A lonely heart could just be one of the important factors that causes high blood pressure. In fact, a recent study shows loneliness can be as bad for your heart as being over weight or inactive. Could spending time with friends be the answer to lowering your blood pressure?

How Is Blood Pressure Affected?

When the University of Chicago studied a group of 229 men and women between the ages of 50 and 68 … they found something interesting. After eliminating all other factors, they found that those who lacked comradeship were more likely to have high blood pressure.

The blood pressure of the loneliest people in the study was 10 to 30 mm Hg higher than those who had companionship. Compared to this … losing 10 kg of excess body weight can reduce your blood pressure by 5 to 20 mm Hg … physical activity has been shown to lower it by 4 to 9 mm Hg.

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Drugs that lower blood pressure have proven effective over the years. The benefits of using them far outweigh the risk of side effects. Most people who’ve taken these drugs haven’t had any problems. Some of the drugs listed below can affect certain affairs of the body, causing in bad side effects.

Diuretics — Some of these drugs may decrease your body’s supply of a mineral called potassium. Symptoms such as weakness, leg cramps or being tired may result. Eating foods containing potassium may help prevent significant potassium loss. You can prevent potassium loss by taking a liquid or tablet that has potassium along with the diuretic, if your doctor recommends it. Diuretics such as amiloride (Midamar), spironolactone (Aldactone) or triamterene (Dyrenium) are called “potassium sparing” agents. They don’t cause the body to lose potassium. They might be prescribed alone but are usually used with another diuretic. Some of these combinations are Aldactazide, Dyazide, Maxzide or Moduretic.
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Death will occur very quickly if the heart stops pumping blood around the body and stop delivering vital oxygen to the other organs, including the brain, so no doubt the heart is the most vital organ,  among the whole organs of our body.

Despite its importance however many of us pay little if any attention to the health of our heart until forced to do so, when it is often too late. And yet keeping a check on the heart by simple routine measurement of our blood pressure could not be easier.

As with most things in life, if the heart starts to run into problems then there will be warning signs giving us time to take remedial action and these warning signs often come in the form of abnormally high or low blood pressure. Continue reading →

Heart disease is one of the most touched health-related issues at the present time. It’s just right! Whenever we take a look at the kind of lifestyle we have today, it is not impossible that we develop certain diseases like the deadly heart disease. Even though it’s apparent that a lot of people are becoming more and more health conscious, but still there are those who aren’t.

There are several types of heart disease, but the major ones are the atherosclerosis, coronary, rheumatic, congenital, myocarditis, angina, and arrythmia heart disease. Although it can be deadly, it is also preventable. The most basic and simple ways to prevent heart disease is to exercise regularly, eat heart-healthy diet, maintain healthy weight, avoid smoking, and have regular health screenings. It is never too late for anybody to change lifestyles and practice healthy habits for the betterment ones welfare.

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Checking blood pressure is the easiest thing to do, allowed you know the fundamentals. It’s to do a great deal with your consuming and drinking habits.

Look into the mirror. Do not see only your face. Look at your entire figure. There lies your future. How long do you think your body can go on accepting all that you stuff in, without applying any thought, just because your taste-buds like it? Do you know that overweight people have a higher chance of suffering from a stroke? Do you check your weight at regular intervals?
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What is Cholesterol? Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance that’s stored in the fat (lipid) content of one’s blood stream.  It’s actually important to have a certain amount of “good” cholesterol in one’s system. Cholesterol, and our other body fats, cannot dissolve in our blood. They must be transported by special carriers called lipoproteins. While there are numerous kinds (too many to cover here), the two that are most important are the high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and the low-density lipoproteins (LDL). There is a third kind, which is referred to as Lp(a), which can increase one’s risk factors heart disease and stroke.  We’ll cover that one here, as well.

HDL, LDL, & Lp(a)…What Are These?
High-density lipoproteins (HDL) are known as “good cholesterol”.  Most experts agree that HDL moves the cholesterol from the arteries to the liver, where it is broken down and leaves the body through the natural evacuation process.  A higher HDL level seems to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke.  Keep in mind, though, that a lower HDL level in one’s body (-40 mg/dL in men, -50 mg d/L in women) is a warning signal of greater risk of one or both.   Continue reading →

The only way of constantly keeping track of your blood pressure is with the help of a blood pressure monitor. But be careful if you are going to acquire one because there are many types and models of the device available so you have to find the ones that suit you best.

When suffering from high blood pressure it is very important to monitor how the values of your blood pressure change during the day. This way you will have an active role in taking care of your own health and it will be very easy to determine what kind of treatment you need.

The price of a digital blood pressure monitor is not too elevated and they are quite easy to use too. When you’ve just bought one the best thing to do is to pay a visit to your doctor and he should be able to instruct you on how to use the blood pressure monitor. It is important to do this because otherwise you may perform innaccurate measurements and this should be avoided. Continue reading →

Atherosclerosis heart disease or coronary heart disease, is the narrowing of the small blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the heart. The inside of the arterial blood vessel are thickened, hardened and stiffened, causing the space for blood flow to be narrowed or closed. This will decrease the oxygen supply to local or distant tissues.

The main symptoms of this is pain, poor organ function and bad general condition. The further consequences are tissue damage, occasionally acute damage because by stop of blood flow caused by a sudden blood clot formed in the narrowed areas.

The Mechanisms and Causes of Atherosclerosis
The inner walls of the arteries consist of an innermost layer of endothelial cells (surface cells) and under these a layer of smooth muscle cells. The changes by atherosclerosis take place under the endothelial cells and in this muscle layer. The changes consist of: A certain degree of cell proliferation or tumour, accumulating of cholesterol and fat. Deposition of calcium salts. Deposition of blood elements like fibrin. Continue reading →

Here’s news many Americans can take to heart. Besides diet and exercise, there is a new heart health product with aspirin available to help reduce risk factors heart disease.

Cardiovascular disease poses a major health threat to both men and women in the U.S. According to the American Heart Association, more than 71 million adults in the U.S. have at least one type of cardiovascular disease. These include dysfunctional conditions of the heart, arteries and veins that supply oxygen to life-sustaining areas of the body such as the brain, the heart itself and other vital organs. Continue reading →

As you know, there is a direct connection between stress and blood pressure. A stressful lifestyle is generally accepted to be a major cause of hypertension and a host of other illnesses.

In fact, people are often not very surprised when they learn that someone in a high-profile, high-stress job or business also suffers from high blood pressure. It is practically expected that he or she will have the condition.

Stress-induced hypertension can lead to cardiac problems which may compromise your health for the rest of your life.
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