Hypertension

It is the medical term used for abnormally high blood pressure. It is considered normal for a blood pressure higher than 120/80 to be "higher than normal”. Any person that uses a form of blood pressure medication will live longer. The people that do take blood pressure medication, have varied control rates between less than half to only two-thirds, meaning that most patients diagnosed with hypertension have blood pressure levels that are dangerously elevated throughout most of the day.

High blood pressure is a common condition and is a major risk factor for heart attacks, stroke, kidney disease and congestive heart failure. Hypertension is commonly underdiagnosed and inadequately treated and results in extensive organ damage and premature death.

Identifying high blood pressure symptoms are difficult, because there are no clear signs. When symptoms appear, it means that blood pressure is already too high, resulting in damage to important organs like the heart or kidneys.

• headache
• excessive sweating,
• muscle trembling,
• chest pains,
• bleeding from the nose,
• fatigue (which can be mistaken with sleepiness)
• vomiting,
• palpitations of the heart,
• vision deficiency,
• signs of blood in urine,
• nausea,
• Weakness.

• Age - The risk of high blood pressure increases as you age. Through early middle age, high blood pressure is more common in men, but women are more likely to develop high blood pressure after menopause.
• Race - High blood pressure is common among dark skin types, which develops at an earlier age than it does in lighter skin types. 
• Family history- High blood pressure tends to run in families.
• Being overweight or obese - The more you weigh, the more blood is needed to supply oxygen and nutrients to the tissues. As the volume of blood circulated through your blood vessels increase, so does the pressure on your artery walls.
• Lack of exercise - People who are not active tend to have higher heart rates. Lack of physical activity also increases the risk of being overweight.
• Smoking - smoking or chewing tobacco immediately raises your blood pressure temporarily, and the chemicals in tobacco can damage the lining of your artery walls. This causes your arteries to narrow, increasing your blood pressure. Second-hand smoke can also increase your blood pressure.Too much salt (sodium) in your diet can cause your body to retain fluid, and increase blood pressure.
• Minimal amount of potassium in your diet - Potassium helps to balance the amount of sodium in your cells. When you don't get enough potassium in your diet or retain enough potassium, you may accumulate too much sodium in your blood. 
• Too little vitamin D3 in your diet -Vitamin D may affect an enzyme produced by your kidneys that affects your blood pressure. 
• Alcohol - heavy drinking can damage your heart, and regular drinking can raise your blood pressure. 
• Stress - High stress levels can lead to a temporary, increase in blood pressure. 
• Some chronic conditions such as high cholesterol, diabetes, kidney disease and sleep apnea may also increase your risk of high blood pressure.

Someone with sleep apnea gasps for breath and snores during sleep, followed by several stops in breathing. When this happens a couple of times in an hour, it can affect the person’s health. As the person stops breathing, they have low levels of oxygen in the blood and increased levels of co2. This causes the blood vessels to narrow, and causes high blood pressure.

Hypertension needs to be treated as soon as possible. If one waits too long, other dangerous health problems will appear, for example:

• cardiovascular disease,
• congestive heart failure,
• chronic kidney disease,
• stroke.

Ongoing treatment of sleep apnea with CPAP has been reported to acutely decrease the levels of high blood pressure symptoms. When the air pressure from the CPAP keeps the airway open, you shouldn't experience snoring, apnea episodes or gasps for air. Your sleep pattern will be restful, and the high blood pressure usually subsides as well.

Oral appliances that aid in obstructive sleep apnea can also lower your blood pressure. When you have a mild sleep disorder, there other alternative treatments one can try. There are some antihypertensive drugs can lower hypertension, but are dangerous for your health and may worsen your sleep apnea. Talk to your HR doctor about this before taking any medication.

• Avoid salty and sodium-rich foods as often as you can.
• Try to stay cool and avoid staying under the sun
• weight loss is a good idea, if you are overweight or obese person

• moderate alcohol intake of no more than two drinks per day
• Avoid fatty and deep fried foods, as well as those that are high in cholesterol.
• Exercise for example, brisk walking for at least 30 minutes for about 5 days/week
• Stop smoking to improve cardiovascular health

With hypertension; supplements are individually tailored, it’s important not to self-medicate. There is no single supplement given to all clients with hypertension. Your HR doctor will decide based on your examination, history and blood tests, what would be the best for you and your specific needs and/or deficiencies.

This could include:

• Balancing your hormones:

The risk of developing primary hypertension is significantly higher in postmenopausal women and men older than 55 years of age. As hormone levels decline with age, the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease rise.

• Nutrients to Support Healthy Blood Pressure Levels:

There are two important contributors that play a significant role in blood pressure regulation-vitamin K2 and vitamin D3. Low Vitamin D3 intake – can be the cause of high blood pressure. Studies suggest that vitamin D might target many of the factors that contribute to hypertension including suppressing renin (a hypertensive enzyme) and protecting kidney function. Low Vitamin K2 intake - Inadequate vitamin K2 intake may result in an accumulation of calcium in the arterial wall, which can lead to hardening of the arteries and increased peripheral resistance.

• Additional Nutraceuticals:

Absorption of magnesium into the bloodstream is not particularly effective.

Potassium is one of the most abundant electrolytes in the body. Due to their antagonistic roles in metabolism, the balance of sodium and potassium plays a critical role in blood pressure regulation.

Hawthorn, Coenzyme Q10, Chlorogenic acid from green coffee beans (unroasted) is a hypotensive antioxidant. Vitamin C is an essential water-soluble antioxidant vitamin. It is thought to exert hypotensive effects through an improvement in endothelial function, reduction in arterial stiffness, and has the ability to bind the angiotensin receptor.

Other examples you can find are, Grape seed extract (Resveratrol), pomegranate, L-Arginine and omega 3 fatty acids. 

Book a consultation with our Health Renewal doctors for Hypertension.