High blood pressure (hypertension) has become a major health concern in today’s stressful fast paced society.  One third of Americans have high blood pressure and as more women have entered the fast paced corporate environment, more women are starting to experience this condition. Actually, about half of those with high blood pressure are not even aware they have the condition.  That’s serious because high blood pressure causes more than 70,000 deaths a year and is directly related to 350,000 additional deaths from stroke.  It is commonly called the "silent killer" because in many cases there are no symptoms.  But it is a serious condition that can increase the potential for heart attack, heart failure, and kidney failure.  It can also cause hardening of the arteries, damage to the heart, and damage to the blood vessels.

So how do we get high blood pressure ?  Over time, our consumption of high fat meals has resulted in clogging of our arteries plus an accumulation of fat.  This condition is caused by a deficiency of calcium, magnesium, and fiber.  Also our propensity for consuming fast foods and our lack of exercise are not helping the situation. 

But fast foods are not the only villains. There are other villains like a high sugar diet, grain fed red meat, excessive salt, excessive alcohol, smoking, being around smokers, and too much caffeine.  All these contribute to thickened blood with excessive mucous and waste plus insulin resistance resulting from poor sugar metabolism. 

It has been proven through extensive research that people with high blood pressure who make a concerted effort to make healthy lifestyle changes have shown more improvement than their counterparts who relied on blood pressure prescription drugs.  Those who follow a vegetarian diet have fewer high blood pressure issues also.

If the idea of following a vegetarian diet does not appeal to you and you want to avoid prescription drugs, try supplements.  Try Potassium 300mg, garlic (Kyolic Formula 105 2 caps, Hawthorn 510mg x2, Reishi Mushroom 600mg x 2, Olive Leaf Extract 500mg x 2, and Rosemary 400mg x 2.  Start with one and increase by one until you find the right combination.

The ideal blood pressure is 120 over 80.  The 120 is called the systolic and represents the pressure exerted when the heart pumps.  The 80 is called the diastolic and that represents the residual pressure exerted when the heart rests between beats.  A reading of 140 over 90 is classified as hypertension.  If the diastolic (bottom number) goes over 105, severe hypertension is indicated. 

When you go the doctor’s office, the standard procedure is for the nurse to check your blood pressure.  So how often do you go to the doctor’s office ?   If you’re a man it’s probably once a year or longer.  A lot can change in a year or two.  Men and women should keep regular tabs on their blood pressure.  Don’t wait for the doctor’s nurse to check it, check it yourself.  Home blood pressure kits can be purchased at your local drug store or even at your local supermarket.  Home blood pressure kits range in price from $20.00 to about $75.00, they are more accurate as the price goes up. 

If you elect to purchase the least expensive kit, take it to the doctor’s office the next time you go and compare his reading with you home kit.  Actually testing your blood pressure at home is more reliable than testing at the doctor’s office because people often become anxious when visiting a doctor’s office which would result in a higher than normal reading.  Also driving to the doctor’s office in congested traffic will cause your blood pressure to rise.  When you test yourself at home you are more relaxed and a more accurate reading can be achieved. 

A high percentage of high blood pressure cases are preventable without the use of drugs.  A good fat free and low salt diet can be highly effective in controlling high blood pressure.  Also drinking 8-8oz glasses of steam distilled bottle water a day will balance your body salt.  When your body feels dehydrated, it reacts by retaining sodium to reduce any further water loss which starts an endless cycle of craving for salt which your blood pressure and keep it within the acceptable range.

                              Remember those words, "The Silent Killer".