Hypertension 101

You are probably aware of needing to eat right and exercise, but this isn’t just 
recommended for general health and wellness, or to lose weight. It is also essential 
because it helps you to improve your cardiovascular health.

What is cardiovascular health? This is related to your heart and arteries, which are 
helping to provide you with life. When your cardio health starts to decline, it puts you at 
risk for heart disease and stroke, both of which can be fatal.

A big part of your cardiovascular health is looking for signs that it could be declining, 
such as with hypertension. Hypertension is something not to be messed around with. 

Here are some things to know about hypertension and what can be done about it.

1. What is Hypertension?

When discussing hypertension, it’s important to recognize specific facts that can clearly 
define what it is, how it is measured, and how it can affect your health. In recent years, it 
has become a more common condition, so the need for information on it has become 
far greater than previously recorded. 

Before you can find out if you could be at risk, or suffering from this condition, it is 
necessary to explore the parameters of this definition, so the following article will be an 
explanation of what defines hypertension. 

What Is It Exactly

Hypertension is a cardiovascular disease that is more widely known by its common 
name, high blood pressure. You are said to have hypertension when your heart has to 
work harder to pump blood through your arteries and veins. 

This is often caused by some form of restriction of blood flow due to either the heavy 
presence of blood borne fat, or by the actual physical constriction of the blood vessels. 
Either way, this condition can lead to more serious, and possibly life-threatening issues 
if left unchecked. 

Measuring Hypertension

When you are getting your blood pressure checked, the most common healthy levels 
should be under 120 systolic and under 80 diastolic. If you haven’t been monitoring your 
blood pressure, and it’s beginning to become unhealthy, you may find yourself at 140-
159 systolic or 90-99 diastolic. 

This is considered to be stage 1 high blood pressure. If you are at 160 and above 
systolic or 100 or above diastolic, you would be considered stage 2 blood pressure. 
Anything above 180 systolic or above 110 diastolic would be considered a life-
threatening emergency, or hypertensive crisis. 

2. What Are the Potential Causes?

Despite what was previously believed, a person can live with hypertension for quite 
some time without exhibiting any form of symptoms. In order to safeguard yourself or 
loved ones from these illnesses, it could be of great value to learn what the potential 
causes of hypertension, or high blood pressure might be. 

It’s a good idea to take note of any similarities in your experience as you read this article 
on the potential causes of hypertension. 

A Glitch In Your Genetics

Over the last few decades, science has begun to finally be able to detangle the threads 
of DNA to discover what kinds of illnesses or conditions each person may be 
predisposed to during their life. Before that, the doctor's best way to narrow down the 
list of possible causes for ailments came in the form of simply asking what health 
problems are common to their family members. 

This knowledge allowed them to make better guesses about treatments and eliminate 
solutions that are unlikely to be of any help. 

Your Habits

If you drink or smoke, you will be at high risk for hypertension. Especially if you engage 
in both activities. Smoking contributes heavily to the hardening of the arteries, and hard 
arteries don’t flex as much which exponentially raise the chances of life threatening 
strokes. 

This is because arteries that burst are much harder to fix than arteries that have 
blockage. A hemorrhaging artery in or near the brain is likely to kill you immediately. 

Not Enough Activity

A sedentary lifestyle can be one of the worst things for high blood pressure. When you 
aren’t active enough, the fluids that help to cleanse and pump through your body such 
as lymph are unable to carry toxins, wastes and other undesirable matter to disposal 
sites. 

Arteries lose their elasticity when you don’t move enough, and it can also lead to the 
slow buildup of arterial plaque from unchecked cholesterol.

3. What Signs and Symptoms Are There?

Hypertension is a sign of impending health problems for the people who experience it, 
but before it progresses into more serious issues, there are often a collection of 
negative effects that signal the coming problems. 

If you or a family member began to experience some of these symptoms without 
knowing how they are tied to your health, it could be easy to pass over these warning 
signs and unknowingly elevate yourself into a higher category of risk for a future cardiac 
event. This article explains some things you might need to know. 

Sometimes There Are No Signs

In previous decades, doctors made the incorrect assumption that hypertension was 
something that was always symptomatic, but more recent discoveries have revealed 
that you may not be able to detect hypertension with actually getting checked out. 
 
This is a time when it’s a good idea to take a look at your family history to see if you 
have any family members that suffer from this condition. If you have a parent, uncle, or 
grandparent that has dealt with hypertension, the likelihood that you are susceptible is 
extremely high. 

