Hypertension: What Is It?

Hypertension, more commonly known as high blood pressure, has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. All over the world, as the western diet is becoming more popular, so do the rates of diagnosis on this disease. Common factors which leads to the increased incidences include:

• high-paced lifestyles full of unrelenting stress
• "eat and run syndrome" - never stopping for a nutritionally balance meal
• lack of exercise -the "couch potato complex"
• insulin resistance
• obesity
• diabetes, high cholesterol and high triglycerides
• dehydration which actually leads to a retention of sodium in your system (gives you that bloated puffy feeling)
• smoking
• excessive alcohol (more than two to three drinks per day)
• environmental toxins such as intorducing heavy metals into your system

Over 50 million people in the US alone are struggling with trying to reduce their blood pressure, usually through medications. This number though is considered considerably low since many undiagnosed cases are out there due to a lack of easily identifiable symptoms. If you notice any of these re-occuring on a continuous basis, check with your family physician and verify a diagnosis:

• headaches in the back of the head and neck area predominantly
• unusual sweating and clamminess of the skin
• fatigue
• blurry vision
• light dizziness

Continuous elevated blood pressure is a precursor to damaged heart and blood vessels. Eventually heart failure, a heart attack or a severe stroke is possible without medical treatment. Often, the lucky have a fatality. The unlucky can often have major medical complications for the rest of their life.

Although this all does sound like bad news, lifestyle changes can lead to a reduced set of signs and symptoms with some serious attempts. By starting slowly implementing a few changes, high blood pressure, often dubbed the "silent killer', can actually be reversed completely.