Drugs and Medicines to Treat High Blood Pressure

What is Blood Pressure? All the tissues and organs of the body need nourishment in the form of oxygen, glucose, and minerals for their normal functioning. This nourishment is carried by the blood to various sites through the blood vessels by the pumping action of the heart. With each contraction of the heart, blood is pushed into the arteries. In healthy persons this pressure is normal, but in some it may be more than normal. This above normal pressure in the arteries is called high blood pressure or hypertension. In some cases it may be less than normal and is then termed low blood pressure or hypotension. Blood pressure has two components - Systolic (upper) and Diastolic (lower). It is written as 120/80 mm Hg which means 120 mm Hg systolic and 80 mm Hg diastolic. The abbreviation 'mm Hg' stands for millimeter of mercury. Correct Way to Measure BP: Routine office BP measurement is done in a sitting position. One has to sit quietly with back supported for 5 minutes and arm placed at the level of heart. Coffee tea or smoking are not allowed in the preceding hour. For establishing hypertension at least three readings, one week apart must be taken. At each sitting two readings should be taken to confirm diagnosis. Readings are taken in both arms and if there is a significant difference then the arm with higher reading is selected for subsequent measurements. In diabetics, BP is taken in supine or lying down position and repeated, 2 minutes later, in upright position. This is done to detect any fall in BP in upright position. This is very important in diabetics and elderly lest they may fall under the effect of medicines used to control hypertension. In a number of cases BP is higher in the physician's clinic than at home. This is due to a stress in the presence of doctor and is called as 'white-coat hypertension'. This phenomenon is more common in females. Self-check provide useful information on blood pressure response to treatment, may improve adherence to therapy and is useful in evaluating the extent of 'white-coat' hypertension. Home measurements can be done by 'dial type' variant of BP instrument, electronic self-inflating sets or by miniature versions which are placed on wrists. These instruments are reasonably accurate. However, they must be calibrated from time to time. This can be determined by measuring the blood pressure with an instrument called sphygmomanometer (BP measuring instrument). Normally, blood pressure varies from individual to individual, depending upon factors such as heredity, age, sex, nutrition, and body weight. A diastolic blood pressure of 90 mmHg or above is classified as hypertension and requires medical consultation. The treatment of BP is generally determined by the rise of systolic and diastolic BP. However, one should not get apprehensive if the BP goes above the normal limit once in a while. Types and Causes of Hypertension: Hypertension has been divided into two categories: essential or primary hypertension, and secondary hypertension. The exact cause of primary or essential hypertension is not known but there is generally a narrowing of the blood vessels. In secondary hypertension, there is involvement of other organs or systems such as the kidney, adrenal glands, and disorders like toxaemia of pregnancy. In secondary hypertension, the cause can be treated and blood pressure brought to normal. Primary hypertension lasts a lifetime and needs continuous treatment. Almost 90% cases of hypertension are of primary variety. Syndrome-X is given to a constellation of obesity, high BP, insulin resistance and raised blood lipids. It is commonly seen in our country.When Does Blood Pressure Become High? BP depends upon three important factors: force of contraction, the rate of beating of the heart, and the resistance to blood flow caused by the inner diameter of the blood vessels. Besides these, the volume of blood may also affect the BP. It is a common experience that emotional trauma or excitement, physical exercise or exertion increase the heart rate, which is experienced in the form of palpitation (bouncing or beating of the heart against the chest wall), resulting in a rise in BP. This is generally short-lived and does not require any treatment. The dangerous form of high BP is one which persists on repeated examinations. What Happens When the Blood Pressure Is High? The symptoms of high blood pressure may be related to elevated pressure itself, a disease of the blood vessel, or some other underlying diseases responsible for elevation of blood pressure. The most common symptom of elevated blood pressure is headache, specially in the back portion of the head. This is usually more severe when the person wakes up in the morning. Other symptoms are dizziness, giddiness, palpitation, and easy fatigability. In more severe cases the symptoms are bleeding through the nose or blood in the urine, blurring of vision due to changes in the arteries of the retina (screen for vision in the eye), incidence of dizziness or fainting due to transient decrease in blood flow to the brain, pain in the chest, and breathlessness. When blood supply of brain is drastically reduced, paralysis or 'stroke' may occur.It is a well-established fact that hypertension may be both the cause and effect of heart or kidney disorders, and may decrease the life expectancy of a person. Statistics show that hypertension, if untreated, shortens the life span of a person. There is 2-4 fold increase in ischaemic heart disease. High blood pressure is also the second most common cause of kidney failure. It is, therefore, important to detect the cause early and start the treatment. The treatment consists of general measures and drugs therapy. Any BP above 140/90 mm Hg should be treated. New evidence shows that BP should be kept below 130/80 mm Hg in pregnancy. diabetes and kidney disease.

