High blood pressure or hypertension is defined in an adult as blood pressure greater than 140 mm Hg systolic pressure or greater than 90 mm Hg diastolic pressure.
The silent killer
It can be dangerous. There are usually no warning signs in the early stages. Although you may not feel anything, untreated high blood pressure gradually damages your body organs.
It can also cause heart failure. Here, heart muscles become so weak that your heart cannot pump enough blood for your whole body.
Over the long term, untreated high blood pressure can either burst blood vessels or cause them to gradually narrow and become blocked. In both situations, blood flow stops. Depending on which blood vessels are affected, it can cause
* stroke
* heart attack
* kidney failure
* and even blindness.
High blood pressure treatment
In most cases, the mainstay of high blood pressure treatment is medication. This treatment is very important. You must consult your doctor for drug prescription first before taking any herbs for high blood pressure
Medications reduce blood pressure quickly and keep it down. However it doesn't cure the disease. If you haven't improved your diet and lifestyle, your blood pressure will shoot up again when medication is discontinued.
Common allopathic medicines and its side effect
There are 4 main types of medication for high blood pressure treatment:
1. Beta blockers
Function: Directly reduce the force and speed of contraction of the heart. They may also have direct effect on body's master controls, the central nervous system.
Example: propanolol (Inderal), metoprolol (Lopressor), atenolol (Tenormin), bisoprolol (Zebeta) and carvedilol (Coreg).
Side effects: sleep disturbances, sedation, impotence, cardiac disturbances, asthma.
2. Diuretics
Function: Make it difficult for the kidneys to retain water and salt, which are then filtered out into the urine. It increases the amount of urine and reduces the amount of fluid in the bloodstream, and hence lowers the pressure on artery walls.
It's like turning on a second faucet in your house and watching the water pressure drop in the first. Not a subtle mechanism but it works.
Example: furesamide (Lasix), chlorothiazide (Diuril), and spironolactone (Aldactone).
Side effects: low potassium (leading to symptoms such as dry mouth, excessive thirst, weak or irregular heartbeat, muscle pain or cramps), impotence, high sugar level in urine, hypersensitivity.
3. ACE inhibitors
Function: block the production of angiotensin II, a chemical the body produces to raise blood pressure.
Example: benazepril (Lotensin), captopril (Capoten), enalapril (Vasotec), fosinopril (Monopril).
Side effects: kidney damage and reduction in number of white blood cells (leading to an increased susceptibility to infection),
4. Calcium channel blockersThe most widely prescribed drugs in the United States today.
Function: Act by dilating the arteries and reducing resistance to the flow of blood.
Example: amlodipine (Norvasc), bepridil (Vascor), nifedipine (Adalat), felodipine (Plendil), verapamil (Calan, Covera-HS, Isoptin, Verelan).
Side effects: Dizziness, fatigue, flushing, fluid retention and swelling, headache and palpitations.
Since high blood pressure medication is for long term, can you withstand those side effects? Some people understand this. So they avoid taking any hypertension pill. This is even more dangerous!
A better alternative is to follow doctor's advice on proper medication first. Once your condition is controlled, you can use herbs for high blood pressure such as Ganoderma Lucidum for long term improvement.
Ganoderma detoxification ability helps to neutralize toxics from medication. Therefore, it reduces side effects from drug medication, protects your liver and kidney.
How Ganoderma improve high blood pressure
One of the causes for hypertension is the accumulation of fats and cholesterol in blood vessel wall. In adapting to narrowed blood vessels, the heart pumps harder resulting in higher blood pressure.
The Triterpenes in Ganoderma Lucidum herb effectively clears blood vessel blockage by reducing accumulated fatty substances such as cholesterol and triglycerides.
Ganoderma's Adenosine Monophosphate (AMP) can dissolve thrombus (blood clot) and further helps to remove blood vessel blockage.
Ganoderma Lucidum herb makes the blood flows smoother, reducing the stress on your heart. Thus it helps in lowering high blood pressure naturally.
Blood pressure stabilizer
Sometimes your heart may pump too hard and too fast because of substances like alcohol and chemicals found in cigarettes. This is another reason for hypertension.
Ganoderma herb can stabilize the pumping force of your heart. As an adaptogenic herb, it has unique ability to:
* reduce high blood pressure when your heart pump too hard
* and increase low blood pressure when your heart is weaker.
Besides improving hypertension, Ganoderma Lucidum even helps to maintain a stable blood pressure for long term. It effectively acts as preventive herbs for high blood pressure.
Other natural ways to control hyper tension
Keep in mind the following points even you're taking medications and herbs for high blood pressure.
1. Keep your weight within the healthy weight range
2. Take less fat and cholesterol food
3. Eat less salt
4. Drink less alcohol
5. Take more fiber
6. Exercise regularly
7. Don't smoke
8. Manage stress and anger better
for more details on how to reduce hyper tension with ganoderma mail at dr.ayur@yahoo.co.in
ganoderma is really amazing Ayurvedic Medicine
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