Hypertension
From Conservapedia
Hypertension is abnormally high blood pressure. Hypertension can be life threatening if not treated. It can have no symptoms and is often only discovered during a routine visit to the doctor's office.
Definitions
Blood pressure above 139/89 is considered hypertension. The American Heart Association groups blood pressure into four categories[1]:
- Normal (below 120/80)
- Prehypertension (120/80 to 139/89)
- Stage 1 hypertension (140/90 to 159/99)
- Stage 2 hypertension (160/100 and above)
Stage 2 hypertension needs aggressive medical attention because it can be life threatening, especially if one has an underlying heart condition such as Coronary Artery Disease. Possible adverse events that can result include heart attack and stroke. Even prehypertension should not be taken lightly however, and changes in diet and lifestyle can often reverse it.
The opposite of Hypertension is Hypotension, referring to low blood pressure.
Treatment
Among the steps one can take to reverse high blood pressure are:
- Reduce sodium intake (especially salt); do not add table salt to your (already too salty) food
- Reduce or eliminate consumption of alcoholic beverages
- Increase physical activity. 30 minutes or more of aerobic exercise daily is recommended.
- Lose weight
- Get enough potassium, magnesium, and calcium in your diet, or take dietary supplements
- Do not use or consume substances known to increase blood pressure, including licorice, ephedrine, and tobacco products
- Reduce the amount of saturated fat in your diet
If the above fail, or in cases of advanced (stage 2) hypertension, medications can be prescribed to more aggressively treat hypertension.
