Blood Pressure - Hypertension

Blood Pressure - Hypertension

Blood Pressure is a measure of the strength or force that the heart uses to pump blood around your body through Blood vessels. In other words, Blood pressure is the pressure of circulating blood on the walls of blood vessels due to pumping blood by the Heart through the circulatory system which usually refers to the pressure in large arteries of the systemic circulation.

             Before going into details of Blood Pressure, it is better to know about Blood first.

What is Blood?                                                                          

             Blood is a Body’s red fluid that circulates through veins and arteries throughout the body. It mainly acts as body’s transport system which supplies essential substances around the body, such as sugars, oxygen, hormones and removes cellular waste from the cells in the body.

             To more clear it, Blood is a body fluid in humans and other animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. In vertebrates, it is composed of blood cells suspended in blood plasma.

Blood Pressure:-

             Whenever the blood of the body will act to transport essential substances to the body, definitely, it will transport with certain force and that measured force is called Blood Pressure.

 

              Blood Pressure is an important and vital force that moves blood through our circulatory system because oxygen and nutrients would not be pushed around our circulatory system to nourish tissues and organs without blood pressure. It delivers white blood cells and antibodies for immunity, and hormones such as insulin.

                    Blood pressure is one of the vital signs, along with the respiratory rate, heart rate, oxygen saturation, and body temperature. The heart creates blood pressure by forcing out blood when it contracts with every heartbeat.

                    Blood Pressure is the  pressure of circulating blood against the walls of arteries and other blood vessels.

                       Blood pressure changes during the day. It is lowest as you sleep and rises when you get up. It also can rise when you are excited, nervous, or active.

Types of Blood Pressure:-

                        There are two types of Blood Pressure:-

                                          1.  Systolic Pressure

2.   Diastolic Pressure

                        

                         Blood is carried from the heart to all parts of your body in vessels called arteries. Blood pressure is the force of the blood pushing against the walls of the arteries. Each time the heart beats (about 60-70 times a minute at rest), it pumps out blood into the arteries. Your blood pressure is at its highest when the heart beats, pumping the blood. This is called Systolic Pressure. When the heart is at rest, between beats, your blood pressure falls. This is the Diastolic Pressure.

                         Blood pressure is always given as these two numbers, the Systolic Pressure and Diastolic Pressure. Both are important. Usually, they are written one above or before the other, such as 120/80 mmHg. The top number is the Systolic and the bottom of the Diastolic. When the two measurements are written down, the systolic pressure is the first or top number, and the diastolic pressure is the second or bottom number (for example, 120/80). If your blood pressure is 120/80, you say that it is "120 over 80."

                         Systolic Pressure & Diastolic Pressure can be defined simply as the maximum arterial pressure following the ejection of blood by heart is called Systolic Pressure and the lowest pressure in artery, which occurs just before ventricle ejects blood into the aorta, is called Diastolic Pressure.

                         Systolic measures the highest level your blood pressure reaches during heartbeats whereas Diastolic measures the pressure between beats.

                         Now it is well clear that Systolic blood pressure refers to the pressure inside your arteries when your heart is pumping; Diastolic pressure is the pressure inside your arteries when your heart is resting between beats.                       

                          Normal Blood Pressure is 120/80 where 120 is Systolic and 80 is Diastolic. Systolic pressure is written on top and Diastolic Pressure is on the bottom.

 HYPERTENSION: -

                   A condition in which the force/pressure of the blood against the artery walls increases to unhealthy levels or, is too high is called High Blood Pressure or in medical term HYPERTENSION.

                   Similarly, when the force/ pressure of the Blood against the artery walls is inadequate to the unhealthy level or are too low is called Low Blood Pressure and in medical term HYPOTENSION.

                       Leaving high blood pressure untreated may damage the blood vessels. Hypertension is a primary risk factor for cardiovascular disease, including stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and aneurysm. Keeping blood pressure under control is vital for preserving health and reducing the risk of these dangerous conditions.

Types of Hypertension: - There are two types of Hypertension:-

(A)    Primary Hypertension or Primary High Blood Pressure: - This type of Blood pressure is not related to another medical condition. Primary hypertension is diagnosed in the absence of an identifiable secondary cause. Approximately 90-95% of adults with hypertension have primary hypertension. Primary Hypertension is called Essential Hypertension.

