Article 3208-Cholesterol and Hypertension

Medical Advisor Journals----Cholesterol Levels & Hypertension Articles Written By Friends and Authors of Ezine Articles.Com

2008-08-24T06:01:00.000-07:00

What is Normal Blood Pressure and Ways to Go About Achieving It
By Jan Oliver

"What is normal blood pressure?" This is a common query asked by those who suffer from unnatural blood pressure. Normal blood pressure, expressed in mm Hg readings, contain two numbers. In order to understand what normal is, you need to understand what the two numbers mean.

When a health care professional takes your blood pressure, they put a cuff around your arm and manually or mechanically pump the cuff to full inflation. They slowly release the air as they listen to the sound of blood coursing through your veins. The level of mm Hg or millimeters of Mercury is what the professional records when they first hear the beat caused by the heart pumping blood. This number is the systolic level and the upper number in the equation that determines your blood pressure.

The health care professional continues to listen until they no longer hear the beat. As the pressure in the cuff drops gradually, they will no longer hear the heart pump eventually and they record this number. This is the resting pressure or diastolic pressure and bottom number of the equation.

If your heart beats 70 times per minute over the course of the day, it accomplishes 100,800 beats in a single day! Various conditions, both normal and abnormal make the heart beat harder. Some of these are stress, which creates the hormone adrenaline that constricts the blood vessels in certain parts of the body in preparation for circumstances such as 'fight or flight', arterial blockage, and reduction of vessel elasticity.

When your blood pressure reading is between 90 to 120 for the upper measurement or systolic reading, and the lower number is 60 to 79 for the diastolic reading, your blood pressure is normal.

Higher blood pressure exists and is broken down according to the severity of the reading. Prehypertension begins when the blood pressure for the systolic reading is higher than 120 but no higher than 139 or the diastolic pressure is between 80 to 89. This level is a warning that you need to make serious changes in your lifestyle to reduce potential damage and further increase in blood pressure.

Level 1 high hypertension exists when either the systolic pressure is 140 to 159 or the diastolic pressure is 90 to 99. This level is serious and often requires medication, weight loss or exercise if doctors can find no underlying problem causing the increased pressure.

Anything higher than these numbers is level 2 hypertension. When your blood pressure reaches these levels, you are in imminent danger for stroke, kidney failure or coronary problems.

Over long periods of time, the increased blood pressure creates changes in the blood vessels and other parts of the body that lead to severe debilitating diseases and can lead to a higher risk of both mortality and morbidity.

You can take steps to reduce your blood pressure if you find it to be unnaturally high. Seek professional help immediately. Prescription drugs may be necessary to initially control the hypertension, but a change in lifestyle is the best method for reducing the blood pressure levels.

• Increase your physical activity. Whenever you begin an exercise program, work with your physician to design a program that manages to increase your heart rate without putting too much strain on it.. Increased fitness reduces blood pressure numbers.
• Lose weight.
• Reduce cholesterol and plaque build up in the vessels
• RELAX! Stress, particularly unresolved stress, creates high blood pressure
• Change your diet. There are several food that actually lower your cholesterol and reduce your weight, factors for hypertension.

Hopefully, after reading this article, you will no longer be wondering, "What is normal blood pressure?" Instead, we hope that you are on your way to leading a healthier and more fulfilling life.

Jan Oliver is an academic, writer and researcher in Natural Health. Discover the genuine natural ways on how to lower blood pressure today. Click Here to get your free report on lowering your blood pressure!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jan_Oliver

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Causes For Men's Health Issues

2008-07-04T16:54:00.000-07:00

Top 10 Causes For Men's Health Issues
By Dan S Carter

According to the researcher who Keep up with the statistics on these matter there could have been a lot of lives saves had they taken some preventive steps to take better care to have symptoms diagnose early.

These are the 10 leading killers of American men in 2003, the most recent year for which these statistics are available from the CDC:
Rank Cause Percentage of male deaths
1 Heart disease 28.0
2 Cancer 24.0
3 Unintentional injuries 5.9
4 Stroke 5.1
5 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) 5.1
6 Diabetes 2.9
7 Influenza and pneumonia 2.4
8 Suicide 2.1
9 Kidney disease 1.7
10 Alzheimer's disease 1.5
Total 78.7

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2003

While unclear men have a shorter life span than women. Heredity, male sex hormones play there roles, affecting characteristics as bodies mature. Fat distribution although not specifically targeted to men. Men are more likely to accumulate fat around the abdomen which is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and stroke. Women, on the other hand, are more likely to put on extra weight around the hips, While unhealthy, this type of fat distribution is not linked as closely to potentially fatal conditions.

CDC statistics show men are more likely to smoke, drink, use illicit drugs and engage in casual sex than are women - all of which can increase their risk of serious diseases. Males are also more likely to take risks and behave aggressively, which may partly explain why they have a higher risk of dying from accidents, suicide and homicide. Young men are especially at risk. In young men, accidents, suicide and homicide are among the most frequent causes of death. In young and middle-aged men, AIDS is on the top 10 list.

Socially male behavior also may predispose men to premature death. While experts are continually working to understand the underlying causes of death in men, one thing is clear: By recognizing the leading threats to your life, you can take steps to reduce your risks - and avoid the leading causes of death. No. 1 - Heart disease

According to the American Heart Association, in 2004, over 410,000 men died of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in both sexes. Because men usually develop heart disease 10 to 15 years earlier than women do, they're more likely to die of it in the prime of life. About one-fourth of all heart-disease-related deaths occur in men ages 35 to 65.

You can reduce your risk of heart disease by making healthier lifestyle choices and getting appropriate treatment for other conditions that can increase your risk of coronary artery disease, such as high cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure. Some preventive measures you can take:

* Don't smoke or use other tobacco products.

* Eat a varied diet rich in fruits and vegetables, and avoid high-fat foods.

* Maintain a healthy weight.

* Get at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week.

* Have your cholesterol tested.

* If you have diabetes, keep your blood sugar under control.

* Get regular blood pressure checks.

* Take a daily dose of aspirin, if your doctor OKs it.

This article on touches on the health issues that men are facing, so by reading this and other health related topic on taking care of yourself to live a healthier life you can greatly improve your chances of avoiding some of the leading causes of early conception of getting one of these diseases.

As with most things that affect people lives are there attitudes. Use your seat belt every time you drive. Don't exceed speed limits. Don't drive after drinking alcohol. Don't drive while sleepy or under the influence of drugs. Men are more likely to take and aggressive attitude when face taking negative action of doing some safety precaution to avoid being in a incident that could be life threatening than women facing these situation.

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