Burn Stomach Fat and Stay Healthy

A 'pot belly'... 'love handles'.... the 'spare tire' are all terms used to describe the belly fat or stomach fat that many of us put on. It is the area of the body that many people want to do something about. The fat accumulation is more in the stomach and related areas.

We lead busy life in today's world and the food we eat is not always hygienic and healthy. The excessive intake of food irrespective of the life that we lead is the main cause of fat accumulation on the stomach area. This area is more prone to the accumulation of fat along with some other areas like the hips, the underside of the arms etc. There are many people who want to burn stomach fat fast.

The most important step to burn stomach fat is to eat low fat food. The diet is an important prerequisite in burning stomach fat. This diet should be a balanced diet and should contain more fiber rich foods. There should be ample fruits and vegetables in our diets.

The two methods to burn stomach fat are to eat right and to exercise everyday. The fastest way to burn stomach fat is a combination of the right diet and weight training and aerobic exercises. If you are having the right diet and exercise regularly you can burn stomach fat easily.

The right combination of weight training and aerobic exercises helps to burn fat and gain muscle. The combined exercise program for belly fat burning involves the combination of weight training and aerobic exercise on alternate days of the week.

Weight training exercises can be done on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and the aerobic exercises on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday with an off day on Sunday.

These exercises help to burn fat and gain muscle and the more the muscle the greater is the rate of metabolism to burning excess fat. So the building of muscles has many benefits.

The diet should consist of light food and avoid fried foods as much as possible. The exercise should start with the light body warm up. The light aerobic exercises are ideal for this. As stomach fat is accumulated in the middle section of the body, the right exercises are those that exercise this part of the body.

This is the routine you have to follow to burn stomach fat and have a lean stomach which can be your pride.

What You Need to Know About High Cholesterol

The aim of this article is to open your eyes to the hazards of increment in cholesterol level in our body, the causes that instigate it and few well -known medicines that are efficient in curtailing the adverse effects of this rising cholesterol.

Cholesterol is defined as the substance, which is found in blood, fats and tissues of our body and the excess of which can cause a heart attack. So, a surge in the cholesterol level of the body chimes the alarm of risk to the most precious organ- heart. But cholesterol does not function only negatively. It has a positive task of building the cell walls of one's body cells and producing the essential hormone called estrogen or testosterone. Normal quantity of cholesterol that is less than 200 milligrams is not harmful to human body.
However, the cholesterol level in the body increases due to many reasons. Some of the significant ones are-

Cholesterol is problematic for those whose bodies cannot secrete large amount of fatty substances.

Intake of cholesterol abounding food or what is known as a poor diet.

Lack of exercise with regular heavy eating.

Obesity due to food habits or hormonal imbalance
.
Hereditary or genetic transfer prevalent in instances where family has a history of heart ailments.

On behalf of these origins doctors advise people to keep a check on their diet, other addictives like narcotics, alcohol etc. and to engage in work- outs like exercises and the like.

Symptoms- High cholesterol can be identified with the appearance of soft yellow skin close to your eyes and the lack of energy or weariness due to clogging of the arteries.

