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Hypertension or High Blood Pressure (BP)

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Nothing to worry much, but get going:-

Hypertension or high blood pressure (BP) is like a thief who creeps in without warning in the dead of the night. That’s because the disease produces practically no symptoms.

People rarely develop giddiness, headaches or nose bleeds until the hypertension is very high. The first sign that there is something wrong may be a complication like a heart attack, stroke or ruptured aneurysm.

Blood pressure is optimal when it is 120/80 mmHg (millimetres of mercury) or less. It is considered normal even if it is 130/90 and high when it is 140/90 or more. Values of 130-140/85-99 are considered in the prehypertension category. Blood pressure needs to be monitored every two years after the age of 20 and yearly after 40.

Some kidney and adrenal gland diseases and diabetes can cause a rise in BP. It can also occur with certain medications like the oral contraceptive pill, some pain relieving medications and even decongestant cough syrups. Pregnancy may cause a peculiar type of hypertension called pre-eclampsia. In these patients, hypertension can revert to normal if the aggravating condition is tackled.

Doctors, too, can precipitate hypertension in normal people. The mere thought of a medical check-up and sight of the blood pressure apparatus can set the heart racing and blood pressure soaring. This is called “white coat hypertension”. If these people are monitored for 24 hours as they go about their daily activities, their BP is found to be normal. They do not require treatment.

Hypertension usually sets in during middle age. The exact reason is not known. Genes, the environment and upbringing count. Though it is not due to a single inherited gene, it’s more likely to occur if one or both parents are hypertensive.

Ideally, those with hypertension should monitor their BP at home to make sure it is under control. This way, they can immediately consult a doctor if it seems to be fluctuating or elevated. Wrist and cuff apparatuses are available that show automatic readings. The arm should be straight and on level with the heart while doing this.

Though a reading of 120/80 is ideal, doctors may set a target that is slightly higher in older people.

High BP should not be ignored. It must be treated and kept under control. Untreated, it makes the blood vessels thicken and less pliable. The blood supply to the brain is then affected. This can lead to loss of memory, balance, reasoning and other changes of dementia. It can cause a stroke with paralysis of parts of the body. The heart, unable to pump against high resistance, may fail or there may be a heart attack.

There are several groups of medicines to control hypertension. They should be taken exactly as advised. Timing is important – they pills should be swallowed as per schedule, even on fasts. They should not be taken in the morning one day and in the evening the next.

To prevent hypertension, and help lower the pressure once it has set in, the diet should have no high calorie snacks or junk food, be low in fat and dairy products, and rich in fruits and vegetables.

Fruits and nuts contain potassium and magnesium. The minerals balance the effect of sodium or salt in the diet. Salt causes the body to retain water and this elevates the BP. Salt consumption should be 2.5gm (1/2 tsp) per person a day. The “hidden salt” in aerated drinks, health supplements and preserved food should be taken into account. The taste for salt is developed at a very young age and depends on one’s cooking and eating habits.

A sedentary lifestyle results in a tendency to gain weight. The BMI (or body mass index — weight divided by height in metre squared) should be 23. Obesity (BMI greater than 30) increases the work of the heart and blood vessels. At least 40 to 60 minutes of active exercise should be incorporated into the every day schedule.

Tobacco in any form (gutkha, chewing tobacco, snuff, beedis and cigarettes) aggravates hypertension. When it comes to tobacco, there can be no halfway measures. Use has to be completely stopped. Alcohol, too, raises the BP. If you must drink, consumption should be limited to 60ml a day for men (two drinks) and 30ml a day for women.

Sustained stress, at home or in the workplace, also elevates the BP. Worry has never provided a solution to a problem. It just produces further problems. Exercise, deep breathing, yoga and meditation are good stress busters. Try them.

And for those who are not affected and want to remain that way, get up and get moving. Now.

