High Blood pressure or Hypertension is now the number one disease of today’s society. Healthy males generally have a reading of around 120/80 while females range in a number slightly lower.
Hypertension is a condition in which too much pressure is exerted on the arteries when the blood is pumped by the heart. A blood pressure reading of 140/90 can be considered suspicious. Higher readings are considered clinical hypertension. The 120 (systolic pressure) is the pressure in the arteries when the heart is in the middle of its contraction; the 80 (diastolic pressure) is the pressure in the arteries when the heart is at rest.
The diastolic is usually considered the most important; as this is the pressure the arteries are under when at rest. In a person with high blood pressure, the heart has to pump the blood through the circulatory system with greater force, resulting in added strain on the entire cardiovascular system.
The main cause of high blood pressure is still not yet known, however risk factors have been discovered; they include genetics, smoking, excessive alcohol use, drug abuse, stimulant use, obesity, poor diet and nutrition, high cholesterol, lack of stress management and sodium ingestion as well as narrowing of the blood vessels due to cholesterol and other fatty elements. In addition, research has shown that heart disease and hypertension are caused more by “unnaturally” produced oils and fats then “naturally” occurring oils and fats.
Unfortunately, no research has yet been conducted on the affects of refined unsaturated oils verses unrefined cold pressed unsaturated oils. Refined oils are of a greater risk as they change during the high temperature of processing. In addition, hydrogenated oils like margarine are extremely bad for the body as they interfere with the body’s fatty acid metabolism. High blood pressure is the number one sign of fatty acid deficiency.
Hypertension is known as the silent killer because often times, this condition does not exhibit any symptoms at all until it is in its advanced stages, wreaking havoc on the internal organs with irreversible effects.
Symptoms of advanced hypertension include dizziness, eye problems, rapid pulse, headache, nose bleeds, nervousness, irritability, insomnia and energy loss. More advanced cases will exhibit symptoms such as hypertensive heart disease with enlarged heart and possible left ventricular failure, myocardial infarction, possible senility, cerebral hemorrhage, paralysis and death.
Everyone with high blood pressure should be monitored by a medical professional with visits commencing every six months. Anyone having prolonged high blood pressure will experience damage to other areas like the kidneys which can then result in other problems such as renal failure which requires weekly blood filtering or dialysis treatments.