE
THE AMOUNT OF SALT INTAKE
Salt does appear to increase
blood pressure levels in sodium sensitive individuals. About half of the
hypertension sufferers are sodium sensitive.
CONSUME ADEQUATE AMOUNTS OF
CALCIUM, MAGNESIUM, POTASSIUM
Few studies suggest that these
minerals can have a positive impact on blood pressure.
EXERCISE
REGULARLY
Exercise has various
inter related benefits to blood pressure, including maintenance of a
desirable bodyweight, reduction of the risk of heart disease and
strengthening the cardiovascular system.
DEALING WITH
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
In last few decades of 20th
century, effective medication were developed to control blood pressure
but it does not treat the root cause of the problem. The cardiologist
advice lifestyle changes (especially for those whose blood pressure is
slightly elevated). Behavioural adjustments, modification in diet,
exercise and yoga, which can reduce or eliminate the need for
medication.
This
article is written by Dr. Hemanshu Sharma. He is Bachelors in
Naturopathy and Yogic Sciences from Rajiv Gandhi University Of Health
Sciences, Bangalore. He is a personal trainer for Ex-Defence Minister,
Mr. George Fernandes and has been coaching the fitness courses (ISSA),
specialised in Weight loss, Diet consultation and fitness programming.
Presently he is working at T Spiritual World as a Naturopathy Physician
& Yoga Consultant and conducting regular Yoga sessions various
corporates. You can
reach him at
hemanshu@tspiritualworld.com.
|
