Hypertension and The Colon

Controlling Hypertension (high blood pressure) Could Save Your Life

Around 1 billion people world wide have it, it’s responsible for approximately 62% of strokes and around half of the heart attacks each year. It’s estimated that at least one third of the people walking around with it don’t even realize they have it!

Often referred to as the “Silent Killer”, hypertension contributes to millions of deaths each year. It causes heart disease, heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure. And, no one is immune to it, not even children.

The heart pumps blood through the arteries and into the body using pressure. Each heartbeat creates a rise and fall in the pressure at which the blood flows. Your blood pressure is the measurement of the force at which the blood pushes against the walls of the arteries as it travels through the body.

Blood pressure is measured in two ways, diastolic and systolic. The top number is the systolic pressure, it’s the measurement of the pressure created as the heart pumps. The diastolic pressure is measured by the bottom number and it’s the pressure that is evident between each heartbeat.

As the heart works harder to keep up with the force at which the blood needs to travel within the body, it causes damage. The heart becomes over worked and weakened and the arteries are damaged by the excessive pressure on artery walls. It affects the kidneys and literally every part of the body.

The correct name for high blood pressure is hypertension. It is known as a silent killer because generally there aren’t any symptoms. It’s estimated that approximately one third of the people suffering from hypertension don’t realize that they have it! It lurks silently in your body slowing destroying it!

In most instances there aren’t any symptoms associated with hypertension. Symptoms usually occur only when your blood pressure levels are extremely high. You may experience headaches, blurred vision, irregular heartbeat, chest pain or find it hard to breathe. Although, these same symptoms could occur for a variety of reasons other than hypertension.

Other medical problems such as gland disorders and genetics play a role in the development of hypertension. However, in an estimated 90 to 95 percent the cause of high blood pressure is unknown. In these cases it’s referred to as primary hypertension, when a cause can be diagnosed, it’ called secondary hypertension.

There are many factors that may contribute to the development of hypertension and many originate from an unhealthy lifestyle. A diet high in salt content, being overweight and smoking and alcohol consumption are all attributed to causing high blood pressure. Even being under a lot of stress can be a determining factor.

The only real way to find out if you have hypertension is to have regular checkups with your doctor. An occasional high or low blood pressure reading can be expected, as things like stress and even medications can cause it to fluctuate. However, regular high readings indicate there is a problem and you should begin treatment right away.

Hypertension can usually be controlled with the proper medication and a change in lifestyle. Too often people see it as a minor problem and neglect to take medications and change their routines. Hypertension is a very serious medical problem and keeping it under control could literally be a matter of life and death!