What is the proper, the most correct, position for taking blood pressure readings?
First of all, you should sit down and wait for at least a couple of minutes. Do not cross your legs. Make sure you are rested. For example, if you have just been exercising then this will affect your readings and they won't be an accurate reflection of your normal blood pressure.
For those of you using a traditional cuff monitor, make sure that it fits properly. Many cuffs will have indicating lines that tell you if there is too much or too little overlap and a good fit or not. If not, you can exchange for a smaller or larger one from the manufacturer and usually for free. Make sure that the rubber hose emerges from the cuff on the inside of your elbow as this is where your brachial artery lies.
Whether you use a cuff monitor or a wrist monitor, the key thing is to now get the cuff or your wrist at the same level as your heart. For the former, it helps to have a table in front of you on which to lie your arm out.
Now take your reading. Remember, you need to take a series of readings during the day and also over several days as your blood pressure will naturally vary and what you want is your average. You can find some good info on logging your b.p. here: Blood Pressure Logging Sheet.
Chronic Hypertensive Finds A 100% Natural, Scientifically Proven Way To Lower Your Blood Pressure Without Drugs, And Finally Reveals The Easy Steps You Could Already Be Taking To Reach The Promised Land of BP 115/75 - Click Here
Sunday 25 September 2011
Blood Pressure Logging Sheet
As you may well already know, a single measurement of your blood pressure is pretty much meaningless. Blood pressure varies throughout the day and even between days. It may be exceptionally low when you take your measurement of it might be exceptionally high.
Only by taking a series of measurements throughout the day and for several days can you then take an overall average. You can also learn a lot from your blood pressure range. For example, you may find that your blood pressure peaks when you are in your stressful job and you can then take measures to reduce this workplace stress.
A blood pressure logging sheet is a great way to do this. It's a simple and easy framework that you can simply fill in. For example, there is software out there that will do this. There are also blank spreadsheets that you can use such as this one that someone has uploaded to the Microsoft site for use with the MS Excel software.
One of the best ways though is to use an online form. This is a simple and free membership style web site where you log in and enter your readings. You can then share and compare with others in the community who are also similarly trying to reduce their blood pressure. One of the best sites in this regard is BPLog.com.
Chronic Hypertensive Finds A 100% Natural, Scientifically Proven Way To Lower Your Blood Pressure Without Drugs, And Finally Reveals The Easy Steps You Could Already Be Taking To Reach The Promised Land of BP 115/75 - Click Here
Only by taking a series of measurements throughout the day and for several days can you then take an overall average. You can also learn a lot from your blood pressure range. For example, you may find that your blood pressure peaks when you are in your stressful job and you can then take measures to reduce this workplace stress.
A blood pressure logging sheet is a great way to do this. It's a simple and easy framework that you can simply fill in. For example, there is software out there that will do this. There are also blank spreadsheets that you can use such as this one that someone has uploaded to the Microsoft site for use with the MS Excel software.
One of the best ways though is to use an online form. This is a simple and free membership style web site where you log in and enter your readings. You can then share and compare with others in the community who are also similarly trying to reduce their blood pressure. One of the best sites in this regard is BPLog.com.
Chronic Hypertensive Finds A 100% Natural, Scientifically Proven Way To Lower Your Blood Pressure Without Drugs, And Finally Reveals The Easy Steps You Could Already Be Taking To Reach The Promised Land of BP 115/75 - Click Here
Water Fast For High Blood Pressure
Water fasting is a technique that is usually used to either lose weight or "cleanse" the body. But some people have also tried using it for lowering their high blood pressure. Let's see how this might work.
Water fasting is one of the most extreme diet regimes out there. During the fast, you can only drink water and nothing else. It can be done for a day or two or three days or longer. Some people reportedly fast for up to 30 days but that frankly sounds dangerous to me!
Before you think about doing a water fast you should do plenty of research into it. That's because a water fast can actually increase your blood pressure if you don't do it properly. If your reading is already very high then such a move could put you into extremely dangerous territory.
