Thursday, March 27, 2008

Simple Ways to Lower Your High Blood Pressure

Yes, we know it that the young adult (and old) executives who usually suffer so much stress at work are easy prey to high blood pressure. But if they are extra mindful of following a healthy lifestyle, then, they could have a better chance of living a happier life with their loved ones no matter how young or old they are right now. Relaxation, diet and exercise are essential to attain this healthy level of confidence having a normal blood pressure. The question is- are we observing a healthy lifestyle? Let’s have a quick check on some of these simple but usually overlooked healthy ways.

1. Slow down and take time to smell the roses. Perhaps, for some, it will be nicer if they do this together with their loved ones; don’t you think so? I have a friend who takes his wife to a dinner date at least once a week. According to him, just being with his wife and exchanging stories with her make his life so meaningful, relaxing and so grounded. (But for those whose spouses add stress to their lives, they may try to relax by themselves or try the company of their child or best friend occasionally.)

  1. While dining in or out, limit your salt intake. Try to curb your craving formore sodium and fat rich food. According to estimates from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, cutting our sodium intake by half would prevent 150,000 deaths from cardiovascular disease each year. Try your very best not to be part of this statistics… keep your blood pressure on check always. Potassium rich foods can be helpful to combat salt's negative effect. A medium banana with only 105 calories, contains 422 mg. of potassium. A cup of low-fat yogurt contains 531 mg. and ¾ cup of orange juice has 355 mg. All combined is half of the RDA's recommendation of 2,000 mg/day. Cantaloupe and carrot juice are also good sources of potassium.
  1. Take your breakfast daily. Yes, you heard it right . . . keep your weight under control, but never skip your breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. According to the National Weight Control Registry, an ongoing large-scale study to show the successes of people who managed to keep their weight down, 5,000 people lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off for at least a year. Their reason - more than 75 percent of the participants eat breakfast daily. Allow your breakfast to give you energy for the rest of the day. It will make you live longer than you expected. Go for more fruit, low-fat cheese or fiber-filled cereals, with a little black coffee or dark chocolate for your breakfast plan and start your day right.

If you need some help on the types of food you can take, there is a powerful nutritional program that creates balanced meals using your favorite foods!

Nutrition Generator let's you choose the foods you enjoy most, then creates a balanced nutritional plan around your favorite foods!

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With a patent-pending program, it's like having your own private nutritionist working with you and creating customized meal plans that are nutritionally balanced - just choose the foods you enjoy and your goals (weight loss, gain muscle, maintenance, etc.). Instantly, your nutritional requirements are re-calculated and you begin your eating plan.

All of your nutrient requirements are divided instantly into four easy categories: weight control, heart health, vitamins, minerals. Here's how your new healthy meals will be balanced for optimal health:

Stay healthy and keep your blood pressure normal while eating your favorite foods.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Understanding High Blood Pressure

Based on an article written by Dr. Carol Rosetti for Noblesville Daily Times, historically speaking, high blood pressure is not a disease in itself. Typically, the body raises the blood pressure because something is impairing circulation to the extremities of the body. As a result, the heart is pumping harder to get oxygen and nutrients to all the tissues.

Artificially lowering the blood pressure without removing the impairments to circulation is just another form of symptom suppression. What we want to do is try to find the underlying cause and remove it. For people eating the standard American diet, high blood pressure is almost a given.
Causes of high blood pressure or hypertension include:

- LDL and Triglycerides too high
- Homocysteine
- Insulin Resistance (Type II Diabetes)
- Stress
- Lack of Enzymes & Antioxidants
- Obesity and Fluid Retention
- Irregular heart beat
- Inflammation and Infection
- Candida as it stops the flow of nutrients

Studies show that hypertension is not an inherited disease but rather an indication of lifestyle. So the first step in reducing high blood pressure is to change your lifestyle.

- Exercise
- Diet Changes
- Stress Reduction
- Weight Loss
Carol Rossetti is a Doctor of Naturopathy and the owner of Wellness By Nature, a Wellness Clinic and Herb Shop located at 14300 Mundy Drive, No. 400, Noblesville. She can be reached at ( 317) 773-1612.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

High Blood Pressure is Dangerous Yet There are Simple Solutions

Most of us dread to have high blood pressure or what is generally known as hypertension. This is because it is a common knowledge that hypertension is a killer disease. Apart from the fact that hypertension on its own can kill, it may also lead to kidney failure, heart disease and other problems.

High blood pressure, defined as having a systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) greater than 140 and 90 mmHg, is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) - a disease that causes almost 50 per cent of deaths in Europe, and reported to cost the EU economy an estimated €169bn ($202bn) per year.

Thus, solutions are earnestly sought to manage such condition. Among the recent studies that show possible solutions are as follows:

1) Low-Fat Dairy Reduces High Blood Pressure Risk
(from PR Newswire)

"High blood pressure is known as a 'silent killer' that affects one in three adults, and while this study offers promise for reducing those numbers, less than one-quarter of adults eat enough low-fat dairy products to benefit," said Andrea Garen, M.A., R.D., project manager at Dairy Council of California. "Making small, simple changes over time, such as eating low-fat yogurt for breakfast or drinking milk with meals, can increase calcium and vitamin D intake in a sustainable way."

2) Potato Proteins Have Blood Pressure Benefits
(from nutraingeredients.com)

Proteins isolated from the humble potato may be biologically active and capable of reducing blood pressure, as well as having antioxidant activity, Finnish researchers report.

Isolated proteins, obtained as processing waste from the potato industry, could form hydrolysates which possessed angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory activity, report the researchers in the journal Food Chemistry.

"The results of this study suggest that potato is a promising source for the production of bioactive compounds as ingredients for developing functional foods with a beneficial impact on cardiovascular health," wrote lead author Anne Pihlanto from MTT Agrifood Research Finland.

3) Use of Blood Pressure Vaccine
(from Canada.com)

High blood pressure could be treated by vaccinations one day rather than by drugs, a trial has shown.

A vaccine developed by the Swiss company Cytos produced significant reductions in blood pressure that lasted for four months. There were no serious side-effects, but the trial involved only 48 patients receiving a single course of injections.

The blood pressure reductions were worthwhile, at least in 24 patients given a higher dose. This was a fall of 5.5 millimetres of mercury in systolic blood pressure (the higher of the two figures) and 2.9 in diastolic. That meant this group shifted from about 146/95 to a slightly healthier 141/92. Those receiving a lower dose did not show an improvement. The target for people with raised blood pressures is 140/85, so the vaccine fell short.

We couldn't agree any less as we continue to monitor developments in breakthroughs to prevent and cure high blood pressure..