High Blood Pressure

Extra! Extra! Health Tip Week July 19-23, 2010

High Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of your arteries as it circulates in your body. High blood pressure occurs when blood vessels become narrow or stiff, forcing your heart to pump harder to push blood through your body. When the force of the blood against your artery walls becomes too high, you are said to have high blood pressure or hypertension.

How Are You Tested?

Your blood pressure is measured with a blood pressure cuff around your upper arm. The cuff is pumped up and then let down while a health practitioner listens for a pulse sound. The systolic pressure  (top number ) is the pressure when the heart is beating. The diastolic blood pressure (bottom number) is the pressure when the heart is resting between beats. Healthy blood pressure numbers are 130/80 or less.

Causes of High Blood Pressure:

• Heredity
• Race
• Age
• Obesity
• Lack of exercise
• Excessive alcohol use
• Too much dietary salt
• Oral contraceptives
• Gender (higher in women)
• Other diseases ( chronic kidney disease)

Treatment for High Blood Pressure:

• Change lifestyle - eating healthier, exercise, weight loss, avoiding salt and fat, omit alcohol and nicotine
• Medications

Brief information on what is high blood pressure, where does it come from, and how  you can I treat it. Remember information is power for more information go to http://www.kidney.org/  or http://www.webmd.com/

Live well
Doc V