HypertensionHigh blood pressure, medically termed as hypertension, is a serious condition that affects millions of people worldwide. In the USA, high blood pressure is a major public health problem and it is estimated that about one in three adults suffer from it. What is more, many people are not aware of having high blood pressure because it usually does not produce any symptoms, thus often goes undiagnosed.
Uncontrolled or inadequately treated high blood pressure can cause complications such as renal failure, heart failure, stroke, heart attack, aneurysm and others. Hypertension is often referred to as the “silent killer” since it may not cause symptoms for years. The only way to detect the condition is to have blood pressure checked.
Systolic Hypertension vs. Diastolic HypertensionBlood pressure includes two measurements: systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure. The first number in reading is the systolic pressure that measures highest pressure at which the heart pumps blood into the arteries and reflects pressure in the arterial wall. The diastolic blood pressure represents the lowest pressure in the arteries while the heart is resting.
Experts have noticed that in people aged over 50 years systolic hypertension is becoming more common comparing with diastolic pressure. In general, the systolic pressure increases with age whilst diastolic begins to decrease. Because of that, systolic hypertension is common in people over 50 and diastolic practically does not exist. Therefore, physicians tend to focus on systolic blood pressure in patients of this age group. This is done to help patients understand the importance of controlling the systolic pressure to avoid serious consequences like stroke and heart attack which are typically caused by systolic hypertension.
On the other hand, in people below 50 years of age, the situation is usually quite the opposite. In approximately 40% of people below 40 is diagnosed with diastolic hypertension. The problem is also present in about one third of people aged between 40 and 50 years. In case of diastolic hypertension, it is necessary to track both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. But, in younger patients, controlling systolic blood pressure often results in adequate control of diastolic pressure.
Natural Remedies for HypertensionHigh blood pressure can be treated with many different natural remedies. There are supplements that can help in treating of inflammation associated with hypertension. Supplements that can help with narrowing of the blood vessels (vasoconstriction) and other health problems associated to hypertension also exist. Hypertension can be treated with natural remedies such as supplements of: Coenzyme Q10, garlic, fish oil, folic acid and hawthorn.
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