CONTROLLING YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE
by Mark Briskie from the HR Department of the UCLA Medical Center

High blood pressure affects people of all ages, races, social classes, sizes and shapes, women as well as men, and even children. Although great strides have been made in recent years to control this condition, often it still goes untreated or uncontrolled

What is blood pressure?

• Blood pressure is the force created as your heart pumps blood and moves it through your blood vessels.

Every cell in the body needs a constant supply of blood to bring in oxygen and nutrients and to remove waste products. The force that keeps blood moving comes from the heart, but a complex system of nerve signals, hormones, and other elements regulates the blood flow to each organ by widening or constricting small muscular blood vessels, much like a faucet controls the flow of water. Blood pressure thus depends on a number of factors, including how much blood is flowing through the arteries, the rate of blood flow, and the resiliency of the arteries' wall.

Normal Blood Pressure: A blood pressure reading measures the force of blood as it presses against the walls of your arteries. It is made up of two numbers that measure your heart pumping and your heart resting.

Systolic Blood pressure, the top number, measures the force while your heart pumps. A normal, healthy systolic blood pressure is 140 or below.

Diastolic Blood pressure, the bottom number, measures the force at rest-that is, in between heart pumps. A normal, healthy diastolic blood pressure is 90 or below.

While you diastolic blood pressure stays at about the same level all the time, your systolic blood pressure changes frequently. These variations represent your body's normal responses to your daily activities and stress.

Hypertension - The Silent Killer

• Sustained high blood pressure according to most experts is called hypertension.

About 90 percent of all people with high blood pressure have "essential" hypertension-meaning that it has no identifiable cause. In the remaining 10 percent of cases, the elevated blood pressure is due to kidney disease, diabetes, or another underlying disorder.

• Untreated high blood pressure is the leading cause of strokes, which occur at a rate of half a million a year in the United States.
• As a result of hypertension, the heart, because it has to work harder, may become enlarged and less efficient.
• The added pressure also damages the artery walls, increasing the likelihood of fatty plaque being deposited, leading to scarring and hardening of these vessels (arteriosclerosis).

Choose A Healthy Lifestyle

While there is no guarantee that diet and life-style changes will prevent hypertension or lower elevated blood pressure, they offer other potential health benefits, most importantly a reduction in risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Exercise: There is growing evidence that regular physical exercise can reduce mildly elevated blood pressure over the long term. Aerobic exercise makes your heart and blood vessels function more effectively and can help you loose weight. Walking, bicycling, or swimming for at least 30 minutes three times a week are all good aerobic choices. Avoid muscle building (isometric) exercises, which may increase your blood pressure.

Diet: Salt and fat should be reduced or avoided totally. Salt causes tissues to retain fluid, thus increasing pressure to your arteries. Fat creates masses of plaque that clogs your arteries.

Salt and fat are hidden in many foods at the supermarket. Make low-salt, low-fat choices by reading labels carefully. Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, and select lean meats such as fish and poultry.

When cooking at home, broil, grill, bake, microwave or steam foods without adding salt or fat. Use nonstick sprays or cookware. Don't add salt while preparing meals. Try using half the salt in recipes. You need only a pinch (about 500 mg) of salt each day. Most of us eat far more, the equivalent of 1-2 teaspoons daily.

Be creative when seasoning foods. Sprinkle salt-free herbal blends on meats and vegetables. Use low-salt, low-fat dressings on salads and sandwiches.

When eating out, check the low-salt, low-fat entrees which are becoming popular items in restaurant menus.

Weight: This is a factor in about 60 percent of all cases of hypertension. Obese individuals are twice as likely to have high blood pressure as the non-obese. Even small weight losses can lower blood pressure significantly in overweight hypertensives.

Smoking: Smoking briefly raises blood pressure but its long-term effect on hypertension is not clear. Nevertheless, smoking is a risk factor for heart disease-as is hypertension.

Caffeine: Like smoking, caffeine causes a transitory rise, but the long-term effects on hypertension appear to be minimal. Habitual consumers may develop some tolerance to its effect on blood pressure. Hypertensives can try doing without caffeine to see if their blood pressure comes down.

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