Blood pressure is the force of the blood pushing the walls of the arteries that carry blood from the heart to all body tissues and organs. Each time the heart beats (about 60-70 times a minute at rest), it pumps out blood into the arteries creating some pressure. Blood pressure is highest when the heart contracts and blood is pumped. This is called systolic pressure. When the heart is at rest, in between beats, blood pressure persists, but decreases. This is the diastolic pressure. These two figures, systolic and diastolic pressures, usually denote blood pressure.
Different actions may increase or decrease your blood pressure. For example, if you run for a bus, your blood pressure goes up. When you sleep at night, your blood pressure goes down. These changes in blood pressure are common.
However, some people have blood pressure that stays up most of the time. In your case, if it is high, you can take steps to lower it. Just as important, if your blood pressure is normal, you can keep it from going high. If untreated, high blood pressure can lead to serious medical problems, like:
• Arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries): High blood pressure harms the arteries by making them thick and stiff. This increases cholesterol and fat in the blood vessels, which prevents the blood from flowing through the body, and in due course, can lead to a heart attack.
• Heart attack: When the arteries that transport blood to the heart get blocked, the heart doesn’t get sufficient oxygen. Reduced blood flow can cause chest pain (angina). Ultimately, this ‘block’ may stop the blood flow completely, leading to a heart attack.
• Heart enlargement: High blood pressure makes the heart work harder over time. This causes the heart lining to thicken and stretch. Finally, the normal function of the heart fails, causing fluids to flood into the lungs. This manifests in the form of breathlessness.
• Kidney damage: The kidney acts as a filter and clears the body of wastes. High blood pressure, over a period, can narrow and thicken the blood vessels in the kidney. The kidney filters less fluid, and waste builds up in the blood. This may lead to a kidney failure.
• Stroke: High blood pressure can harm the arteries, causing them to narrow faster. If a blood clot blocks one of the narrowed arteries, a stroke may occur. A stroke can also occur when very high pressure causes a rupture in a weakened blood vessel in the brain.
For most people, there is no known cause of high blood pressure. This type of high blood pressure is called primary or essential hypertension. As the cause is not known, there is no satisfactory “cure” for this type of blood pressure. However, in most cases, it can be controlled.
In a few people, high blood pressure can be traced to a known cause like tumors of the adrenal gland, chronic kidney disease, hormone abnormalities, use of birth control pills, or pregnancy. This is called secondary hypertension. This type is usually cured if its cause is known and corrected.
Self-Help Guidelines
• Maintain a healthy weight: As your body weight increases, your blood pressure rises. In fact, being overweight can make you two to six times more likely to develop high blood pressure than if you are at a desirable weight. Losing weight means changing eating habits and increasing physical activity. Avoid or limit cheese, ghee, hydrogenated (vanaspati) oils, all types of meats and sugars. Prefer cereals, pulses, vegetables, and fruits, which are rich sources of soluble fiber.
• Be physically active: An undesirable characteristic of modern life that distinguishes it from the past is the low level of physical activity. Epidemiological studies have suggested that sedentary lifestyle associated with overweight contribute to atherosclerotic arterial disease. Sweeping, window washing, washing vessels, bathing children, washing clothes, gardening, cutting grass, harvesting, walking up the stairs, plumbing, wood cutting, house building, carpentry, brisk walking, and games such as baseball, golf, volleyball, cycling, table tennis, swimming, horse riding—all these physical activities expend energy, improve blood circulation and tone up the muscles.
• Restrict foods rich in salt: Extra salt taken in the diet is retained and is likely to precipitate hypertension. Intake of as little as three grams a day is probably both safe and adequate for healthy adults. Common salt contains sodium chloride. Sodium keeps the body fluids in balance. Since sodium is widely distributed in natural foods, salt itself is not an essential food item. Charaka Samhita, the treatise of ayurveda, in vimaanasthaana, provides justification for not using salt in excess. You can blend herbs, spices, and salt-free seasoning blends for cooking, instead of salt. Spice your meat, poultry, fish and vegetables with appropriate items such as nutmeg, garlic, clove, curry powder, ginger, onion, pepper, mustard, lemon juice, tamarind juice, coriander, and pudina.
• Avoid alcohol, smoking and mental stress: You may have heard that an adequate quantity of alcohol is good for your heart. However, too much alcohol contributes to a host of other health problems, such as diseases of the liver and pancreas, damage to the brain and heart, and increased risk of many cancers, and fetal alcohol syndrome. Alcohol increases blood pressure and heavy drinking weakens the heart muscle. Avoid smoking. While smoking is not directly related to high blood pressure, it increases your risk of heart attack and stroke. Avoid a stressful lifestyle. It is a well-established fact that ambitious and aggressive personalities are more prone to cardiovascular diseases and hypertension.
Ayurvedic Remedies
• Recent scientific studies reveal that reasonable doses of onion and garlic are beneficial. They decrease blood lipids and glucose and increase clot dissolution. Garlic lowers blood pressure, by relaxing the smooth muscles of the blood vessels, allowing them to dilate. Both garlic and onions contain adenosine, the smooth muscle relaxant. Additionally, onions contain small amounts of prostaglandin Al and E, substances with blood-pressure-lowering effect. While using onion, do not discard the outer skin as the fibers from onion skin are proved to possess potent fat-lowering properties. Both raw and cooked garlic and onions can benefit blood pressure, although raw garlic is thought to be more potent. You can make garlic paste and take one to three grams along with buttermilk.
• Sarpagandha is the most common herb that is used by the ayurvedic physicians to treat high blood pressure. The root of this plant is used as medicine. Allopathic system also uses this drug by isolating alkaloids. However, these alkaloids, when taken alone for a long time, may produce some adverse effects. Such undesirable effects are not found when the whole herb is used.
• One teaspoonful of onion juice along with honey taken twice daily is very beneficial for hypertension. Four teaspoonfuls of cow’s urine taken early in the morning for 15 days, can cure hypertension, according to anecdotal reference.
• Chandraprabhaa-vati, Chandrakala-ras, Javaharmohra-pishti are some of the important ayurvedic medicines that are used to treat high blood pressure. Specific ayurvedic therapeutic procedures such as Siro-dhaara, Siro-vasti, abhyanga help reduce anxiety thereby lowering the blood pressure. By the use of these therapies, the patient sleeps soundly at night and the blood pressure gradually comes down.