Blood Pressure

High Blood Pressure


(Blood Pressure, High; Essential Hypertension;
Idiopathic Hypertension; Primary Hypertension)
High blood pressure is abnormally high blood pressure with no known cause. Blood pressure measurements are read as two numbers:

Systolic pressure: higher number, normal reading is 120 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) or less
Diastolic pressure: lower number, normal reading is 80 mmHg or less
High blood pressure is defined as systolic pressure greater than 140 mmHg and/or diastolic pressure greater than 90 mmHg. You are considered prehypertensive if your systolic blood pressure is between 120-139 mmHg, or your diastolic pressure is between 80- 89 mmHg. Your doctor will recommend monitoring and lifestyle changes.

High blood pressure puts stress on the heart, lungs, brain, kidneys, and blood vessels. Over time, this condition can damage these organs and tissues.

Organs Impacted by High Blood Pressure

© 2009 Nucleus Medical Art, Inc.
Causes
The cause of essential hypertension is not known.

Risk Factors


These factors increase your chance of developing high blood pressure. Tell your doctor if you have any of these risk factors:
Sex:
Male
Postmenopausal female
Race: Black
Age: middle-aged and older
Overweight
Heavy drinking of alcohol
Smoking
Use of oral contraceptives (birth control pills)
Sedentary lifestyle
Family history
Kidney disease
Diabetes
High-fat, high-salt diet
Stress

Symptoms

High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. But, the condition can still damage your organs and tissues.

Occasionally, if blood pressure reaches extreme levels, you may have the following:
Headache
Blurry or double vision
Abdominal pain
Chest pain
Shortness of breath
Dizziness
Diagnosis
High blood pressure is often diagnosed during a doctor's visit. Blood pressure is measured using an arm cuff and a special device. If your reading is high, you'll come back for repeat checks. If you have two or more visits with readings over 140/90 mmHG, you will be diagnosed with high blood pressure.

Your doctor will order tests to make sure your high blood pressure is not caused by another condition. You will also be tested to see if the high blood pressure has caused any problems.

Tests include:
Blood tests
Urine tests
Chest x-rays, a test that uses radiation to take a picture of structures inside the body
Electrocardiogram (ECG, EKG), a test that records the heart's activity by measuring electrical currents through the heart muscle
Treatment

Lifestyle Changes


Maintain a healthy weight.
Begin a safe exercise program with the advice of your doctor.
If you smoke, quit.
Eat a healthful diet, one that is low-fat, low-salt, and rich in fiber, fruits, and vegetables. Your doctor may recommend the DASH diet, which is designed to reduce blood pressure.
Drink alcohol in moderation (no more than two drinks per day for men, one drink per day for women).
Manage stress.
If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure, follow your doctor's instructions.

Note: Untreated high blood pressure can lead to:


Heart disease
Heart attack
Stroke
Kidney damage
Prevention
To help reduce your chances of getting high blood pressure, take the following steps:
Eat a healthful diet
Exercise regularly
Maintain a healthy weight
If you smoke, quit
Drink alcohol in moderation

RESOURCES:

American Heart Association
http://www.americanheart.org/

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/

CANADIAN RESOURCES:

Canadian Cardiovascular Society
http://www.ccs.ca/home/index_e.aspx/

Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
http://ww2.heartandstroke.ca/Page.asp?PageID=24/

REFERENCES:

Chobanian AV. Clinical practice. Isolated systolic hypertension in the elderly. N Engl J Med. 2007;357:789-796.

Chobanian AV, Bakris GL, Black HR, et al. The seventh report of the Joint National Committee on prevention, detection, evaluation, and treatment of high blood pressure. The JNC 7 report. JAMA . 2003;289:2560-2572.

Conn HF, Rakel RE. Conn's Current Therapy 2001 . 53rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders Company; 2001.

High blood pressure. American Heart Association website. Available at: http://www.americanheart.org . Accessed July 6, 2008.

Hypertension. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed/what.php . Updated July 2008. Accessed July 6, 2008.

Schroeder K. The DASH diet. EBSCO Health Library website. Available at: http://www.ebscohost.com/thisTopic.php?marketID=15topicID=81 . Updated May 2008. Accessed July 6, 2008.

Smith N. How to measure blood pressure (in a clinical setting). EBSCO PERC website. Available at: http://www.ebscohost.com/thisTopic.php?marketID=15topicID=81 . Updated October 2007. Accessed July 6, 2008.

Smoots E. Do you have prehypertension? EBSCO Health Library website. Available at: http://www.ebscohost.com/thisTopic.php?marketID=15topicID=81 . Updated March 2008. Accessed July 6, 2008.

What is high blood pressure? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute website. Available at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Hbp/HBP_WhatIs.html . Updated April 2008. Accessed July 6, 2008.

This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.


