A growing number of people are feeling the pressure to learn more about hypertension, and for good reason. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a significant risk factor for the progression of heart disease.

It is estimated that one in three adults in the United States has the condition and nearly a third of them don’t know they have it.

Uncontrolled high blood pressure alone is serious because as blood pressure increases so does cardiovascular (CV) disease risk. Combined with other conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure becomes even more significant as it increases the chance of a CV event. It can also lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure, or kidney failure.

What is high blood pressure?

Blood pressure measures the force with which blood pushes against the artery walls as it travels through the body. Hypertension, or chronically high blood pressure, can cause the heart to work too hard. This can lead to damage of the coronary arteries, the kidneys and the eyes, and is a major cause of stroke.

Who is at risk of developing high blood pressure?

The risk for cardiovascular disease doubles for those people who have both diabetes and hypertension. In fact, someone with diabetes can be up to four times more likely to develop CV disease due to a variety of risk factors, including hypertension. Lifestyle can be a factor as well. People who are overweight, use too much salt, are physically inactive or drink too much alcohol may be more likely to have hypertension. Age can also be a factor.

How is high blood pressure best treated?

High blood pressure can be treated with diet, exercise and a variety of different medications. If you have the condition, it is important to work with your health care professional to evaluate your other risk factors, such as high cholesterol or diabetes, and then select the best treatment based on your overall risk profile.

Many health care professionals turn to angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors to treat hypertension.

ACE inhibitors are designed to block or inhibit the production of a protein found in the body that causes blood vessels to constrict. ACE inhibitors relax blood vessels, making blood flow easier, which can reduce blood pressure.

An ACE inhibitor with a history of success in treating hypertension, as well as reducing cardiovascular risk, is Altace® (ramipril) capsules. The drug is described as the No. 1 brand name in its class prescribed by cardiologists and endocrinologists.

Its benefits can extend well beyond blood-pressure reduction. It is the only ACE inhibitor proven to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and CV death in high-risk patients aged 55 or over. For these patients, it was found to reduce the risk of heart attack by 20 percent, CV death by 26 percent and stroke by 32 percent. The drug has also proven the ability to reduce the risk of CV complications associated with diabetes.

Studies have shown that this drug may not be for everyone. Altace may lower blood sugar if taken by patients with diabetes. A physician should be contacted if one experiences symptoms of low blood sugar, such as sweating or shakiness. Common side effects include persistent dry cough, dizziness, and light-headedness due to low blood pressure. Do not take Altace during pregnancy, as death or injury to your unborn child may result

How is diabetes related to CV disease and high blood pressure?

Research indicates that these conditions can amplify one another. The presence of one risk factor is likely to influence the development of others. And the more risk factors you have, the higher your risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke; however, early treatment of individual risk factors is likely to decrease the risk of developing others.

Dr. Banas is a member of many professional organizations and is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, the American College of Cardiology, and the Council on Clinical Cardiology of the American Heart Association.

It is estimated that one in three adults in the United States has hypertension. Nearly one-third of those people are unaware that they have the disorder.

Dr. Banas

Note To Editors: About Altace.

Do not take Altace during pregnancy, as death or injury to your unborn child may result, or if you have experienced serious side effects related to previous ACE inhibitors.

Common side effects include persistent dry cough, dizziness, and light-headedness due to low blood pressure. Prescription Altace is not for everyone. Altace may cause swelling of the mouth, tongue, or throat, which could cause extremely serious risk and requires immediate medical care. There have been reports of low blood sugar in patients taking Altace with medicine for diabetes. Please contact your doctor if you have symptoms of low blood sugar such as sweating or shakiness.

Bookmark to:

High Blood pressure is a worldwide epidemic affecting millions of people around the globe. It is estimated that within the next 20 years, there will be over 1.5 billion people affected by high blood pressure.

Two key reasons for the explosion of high blood pressure epidemic are sedentary lifestyle, and a diet rich in high sodium, and processed foods. While diet is a contributing factor for high blood pressure, there are foods that can actually help lower blood pressure, and one of these miraculous food is no other than dark chocolate.

According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, a group of volunteers were randomly divided into two groups. One group ate about a quarter ounce of dark chocolate daily for five months, while the other group was given white chocolate. The group who ate dark chocolate had lower blood pressure readings than those who ate white chocolate.

What makes dark chocolate such a beneficial food for lowering blood pressure?

Dark chocolate contains flavonoids, a group of chemical compounds found in plants that have antioxidant properties. Flavonoids have been shown to promote several beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system; including, flushing out the accumulation of cholesterol in blood vessels, preventing the clustering of blood platelets which contributes to the risk of blood clots that produce stroke, and heart attack, decreasing the body’s inflammation in the body, and relaxing the blood vessels.

When you’re choosing dark chocolate, look for chocolate that has at least 70 percent pure cocoa content. Very dark chocolate is not as sweet as milk chocolate, and it may be somewhat bitter. You may have to try different ones until you find one that you like. However, dark chocolate is becoming very popular, and nowadays, it’s easy to find a variety of good quality dark chocolate with cocoa content as high as 85%.

Portion control is the key to getting the health benefits of dark chocolate without consuming too many calories because dark chocolate is high in fat and calories. Just remember that all you need is a very little piece of it, about a quarter of an ounce, to enjoy its blood pressure lowering benefit.

If you’re looking for ways to lower your blood pressure naturally, dark chocolate can do the trick. For now, all the studies show that there’s little doubt that dark chocolate consumed in moderation, and in conjunction with a healthy diet, and exercise is one of the ways to lower blood pressure, and improve your overall cardiovascular health.

Bookmark to:

Many people that suffer from high blood pressure are not always happy to be prescribed a plethora of different drugs. There are many stories about the sided effects of using these drugs and obviously this worries many. All is not lost though. There are a number of things you can do that will help overcome high blood pressure. That’s not to say we are suggesting you stop taking any prescribed medication. Always consult with your doctor before making any changes.

Lowering Your Intake

Something that can be done relatively easily is to lower your salt intake. Many processed foods contain a lot of salt and you can certainly compound this problem by adding more salt to your meal, either by adding at the preparation or by adding as a condiment. I would suggest trying to buy more fresh food and vegetables. That way you can monitor your intake more effectively. Eating more natural products is an easy way to start reducing that high blood pressure.

Another really simple idea is to cutout refined white sugar. It is widely accepted that eating processed sugar increases the blood pressure so I suggest using a sweetener alternative. Sweeteners have come a long way and nowadays you can get some that even taste good on breakfast cereal. These are a great alternative and your taste buds won’t even know the difference.

Learning to lower blood pressure is fairly straight forward if you follow a well balanced nutritious diet that is full of fibrous foods. You can start by eating more fresh vegetables which contain plenty of antioxidants and have high potassium content. These are two ingredients that are extremely good for your health and will make a big impact in lowering that high blood pressure.

A diet of fresh fruit and vegetables combined with a low salt and sugar intake will really start to make an impact on that blood pressure. So much so that after consulting with your doctor you maybe able to reduce the amount of medication you take.

Lastly there is one big thing you can do to lower high blood pressure, exercise! I am not saying you should start preparing for a marathon but some gentle exercises done on a daily basis will really help to reduce that hypertension. Just try something simple like Tai Chi, or light aerobics. Even a daily jaunt in the fresh air with the dog is better that lazing around on the couch. Just something to raise the heart rate slightly will work wonders.

As we said previously always consult your doctor before embarking on any new diet or considering lowering your medication. Your doctor knows best but I guarantee if he sees a difference in your blood pressure by altering your lifestyle he will almost certainly consider lowering your medication.

Bookmark to: