Guest guest Posted February 26, 2005 Report Share Posted February 26, 2005 Is Your Blood Under Pressure? JoAnn Guest Feb 25, 2005 22:21 PST ---- " What do you suggest taking or doing for low blood pressure (and also high blood pressure)? " -- Patty (Published 09/08/1997) Updated 12/7/2001 Low blood pressure -- hypotension --is an unusual complaint. In general it is not a health risk; in fact people with low blood pressure are likely to live longer with much lower risk of cardiovascular and kidney disease than people wth high blood pressure. In Germany, however, doctors recognize a condition called circulatory asthenia (weakness) that is unknown here, and a number of German pharmaceutical products are available to raise blood pressure in this ailment. People with low pressure may experience lightheadedness and dizziness if they stand up suddenly. The best way to prevent those symptoms is to change position slowly. Recently, doctors have linked chronic fatigue in some people to neurally mediated hypotension, in which blood pressure plummets after standing too long,exercising or spending time in a warm environment. In these people, the brain rsponds to a temporary dip in blood pressure by decreasing it even more, causing lightheadedness, confusion and dizziness. In one study at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, 75 percent of 23 chronic fatigue patients who were given sea salt in their diet reported some improvement. A similar condition also can affect elderly people, who may faint after mealswhen the blood rushes to their stomach. It's called post-meal low bloodpressure, and, though this may seem contradictory, it affects people withhypertension. This is because high blood pressure prevents the heart from pumping faster and the blood vessels from tightening during a temporary drop inblood volume. If this is your problem, drink at least six glasses of fluids a day to increase blood volume, and try walking a bit after meals to get yourheart pumping. Low blood pressure has been linked to increased mortality among the elderly, but researchers think it's not the pressure that's the problem. Instead, it's the heart disease that should be treated. High blood pressure and low blood pressure are linked by a " malfnction in the body's ability to pump blood to the spots that most need it, while also keepingnecessary pressure in other parts. High blood pressure may be the body'sreaction to perceived danger; sympathetic nervous system activity constricts peripheral arteries in order to maintain circulation to the brain. As ashort-term response to actual danger, this pattern is not harmful, but if thesympathetic nerves and the arteries they control never relax, damage to thecardiovascular system and kidneys can result, and heart attacks and strokes are likely. Dietary modification is an effective way to manage high blood pressure, which is by far the more common direction of the imbalance. A recent study at sixmajor medical centers found that a low-fat diet rich in fruits and vegetables helped people lower their blood pressure most. People in the study ate 10servings of fruits and vegetables a day, which helped increase their intake of ptassium, calcium and magnesium, all of which counteract the blood-pressure-elevating effect of sodium. It's also important to exercise regularly and to begin practicing relaxation techniques. Help your body let goof the fear and stress that activates the sympathetic nervous system. Getwithin five pounds of your ideal weight and decrease your intake of refined salt, replacing it with sea salt. It also helps to discontinue coffee and tobacco, and any other stimulant drugs. Finally, take magnesium each day, as well as vitamin C. The biggest contributor to high blood pressure may be stress. Work on giving your body a chance to take it easy. Dr. Andrew Weil www.drweil.com ==================================================================== Hypertension or High Blood Pressure is generally defined as a blood pressure greater than 140/90. The first number (systolic) is the force that blood exerts on the artery walls when the heart is pumping. The second number (diastolic) is the residual force that remains when the heart relaxes between beats. Any blood pressure reading below a borderline 138/88 is safer, but you should still try getting it down closer to what's considered normal 120/80. The problem is my opinion is that doctors are too quick to treat this condition with synthetic drugs. About half the people diagnosed have mildly high blood pressure. There's plenty of evidence that for them, diet and lifestyle changes, including exercise, stress management and self-monitoring with a home blood pressure device, work just as well as drugs, and with no side effects. Diet and lifestyle modifications all tend to provide a sense of control that in itself may be beneficial. But don't expect the pharmaceutical industry to encourage the natural way. It would cut into their $2.5 billion-a-year for antihypertensive medication. Green Pharmacy for High Blood Pressure: Eating hearty vegetable soups on a regular basis can do more than help normalize blood pressure and prevent heart disease. It can also help prevent cancer, obesity, diabetes and constipation. Vegetable soup is so good for health that I don't even call it minestrone anymore, but rather Medistrone. What would you put in your Medistrone Soup? You can use