Copyright © 2009 EBSCO Publishing All rights reserved.

Living to Age 100

Living to 100: Centenarians Show Us How
Sarah Wilson celebrated her 100th birthday in 2002. Still involved in family and religious activities, she maintains many close personal relationships. At her retirement center, Sarah keeps a sign on her door: "I need your company more than my sleep. Please wake me." Researchers say that Sarah's connections with people may be a major reason she's in such good shape.

People like Sarah Wilson are living to be 100 or older and are still in good mental and physical health. These people provide researchers with a gold mine of data about healthful aging.

Centenarians: A Fast-Growing Group
The number of people aged 100 or over residing in the United States has doubled since 1990, and is 16 times the number of centenarians in 1950.

Shattering Myths
Many centenarians are remarkably robust. The New England Centenarian Study (NECS), initially a collaboration between Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, now moved to Boston University Medical Center, has found that:

One quarter of the 169 study subjects, all of whom were at least 100, were completely free of any significant cognitive disorders and even surpassed the research interviewers on some mental tests.
Fifteen percent still lived independently in their own homes.
Some still held jobs.
Medical expenses for centenarians are significantly lower than for those in their sixties and seventies.
Most are uncommonly healthy until the very end of their lives.
Conventional wisdom says people inevitably decline into worsening health and senility when they reach their eighties, nineties, and beyond. In reality, centenarians, 80% of whom are women, are actually healthier as a group than people 20 years their junior. They have somehow managed to weather the stresses of life and avoid major threats like heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease.

Good Genes, Stress-Resistance, and Determination
Researchers are beginning to understand how centenarians reach this amazing milestone. In their book describing the NECS, Thomas Perls, MD, and Margery Silver, MD, point to characteristics shared by most of the 169 people they studied:
Good longevity genes
Emotional resilience, ability to adapt to life's events
Resistance to stress, excellent coping skills
Self-sufficiency
Intellectual activity
Good sense of humor, including about themselves
Religious beliefs
Strong connections with other people
Low blood pressure
Appreciation of simple pleasures and experiences
Women tend to have borne children after age 40
Zest for life
Don't currently smoke or drink heavily
Many play musical instruments
Follow an anti-inflammatory diet that has been linked with longevity (eg, Mediterranean diet)
Some Are Genetically Privileged
If any of your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and siblings have lived to extreme old age and if your family has a low incidence of diseases like cancer, Alzheimer's, diabetes and heart disease, congratulations! You are considered to have optimal anti-aging genes and have a great chance to make it to 100 if you take reasonable care of yourself.

Tips for a Longer, Healthier Life
"The average person is born with strong enough longevity genes to live to 85 and maybe longer," Dr. Perls believes. "People who take appropriate preventive steps may add as many as ten quality years to that. The vast majority of baby boomers do a terrible job preparing for old age," he continues. Many consume high fat diets, smoke, drink excessively and don't exercise.

We have great potential to extend our lives, researchers say, if we just take care of ourselves.

Tune Up Your Attitude
Reduce stress
Try meditation, exercise, or yoga. You can learn to modify your responses to negative situations even if you can't change your basic personality

Stay connected with other people
Social support is vital and maintaining close relationships is associated with better physical and mental health.

Cultivate optimism
A Mayo Clinic study shows that optimists live longer and have better health, because pessimism may lower immune system responsiveness and enhance tumor growth. Good news: an excessively pessimistic outlook on life is changeable. Brief programs can change your thinking about life events and lower the risk for physical illness and even death.
Watch Your Diet
Emphasize fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fiber, and polyunsaturated fats.
Avoid cholesterol, saturated fat, and hydrogenated fat (red meat, egg yolks, fast food burgers, and fries, etc), which are linked to heart disease, breast cancer and prostate cancer.
Avoid refined sugar and excessive calorie intake.
Avoid processed foods and those supplemented with high fructose corn syrup.
One glass of red wine a day still appears to lower the risk of heart disease.
Drink green tea, which has antioxidants that may fight cancers.
Consider taking antioxidant supplements like Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and selenium.
Consider supplementing your diet with omega-3 fatty acids.
Exercise: Even a Little Helps
Many of the centenarians in the NECS had lived in second and third- floor apartments of three-family houses. This afforded them a perfect opportunity for daily weight-bearing exercise, walking stairs, which builds muscle mass.

Just 15-30 minutes a day of walking or bicycling is enough to gain longevity benefits and reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. Resistance exercise, for example, walking up stairs or hills guards against loss of muscle mass and benefits the heart. Exercise also provides a sense of well-being and helps maintain an agile and alert brain.