For example, some people say that using distilled water is a bad idea as it can flush the potassium out of your body, less so than for your sodium. Thus your potassium-to-sodium ratio is worsened, your arteries narrow and your blood pressure goes up. On the other hand, some experts recommend using distilled water! They say that your blood pressure may rise temporarily but it will normalize when you reach close to two weeks fasting. It can get very confusing indeed!
Water fasting is certainly not something without adverse effects which even its biggest proponents will admit. It is hard on the kidneys and it is a severe shock to your metabolic system.
If you do decide to do a water fast, it's advisable to speak to your doctor soon. He will probably not condone it but, if you still want to go through with it, then he can at least do some cursory checks. This is even more important if you have other medical conditions in which case he may forbid you to even try as it could be too much stress on your body. For example, if you have diabetes then it is not a good idea at all to do a water fast.
One other thing to say is that if you get any sudden changes in your blood pressure or any other vital signs during your fast then you should break the fast and resume normal activities immediately and not resume it before speaking to your doctor again.
Chronic Hypertensive Finds A 100% Natural, Scientifically Proven Way To Lower Your Blood Pressure Without Drugs, And Finally Reveals The Easy Steps You Could Already Be Taking To Reach The Promised Land of BP 115/75 - Click Here.
Water fasting is one of the most extreme diet regimes out there. During the fast, you can only drink water and nothing else. It can be done for a day or two or three days or longer. Some people reportedly fast for up to 30 days but that frankly sounds dangerous to me!
Before you think about doing a water fast you should do plenty of research into it. That's because a water fast can actually increase your blood pressure if you don't do it properly. If your reading is already very high then such a move could put you into extremely dangerous territory.
For example, some people say that using distilled water is a bad idea as it can flush the potassium out of your body, less so than for your sodium. Thus your potassium-to-sodium ratio is worsened, your arteries narrow and your blood pressure goes up. On the other hand, some experts recommend using distilled water! They say that your blood pressure may rise temporarily but it will normalize when you reach close to two weeks fasting. It can get very confusing indeed!
Water fasting is certainly not something without adverse effects which even its biggest proponents will admit. It is hard on the kidneys and it is a severe shock to your metabolic system.
If you do decide to do a water fast, it's advisable to speak to your doctor soon. He will probably not condone it but, if you still want to go through with it, then he can at least do some cursory checks. This is even more important if you have other medical conditions in which case he may forbid you to even try as it could be too much stress on your body. For example, if you have diabetes then it is not a good idea at all to do a water fast.
One other thing to say is that if you get any sudden changes in your blood pressure or any other vital signs during your fast then you should break the fast and resume normal activities immediately and not resume it before speaking to your doctor again.
Chronic Hypertensive Finds A 100% Natural, Scientifically Proven Way To Lower Your Blood Pressure Without Drugs, And Finally Reveals The Easy Steps You Could Already Be Taking To Reach The Promised Land of BP 115/75 - Click Here.
Monday 5 September 2011
Allicin For Blood Pressure
Allicin is an organic and sulfurous compound that is found in the highest amounts in garlic but also to a lesser extent in onions. It is a powerful anti-viral and anti-bacterial compound whose only major side effect is to thin the blood. Therefore, if you are already taking blood thinning medications such as Warfarin then it may not be for you but I'd advise you to check with your doctor first.
Concerning blood pressure, numerous studies have been done to show that it can successfully lower it in those with hypertension. Not just that, but it may also even reduce atherosclerosis (thickening of the arterial wall due to a build-up of fatty deposits) so this is a double-whammy effect in terms of benefits for your cardiovascular system.
The easiest way to get allicin into your diet is via crushed garlic pills. This way, you do not get the nasty taste in your mouth. Be warned though because your sweat may take on a different odor, you'll have to ask your partner and your closest friends for their honest opinion and see what they think.
When buying garlic pills, make sure to check the allicin content. This is not the easiest thing in the world to do. I strongly advise that you check this great guide as a reference: How to select a garlic supplement.
