Is Your Blood Under Pressure?

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Is Your Blood Under Pressure?

 

" What do you suggest taking or doing for low blood pressure (and also high

blood pressure)? "

 

-- Patty

 

(Published 09/08/1997)

 

Updated 12/7/2001

Low blood pressure -- hypotension --is an unusual complaint. In general it is

not a health risk; in fact people with low blood pressure are likely to live

longer with much lower risk of cardiovascular and kidney disease than people

with high blood pressure. In Germany, however, doctors recognize a condition

called circulatory asthenia (weakness) that is unknown here, and a number of

German pharmaceutical products are available to raise blood pressure in this

ailment.

 

People with low pressure may experience lightheadedness and dizziness if they

stand up suddenly. The best way to prevent those symptoms is to change position

slowly.

Recently, doctors have linked chronic fatigue in some people to neurally

mediated hypotension, in which blood pressure plummets after standing too long,

exercising or spending time in a warm environment. In these people, the brain

responds to a temporary dip in blood pressure by decreasing it even more,

causing lightheadedness, confusion and dizziness. In one study at Johns Hopkins

University in Baltimore, 75 percent of 23 chronic fatigue patients who were

given a high-salt diet and blood pressure medication reported some improvement.

A similar condition also can affect elderly people, who may faint after meals

when the blood rushes to their stomach. It's called post-meal low blood

pressure, and, though this may seem contradictory, it affects people with

hypertension. This is because high blood pressure prevents the heart from

pumping faster and the blood vessels from tightening during a temporary drop in

blood volume. If this is your problem, drink at least six glasses of fluids a

day to increase blood volume, and try walking a bit after meals to get your

heart pumping.

Low blood pressure has been linked to increased mortality among the elderly, but

researchers think it's not the pressure that's the problem. Instead, it's the

heart disease that should be treated.

High blood pressure and low blood pressure are linked by a malfunction in the

body's ability to pump blood to the spots that most need it, while also keeping

necessary pressure in other parts. High blood pressure may be the body's

reaction to perceived danger; sympathetic nervous system activity constricts

peripheral arteries in order to maintain circulation to the brain. As a

short-term response to actual danger, this pattern is not harmful, but if the

sympathetic nerves and the arteries they control never relax, damage to the

cardiovascular system and kidneys can result, and heart attacks and strokes are

likely.

Dietary modification is an effective way to manage high blood pressure, which is

by far the more common direction of the imbalance. A recent study at six major

medical centers found that a low-fat diet rich in fruits and vegetables helped

people lower their blood pressure most. People in the study ate 10 servings of

fruits and vegetables a day, which helped increase their intake of potassium,

calcium and magnesium, all of which counteract the blood-pressure-elevating

effect of sodium. It's also important to exercise regularly and to begin

practicing relaxation techniques. Help your body let go of the fear and stress

that activates the sympathetic nervous system. Get within five pounds of your

ideal weight and decrease your intake of salt.

It also helps to discontinue coffee and tobacco, and any other stimulant drugs.

Finally, take supplements of both calcium and magnesium each day, as well as

vitamin C. The biggest contributor to high blood pressure may be stress. Work on

giving your body a chance to take it easy.

 

 

 

 

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