 

(B)    Secondary Hypertension or Secondary High Blood Pressure:-This type of Blood Pressure is caused by another different type  medical condition like kidney, arteries, endocrine system heart and similar type severe medical condition. When a cause can be found,  the condition is called Secondary Hypertension.

 

Causes of Hypertension: -

The exact causes of high blood pressure or hypertension are not known, but several factors and conditions may play a role in its development e.g.

§  Smoking

§  Being overweight or obese

§  Lack of physical activity or Exercise

§  Excessive salt in the diet

§  Excessive alcohol consumption (more than 1 to 2 drinks per day)

§  Stress

§  Old age

§  Genetics

§  Family history of high blood pressure

§  Chronic kidney disease

§  Adrenal and thyroid disorders

§  Sleep apnea

§  Blood plasma volume

§  Hormone activity in people who manage blood volume and pressure using medication.

Secondary hypertension has specific causes and is a complication of another health problem: -

•      Chronic kidney disease: - The kidneys no longer filter out fluid and                this excess fluid leads to hypertension.
•      Diabetes
•      Hyperthyroidism
•      Pregnancy
•      sleep apnea 
•   obesity

Symptoms of Hypertension: -

                             Sometimes or very often a person is diagnosed with

 High Blood Pressure or Hypertension by the Doctor without any prior symptoms   of hypertension. However, some of the symptoms may be seen as follows:-

·       Severe headache

·       Fatigue

·       Confusion

·       Difficulty in breathing

·       Vision issues

·       Rapid heartbeats

·       Irregular heartbeats

·       Blood in the urine

·       Chest pain

·       Pounding in neck

·       Pounding in ears

·       Nose Bleeding

·       Dizziness

These symptoms require immediate medical attention. Having any of the above symptoms, consult your doctor immediately. You could be having a hypertensive crisis that may lead to a heart attack or stroke.

       Persons prone to Hypertension:-

Ø                       People with family members having high blood pressure

Ø                       People who smoke

Ø                       People who stay with smokers

Ø                       Pregnant women

Ø                       Older adults

Ø                       People who are not physically active

Ø                       People who drink excessively

Ø                       People who consume too much salt.

Ø                       People with sleep apnea

       Regular check-up of  Blood Pressure is the only way to know the fact that             whether the person is suffering from Hypertension or not?

Untreated hypertension can lead to a risk of serious diseases like heart ailments, stroke, and kidney failure or eye problems.

Hypertension is treatable for everyone, but curable for a lucky few!

How to control /Overcome Hypertension:-

Hypertension or High Blood Pressure can be controlled by changing lifestyle, self-care & medication in the following manners:-

Self - care:-

·             Physical Exercise/ Yoga /Morning-Evening walk

·             Stress Management

·             No smoking

·             Home Blood Pressure monitoring

·             Low sodium diet

·             Maintaining a healthy weight or losing weight if you're overweight or obese.

·            No alcohol or very limit or the restricted amount of alcohol you drink

·            Take more Potassium-rich foods.

·            Eating fresh fruit and vegetables and whole grains.

·            Eating low-fat dairy products, lean meats, fish, and nuts.

·            Eliminating foods that are high in saturated fats, such as processed foods, full-      fat dairy products, and fatty meats.

·            Cut back of caffeine.

·           Meditation or deep breathing.

 

    Medication – For medication, must consult your Doctor.

Regarding Low Blood Pressure or Hypotension kindly see my next Blog page coming soon.

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Diabetes

Diabetes

What is Diabetes:-

High levels of glucose in the blood, known as high blood sugar levels are the cause of the common and renowned disease known as Diabetes. Diabetes is a chronic medical condition that consists of prolonged periods of high blood sugar.

 Processes of food in our body to produce glucose, which is the fuel for cells of the body. Insulin is a hormone, produces by the pancreas. It helps to transport glucose into body cells for utilization. If insulin production is low for any reason, it causes Diabetes. 

Diabetes is when the pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin or has reduced insulin sensitivity. Insulin allows sugar to go from the bloodstream inside of cells to use it for energy. Without insulin, the cells don’t get enough energy, and too much sugar circulates in the blood. High blood sugar damages your body.