Source : The Telegraph ( Kolkata, India)

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Healthy Tips

Health Benefits of Humor and Laughter

  1. [amazon_link asins=’B00W47ZFAW,0880072199′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’5ddc25ea-f276-11e6-8fa4-cd8ae65ac82e’]Part of the problem in obtaining proof that laughter promotes health or prolongs life is that it is sometimes viewed as being synonymous with humor and happiness. Laughter is not the same as humor or happiness.

…………

Click to see:Humor & Health

Laughter is the physical and physiological response to humor that frequently results in a feeling of happiness.

 

The only link between all of these is that happy people and those with a good sense of humor are more apt to laugh at something that is funny than their crabby counterparts.

A prior article, titled Why Do Happy People and Optimists Live Longer?, reviewed the evidence that validates this view and discussed possible explanations for such relationships. Since then, this belief has been bolstered by other reports that also shed light on some mechanisms of action that may be responsible.

In one study of 2,500 senior citizens that were followed for six years, those who scored high on a happiness quiz had much fewer strokes than those at the bottom of the scale.

In another study of more than 200 middle-aged healthy London civil service employees, those who reported feeling happy almost every day, whether while at work or on weekends, were significantly healthier and had lower heart rates than others who were not as consistently jolly and gleeful.

Researchers asked participants to rate their happiness at 33 times during work or leisure days during which they also monitored heart rate and blood pressure.

Saliva samples were collected eight times a day to determine concentrations of cortisol, a stress-related hormone that increases risk for heart disease and diabetes.

In addition, all were subjected to a mental stress test, following which they were asked to rate their happiness level on a scale of 1 to 5 and blood samples were obtained to measure fibrinogen, a blood clotting factor and index of inflammation associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease.

After adjusting for age, smoking, weight and other possible influences, it was found that people in the top fifth for daily happiness scores had cortisol levels 32 percent lower than those in the bottom quintile. Happiness was also linked to a lower average heart rate in men. While the majority showed some rise in fibrinogen following the mental stress test, this was far greater for the least happy group compared to those at the other end of the scale.

Surprisingly, there was no evidence of any relationship between happiness levels and age, sex, marital status or socioeconomic status. The happiest people reported feeling that way whether working or during leisure time but those who were least happy tended to report this more while they were working.

Low-Rung Employees, High Mortality Rates

These subjects were part of the large ongoing Whitehall II study designed to determine the causes and health effects of job stress in British civil service workers. The original Whitehall study that started in 1967 showed that males in the lowest clerical jobs had the highest overall mortality rate and heart disease death rate whereas top administrators had the least; there was a consistent inverse correlation between mortality and grade of employment for those in between.

The second, Whitehall II, began in 1985, and was designed to confirm and explore the reasons for this disparity. In one phase, investigators interviewed over 2,000 male civil servants aged 45-68 who had completed questionnaires detailing their medical history, job title and responsibilities, mental health, diet, smoking, alcohol use and physical exercise habits.

Various risk factors for coronary disease were measured including heart rate variability (HRV), which reflects the heart‘s ability to adapt to changing situations such as increased physical activity and emotional distress. As emphasized previously, low HRV, a strong predictor of sudden death and coronary events, may be the most accurate way to assess the severity of job stress.

Researchers very recently reported that a diminished HRV was more common in workers at the bottom of the corporate ladder. However, it was also associated with job stress due to a sense of little job control that was independent of civil service employment grade. One might assume that frustrated workers with little job control would be less happy than others.

HeartMath studies have also confirmed that feelings of frustration lower HRV while those of happiness and satisfaction have the opposite effect. In addition, a prior Whitehall II report on male workers showing a link between low HRV and high job stress levels may help explain why both, as well as depression, can contribute to coronary disease.

Low HRV was associated with an increase in cortisol, fibrinogen and other chemicals believed to cause insulin resistance, diabetes, hypertension and other manifestations of metabolic syndrome, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. This suggests that it is not that healthy people are happy but rather that they promote their health by being happy and thus have a higher HRV

Does Laughter Really Help?

