High blood pressure is consistent elevation of the pressure of the blood pulsating against the walls of the arteries and other blood vessels. Millions of people in India have been found suffering from this dreadful disease. No age is exempt; high blood pressure is seen even in babies. The average age of onset is the early thirties. Heredity appears to be strong factor. Certain types of individuals are more likely to acquire it. Essential hypertension appears more commonly among short, stocky, overweight people and among those who are emotionally tense, easily excited and highly irritable. The nervous, emotional or psychic factors mediated by the endocrine glands are exceedingly important. It is common knowledge that sudden fear, anger, excitement, or other strong emotions can temporarily shoot the blood pressure up. Hidden emotional conflicts have the same effect and are more serious because they persist.
Causes of high blood presssure
Although the hereditary, emotional and endocrine factors play a vital role in causing high blood pressure, many other factors may be held responsible for it. Chemical substances manufactured in various body organs may raise blood pressure. Kidneys are held responsible for it. The adrenal and other endocrine glands may be held responsible for raising blood pressure.
Symptoms of high blood presssure
Persistent headache is the commonŽest and most disabling symptom of high blood pressure. Other symptoms are dizziness, or light-headedness, vertigo, easy fatigue and frequent blushing accompaŽnied by rumbling of the bowels; palpitation of the heart and sweating.
Management: Adequate rest and relaxation are essential. Sleeping for as long as 10 hours at night is an excellent habit; blood-pressure is at its lowest during sleep. Mild exercise without competition or fatigue is desirable. A well-balanced diet, low enough
in calories to avoid overweight is prescribed. A salt-free diet may be given with good effect. Habituated tea, coffee, liquor and tobacco may be continued in moderation. A diseased kidney may develop high blood pressure. This kidney trouble should be first treated.
Personality patterns: Dr. Lawrence Hinkle, a heart specialist, studied. 2,70,000 men to evaluate the role of personality factors identified as striving people, competitive, restless and mobilised. He studied people of different occupation, levels of achievements and education. The study failed to show that men with high levels of responsibility had any greater risk of heart attack than men with lesser responsibility. In conclusion, he found that it affected all sorts of people, high or low, young or old, men or women alike.
Dr. David Cargill in his book 'How to avoid a coronary thrombosis' has expressed the view that animal fats like beaf, bacon, mutton, chicken, hog, crab, lobster, shrimp, frankfurters and hamburgers are very harmful to heart patients. Those foods increase the amount of cholesterol in the blood stream and nerves causing frequent deaths from coronary thrombosis.
Dr. Lawrence E. Lamb in his book, 'Your heart and how to live with it' has expressed the same view. He has opined that saturated fats like cream, butter, ghee, cheese, coconut oil, vegetable oil (dalda) increase the cholesterol content of the blood and arteries very sharply causing frequent death from heart attacks. He has advised that unsaturated fats like til oil, sunflower oil, soyabean oil, fresh fruits and vegetables are very helpful for heart patients.
Dr. T. L. Cleave in his book 'Fat consumption and coronary -disease' has said, ' The great increase in the incidence of coronary disease in civilised countries during recent times has led to worldwide investigation which have largely resulted in blaming the increase of overuse of saturated fats. The first is that individuals having a congenital difficulty in
metabolising fat which, results not only in a high blood cholesterol but also invisible deposits of cholesterol in the tendons and elsewhere. They have a very high incidence of coronary atheroma and a very high mortality from coronary thrombosis'.
The American Heart Association has laid down eight point programme for avoiding heart-attacks:
1. Eat less of saturated fats like cream, butter, ghee, dalda, margarine, coconut oil, and animal fats like beef, mutton, chicken, bacon, hog, frankfurters and hamburgers. All saturated fat consumption must be reduced to the minimum.
2. Substitute vegetable oils and other saturated fats by unsaturated ones like til oil, sunflower oil, soyabean oil, gingelly, maize oil, and fresh fruits and vegetables.
3. Use less of food rich in cholesterol. Foods rich in cholesterol contents are beef, mutton, bacon, chicken, oyster, crab, lobster, shrimp, etc and they increase cholesterol content in the blood and nerves very rapidly causing sudden deaths due to stroke. A heart patient can take three eggs per week.
4. If you are overweight, reduce your calorie intake. Obesity is a danger to heart patients. Obese persons are very susceptible to heart-attacks.
5. Start adopting these principles very early in life.
6. Consume fresh fruits and vegetables (juices) in plenty daily in order to detoxify your whole body.
7. Avoid stress and strain, tension, worries and anxieties as far as practicable.
8. Cigarette smoking is directly related to the depletion of vitamin C in the body. Medical research has established the fact that nicotine increases the heart rate. Everyone knows that vitamin C is a labile substance, easily destroyed by heat and chemicals. Thus vitamin C has got to be recouped daily by consuming fruit and vegetable juices in plenty. Tea or coffee is powerful stimulant to the nerves. While one cup of tea is not likely to create any adverse effect but drinking large amounts may cause irregulariŽties of the heart beat including palpitation or skipped beats.
Crucial hour of heart-attack: Julius Segal and Gay Gaer Luce in their book 'Sleep' have observed that at 10 a.m. a man is very different from what he is at 4 p.m. or at midnight. One of the obvious reasons is the daily temperature which with great regularity rises during the day and falls at night, dropping to its lowest point between the hours of 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. This is the most crucial time, they have stated, when night-workers and railroad people have the most accidents; the time when doctors receive the highest number of telephone calls reporting coronaries. Cyril Fagan in his book 'Astrological Origins' has treated the hours between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. as the 8th watch (Oktotopos) - the most possible time for heart-attack deaths, as during this time temperature reaches at a very low point during winter months. All sorts of capital punishments like hanging, guillotines, etc. are also given at this time. It has been found that most of births take place at this hour. So this is the most probable time of coming to this world (birth) and also leaving this world (death). It is for this reason our ancient saints and sages have advised us not to sleep at this hour, i.e. 4 a.m. to 5 a.m. It is the proper time for prayers to God - Brahma muhurta.
It is said, brain and stomach are the roots of all diseases.
The brain and the stomach are the two most important parts of the body which are responsible for causing diseases. If one can keep these two vital parts of the body healthy and active, one will practically remain free from diseases.
Alien is a freelance writer with more than 25 years experience as a health care professional. He is a contributing editor to home remedies for high blood pressure , a site dedicated to home remedies, herbs, nutrients and vitamins. Check out this site for more information on High blood pressure. |