Diabetes is a serious public health problem related to metabolic disordered condition in which patient's body is unable to release enough insulin required to reduce blood glucose levels to a normal level, especially after a meal, these defects can be at multiple levels. Diabetes is a silent killer.

 Average blood sugar level before breakfast it should be 70–99 mg/dl and after breakfast it should be 140 mg/dl.

Normally, Diabetes starts with Type2 Diabetes which comes after Pre-Diabetes stage. 90-95% of patients suffer from Type2 Diabetes. It can be a lifelong disease if attention is not paid initially or in Pre-Diabetes or in the gestational stage.

              

Before going into details of Diabetes, It is better to know about Pre-Diabetes.

Pre–Diabetes:- Pre-diabetes is a condition in which your blood sugar level is higher than it should be but, not high enough for your doctor to diagnose diabetes. It means that an underlying condition called insulin resistance is present,” When you become insulin resistant, insulin can no longer perform this job, and the pancreas ends up producing more insulin to compensate. Initially, this compensation works and blood sugar levels remain normal or only slightly elevated.

Pre-diabetes generally has no signs or symptoms. But as the condition progresses toward diabetes, people may experience type 2 diabetes symptoms, such as increased thirst, frequent urination, blurred vision, and fatigue. Progression from pre-diabetes to type 2 diabetes isn't inevitable.

Pre-diabetes is reversed permanently through dietary plan and change of lifestyle. But, again when lifestyle and dietary plans will change, it will return again.

What is Mellitus and Insipid-us Diabetes:-

Mellitus Diabetes: - Mellitus means “sweet” or “honey-sweet” in Latin. Diabetes Mellitus was first identified as a disease associated with “sweet urine” because the increased glucose in the blood spills into the urine increasing the concentration of blood- glucose, hence diabetes mellitus type 2 or diabetes mellitus type1.  Everything has to do with blood sugar.

Insipid- us Diabetes:-  It means passing lots of insipid or 'tasteless' urine. In Insipid-us Diabetes, due to pituitary problems, there is a lack of anti-diuretic hormone, or 'ADH' from the posterior Pituitary, and this is termed as diabetes insipid-us.

Types of Diabetes:-

There are mainly three types of diabetes:-   

 (A) Type 1 diabetes        (B) Type 2 diabetes      

 (C) Gestational diabetes (GDM)

Differences between above three types of Diabetes:-

(A)Type1 Diabetes:  People with type 1 diabetes don't produce insulin. We can think of it as not having a key i.e. insulin. No production of insulin is referred to as Type1 diabetes. The patients under this category are known as Insulin-dependent DM (IDDM) or Juvenile-onset DM and is seen in childhood. Type 1 diabetes occurs in children and adolescents.

                                       Type1 is a defect, caused by an autoimmune reaction where the body attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the patient’s pancreas. This destroys the ability to create insulin, meaning that it has to be injected. The cause of type 1 diabetes is not yet clear, though we know that it is in part genetic, and in part environmental.  

(B) Type 2 diabetes:  People with type 2 diabetes don't respond to insulin as well as they should and later in the disease often don't make enough insulin. We can think of this as having a broken key (insulin).  Insufficient production of insulin is called Type 2 diabetes. The patients are usually overweight and have other signs of metabolic syndrome.

.                                      In type 2 diabetics, the body builds up insulin resistance, meaning that the body needs to produce more insulin to keep the blood glucose levels down. Caught early this can be countered with diet and exercises, often with pills (e.g. metformin). If untreated, in time this will also lead to insulin fatigue, meaning that the pancreas starts to produce less insulin, causing the patient to need insulin injections, like type 1 patients do. Type2 diabetes is very much caused by the patient’s lifestyle, though genetics also play a role.

            

                            

                   The majority of people suffer from Type II diabetes.

Several common or different type of Complications is seen in both uncontrolled type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

(C) Gestational diabetes (GDM):- Pregnancy usually causes some form of insulin resistance. If this becomes diabetes, it’s called Gestational diabetes. It is spotted often in middle or late pregnancy. Because a woman’s blood sugar travels through her placenta to the baby, it’s important to control gestational diabetes to protect the baby's growth and development.

                       Risk factors include age, overweight or obesity, family history of diabetes, excessive weight gain during pregnancy, etc.

