HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, ITS THERAPY AND DIET

High blood pressure its therapy and diet -

High blood pressure has emerged as an epidemic these days. And a common man stays worried that he might have it anytime. It is also known as a silent killer. There are almost 1.25 Lakhs of people suffering from high blood pressure, in India alone. And talking about developed nations like America, there are approximately 11 lakhs death reported due to this.

Blood pressure is the pressure with which our blood flows in the veins and the arteries and the pressure with which the heart pumps out the blood into the arteries. The shape of the heart resembles that of a closed fist. It is approximately 15 cm long and 10 cm wide and weighs around 500 gm. Nature has made our heart so strong that it is built to function for 300 years nonstop, beats 72 times in a minute. It can even beat for 150 times in a minute in unusual circumstances. Our body has 5-6 L of blood. But one Liter out of it remains reserved. With each heartbeat, the heart pumps out 65 ml of blood to the lungs and 65 ml to other parts of the body. And hence in 24 hours, 4000 gallons of blood circulated in 70,000 miles long vessels at the rate of 65 km/ht and aids the performance of anabolic and catabolic activities. There are two kinds of vessels in which the blood is circulated. The first kind is the one in which the blood from the heart flows the different organs. These are called arteries and they carry pure blood in them. The other kind is the one that carries impure blood from the organs to the heart and is called veins.

Causes of high blood pressure:

1. Genetic: Sometimes it is a genetic disorder and is passed to the kids from their genes.

2 Cholesterol: Cholesterol plays an important role in our body. It is formed by oils and fats, from the food that we eat. If we eat more than adequate amount of fatty food, the level of cholesterol rises in our body and causes high blood pressure.

3. Obesity: According to a survey, non-obese people above the age of 45 have 15 times fewer chances of having high blood pressure compared to obese people. A person weighing one Kg more than his normal weight has 300 km of extra blood vessels and hence the heart has to pump more blood and the blood pressure rises. Weighing 10 pounds more than the normal weight makes the heart do extra work equivalent to walking 300 km.

4. Stress: The stress resulting from fear, jealousy, envy, frustration, worries and anger releases adrenaline, non-adrenaline and cortisone hormone from the adrenal gland. When they start flowing in the blood vessels, it constricts them and raises the blood pressure. These hormones also result in the formation of clots in the vessels and can be a cause of heart attack too. Dr. Robert S. Illeyat has compared this situation to a car that runs at a fast speed and is suddenly brought to a stop by applying jerky breaks.

5. Saturated Fats and Sugar: Consumption of foods rich in saturated fats and sugar increases the levels of Lipoproteins. These increase the level of cholesterol and raise the blood pressure by blocking the blood vessels.

6. Tea, coffee, spices, and stimulants: Tea and coffee contain stimulants like caffeine and tannin. These compounds affect the blood vessels and its circulation and increase the blood pressure. According to Dr. James, coffee increases essure and the workload on the kidneys. the blood pressure Similarly, high levels of salt and spices increase the toxins in the blood vessels and constrict them.

7. Smoking and alcohol: Smoking and alcohol consumption are the two very captivating enemies of our body. Smoking one cigarette releases 4000 toxic compounds in our blood like: nicotine, clonidine, cyanogen, ammonia, carbolic acid, propionaldehyde, acrolein, acrylonitrile, hydrogen cyanide, NO2, pyridine, radioactive polonium 210 etc. and become a cause for several diseases and also increase the blood pressure. Eating tobacco and pan masala increase the heart rate from 72 to 92.

The causes for high blood pressure are often known as the 7 Ss, namely, Stress, salt, sugar, smoking, spicy food, saturated fats, and Scotch.

EFFECTS of high blood pressure are:

1. A defect in the heart: High blood pressure causes a condition called dilation heart in which the ventricles of the heart dilate and the heart has to do the excess of work

2. Defect in the kidney: The blood supply in the kidney falls short as the vessels supplying the blood to the kidney rupture due to high blood pressure. This releases the hormone named renin and that in turn release the hormone Aldosterone. This increases the accumulation of sodium in the arteries. As a result of impaired kidneys, the levels of toxins increase in the body.

3. Mental disorders: Due to high blood pressure there is clot formation in the arteries supplying blood to the brain and can result in stroke, paralysis, speech impairment etc.

4. Hypertension Retinopathy: Due to high blood pressure the central retinal artery and the vein get ruptured. This stops the supply of blood in the retina and the eye. This causes the redness in the eye, blood discharge from the eyes and may even impair the vision.

5. Diabetes: Due to high blood pressure the blood supply in the pancreas get interrupted and this damages the pancreatic cells. As a result, the secretion of insulin is affected and causes diabetes. Apart from this, the endocrine glands also get inflamed and this affects several parts of the body.

Therapy:

Enema, cold wet pack on the chest followed by hot water foot bath, cold hip bath and mud pack on the belly are beneficial. The following yoga asanas are also very helpful: Vajra-asana, Pawanmuktasana, Bhujangasana, yoga mudra, naukasana, shalbh-asana and Shavasana. The following Pranayama are also very beneficial: Anulom-Vilom, Bhramari, Ujjayi, Kapaalbhaarati, Naadi-shodan.

Diet:

5 AM: 1 Lemon, 1 glass enzymatic water, 2 tbsp. honey

6 AM: 2 Onions, Garlic juice from 4 cloves, 2 tbsp. honey

9.30 AM: 4 gooseberries, juice of Carrot, Cucumber or white squash. 

11.30 AM: 150 gm. salad, 50 gm. sprouted grains, 125 gm. curd

12.30 PM: One glass buttermilk

2.30 PM: 200-500 gm. seasonal juicy fruit.

4.30 PM: One glass juice of seasonal vegetable.

7.30 PM: One banana or a seasonal fruit.

Precautions:

Tea, coffee, sugar, spices, chilly, biscuits, bread, alcohol, cigarette, tobacco, cold drink, ice cream and all kinds of synthetic foods should be strictly banned.