Hypertension

Check Your Blood Pressure Regularly As You Grieve

I try to take care of myself and most of the time I do a good job of it. Getting an annual physical exam is part of my self-care plan. My exam started yesterday and the test results were excellent: very low cholesterol and a normal heart rate of 72 beats per minute. Though I had gained 10 pounds, my weight was still in the normal range.

But my blood pressure was dangerously high. A nurse took a reading just before I saw my doctor. “Your blood pressure is 200,” she said, “and that’s not good.”

My doctor took another reading after my exam and the number was even higher. “We have to get you on medication right away,” she said. “Fill these prescriptions on the way home.” She asked if I could identify the causes of high blood pressure.

“Two years of non-stop stress have caught up with me,” I replied. I cited some of the causes of stress: losing four loved ones (including my daughter), within nine months, dozens of secondary losses, not selling my daughter’s house, raising my twin grandchildren, compiling guardianship reports for the court, and the challenge of getting my grandchildren through college and graduate school. No wonder I was stressed. Read more…

Can We Tackle High Blood Pressure Through Juicing?

Specific natural foods work well when juicing for high blood pressure. If you are currently taking medication to treat your condition, It is best to talk over juicing for this purpose with your doctor first.

Hypertension, A Growing Problem

As many as 85-95% of those affect by hypertension have no known cause for their problems. Called primary hypertension this form is generally affected by stress, sex, age, obesity, family medical history, diet and ethnicity. Many of these things are out of our hands but diet and obesity can be controlled and stress can be reduced by making changes in what affects stress levels in our lives.

Controlling Weight

Juicing can help with weight loss and helping to maintain healthy weight. Often high pressure is brought on by being overweight and stressing the bodies ability to manage itself and its systems. In the case of juicing, weight loss helps the vascular system which then helps to lower blood pressure. Many foods that are used in juicing are naturally lower is salts and sugars, two elements that are largely responsible for the weight gain in the first place. Read more…