Medication- Few medicines that are deemed to be considerably efficient in case of cholesterol management are-

Advicor is prescribed when the LDL i.e. the low-density lipoprotein and HDL- high-density lipoprotein are inadequate in body. Advicor are Lovastatin and Niacin. These help in plummeting the cholesterol level. This medicine should never be eaten empty stomach. A combo of exercise, rich diet (where nutrition supersedes fats and cholesterol) and Advicor can produce wonderful effects. However, the medicine should be avoided in case the person is allergic to Niacin and Lovastatin, is suffering from liver or any such disease and in case of pregnancy, breast feeding etc. It is best to take Advicor on advice your physician. Like other medicines, Advicor too has its own side effects.

Zocor is another name in the list of cholesterol regulating medicines. It is most often prescribed when the LDL reaches 130 and there is a huge threat of a heart attack. Zocor reduces the possibility or peril of bypass surgery, angioplasty etc. to a great extent.


Lescol is mostly recommended in cases where the individual is liable or has already undergone a cardiac arrest or blocking of arteries and other such problems. The drug is meant for those patients who are impotent in reducing their cholesterol with low fats and poor cholesterol food. Lescol too should not be taken in situation of pregnancy and breast feed for it can have drastic repercussions on the fetus.

Lipitor is also a suggested medicine when the LDL scales to 130 or more. It too functions as a drug helpful in lowering the blood cholesterol and so the threat of a heart disorder.

Along with these and many other noteworthy prescriptive drugs what should be borne in mind is the regularity that is required in taking them and the exercises and diet prescribed to accentuate their effect. Recklessness in any of these measures can be fatal to your life

New Lasik Surgery Techniques

New lasik surgery is so much better than in the past and promises a greater range of correction options, better vision after the surgery and less complications and risks. In the long run this means that more people can get rid of their contact lenses and glasses and will be able to experience the benefits of laser vision correction.

The current lasik procedures can correct problems of nearsightedness, far sightedness and astigmatisms, but have not been able to address problems with the thickness and shape of the cornea or severe vision problems and problems with night vision due to risky complications. The side effects of the current lasik procedures include painful dry eyes, halo's and painful bursts of light and blurry vision.

New lasik procedures will allow an eye surgeon to scan the eye to determine the thickness and shape of the cornea more accurately prior to ever actually firing a laser. This will give laser eye surgeons a much better initial evaluation of the problem that needs to be corrected, will help them determine better treatment options and will help to avoid unnecessary complications related to lasik surgey.

Clinical trials of the new lasik surgery procedures have shown patients returning to near perfect levels of vision within one month of having the eye surgery. They were able to see more clearly and in more detail much sooner after their lasik surgery was completed. In the past lasik patients would have to wait up to 6 months for their vision to be completely restored to normal. This is a huge leap in recovery time and is a great benefit to those people contemplating lasik surgery.

With new lasik procedures the eye surgeon begins by taking a 'picture' of the patients cornea with lasik imaging software. This is then run through recognition software to make a map of the persons eye, showing the thickness and shape of the eye in great detail. These 'eye maps' allow lasik surgeons to make much more precise adjustments and also to plan in advance for possible complications from lasik surgery.

With the new lasik surgery techniques the eye surgeon can keep the natural shape of the cornea, remove less tissue and can even correct night vision problems. New lasik techniques also leave the patient more comfortable since the laser bursts are much shorter, typically just 20 seconds, compared with the 60 second bursts that are needed now. Less damaging, less painful and faster recovery are all benefits of new lasik surgery techniques.

Fight Allergies with Vitamins

Allergies are abnormal reactions to normally harmless substances. The allergens can be inhaled, swallowed or come into contact with the skin.

Allergens that most frequently cause problems are: pollen, mold, dust, foods, animal dander, insect bites, insect spores, viruses and bacteria.

Normally the human body learns to defend itself though experience. That is by attacking a foreign substance that has invaded and harming the body by producing antibodies. The best know of these antibodies are called histamines. Some times the immune system mistakenly recognizes a foreign to be harmful when it is not. This can lead to the overproduction of histamines specially designed to destroy the specific foreign substance.

If the overproduction of the histamines is large enough the surrounding tissue is also damaged resulting in sneezing, a stuffy head, sniffing, stuffed-up head, red and watery eyes or a skin rash.

