Blood pressure, measured with a blood pressure cuff and stethoscope by a nurse or other healthcare provider, is the force of the blood pushing against the artery walls.
Two numbers are recorded when measuring blood pressure.
Each time the heart beats, it pumps blood into the arteries, resulting in the highest blood pressure as the heart contracts.
Both the systolic and diastolic pressures are recorded as "mm Hg" (millimeters of mercury). This recording represents how high the mercury column is raised by the pressure of the blood.
High blood pressure means that there is higher than normal pressure inside the arteries either during systole (when the heart contracts and pumps blood through the body), or during diastole (when the heart is at rest and is filling with blood.)
High blood pressure is also called hypertension.
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.
Blood pressures vary depending on the age of your adolescent, as well as according to his/her height, weight, and gender. For example, an infant may have a quite normal blood pressure of 80/45, while that value in an adult is considered low. A teenager may have an acceptable blood pressure of 110/70, but that value would be of concern in a toddler. Generally, blood pressure is low in infancy, and rises slowly as children age. Boys' blood pressures are slightly higher than girls' are, and taller people generally have higher blood pressures than short people.
The National High Blood Pressure Education Program (NHBEP) recently prepared tables that help a physician determine when your adolescent's blood pressure is higher than other adolescent's. The NHBEP prepared a table for males and a separate one for females. A range of blood pressure values is given based on how old and how tall your adolescent is. According to the tables, if your adolescent has a blood pressure that is higher than 90 to 95 percent of other males or females his/her age and height, then he/she may have high blood pressure.
Again, many factors, including emotions, can affect blood pressure. Readings that are high compared to the values on the table may need to be investigated further by your adolescent's physician.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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