just about any vegetables, especially the ones mentioned in this chapter. There are also any number of herbs that can help control blood pressure, but you don't have to put those in a soup. They make rather nice teas. CELERY: Celery has long been recommended in traditional for lowering high blood pressure, and experimental evidence bears this out. In one study, injecting laboratory animals with celery extract significantly lowered their blood pressure. In humans, eating as few as four celery stalks has done the same. GARLIC: This wonder herb not only helps normalize blood pressure, it also reduces cholesterol. In a scientifically rigorous study, people with high blood pressure were given about one clove of garlic a day for 12 weeks. Afterward they exhibited significantly lower diastolic blood pressure and cholesterol levels. " We now know that garlic can reduce hypertension, even in quantities as small as a half-ounce per week, " says Varro Tyler, Ph.D., dean and professor emeritus of pharmacognosy, (natural product pharmacy) at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. If you cook with garlic and use it in your salads, getting that much should be a snap! If you haven't yet developed a taste for it, take it in capsule form. With so many health benefits associated with this herb, I'd recommend finding many ways to enjoy it in your food. HAWTHORN: Hawthorn berry extract can widen (dilate) blood vessels, especially the coronary arteries, according to a report published in the Lawrence Review of Natural Products, a respected newsletter. Hawthorne has been used as a heart tonic for centuries. If you'd like to try it, make a tea with one teaspoon of dried herb per cup of boiling water and drink up to two cups a day. KUDZU: Chinese studies suggest that this vine helps normalize blood pressure. In one study, a tea containing about eight teaspoons of kudzu root was given daily to 52 people for two to eight weeks. In 17 people, blood pressure declined markedly. Thirty others showed some benefit. Kudzu contains a chemical (puerarin) that has decreased blood pressure by 15 percent in laboratory animals. With 100 times the antioxidant activity of vitamin E, puerarin also helps prevent heart disease and cancer. (Antioxidants are substances that neutralize cell-damaging oxygen molecules known as free radicals.) SAFFRON: This expensive herb contains a blood pressure lowering chemical called " crocetin " . Some authorities even speculate that the low incidence of heart disease in Spain is due to that nation's high saffron 'consumption'. You can use saffron in your cooking or make a tea with it. VALERIAN: Earlier in this chapter I mentioned that gamma-amino butyric acid helps control blood pressure. Well, this herb valerian contains a chemical called valerenic acid that inhibits an enzyme that breaks down GABA. So ingesting something containing valerenic acid would, in effect, ensure higher levels of GABA and lower blood pressure. Valerian is also a tranquilizer/sedative, which also helps reduce blood pressure. BROCCOLI: This vegetable has at least six chemicals that reduce blood pressure. CARROT: According to my database, carrots contain eight compounds that lower blood pressure. ONION: (Allium cepa). In one study, two to three tablespoons of onion essential oil a day lowered blood pressure in 67 percent of people with hypertension. Their systolic levels fell an average of 25 points and their diastolic readings fell 15 points. The bad news is that you can't get this oil, and you wouldn't be able to eat enough onions to get this much of an effect. In my case, I'd have to ingest three times my body weight in onions. But I do think that onions have enough going for them that you should definitely add more of them to your diet to help lower blood pressure. PURSLANE: and other foods containing magnesium. Magnesium deficiency has been implicated in high blood pressure. Many Americans are deficient in this mineral and don't know it. A 1994 Gallup poll showed that about 72 percent of those surveyed reported inadequate magnesium intake. To get magnesium, turn to leafy greens, legumes and whole grains. Purslane, poppy seeds, and string beans are the best dietary sources, according to my database. Nutritionists suggest that a daily supplement of 400 mgs of magnesium twice daily may help. ORGANIC TOMATOES: These fruits are genetically engineered so please make it a point to purchase non-gmo varieties! A typical minestrone has a tomato base. That's also perfect for Medistrone Soup, because tomatoes are high in gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA), a compound that can help bring down blood pressure. According to my database, tomatoes also contain six other compounds that do the same thing. ASSORTED SPICES: As for spices that you can add to your Medistrone, fennel contains at least ten compounds that lower blood pressure, oregano has seven, and black pepper, basil and tarragon each have six. James A. Dukes, Ph.D. In " The Green Pharmacy " _________________ JoAnn Guest mrsjo- DietaryTi- www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Genes AIM Barleygreen " Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future " http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets.html Sports - Sign up for Fantasy Baseball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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