Have High Blood Pressure?

An estimated over 40 million Americans have high blood pressure. Are you one of them? Nearly one-third of everyone that has high blood pressure don't even know they have it. In fact, many people have high blood pressure for years without knowing it. This is why high blood pressure is often called the "silent killer." The only way to tell if you have high blood pressure is to have your blood pressure checked.

Why Treat High Blood Pressure?

High blood pressure increases your chance, or risk, for getting heart disease, kidney disease, and for having a stroke. High blood pressure is extremely dangerous because it often has no warning signs or symptoms. Regardless of race, age, or gender, anyone can develop high blood pressure.

High Blood Pressure Symptoms

Usually, no symptoms are present. Occasionally, you may experience a mild headache. If your headache is severe, or if you experience any of the symptoms below, you must be seen by a doctor right away. These may be a sign of dangerously high blood pressure (called malignant hypertension) or a complication from high blood pressure.

• Tiredness
• Confusion
• Dizziness
• Vision changes
• Angina-like chest pain (crushing chest pain)
• Heart failure
• Blood in urine
• Nosebleed
• Irregular heartbeat
• Ear noise or buzzing

Even if you have not noticed any of the above high blood pressure symptoms, it is important to have your blood pressure checked at annual exams, especially if you have a history of high blood pressure in your family.

The effects of aging on blood pressure

Anyone past middle age knows that their body is in a decline. Our body parts begin to wear out. Eyes are not as sharp as they once were. Ears have diminished capacity. Muscles don't respond as we would like them to. But let's face it....the alternative to aging is one that not many of us want to contemplate.

Your heart, and your blood pressure, are affected by the onset of age much like your other organs. However, we can live without sight. We don't have to hear to enjoy life. With a bad heart or high blood pressure, our outlook isn't so bright.

As we age, our blood vessels tend to gather up sticky deposits on the interior walls. This is compounded if we have elevated cholesterol. The walls of our blood vessels begin to lose their ability to expand and contract. This hardness (or loss of elasticity) contributes to an increase in our blood pressure.

Other organs that may have trouble keeping up with the times can contribute to an elevated blood pressure. Chief among these are the kidneys. Kidney disease, or decreased kidney functions, can cause a dramatic increase in blood pressure.

We can't turn back the clock, but we can do some things that will help keep blood pressure under control. Here are just a few items you should think about doing:

• Be active. Don't sit around all the time. Get up and take a walk. Get some oxygen pumping thru your system.
• Lose some weight. Make it a goal to lose a moderate amount of weight each week.
• Stop smoking. This one doesn't need an explanation.
• Use alcohol in moderation. Limit your intake to no more than two drinks per day. Less is better.
• Eat right. Your diet is very important to your blood pressure health. Eat a balanced diet.

That last item about eating right is one that is difficult for some of us. As our metabolism has changed, we sometimes don't make the right corrections to our food intake. If you can't eat the right variety of fruits, veggies, and carbs, then by all means take vitamin/mineral supplements. Your heart, and your blood pressure, will thank you for doing so.

Have High Blood Sugar Levels?

Diabetes affects an estimated 18.2 million Americans, and the number rises each year, most of them with the type-2 form. Over one-third the U.S. population, an incredible 6 million people, do not even realize that they have a diabetic condition. An estimated 41 million more suffer from pre-diabetes, a condition exposing them to greater risk of developing type-2 diabetes in the future.

Why Regulate High Blood Sugar Levels?

Type-2 diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. It can lead to a host of other health problems including stroke, heart disease, blindness, pregnancy complications, and kidney disease and failure. Maintaining proper blood sugar levels is important to your overall health. With the right diet and nutritional supplements, such as Blood Sugar Formula, you can help support healthy blood sugar levels and control diabetes.

Symptoms of Diabetes

High blood levels of glucose can cause several problems, including frequent urination, excessive thirst, hunger, fatigue, sudden weight loss, and blurry vision. However, because type 2 diabetes develops slowly, some people with high blood sugar experience no symptoms at all.

Symptoms of type 1 diabetes:

• Increased thirst
• Increased urination
• Weight loss in spite of increased appetite
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Vomiting

Symptoms of type 2 diabetes:

• Increased thirst
• Increased urination
• Increased appetite
• Fatigue
• Blurred vision
• Slow-healing infections
• Impotence in men