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High Blood Pressure Guide
| Name | Craig Weber, M.D. | |
| High Blood Pressure Guide | ||
| Biography | Public Profile | |
Dr. Weber belongs to our network of Guides from our parent company, About.com. In addition to providing Calorie Count Plus with articles, reviews, and tutorials, Guides also maintain their own GuideSites on About.com with in-depth information on each one of their areas of specialization. To learn more about Dr. Weber and his background, see his Calorie Count Plus biography page.
Articles
| High Blood Pressure Basics Articles on High Blood Pressure. |
| Symptoms of High Blood Pressure High blood pressure is a rather unique condition because, unlike most diseases, it has no identifying symptoms. For this reason, blood pressure is commonly referred to as the silent killer. While having a cold will make your nose stuffy, and heart problems may make you weak or cause pain, high blood pressure can exist for years without any noticeable signs. People with high blood pressure typically continue their normal lives unaware that there is anything wrong. |
| Diagnosis Facts to Know The actual blood pressure readings used to make a diganosis of high blood pressure have a great deal of influence on the first steps a doctor will take in treating the disease. |
| Before You Begin Treatment All high blood pressure should be treated. What the treatment actually consists of, and what elements are required to complete it, varies depending on the class and stage to which the high blood pressure belongs. |
| Age & High Blood Pressure Age is a recognized risk factor for high blood pressure. While a great deal is understood about the contribution of age to overall risk profile, the issue remains complicated and there is continued debate about several key points. |
| Ethnicity & High Blood Pressure Ethnic background plays an important, but as yet not fully defined, role in the development of high blood pressure. Ethnicity is included in almost all lists of high blood pressure risk factors, and there are likely some underlying genetic components that have yet to be clearly identified. Still, the exact risk contributed by ethnicity is not totally agreed upon by major researchers, with some claiming a high level of risk and some claiming that ethnicity is a factor because it is linked to other variables that can affect outcome. |
| Making Sense of Family History Family history refers to the presence or absence of a specific disease or illness in your relatives. If your grandmother had high blood pressure, then you have a "positive family history" for high blood pressure. |
| Top 3 High Blood Pressure Diet: Foods to Avoid The topic of dietary recommendations in the setting of high blood pressure is an interesting one. On one hand, it is exceedingly complex and has been the continued focus of research for the better part of three decades. On the other hand, the vast majority of dietary recommendations for high blood pressure are exceedingly similar to healthy diet recommendations in general. |
| Can Potassium Prevent High Blood Pressure? An adequate daily intake of potassium may be an important part of preventing high blood pressure. This idea was first explored in genetically engineered rats, whose incidence of stroke greatly declined when they were fed a diet rich in potassium. Because high blood pressure is the major risk factor for stroke, scientists suspected that the potassium was working to decrease the rats' blood pressure. This suspicion was ultimately shown to be true, and further research demonstrated that potassium has similar protective effects in humans. Today, we know that people with a low dietary intake of potassium (less than 40mEq/day) have increased risk for developing high blood pressure and for suffering a stroke. |
| Can Moderate Alcohol Consumption Prevent High Blood Pressure? A great deal of popular media coverage over the past decade has given rise to a common conception that alcohol, when consumed in moderation, conveys certain health benefits, especially for the heart and cardiovascular system. This idea is not new, and was first introduced to the medical literature hundreds of years ago by a doctor who noticed that French people suffered chest pain less often than Irish people and speculated that this may be because of French habits and mode of living. |
| Can Magnesium Prevent High Blood Pressure? Magnesium is a naturally occurring mineral, and is essential for proper functioning of the human body. In fact, more than 300 biochemical processes directly depend on magnesium. While magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the human body, very little actually circulates in the blood or other tissues. Instead, most of the body's store of magnesium is locked up in the hard outer layer of our bones. We obtain magnesium through the foods we eat it is absorbed in the small intestine and excess amounts are excreted by the kidneys. In the past few years, there has been an increased interest in the possible role that magnesium may play in preventing and managing conditions like high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. |
| The DASH Diet for High Blood Pressure Developed by the National Institutes of Health in coordination with researches from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) represents the most effective, most researched guide to dietary changes for high blood pressure. |
| Omega-3 Fatty Acids Definition: Omega-3 fatty acids are a specific type of unsaturated fat that the body cannot manufacture on its own, so they must be obtained from food. There are three types of Omega-3 fatty acids that are important in human metabolism. These are: |
| The Link Between High Blood Pressure & Heart Attacks Your heart is a muscle. Like all muscles in your body, it can only work properly if it has A constant supply of oxygen Reserves of energy and nutrients A way to remove harmful waste products When any of these things are interrupted, the heart can be damaged and lose its ability to effectively pump blood. A heart attack happens when, for various reasons, the supply of oxygen to the heart is interrupted. |
| High Blood Pressure and Stroke According to the American Heart Association, almost 5 million people suffer some form of stroke each year. Of these, up to 70% can be directly linked to existing high blood pressure, making high blood pressure the single most important controllable stroke risk factor, especially in the elderly. |
| Do Some People Really Have High Blood Pressure Only in the Doctor's Office? The phenomenon of high blood pressure which occurs only at the doctor's office is called whitecoat hypertension. |
| Which High Blood Pressure Medicine is the Best? High blood pressure treatment consists of several distinct, but related, types of actions. Typically, these include: |
| Top 5 Special Types of High Blood Pressure Top 5 Special Types of High Blood Pressure. |
| Top 10 Changes to American Heart Association Guidelines The American Heart Association, or AHA, is considered the final authority when it comes to making policy decisions regarding treatment for cardiovascular diseases. The treatment of diseases like high blood pressure, heart disease, and high cholesterol is guided by a set of general recommendations that the AHA publishes. Recently, these official guidelines were updated to include new research information, and several important changes were made, especially with regard to heart health in women. Here are the 10 most important changes in the newly updated AHA guidelines. |
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