While happiness may be associated with better health or longevity, is there any proof that laughter per se provides similar benefits?

Japanese researchers suggested it might help patients with type 2 diabetes, the most common form of this disease. They showed that there was a significantly smaller spike in blood sugar after a meal when diabetics watched a popular comedy show compared to listening to a boring lecture.

In another study of patients allergic to dust mites and other common irritants, skin lesions shrank after watching Charlie Chaplin‘s antics in Modern Times, whereas a video containing weather information had no effect. There is abundant evidence that laughter can relieve pain, as Norman Cousins had claimed.

A five-year study that began in 2000 called Rx Laughter at UCLA‘s Jonsson Cancer Centre was designed to determine if laughter could lessen the pain and improve immune system function in children suffering from cancer and other chronic diseases.

It started with the help of a $75,000 grant from cable TV network Comedy Central by working with hundreds of children to determine what makes them laugh.

One of the methods used was to ask them to hold their arms in cold water as long as they could for up to three minutes. It was found that kids watching funny videos during the experiment reported significantly less pain and could also keep their arms in the cold water longer than controls not viewing the videos.

Other benefits of laughing reported by this and other groups here and abroad include:

•Relaxation and reduction in muscle tension.
•Lowered production of stress hormones.
•Improved immune system function.
•Reduction in blood pressure.
•Clearing the lungs by dislodging mucous plugs.
•Increasing the production of salivary immunoglobulin A, which defends against infectious organisms that enter through the respiratory tract.
•Aerobic effects that increased the body‘s ability to utilize oxygen.
•A rapid ability to disregard aches and pains or to perceive them as less severe.

Source:  Article written by : Paul J. Rosch, M.D.  President, The American Institute of Stress

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News on Health & Science

Research Suggests Heart Disease Could Have a Natural Fix!

A recent study looked at the effects of long-term L-arginine supplementation on the health of patients with multiple cardiovascular risk factors. Ninety patients were randomly assigned to two groups — one that received daily oral L-arginine and one that received placebo capsules.

Patients were evaluated for a number of health factors, including lipid profile, glucose, insulin, and arterial elasticity.

According to the study in the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology:

“… [L]arge artery elasticity index (LAEI) … was significantly greater in patients treated with L-arginine than in the placebo group … Systemic vascular resistance was significantly lower in patients treated with L-arginine …

This improvement was associated with a decrease in systolic blood pressure, peripheral vascular resistance as well as a decrease in aldosterone levels.”

Source: Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology June 7, 2010

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Healthy Tips

Your Diet Could be More Important Than Your Genes

A Mediterranean-style diet promotes heart function — even in men who are normally genetically predisposed to poor heart health. This means that the autonomic system controlling your heart rate works better if you eat a Mediterranean or similar diet, no matter what your genes.
…
In a study, researchers showed that a Mediterranean-style diet is related to higher heart rate variability (HRV), a measure of the time interval between a person’s heart beats. Low heart rate variability is a risk factor for coronary artery disease.

WebMD reports:
“In order to conduct their analysis, the researchers administered food frequency questionnaires to 276 middle-aged male twins. Diet can influence heart rate variability, but this association can be confounded by environmental and genetic factors. Using twins enabled researchers to examine the influence of diet on heart rate variability while controlling for genetic and other familial influences.”

Resources:
WebMD June 16, 2010
Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes June 15, 2010 [Epub ahead of print]

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Health Alert

Overcoming Oedema

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Swollen feet — medically called  oedema — can make life miserable. Shoes and slippers don’t fit — they are tight and uncomfortable and sometimes impossible to put on. The feet feel like dead weights, and walking becomes a Herculean task. It is much easier to simply sit. But inactivity makes the swelling worse, and the sufferer is caught in a vicious cycle of swelling-inactivity-more swelling.

