The Foods that should be avoided

The Foods that should be avoided if you have High blood pressure symptoms are as follow :

1. Alcohol
The association between alcohol and high blood pressure is well documented both in population and clinical studies. An Alcohol intake of about 80 g/day (Equivalent to four pints of beer) has been shown to raise Blood pressure particularly in patients of hypertension. Blood pressure tends to fall when alcohol is stopped or reduced and remains low in patients who continue to abstain.

Patients with high blood pressure should avoid Alcohol. As alcohol can raise blood pressure directly, is also an important factor in damaging walls of blood vessels, which can elevate the blood pressure further and make it more difficult to treat, while at the same time increasing the risk of complications. Limit consumption of Alcohol to no more than two drinks per day in most men and one drink per day in women and lightweight men.

2. Salt
A restriction in dietary sodium intake can reduce the incidence of high blood pressure. Studies have shown that there is a clear relationship between dietary salt intake and Blood pressure and people who consume less salt have a smaller rise in Blood pressure with advancing age. Salt restriction to about 100mmol/day (2.4 gm sodium or 6 gm sodium chloride) has been shown to produce a significant reduction in systolic Blood pressure to about 8-14 mm Hg in several randomized placebo-controlled studies. In some people, eating too much salt can make blood pressure much worse and In other cases the same salt consumption may have no effect.
More salt intake will result in more retention of fluid by kidneys and this will lead to more preload on heart, that will result in more blood pressure. You should avoid salt in your diet if you
really want to control your blood pressure. If you are already a patient of hypertension, then reduce salt in your diet as it just accentuates the problem. You can lower your blood pressure to a great extent if you reduce salt consumption in your diet. You should not have more than 6 grams (100mmol/day) of salt per day. Pizza, canned foods, frozen diners, broths, canned soups and salad dressings have high sodium so try to avoid these foods. If you are non-vegetarian then make sure you are including white meat like chicken and fish rather than red meat in your diet.

3. Fats
Food that is rich in fats should be avoided. Foods High in Fat are as follows :

• Fats and oils (like margarine, vegetable oils, butter, lard, salt pork, meat drippings, gravy, and fat back)
• Cream, ice cream, Whole milk, 2% milk.
• Most pies, pastries, cakes.
• Most cheeses (like cream cheese, cheddar, American)
• Many snack foods (like nuts and chips)
• Fatty meats (like corned beef, regular ground beef, ribs, sausage, hot dogs, bacon, bologna, salami,)
• Fried foods (like French fries and fried chicken)
• Most cookies contain high fat content
• Many fast foods are also rich in fats

Saturated fats are not good for heart and blood vessels. Low density lipoprotein LDL is main factor which causes thickening of blood vessels so causing extra strain on blood vessels in patients of high blood pressure. The balanced high blood pressure diet should include mild amounts of saturated and trans-fats (red meat, fast food), and moderate amounts of other fats (olive oil and canola oil).

4- Caffeine Intake: The evidence from the literature is rather conflicting and the effects of caffeine seem to depend on multiple variables such as daily dose, preexisting Blood pressure and coffee drinking habits. The ingestion of 250mg of caffeine has been shown to cause an increase in systolic blood pressure ranging from 6mm of hg in normal individuals to 10 mm hg in patients with hypertension and an increase in diastolic blood pressure of 5 mm hg in normal individuals to 8.5 mm Hg in patients of hypertension.
High blood pressure symptoms
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What Causes High Blood Pressure?

What Causes High Blood Pressure?

In 90 to 95 percent of high blood pressure cases, the cause is unknown. In fact, you can have high blood pressure for years without knowing it. That's why it's the “silent killer” When the cause is unknown, you have what's called essential or primary hypertension.

In the remaining 5% or less of people with elevated blood pressure,a specific cause is known, and they are considered to have "secondary hypertension." Examples of causes of secondary
hypertension include kidney failure, narrowing of the arteries to the kidneys, and various hormonal conditions.
These problems can usually be corrected. For example, doctors can repair a narrowed artery that supplies blood to a kidney. Most of these problems can be ruled out by a careful history, a physical examination and a few tests. Special tests are sometimes needed, but you don't usually have to stay in the hospital.

Over 95% of people with elevated blood pressure have "essential hypertension." This means that the specific cause of their high blood pressure is not known. It is likely that both genetic
(inherited) and environmental factors, such as your diet, play a role. The ways that all of the contributing factors interact to elevate blood pressure are not necessarily the same for each person.

In addition, most of the genetic causes of hypertension are still a matter of research. Therefore, for the time being, most patients with high blood pressure are considered to have "essential
high blood pressure."

Does Age Affect a Person's Risk of Having High Blood Pressure ?
Hypertension, in particular the type that selectively increases systolic blood pressure (the "top" number), becomes steadily more common with advancing age. Older the patient, more will be the chances of high blood pressure.

Is High blood Pressure Genetic?
For the vast majority of hypertensive patients, there is no one gene passed on (inherited) from parent to child that is responsible for high blood pressure. More likely, there are many different genes that interact with each other and the environment to produce high blood pressure. Therefore, inheritance predisposes a person to high blood pressure, but hypertension might only occur with the addition of one or more environmental factors. But it is possible that hypertension may run in Families. So Family history is also significant of a hypertensive patient addition, African Americans are more prone as a group to develop hypertension and develop it at
a younger age than those of other races or heritage.