A person with Allergies is burdened with an overprotective immune system and is forever on guard against everyday things that don't bother the rest of us. It might be a cute affectionate kitten, a patch of green grass, to a slice of fresh garden tomato.

Some of us can roll in poison ivy and come out without any problems, while others can merely brush up against a few leaves of the stuff and there are scratching for weeks. In most cases, allergies are more annoying that debilitating but to the extreme allergy suffers life can be pure misery or even death.

There are five main types of Allergic Reactions:

Type 1.Foods, mold, animal dander, pollen, or dust can cause an immediate allergy attack. Whey your body responds to the invasion, your body releases histamine from the irritated area such as the skin, nasal and bronchial areas.

Type 2.Allergens combine with healthy cells in the your body and attack the health cells. This is common in upper gastro intestinal tack.

Type 3.Allergens invade the immune system and can cause injury to cells throughout the body.

Type 4.T-cells become activated and result in an inflammation of the effected area. An example of this is a rash caused by poison ivy.

Type 5.Instead of the antibodies binding to the cell components as they do in type 2 allergies the antibodies bind to the receptors on the surface of the cells.

We all carry a heavy load of various stress factors that slowly wear out our immune systems, over the years, making us more susceptible to allergy attacks. We are exposed to many more environmental pollutants and industrial toxins that ever before in history.

No mater what type of allergy you are suffering from their is a good chance that you can find relief from it. You can fight allergies with vitamins and over the counter products.

Common Vitamins and over the counter products can help with Allergies such as Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Pantothenic Acid, Glucosamine, Antioxidants, Allergy Aid, and Quercitin.

Vitamin A is a known antioxidant and can assist the human body in the healing process. Vitamin A is stored in the liver and fat cells of the human body and can reach toxic levels. DO NOT take more than the recommended dosage of Vitamin A.

Up to one-third of older people can no longer absorb Vitamin B from their food. Vitamin B is needed to form red blood cells and keep nerves healthy.

Vitamin C is nature's protective nutrient, essential for defending the body against pollution and infection and enhances the bodies immune system.

Beta Carotene protects the mucus membranes of the mouth, nose, throat and lungs. It also helps protect Vitamin C from oxidation, which enables it to perform at optimum efficiency.

Vitamin E protects the lung tissue from inhaled pollutants and aids in the functioning of the immune system.

Many find Pantothenic Acid to be very helpful against allergy symptoms. It is another form of nontoxic B vitamins. Pantothenic Acid is critical in the metabolism and synthesis of carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

Glucosamine is an anti-inflammatory and may give some relief from allergy symptoms.

Substances called antioxidants can neutralize free radical by pairing up or binding with the free radical elections thus inhibiting them from damaging cells in the human body.

Allergy Aid supplies 9 beneficial Herb's to help provide temporary relief of respiratory allergies. The natural action of these specific Herb's help to open bronchial tubes and ease breathing.

Quercitin is a well known flavonoid. Flavonoids are powerful antioxidants and can reduce inflammation boost the immune system and strengthen blood vessels and improve circulation. Quercitin is also known for its ability to block the release of histamines, thus reducing or preventing allergy symptoms.

Always consult your doctor before using this information.

This Article is nutritional in nature and is not to be construed as medical advice.

How Can I Lower My Blood Pressure

What is Blood Pressure?

When do we say that a person(s) is suffering with Blood Pressure?

Blood Pressure also called as Hypertension has become a very common among us these days. Blood Pressure in short called as B.P. is one's systolic pressure and diastolic pressure measurements. If we consult a doctor he wraps a band around our biceps and records the measurement for example:- 120/80. Here 120 is the systolic pressure and 80 is the diastolic pressure. One may be enigmatic over what are these systolic and diastolic pressures are? Let me explain you....

Systolic pressure is the force exerted by the heart on the blood vessels when it pumps blood whereas Diastolic pressure is the lowest pressure exerted by the blood on the walls of blood vessels when heart is relaxed. Both these measurements are important to make a note.

