High Blood Pressure. AKA - The Silent Killer!

Believe it or not, but High Blood Pressure (or Hypertension as it's also known), is the most common health problem that strikes adults in the USA and other parts of the western world today. Most of us at some point, have had blood pressure higher than normal (or in some cases, lower than normal), but to permanently have either extremes of pressure can be quite a health risk. You might be asking, what is blood pressure? Well, simply put, it’s the force that is exerted on the vessels and heart by the flowing motion of the blood.

Did you know there may be no obvious symptoms of blood pressure whether it’s high or low? There are indications however, such as excessive sweating, a general feeling of feebleness, shortness of breath, obesity, a quick temper, and sometimes a slurring of speech to name a few. Any of the above mentioned could be considered ‘potential’ symptoms of a blood pressure that’s higher than normal.

It's no surprise then that high blood pressure is often referred to as the silent killer in medical circles, as most of the symptoms can pass off for general health complaints. Therefore, no one is likely to connect these symptoms to the complaint. Unfortunately, a good number of people find out that they are in fact suffering symptoms at a much later stage.

With age and an inactive lifestyle, the risk of developing high blood pressure only increases. Unhealthy lifestyle issues also figure prominently in the list of usual suspects that produce and sustain this chronic illness.



Although high blood pressure can be managed once diagnosed, it is of course, always better to take preventative measures to avoid it rather than treat a problem which might not have been necessary. First and foremost, you need to get a check up by a physician in order to determine if you indeed have it or not. Based on the results of the test, your physician will tell you what you need to do. However, there are some general guidelines that help to keep high blood pressure under control.

Let's take a look at just what causes this high pressure and what measures we can take to reduce it?

Well, there are a number of contributory factors. Being overweight doesn’t help, as is the case with many health issues. If you are obese or tend towards obesity seek advice about a special high blood pressure diet as you need to immediately start off on a program to lose weight. Obviously, physical activity is the best way to do this. Next, and very important, is that sufferers need to reduce their salt intake in order to lower high pressure. Alcohol too should be on the list of banned or moderated foods and drinks.

Finally, smoking is another cause and needs to be curtailed or stopped altogether.

In addition to these, there are a number of drugs that may be used (only with a prescription!) to keep it under control. Remember that this is not a fatal illness, but failure to control it may lead to other serious complications like strokes, heart attacks, kidney damage, congestive heart failure, and death. So act now before it's too late and get your pressure checked out, or better still, learn to do it yourself. It's as easy as A, B, C with a simple home monitoring device called a sphygmomanometer.