Your Hearing Changes Suddenly

Have you ever been sitting and relaxing quietly when your hearing suddenly drops out 
for a moment? A lot of times that can be a sign that your blood pressure has changed. 
When you heart has to work extra hard to force blood through your blood vessels, the 
extra pressure it exerts can place extra strain on your ear drum making it less sensitive 
for a moment. 

Fatty plaque can also become trapped in the tiny blood vessels of your ears, making 
hearing loss a more permanent experience. 

Headaches, Head Rush, or Blurry Vision

Sometimes when you get up too fast, you may get slightly light headed. This is a normal 
occurrence for most people, but if it’s happening often, then you should get your blood 
pressure checked. When you are stationary, blood pools wherever it can sit. This 
means that when you stand, the blood with rush to reposition itself in your body, then 
creating a somewhat unpleasant sensation. 

This can cause headaches or blurry vision depending on how healthy your arteries are. 
If you have experienced any of these types of issues, it would be a good idea to get 
checked out.

4. Are There Treatment Options?

Most people will be delighted to know that there are a range of treatment options for 
those who suffer from high blood pressure. Due to the fact that science has discovered 
that the planet Earth contains a rich supply of foods that have medicinal values, 
treatments that were formerly thought to be magical have been revealed to have healing 
power that is ever comparable to many traditional methods that are available to 
consumers. 

The best part about many of these treatments though, is that there are little to no side 
effects, so you have fewer chances of a bad reaction. 

Fish Oil

This oil comes from fish, and is very high in omega 3 fatty acids. These amazing 
antioxidant rich pills help your veins and arteries to stay elastic, and the fatty acids help 
to break down deposits of plaque and cholesterol. One or two a day can significantly 
impact your cholesterol and help the body to eliminate free floating saturated fats. 

Green Tea

Tea is an antioxidant rich drink that can help you to improve your health over time. 
Studies have shown that people who consumed 2 cups of tea a day were able to 
significantly improve their cholesterol levels. Green tea is also anti-inflammatory, and 
can help irritated arteries to relax and widen. One study was able to see that after 3 
weeks of tea consumption, arterial diameter was nearly doubled. 

Lycopene

Although you can find lycopene in nearly any fruit or vegetable, tomatoes are currently 
known to have the highest concentration of this amazing chemical. Lycopene research 
has concluded that lycopene was extremely effective at breaking down dangerous 
blockages and deposits of fat in the arteries. This makes it an excellent way to prevent 
stroke and reduce the chance of a heart attack. 

Garlic 

For at least 2000 years, garlic has been used in medicines and remedies of all sorts. 
Today we realize that it’s properties and benefits go far beyond flavoring your flavoring. 
Garlic is now well known for its ability to lower triglycerides and cholesterol in the blood. 

5. Can Hypertension Be Treated Naturally?

With the alarming number of people looking for alternatives to current approaches to 
medical conditions, more information about natural methods for treatment of illnesses 
has become widely available. 

Much to the surprise of some, many of the treatments have turned out to be very useful 
in fighting the illnesses that they’ve been created for, and some of them have turned out 
to not only be rooted in history, but also science. The purpose of this article is to share a 
few ways that hypertension can be treated naturally. 

Get Some Exercise 

Exercise has always been known to be very effective in fighting high blood pressure. 
When you get a chance to engage in vigorous activity, a sustained increase in heart 
rate strengthens your heart muscle and helps to improve the elasticity of your veins and 
arteries. 

It also helps to push cholesterol and other free-floating fats in your blood to disposal 
sites in your circulatory system, making it harder for these fats to collect and cause 
further damage by creating blockages. 

Be Sure to Get Good Nutrition 

One of the key parts of health is making sure that your body has enough of the 
important nutrients to fuel you. Getting the necessary vitamins and minerals can help 
your circulatory system to reduce inflammation that could be the result of any number of 
outside influences. 

Another important part of nutrition is the ingestion of soluble fats that help to absorb and 
carry away fats in the blood stream so it can be removed.

Cut Back On Saturated Fats

Another great way to help avoid high blood pressure is to replace saturated fats with 
healthier unsaturated plant fats. These types of fats are easier for the body to absorb 
and have a wide range of health benefits related to the heart and blood pressure. 
Cutting back also lessens the amount of work that your heart has to do and gives you 
less of a chance for any kind of buildup. 
