What is high blood pressure (hypertension)?

High blood pressure or hypertension, means high pressure (tension) in the arteries. Arteries are vessels that carry blood from the pumping heart to all the tissues and organs of the body. High blood pressure does not mean excessive emotional tension, although emotional tension and stress can temporarily increase blood pressure.

Normal blood pressure is below 120/80 mm Hg.
Blood pressure between 120-129/80 is elevated blood pressure
Blood pressure of 130/80 or above is considered high.

The American Academy of Cardiology defines blood pressure ranges as:
Hypertension stage 1: 130-139 or 80-89 mm Hg.
Hypertension stage 2: 140 or higher, or 90 mm Hg. or higher.

The top number, which is the systolic blood pressure, corresponds to the pressure in the arteries as the heart contracts and pumps blood into the arteries. The bottom number, the diastolic pressure, represents the pressure in the arteries as the heart relaxes after the contraction. The diastolic pressure reflects the lowest pressure to which the arteries are exposed.

An elevation of the systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure increases the risk of developing heart (cardiac) disease, kidney (renal) disease, hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis or arteriosclerosis), eye damage, and stroke (brain damage). These complications of hypertension are often referred to as end-organ damage because damage to these organs is the end result of chronic (long duration) high blood pressure. For that reason, the diagnosis of high blood pressure is important so efforts can be made to normalize blood pressure and prevent complications.

It was previously thought that rises in diastolic blood pressure were a more important risk factor than systolic elevations, but it is now known that in people 50 years of age and older systolic hypertension represents a greater risk.

The American Heart Association estimates high blood pressure affects approximately one in three adults in the U.S. High blood pressure also is estimated to affect about two million U.S. teens and children, and the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that many are under-diagnosed. Hypertension is clearly a major public health problem.

The DASH diet was developed in the early 1990s. It's purpose? To study and identify a food-based strategy to lower blood pressure naturally. A DASH diet eating plan includes eating more beans, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and non or low-fat dairy.

* How can high blood pressure be lowered naturally?
Lifestyle modifications refer to certain specific recommendations for changes in habits, diet and exercise. These modifications can lower the blood pressure as well as improve a patient's response to blood pressure medications.

Alcohol
People who drink alcohol excessively (over two drinks per day*) have a one and a half to two times increase in the prevalence of hypertension. The association between alcohol and high blood pressure is particularly noticeable when alcohol intake exceeds five drinks per day. The connection is a dose-related phenomenon. In other words, the more alcohol consumed, the stronger is the link with hypertension.

*The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism considers a standard drink to be 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits. Each contains roughly the same amount of absolute alcohol -- approximately one-half ounce or 12 grams.

Smoking
Although smoking increases the risk of vascular complications (for example, heart disease and stroke) in people who already have hypertension, it is not associated with an increase in the development of hypertension. But cigarette smoking can repeatedly produce an immediate, temporary rise in the blood pressure of 5 to10 mm Hg. Steady smokers however, may have a lower blood pressure than nonsmokers. The reason for this is that nicotine in cigarettes causes a decrease in appetite, which leads to weight loss. This, in turn, lowers blood pressure.