Does a High Salt Diet Cause High Blood Pressure ?
It has been known for a long time that societies with diets high in salt experience more hypertension and the associated complications of heart attack, stroke, and organ damage. It is not known, however, if increased salt is itself responsible for elevated blood pressure.

It might be, for example, that people from societies with increased salt intake may also have some other dietary factors or an inherited factor that is responsible for their hypertension. Most physicians do not believe that high salt intake alone causes high blood pressure, but they do believe it plays an important role. The most likely explanation is that there are other environmental and genetic factors that along with high salt intake all work together to cause
hypertension. More salt you take, your kidneys will retain more water inside body, resulting in increased blood pressure.

Does Alcohol Consumption Cause High Blood Pressure?
Although the media has widely publicized the beneficial effects of alcohol on the heart, it must be remembered that this applies only to moderate alcohol intake. People who have more than two drinks per day are much more likely to have sustained elevations in blood pressure than nondrinkers. Alcohol may therefore be an unrecognized cause of hypertension in a large number of moderate to heavy drinkers.

Does Obesity Cause High Blood Pressure ?
The reasons why obesity may lead to hypertension are not completely understood, but weight reduction in obese patients definitely lowers blood pressure. The benefits of even a modest reduction in weight are multiple: reduction or elimination of blood pressure medications, improvement in cholesterol levels, and decreased risk of heart attack. Unfortunately, as many patients can attest, weight reduction is easy to recommend but difficult to achieve and
maintain. A daily exercise program, a strong social support system, and initially modest goals for weight loss are all required for long-term success.

Does Emotional Stress or Caffeine Cause High Blood Pressure?
Emotional stress, in the short term, can elevate the blood pressure. However, it does not cause a persistent elevation in blood pressure and therefore does not cause true hypertension with its associated consequences. Relaxation therapies and biofeedback may offer other benefits, but they have not been shown to prevent the development of hypertension or significantly lower blood pressure.

Similarly, caffeine may raise the blood pressure in the short term (and should not be ingested immediately before a doctor checks your blood pressure). However, tolerance to caffeine develops quickly, and any blood pressure elevation is not sustained.

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High blood pressure and Sex

High blood pressure and Sex

Are you suffering from any type of heart disease, it's only naturalto have concerns about whether sex is still safe for you or not. Yes you have good news: According to the American Heart Association,most people with heart disease can have sex safely -- and that includes those with high blood pressure symptoms.

Sexlike any other form of exercise keep the heart pumping. And, in rare cases, some people may have heart attack in extra exertion. Butthe risks are encouragingly small. According to a report in the July20, 2000 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology, fewer than 1 percent of all heart attacks occur during sexual activity. Still,some people need to be carefulAs reported in the American Journal of Cardiology, for people withsevere high blood pressure that isn't under control, sex really can bedangerous. If you have high blood pressure but aren't getting treatment -- or if your blood pressure is high despite treatment --your doctor may ask you to abstain from sex or other strenuousactivity until your pressure is under control. If there's any doubtabout your safety, your doctor will order a stress test like Excercise tolerance test to measure the effects of exercise on your heart muscles.

Sexual Functioning can be affected by High Blood Pressure
Whether you're a woman or a man, high blood pressure can definitely put a damper on your sex life. Among men, high blood pressure can cause erectile dysfunction by slowing the supply of blood to the penis. A survey of 104 men with high blood pressure, published in the October 2000 issue of The Journal of Urology, found that the vast majority -- 71 patients -- had some form of erectile dysfunction. For 47 men -- nearly half -- the problem was severe.

What is role of high blood pressure on female sexuality.
A study of 640 women, published in the June 2000 issue of The American Journal of Hypertension, found that the women with high blood pressure were significantly more likely than others to suffer pain during intercourse. They also were more likely to have decreased vaginal lubrication and trouble reaching orgasm.

Effect of High Blood Pressure medications on sexuality.

Many drugs that are good for your heart can be hard on your sex life. According to the Mayo Clinic, many diuretics and beta blockers, two very popular classes of blood pressure medicine can affect a person's sex drive and cause erectile problems in men.
Though it’s usually safe to take erectile dysfunction drugs (Viagra, Levitra, Cialis) with high blood pressure medication, don’t take them with nitrates, this can cause a life-threatening drop in blood pressure as these drugs cause intense vasodilation also.
If you have any sexual difficulties after taking your high blood pressure medication, don't suffer in silence. Your doctor can usually solve the problem by simply changing the prescription. As reported in Postgraduate Medicine, ACE inhibitors and calcium channel blockers can lower blood pressure with little to no risk of sexual side effects.

Some High blood pressure medicines may actually give a boost to a person's sex life. A study of 82 men with sexual dysfunction, published in the May 2001 issue of the American Journal of Medicine and Science, found that patients had more reliable erections and more frequent sex after treatment with the drug losartan (Cozaar). Losartan belongs to a relatively new class of drugs known as angiotensin II receptor antagonists or ARBs.
Whatever medicine your doctor prescribes, be sure to follow theinstructions carefully.
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