What Causes High Blood Pressure, Symptoms and Treatment

January 19, 2011 by · 2 Comments
Filed under: Anxiety Treatments 

High blood pressure is a serious condition that affects one in four adults. High blood pressure is dangerous because it makes the heart work harder to pump blood to the body. It is the force of blood against the walls of arteries. It makes the heart work harder to pump blood to the body and causes the hardening of the arteries. Normal blood pressure is less than 130/85. High blood pressure is higher than 140/90. Hypertension is between 120/80 and 140/90.

Causes of High Blood Pressure

Studies show many different kinds of secondary high blood pressure where the primary causes may be quite different from the continuing causes. An example is a rare disease known as coarctation of the aorta, a disease of the large artery carrying blood out of the heart. In this condition, the aorta is tightly constricted a few inches beyond its origin and then expands to its normal diameter. Undoubtedly, blood pressure must rise above the constriction and fall below it, just as it does when one compresses a hosepipe. Yet, if this constriction is removed surgically and the normal continuity of the aorta is restored, blood pressure usually takes several years to fall to normal level. The initial case of high blood pressure is the constriction, but the continuing cause is probably complex changes in circulating hormones, which function to maintain blood flow through the kidneys despite the obstruction, which may persist for a long time even after the obstruction, has gone.

Pressure in a hose can be regulated either by controlling the rate at which fluid passes through it or by widening it. Pressure inside your arteries can cause the muscles that line the walls of the arteries to thicken. Your blood pressure is at its highest when the heart beats, pumping the blood. When the heart is at rest, between beats, your blood pressure falls. Still, for most of your waking hours, your blood pressure stays pretty much the same when you are sitting or standing still.

The last cause is one in which you have absolutely no control over. It is genetics. On its own, genetics doesn’t cause high blood pressure, but it feeds all the other causes. Think of it as fertilizer so to speak. If you have a family history of high blood pressure, then your very prone to getting it yourself. With the right genes you can have a high fat and sodium diet, never exercise, drink tons of coffee and stress out on a daily basis, yet still have a reasonably low blood pressure. With the wrong genes, even a little too much salt may be enough to kick your blood pressure into a dangerous range.

Symptoms of High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure has no symptoms. But if you feel a dull ache in the back of your head when you wake up one morning, or you have few more nosebleeds than normal, you could have a high blood pressure. Headaches, nosebleeds, and dizziness are also common warning signs and symptoms of high blood pressure, but these do not occur until high blood pressure has reached a more advanced stage. However, many people even with the highest blood pressure readings do not feel any of these symptoms.

Palpitations, tension headaches and hyperventilation are symptoms of anxiety and so are common in people who are anxious or frightened. If they already have these symptoms and are then unfortunately found to have high blood pressure, then the diagnosis may confirm their fears and reinforce the symptoms. Others may get palpitations for the first time after they have been told that they have high blood pressure. They are not caused by high blood pressure itself, but by fear of it and what the diagnosis means. The symptoms usually disappear, although not always immediately, with adequate explanation of what a diagnosis of high blood pressure really means.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is considered a modern day disease that can lead to heart disease and stroke. As soon as symptoms are apparent, the proper treatment should be sought immediately. Hypertension, if left untreated, can cause the heart to enlarge due to the increased force necessary to pump blood against the greater resistance in your vessels. It is often called “the silent killer”. It affects nearly 50 million Americans

High Blood Pressure Treatment

Complimentary Therapies – Right medication will curb the level of blood pressure. Living a life with the right practice and involvement will help you to get better relief. It is advisable to join any meditation group or even you can buy books that teach you meditation. In spite of increasing the level of blood pressure, meditation will put an end to the trouble. Moreover, meditation will make your mind to achieve balance pose and position.

Acupuncture combined with electric stimulation or electro-acupuncture can lower elevations of blood pressure in human beings. When the research was conducted for the first time, acupuncture needles were inserted on the inside of the forearm just above the wrist, but to no avail. Researchers then started adding electric stimulation to the needles, which means that electric would start flowing from the needles to the body.

Peter rodrick

How To Use Breathing Techniques To Control Anxiety And Panic Attacks

November 4, 2009 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Coping and Overcoming Anxiety 

When you are experiencing a panic attack, one of the most important things that you must attempt to do is to control your breathing. Although it is difficult and may not strike your mind at first to do so, it is extremely helpful in calming down your body as well as your emotions. All those who suffer from panic attacks will suffer from an increase of oxygen flow into their blood and thus making their heart work harder than normal. For such people, they must learn how to ‘breathe into their stomach’. It could save their lives.

Slow breathing into the stomach has shown good results in helping people halt panic attacks and prevent them from recurring.

Although it is a good technique for easing anxiety and panic, it can be quite difficult for a beginner to learn. People with malady like panic or anxiety always breathe into their chests. In addition, telling such people during a panic situation to try to breathe into their stomach could fuel the already tense situation. Instead, one must tell them to practice breathing into the stomach once they are back to a normal temper. The learning and practicing part is important so that whenever you have the next panic attack you can straightaway start breathing into your stomach.

Following are some tips that you might find useful in learning and application of breathing into your stomach.

1.Lie down on the bed with your chest facing upwards. Now place one of your hands firmly onto your stomach and the

other one lightly onto your stomach. Inhale heavily and try to concentrate only on allowing your stomach to fill with air and not your chest. The idea here is to make sure that maximum amount of air that you inhale goes into your stomach and minimum to the chest. The aim should be to breathe only six-eight times per minute. During the entire process, try to maintain a very relaxed state of mind and body, so that you do not feel anxious.

2.In case you still cannot do this try to use a weight a weight on your stomach. Use a book or anything between 4-6 pounds and repeat the process as stated above. Concentrate on allowing the weight rise when you take in air.

3.Well if even that does not work for you then try to get down on all four just like a cat. In such a position, the chest is, forcibly shut in one place and forces the stomach to suck in the air you breathe in. like both the above methods this one too should be done with very relaxed state of mind and body.

Try to do these for few minutes initially and then you can graduate to up to 15-20 minutes at a stretch. Once you have reached this level try to do it while sitting upright and then while standing and if possible even while you are walking.

After you master all of the techniques you should try to do this different situations like while sitting in your office or in your car etc. Such exercises will help you in coping much better in certain similar environments.

Conclusion

Though this is good technique and does not cause much strain, you should not try to go overboard or try to progress too quickly. Just do so gradually. Also, get a help from a friend or someone close by to help you while you are practicing. It helps to have someone else monitor your breathing and then commanding you to do it correctly.

Joshua Poon
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/how-to-use-breathing-techniques-to-control-anxiety-and-panic-attacks-50283.html

category=0