For information on studies done with garlic supplements to treat high blood pressure, here are a few to check out:
Silagy CA, Neil HA (1994). "A meta-analysis of the effect of garlic on blood pressure". J Hypertens 12 (4): 463–8. PMID 8064171.A. Elkayam, D. Mirelman, E. Peleg, M. Wilchek, T. Miron, A. Rabinkov, M. Oron-Herman and T. Rosenthal (2003). "The effects of allicin on weight in fructose-induced hyperinsulinemic, hyperlipidemic, hypertensive rats". Am. J. Hypertens 16 (12): 1053–6. doi:10.1016/j.amjhyper.2003.07.011. PMID 14643581.
Chronic Hypertensive Finds A 100% Natural, Scientifically Proven Way To Lower Your Blood Pressure Without Drugs, And Finally Reveals The Easy Steps You Could Already Be Taking To Reach The Promised Land of BP 115/75 - Click Here.
Picture credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenorton/2212742541/
Sunday 4 September 2011
Is My Blood Pressure Normal For My Age?
This is a common question I am often asked: "Is my blood pressure normal for my age?".
The question is the wrong one to be asking. It implies that it is safe for your blood pressure to rise with age. Yes, it commonly does rise with age. Nobody knows for sure why but there is a definite association between obesity and age. When people get older, they become less active but they also eat too much and for comfort - they start to eat when they are not hungry (otherwise they would not even become overweight).
The only normal blood pressure is between 115/75 and 120/80. Anything higher than this range is not normal, regardless of your age, and will be causing you cardiovascular damage.
Age is not an excuse for high blood pressure. For example, if you are at 140/90 and 60 years of age then it is still not healthily. I suppose that if you define "normal" to be what is common then it might actually start to become the "norm". But, obviously, you should not judge your health depending on what everyone else is doing. You should do it depending on what clinical research has proven to be the case.
Chronic Hypertensive Finds A 100% Natural, Scientifically Proven Way To Lower Your Blood Pressure Without Drugs, And Finally Reveals The Easy Steps You Could Already Be Taking To Reach The Promised Land of BP 115/75 - Click Here.
The question is the wrong one to be asking. It implies that it is safe for your blood pressure to rise with age. Yes, it commonly does rise with age. Nobody knows for sure why but there is a definite association between obesity and age. When people get older, they become less active but they also eat too much and for comfort - they start to eat when they are not hungry (otherwise they would not even become overweight).
The only normal blood pressure is between 115/75 and 120/80. Anything higher than this range is not normal, regardless of your age, and will be causing you cardiovascular damage.
Age is not an excuse for high blood pressure. For example, if you are at 140/90 and 60 years of age then it is still not healthily. I suppose that if you define "normal" to be what is common then it might actually start to become the "norm". But, obviously, you should not judge your health depending on what everyone else is doing. You should do it depending on what clinical research has proven to be the case.
Chronic Hypertensive Finds A 100% Natural, Scientifically Proven Way To Lower Your Blood Pressure Without Drugs, And Finally Reveals The Easy Steps You Could Already Be Taking To Reach The Promised Land of BP 115/75 - Click Here.
What Causes Blood Pressure To Elevate?
What causes blood pressure to elevate?
There are a few things. First, even simple exercise can cause your blood pressure to elevate. Why? Because blood moves around your system faster during exercise and so the pressure rises. But exercise is actually good for lowering your long term blood pressure. We don't know exactly why but it might make the arterial walls more flexible.
Anything that causes the blood vessels to narrow will increase the pressure within them (think of gripping a flexible hose pipe between your fingers and imagine what happens to the flow of water). One of the major factors in determining the width of your blood vessels is your mineral balance and chiefly your sodium to potassium mineral balance.
Stress can also cause your blood pressure to elevate. The "fight or flight" stress response is actually an evolutionary instinct that has saved many lives over the last few million years. But today, we suffer stress due to modern problems and often while sitting down and with no way to get rid of the stress hormones that continue to circulate around our body and wreak damage, including giving rise to higher blood pressure. These stress hormones used to be gotten rid of when we or animals made our escape from dangerous situations. So stress is only useful if your life is in immediate danger. If it isn't, then stress is only damaging. You must get rid of stress in your life if you want to live a long and healthy life.