Causes of Diabetes:- Diabetes happens when, for anyone or several reasons, your pancreas doesn't work quite right, and it produces the wrong type or not enough insulin, or your body's cells develop a resistance to insulin. It has been described by most biological doctors as a "prosperity" disease, primarily caused by systematic overeating and consequent obesity. Not only the overeating of sugar and refined carbohydrate but also of proteins and fats, which are transformed into sugar if taken in excess, is harmful and may result in diabetes. Too much food taxes the pancreas and eventually paralyzes its normal activity. It has been estimated that the incidence of diabetes is four times high in persons of moderate obesity and 30 times higher in persons of severe obesity. Main cause as follows:-

§  Pancreas doesn't make any Insulin.

§  Pancreas makes very little insulin.

§  Body doesn’t respond like it should to insulin.

 The main reason for diabetes is the increased sugar level in your blood.

Some common reasons for Diabetes:-

§  Alcohol consumption

§  Obesity or being overweight

§  Having a heart disease

§  Age

§  Genetics

§  Family History

§  Eating too much junk

§  Lack of physical activity or Exercise

§  High blood pressure

§  High blood triglyceride (fat) levels

§  Gestational diabetes or giving birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds

§  High-fat and carbohydrate diet

§  High alcohol intake

§  Sedentary lifestyle

§  Aging: Increasing age is a significant risk factor.

§  Smoking

 

Symptoms of Diabetes- Symptoms may vary from one patient to another. However, some most severe and common symptoms are given below:-

 

Most severe symptoms of Diabetes:-

a)      Bowels and bladder don’t work properly

b)      Lose your hearing

c)       Gums bleed.

d)      Dryness in the mouth or sore.

e)       Vision changes

f)        Skin cracks, itches, or changes

g)      Hands and feet tingle or feel numb

h)      Hands and feet frequently hurt.

i)        Legs cramp or ache.

j)        Sex becomes difficult.

k)      Sweat differently.

l)        Feel dizzy and lightheaded

 

General and common symptom:-

·         Increased thirst.

·         Increased hunger.

·         Excessive fatigue.

·         Increased and frequent urination, especially at night.   

·         Infections or wounds that are slow to heal

·        Unexplained weight loss

·         Sleeping too little or too much

·         Dry mouth.

·         Blurred vision or the weakening of eyesight.

·         Ulcers in the feet.

·         Frequent skin infections

·         Weakness and tiredness.

Prevention, Control & Cure of Diabetes:-

Diabetes to the maximum extent is not a curable disease however the focus should be given on its prevention & control:-

Preventive Measure:-

• Cut Sugar and Refined Carbs from Your Diet.
• Work Out Regularly. ...
• Drink more Water as Your Primary Beverage to protect your kidney.
• Lose Weight If You're Overweight or Obese.
• Quit Smoking.
• Follow a Very-Low-Carb Diet.
• Watch Portion Sizes.
• Avoid sedentary behaviors.

Control of diabetes:-

Diabetes can be controlled by adopting the following:-

·         By eating a handful of flaxseeds as it is very beneficial in keeping blood sugar levels in control.

• By eating a greater amount of boring and non-root vegetables like broccoli, verdant greens, cauliflower and so forth which are low in calories and high in fiber and supplements.
• Eat complex carbohydrates for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
• Avoid sugar or sugary beverages, refined foods, sweets, etc. as these may spike up the blood sugar in the body.

·         Taking frequent water to keep the body hydrated.

·         Sunlight for at least 30 minutes.

·         Physical Exercise

·         Manage stress levels.

·     When eating a meal, fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables, one quarter with a lean protein, such as beans, or chicken or turkey without the skin, and one quarter with a whole grain, such as brown rice or whole-wheat pasta.

·      Instead of having 3 heavy meals per day, increase it to 5-6 meals but reduce the quantity. Use more vegetables & salad. Take a small portion of food at one time.

·      Eat healthy vegetables and fruit.

·      Be more active on most days of the week. Start slow by taking 10- minute walks, 3 times a day.

·      Meditation and Yoga

·     Sound sleep

·      Medication- By consulting Physician/Dialectologist  

·     Ayurveda, Naturopathy, Homeopathy or another path may also be helpful if your choice and belief.

 

                             

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