A person suffering from high values of these pressures is said to be having high B.P.

Well, with this understanding lets go deep and know the affects of B.P. But before that lets know the causes

Causes for B.P.?

Over Anxiety, Enormous Exercises, Nervousness are some of the causes to have high reading of the measurements(systolic and diastolic pressures).Before knowing the affect of each of the above causes lets know what happens if we neglect this?Neglecting this may hampers one's health. We may face premature strokes and also heart attacks. It is advised to consult a Physician when the you feel uncomfortable.

Now lets know each factor causing BP in detail

Every one has blood pressure and this varies from individual to individual. Some may have High value which causes health problems. Researchers say that there are some factors which we cannot be controlled on the other hand we also have some factors that we can control in order to keep it in limits. Are you thinking "how can i lower my blood pressure?" So, lets know what are those factors that we can control.

Exercise makes oneself Healthy. Regular exercise contribute for well being and healthy body. A scheduled work out like walking, jogging, swimming, cycling will keep your body fit.

Another important factor is food, What we eat? And How much we eat? is very much a important concern in keeping ourselves healthy. Eating a Fibre rich, Fat low, high protein and Low Cholesterol food such as vegetables like tomatoes, potatoes, mangoes, leafy vegetables, pulses etc., will make us healthy. Try to avoid junk food which disturbs your appetite.

Alcohol & Smoking are another important factors on which we can have a regulation. Over consumption of alcohol will affect the human health. We don't say you to stop consuming it completely but limit yourself to a peg or two. We know that Smoking is Injurious to Health. Smoking causes peripheral vascular disease as well as hardening of the arteries. So stop smoking and let your life go rocking.

Add Salt to taste in your food because Excessive usage of Salt in your diet increases B.P. It seems to be puzzling, but its a fact. Sodium is the major content in salt. The human adult needs 1teaspoon of table salt per day on an average this amount to an equivalent of approximately 2 to 3 grams of salt. A low-sodium diet may decrease the likelihood of heart or kidney disease and stroke and also B.P.

Saving Money on Blood Pressure Medication

For years, people who have been troubled by both high blood pressure and diabetic kidney problems have believed that the more expensive blood pressure medications gave them an added benefit in the form of protection for their kidneys. So, they tended to spend extra dollars on expensive blood pressure medications even though cheaper generic equivalents were available. The less expensive generics, they were being told by their doctors, did less to help keep their kidneys healthy.

But a recent study on medications and their relationship to kidney health has cast doubt on conventional wisdom.

The study, conducted in the United Kingdom, suggests that the more expensive medications offer no more benefit to the kidneys than the less expensive generics. The real key, the study seems to say, is finding a medication that brings blood pressure down.

Dr. Raymond MacAllister at the Centre for Clinical Pharmacology at University College in London was quoted by HealthDay Reporter as saying, "In patients with high blood pressure who are at risk of progressive kidney disease -- particularly diabetics -- it doesn't matter which drug you use, provided you get good control of the blood pressure."

The current guidelines for treating blood pressure in patients with kidney disease, especially diabetics, calls for the use of two types of drugs -- angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin-II receptor blockers (ARB). These are considered to be first-line medications to help lower blood pressure in those who have diabetic kidney disease. For several years, medical professionals have assumed that these drugs have specific protective effects for the kidneys, beyond their ability to lower blood pressure.

But the study done my MacAllister's group and published in the December 10, 2005 issue of The Lancet questions such assumptions.

The British team looked at evidence supporting the use of ACE inhibitors and ARBs as first-line treatment for patients with kidney disease. They reviewed and examined results from 127 trials that investigated blood pressure-lowering drugs on the progression of kidney disease.

They found that ACE inhibitors and ARBs fared no better than other blood pressure-lowering drugs in preventing diabetic kidney disease. It was also unclear if these two drug classes were more effective in patients with non diabetic kidney disease.

McAllister also noted that the study would not come as welcome news to some pharmaceutical companies.

But it will certainly please consumers who are already strapped and struggling with the high cost of blood pressure and kidney disease medications.