Chronic Hypertensive Finds A 100% Natural, Scientifically Proven Way To Lower Your Blood Pressure Without Drugs, And Finally Reveals The Easy Steps You Could Already Be Taking To Reach The Promised Land of BP 115/75 - Click Here
There are a few things. First, even simple exercise can cause your blood pressure to elevate. Why? Because blood moves around your system faster during exercise and so the pressure rises. But exercise is actually good for lowering your long term blood pressure. We don't know exactly why but it might make the arterial walls more flexible.
Anything that causes the blood vessels to narrow will increase the pressure within them (think of gripping a flexible hose pipe between your fingers and imagine what happens to the flow of water). One of the major factors in determining the width of your blood vessels is your mineral balance and chiefly your sodium to potassium mineral balance.
Getting more sodium in your diet (e.g. eating more processed foods with added salt) is not bad per se, but because it is not usually accompanied by a proportional increase in potassium (e.g. from fruits and vegetables) then it normally leads to narrow blood vessels and therefore increased blood pressure. This partly explains the huge differences in long term health outcome between a balanced diet and a terrible diet and is one reason why losing weight with a healthier diet (as is usually the case) can help you to lower your blood pressure.
Stress can also cause your blood pressure to elevate. The "fight or flight" stress response is actually an evolutionary instinct that has saved many lives over the last few million years. But today, we suffer stress due to modern problems and often while sitting down and with no way to get rid of the stress hormones that continue to circulate around our body and wreak damage, including giving rise to higher blood pressure. These stress hormones used to be gotten rid of when we or animals made our escape from dangerous situations. So stress is only useful if your life is in immediate danger. If it isn't, then stress is only damaging. You must get rid of stress in your life if you want to live a long and healthy life.
Chronic Hypertensive Finds A 100% Natural, Scientifically Proven Way To Lower Your Blood Pressure Without Drugs, And Finally Reveals The Easy Steps You Could Already Be Taking To Reach The Promised Land of BP 115/75 - Click Here
Saturday 3 September 2011
Will My Blood Pressure Lower If I Lose Weight?
Here is a question I received from a reader of this blog. She asks: "will my blood pressure lower if I lose weight?"
High blood pressure and obesity have a high correlation. Those who are overweight are more likely to have high blood pressure and the more you are overweight then the higher your blood pressure is likely to be.
Does this means that being obese causes higher blood pressure? This is not clear and the relationship between the two is complicated. One thing for sure is that those who are overweight are more likely to have a poor diet, especially one that contains too much salt.
By the way, it's not just your weight that is important but also your levels of activity (they don't have to necessarily be high but they should at least be moderate) and also your stress levels. If you neglect any of these three things then you can still have high blood pressure and the increased risk of cardiovascular disease that it brings with it.
Chronic Hypertensive Finds A 100% Natural, Scientifically Proven Way To Lower Your Blood Pressure Without Drugs, And Finally Reveals The Easy Steps You Could Already Be Taking To Reach The Promised Land of BP 115/75 - Click Here
The answer is almost certainly it will.
High blood pressure and obesity have a high correlation. Those who are overweight are more likely to have high blood pressure and the more you are overweight then the higher your blood pressure is likely to be.
Does this means that being obese causes higher blood pressure? This is not clear and the relationship between the two is complicated. One thing for sure is that those who are overweight are more likely to have a poor diet, especially one that contains too much salt.
By the way, it's not just your weight that is important but also your levels of activity (they don't have to necessarily be high but they should at least be moderate) and also your stress levels. If you neglect any of these three things then you can still have high blood pressure and the increased risk of cardiovascular disease that it brings with it.
Chronic Hypertensive Finds A 100% Natural, Scientifically Proven Way To Lower Your Blood Pressure Without Drugs, And Finally Reveals The Easy Steps You Could Already Be Taking To Reach The Promised Land of BP 115/75 - Click Here
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