How to lower your blood pressure

September 4, 2006 at 5:41 am · Filed under High blood pressure


There are very good reasons why high blood pressure is called the silent killer. Many times, hypertension doesn’t show up as a problem at all. Not for a long time. All the same, it is capable of causing strokes, damaging kidneys, bringing on heart attacks and much more.

Here are several quick tips on how to deal with high blood pressure. Remember, as always, these tips (and anything else on this site) are NOT a substitute for medical advice. Be sure to consult with a doctor / medical professional on all health related matters. See our disclaimer.

* Get regular checkups. If you have ever had a hypertension problem, even if your pressure has been somewhat above normal, ensure that you check your blood pressure periodically. In any case, it is an excellent idea to have regular medical checkups including blood pressure readings.

* Get accustomed to eating foods with low salt. This may seem quite difficult at first. But if you persist, you will soon discover that you actually prefer foods without salt!

If you must have salt in your food, add salt sparingly either when the meal is being cooked or at the table. But don’t do both — i.e., don’t add salt both while cooking and while eating. Salt definitely affects your blood pressure.

* If you just can’t get along without salt, try using one of the many salt substitutes available in the market. They contain lesser quantities of sodium chloride and higher amounts of potassium. By the way, rock salt, sea salt, natural salt, etc are not salt substitutes.

* Exercise regularly. Not just when you feel like it. Aerobic exercise that makes sustained demands on the heart will strengthen the heart. It cuts down the risk of coronary heart disease significantly. Researchers say that a brisk half an hour walk just three times a week can deliver these benefits.

In addition, exercise lowers blood pressure. It also lowers blood fat levels and so reduces risk of thrombosis.

The risk factors for many illnesses go up when blood pressure is above normal levels. That’s why it is critical to adopt lifestyle changes that can keep blood pressure within limits.

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What you should know about blood pressure

August 30, 2006 at 8:42 am · Filed under High blood pressure


The term blood pressure refers to the pressure exerted by blood on the walls of blood vessels.

The pressure is measured relative to atmospheric pressure. If atmospheric pressure is 760 mm Hg and the pressure within the arteries is 860 mm Hg, the blood pressure is said to be 100 mm Hg, i.e., 100 units above atmospheric pressure. Incidentally, mm Hg stands for millimeters of mercury.

As you might imagine, the pressure varies within the blood vessels. The main arteries generally have higher pressure than smaller blood vessels.

Blood pressure is measured in the large arteries, most typically the brachial artery within the arm. Most monitors measure this pressure.

Couple of other terms you’ll hear are systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Systolic pressure means the peak pressure in the arteries during the heart’s pumping cycle and diastolic pressure is the lowest pressure in the cycle.

So what’s considered ‘normal’ blood pressure? Around 120 mm Hg systolic and 80 mm Hg diastolic. This is usually written as 120/80 mm Hg.

Normal ranges for blood pressure values are between 90 and 130 mm Hg systolic and between 50 and 90 mm Hg diastolic. If your reading is significantly above these normal ranges, you may have hypertension.

Remember from yesterday’s post that ‘normal’ blood pressure can be a bit of a myth and that blood pressure is actually a dynamic value that depends on many factors. See this post for a more detailed discussion.

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The myth of ‘normal’ blood pressure and why you should relax at the doctor’s

August 23, 2006 at 2:15 pm · Filed under High blood pressure


Did you know that normal blood pressure is more of a range than a fixed point?

That’s because there are many factors that can affect your blood pressure. Things like your mood, whether you just had a heavy meal, your rate of breathing, overall level of fitness, whether you exerted yourself physically, smoked, had alcohol and more. Even race, gender and of course age play a role.

What’s considered ‘normal’ blood pressure can vary with each of those factors. So what does this mean for you in practical terms?

For one thing, when you’re at the doctor’s office having your blood pressure taken, just let go and relax. If you are tense, even if you don’t show it outwardly, it can affect the blood pressure reading and potentially mislead your doctor.

Some doctors will ask you to sit in a quiet, comfortable room and relax before they measure your blood pressure. This is to alleviate the ‘white coat syndrome’, which affects more people than you realize.

To give you an idea, tests have shown that becoming somewhat tense can raise your pressure reading by a full 30mmHg. That’s a lot!

Unfortunately, tests have also shown that having blood pressure measured by a doctor (and to a lesser extent, by a nurse) is almost always higher than if measured away from hospital by someone who is not a doctor!

So relax, get accustomed to your surroundings and more often than not, your blood pressure reading will be lower and closer to what is acceptable for your age and other conditions.

Lots more stuff coming soon. Be right back!

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