CLICK  & SEE THE PICTURES

The fluid that accumulates and causes oedema leaks from tiny blood vessels called capillaries. This can occur as a result of increased pressure, damage to the vessels or a fall in the protein concentration of the blood. As soon as the body senses that the capillaries are leaking, compensatory mechanisms come into play and fluid is retained in the body by the kidney. The amount of fluid circulating in the body therefore increases. This, in turn, causes the capillaries to leak more. This fluid from the capillaries leaks into the surrounding tissue, causing the swelling. At least five litres of fluid need to be retained before actual swelling appears.

Feet swell before any other part of the body. This is because the hydrostatic pressure on the blood vessels of the lower limbs are, by virtue of gravity, one metre more than the pressure on the face. Also, when we sit and stand, our feet are at a lower level than the heart and this aggravates the problem.

To demonstrate oedema, press firmly with your forefinger and maintain the pressure for 10 seconds. A persistent dimple like depression indicates the presence of oedema.

However, swollen feet do not always indicate disease. Overweight individuals may develop some amount of swelling at the end of a stationery day. (Fat is fluid at body temperature). This can be normal. The swelling can extend up to the knees.

Salt also causes fluid retention. If you consume a lot of salty snacks and pickles, the kidney is not able to handle the sodium overload and fluid is retained.

Women are more prone to develop oedema than men. The female hormones oestrogen and progesterone cause fluid retention. Women tend to “swell up” during the pre-menstrual period, pregnancy and if they are on hormones, either as oral contraceptive pills or as part of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). This can extend to the hands, making finger rings tight. The face may also appear puffy. This type of oedema disappears spontaneously in a few days once menstruation occurs, the baby is born or the hormones discontinued.

Oedema can be a side effect of prescribed medication like nifedepine, amlodepin and other anti-hypertensives. Medicines for pain belonging to the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) group can also cause fluid retention. Some like diclofenac may damage the kidneys. If you develop swelling while on medication, consult your doctor.

At times, oedema can be the first sign of a serious underlying medical condition. If the heart is unable to pump blood efficiently, blood can accumulate in the capillaries of the legs, ankles and feet, causing oedema.

The liver regulates the protein content of the blood. It is also responsible for adjusting the hormones and chemicals that regulate the fluid content of the body. The organ can become damaged as a result of alcoholism, hepatitis B infection or other diseases. This injury results in scar formation and is called cirrhosis. Fluid can then accumulate in the legs and abdomen. But two of the causal factors can be prevented — don’t drink excessively and take your hepatitis B immunisations.

Damaged kidneys cannot excrete excess fluid. The oedema then occurs typically around the legs and eyes. Kidney damage can occur for a variety of reasons. Preventable causes are uncontrolled, neglected diabetes and hypertension.

The veins in the leg may be damaged or weak. Sometimes the valves in these veins — which prevent back flow of blood — may be inefficient. Chronic venous insufficiency and varicose veins can result in swelling.

Excess fluid from tissues is cleared by the lymphatic system. These drain into lymph nodes and eventually into the large veins. Infections like filaria can damage the lymphatic system. The nodes can be infiltrated by cancerous deposits. The nodes may have been removed or damaged during surgery. All this can result in swelling. Usually this is present in any one limb and not symmetrically on both sides of the body.

Always keep in mind:-
• Oedema can be treated if the causal factor is removed

• Reduce weight if the BMI (body mass index or weight divided by height in metre squared ) is more than 23

• Walk, jog or swim for 40 minutes a day

• Try to move the legs every half hour during the day

• Do not add extra salt to food and avoid salty snacks

• Keep the feet elevated

• Use elastocrepe bandages or compression stockings on affected limbs

• Do not consume NSAIDs unnecessarily

• Seek medical advice immediately for filaria

• Use diurectics to get rid of fluid only if prescribed by a doctor

• Control diabetes and hypertension.

Source: The Telegraph (Kolkata, India)

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