Are you suffering from High Blood Pressure and have been taking pills daily? Do not ignore…

Hypertension is like a bad loan,
if you wait long, you pay more!

Ayurveda and Yoga can help you lower blood pressure quickly. Experts say that diet, lifestyle, and exercise tweaks can successfully control your blood pressure levels naturally!

Around 1 billion people on earth suffer from high blood pressure! It is called the Silent Killer and can lead to permanent cardiovascular damage. 

What is Blood Pressure?

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

Just as important as providing oxygen and nutrients, the fresh blood that gets delivered can pick up the toxic waste products of metabolism, including the carbon dioxide we exhale with every breath, and the toxins we clear through our liver and kidneys. Blood itself carries several other properties, including its temperature. It also carries one of our defences against tissue damage, the clotting platelets that prevent blood loss following injury.

But what exactly is it that causes blood to exert a pressure in our arteries? Part of the answer is simple: the heart creates blood pressure by forcing out blood when it contracts with every heartbeat. Blood pressure, however, cannot be created solely by the pumping heart.

Function

Our circulation is like a highly sophisticated form of plumbing – blood has ‘flow’ and arteries are ‘pipes.’ A basic law of physics gives rise to our blood flow, and this law also applies in a garden hose pipe.

Blood flows through our body because of a difference in pressure.

Our blood pressure is highest at the start of its journey from our heart, when it enters the aorta, and it is lowest at the end of its journey along progressively smaller branches of arteries. That pressure difference is what causes blood to flow around our bodies.

Arteries affect blood pressure in a similar way to the physical properties of a garden hose pipe affecting water pressure. Constricting the pipe increases pressure at the point of constriction. Without the elastic nature of the artery walls, for example, the pressure of the blood would fall away more quickly as it is pumped from the heart.

While the heart creates the maximum pressure, the properties of the arteries are just as important to maintaining it and allowing blood to flow throughout the body.

The condition of the arteries affects blood pressure and flow, and narrowing of the arteries can eventually block the supply altogether, leading to dangerous conditions including stroke and heart attack. 

Doctors measure blood pressure in millimetres of mercury (mm Hg).

Systolic pressure measures the pressure in the arteries as the heart contracts and is the top number on a blood pressure reading. Diastolic, which is the lower number, represents the blood pressure when the heart is resting between beats.

Blood pressure can become dangerously high, and it can also get too low.

	Systolic (mm Hg)	Diastolic (mm Hg)
Normal	Below 120	Below 80
Elevated (Hypertension)	120–129	Below 80
Stage 1 Hypertension	130–139	80–90
Stage 2 Hypertension	140 or above	90 or above
Hypertensive crisis	Over 180	Over 120

High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is also known as hypertension. It is defined as transitory (short-lived) or chronic elevation of the blood pressure in the arteries and it occurs when your blood pressure increases to an unhealthy level.

Blood pressure is determined both by the amount of blood your heart pumps and the amount of resistance from the blood flow in your arteries. The more blood your heart pumps and the narrower your arteries are, the higher your blood pressure is.

One can have high blood pressure (hypertension) for years without any symptoms. 

Hypertension Symptoms

One can have high blood pressure for years without any symptoms. Even without symptoms, damage to blood vessels and your heart continues. However, these are a few signs you can look out for:

Frequent headaches, Fatigue, Dizziness, Frequent nose-bleeds, Numbness in arms and legs, Chest pain, Blurry vision, Nausea, Heart palpitations and Breathlessness.

Home Remedies to Lower High Blood Pressure

Here are a few easy and simple home remedies or natural ways to combat high blood pressure:

• Walk and exercise regularly
• Reduce your sodium (salt) intake
• Drink less alcohol
• Eat more potassium-rich foods: Foods that are particularly high in potassium include: Vegetables, especially leafy greens, tomatoes, potatoes, and sweet potatoes, Fruits including melons, bananas, avocados, oranges, and apricots, Dairy products, such as milk and curd, fish, nuts, flaxseeds, and beans. 
• Learn to Manage Stress: Stress is a key driver of high blood pressure. Listening to calming, soothing music, and avoiding stressful situations can help lower blood pressure naturally.
• Lose Weight: Losing weight can help your blood vessels do a better job of expanding and contracting, making it easier for the left ventricle of the heart to pump blood.
• Quit Smoking
• Cut added sugar and refined foods
• Ayurveda: Ayurveda recommends daily and seasonal routines to manage hypertension, be it waking up before sunrise, drinking 2-4 glasses of room temperature water, gargling with sesame oil, morning yoga/ exercise and meditation
• Try Meditation or Deep breathing
• Yoga: Certain yogasanas that can help you beat hypertension are Pranayama, Shavasan, Anulom-viloma, Mayurasan, Shirshasan, Veerbhadrasan, Bhujangasana, and Vajrasana. 

Herbal Remedies 

• Cardamom: A teaspoon coriander and one pinch of cardamom to one cup of freshly squeezed lime juice can help bring down high blood pressure.
• Cucumber: Consuming some cucumber raita can help too, Cucumber is a good diuretic, which helps in reducing hypertension.
• Honey: Add a teaspoon of honey and 1 tablespoon lime juice to a cup of hot water and consume it early morning. It helps reduce and regulate blood pressure.
• Garlic: The allicin component of garlic is believed to have properties that allow it to lower lipids and inhibit blood coagulation. Consuming raw garlic (one crushed clove once or twice a week) can benefit hypertension.
• Ashwagandha: Ashwagandha in conjunction with guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia) may also prove to be an effective formula to control hypertension.
• Guduchi: Guduchi promotes circulation and addresses the venous insufficiency associated with increased heat in the body, which can help control hypertension.
• Trikatu: Made with three pungent spices – black pepper, Indian long pepper and ginger, this concoction can help lower high blood pressure. 
• Ginger: Ginger helps combat high blood pressure as it is a mild stimulant. Try ginger tea by chopping ginger roots and boiling for 5 minutes.

Will It Work?

Sometimes you can lower high blood pressure solely through lifestyle changes. In other cases, treatment requires both a healthy lifestyle and medications.

For expert Ayurvedic advice and natural treatment, consult with our doctors at I-AIM Healthcare.

Website: www.iaimhealthcare.org

The post Under Pressure first appeared on FOUNDATION FOR REVITALISATION OF LOCAL HEALTH.