Use Your Head
According to the NECS researchers, retaining cognitive capacity "most often determines whether people can attain extreme old age while remaining active." Here is a sampling of mental workouts that can keep the brain razor-sharp as you age:
Crossword and jigsaw puzzles
Playing bridge
Learning foreign languages
Playing musical instruments
Learning dance steps
Writing
Sports, including yoga and tai chi
Taking classes
Traveling
Memory training
Experiencing the new and unfamiliar
Floss Your Teeth!
You heard right. Flossing may help prevent heart disease. The last of Dr. Perls' pearls cites preliminary evidence that inflamed gums release substances into the bloodstream that cause clogged arteries. Whether or not it will help you live longer, flossing keeps your gums healthy, prevents tooth loss, and with all those shining teeth gives you a nicer smile, too.
RESOURCES:

The New England Centenarian Study
http://www.bumc.bu.edu/centenarian

Paul B. Beeson Career Development Awards in Aging Research Program
http://www.beeson.org/

This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.

Copyright © 2009 EBSCO Publishing All rights reserved.

Physical Activity: Keep Your Mind in Shape as You Age

Physical Activity: Keep Your Mind in Shape as You Age
There are many benefits to daily exercise, including improved cardiovascular ability and increased energy levels. But can exercise also sharpen our minds? Research confirms that throwing on a pair of walking shoes can help when donning a thinking cap.

The Effects of Aging on the Brain
After the age of 65, at least 10% of people start to experience some type of intellectual decline, ranging anywhere from mild forgetfulness to dementia. This decline increases to 50% for those older than 85. Between 15%-25% of elderly people in the US suffer from significant symptoms of mental illness.

Researchers have not yet conclusively determined the causes of this cognitive deterioration. As a person ages, the brain seems to lose cells in areas that produce neurotransmitters. Also, changes take place in the white matter of the brain, where communication with other cells occurs.

Studying Exercise and the Mind
There are a number of studies regarding the effects of physical activity on cognitive functioning in the elderly. Researchers focusing on women have found that long-term regular physical activity (such as walking) is associated with significantly better cognitive functioning and less cognitive decline in women aged 70-81. Other researchers in a study focusing on men have found that participating in physical activities with at least a medium-low level of intensity may postpone cognitive decline. This study also determined that decreasing the duration or intensity of physical activity causes greater cognitive decline than maintaining the duration or intensity.

A group of researchers examined epidemiological literature, human intervention studies of exercise and its effects on brain functioning, and animal studies. This comprehensive analysis concluded that physical activity, especially at increased levels of intensity, is significantly related to higher cognitive function later in life, decreased risk of developing dementia, and maintenance of brain volume and plasticity (as compared to inactive elderly people).

Walk This Way
Walking is widely known to be beneficial for both the mind and the body. The following are some tips to walk safely:

Walk with confidence and show that you're aware and in control.
To stay alert to your environment, do not wear a portable musical listening device (eg, headphones with CD player or MP3 player).
When possible, avoid walking alone. Walk with a friend or in well-traveled areas.
Stay in well-lit areas, away from alleys or wooded areas.
Avoid shortcuts through parks, vacant lots, and other deserted places.
If a driver stops to ask you for directions, avoid getting near the car.
If you feel you are being followed, go to the nearest business or residence for help.
Above all, be aware of the people around you. Whenever you are walking, be aware of your surroundings.
Other ideas for moderate physical activity include going up and down stairs (as opposed to taking the elevator or escalator), gardening, doing housework, dancing, swimming, and water aerobics.

Other Ways To Stimulate Your Mind
Research has also found that cognitive leisure activities reduce the risk of cognitive decline. Playing board games, reading, doing crossword puzzles, carpentry, writing, and playing musical instruments help your brain stay sharp. Using your memory and imagination stimulates your mind and, like physical activity, may counterbalance the effects of aging.
RESOURCES:

American Association of Retired People
http://www.aarp.org

American Psychological Association
http://www.apa.org

REFERENCES:
Atkinson HH, Rosano C, Simonsick EM, Williamson JD, Davis C, Ambrosius WT, et al, for the Health ABC Study. Cognitive function, gait speed decline, and comorbidities: the health, aging, and body composition study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci . 2007 Aug;62(8):844-50.

Knoefel JE, Jankowiak J. Can our leisure activities help to prevent cognitive decline? Neurology . 2006;66:E21-E22.Weuve J, et al. Physical activity, including walking, and cognitive function in older women. JAMA . 2004;292:1454-1461.

van Gelder BM, Tijhuis AR, Kalmijn S, Giampaoli S, Nissinen A, Kromhout D. Physical activity in relation to cognitive decline in elderly men—the FINE Study. Neurology . 2004;63:2316-2321.

Rosano C, Simonsick EM, Harris TB, Kritchevsky SB, Brach J, Visser M, et al, for the Health ABC Study. Association between physical and cognitive function in healthy elderly: the health, aging, and body composition study. Neuroepidemiology . 2005;24(1-2):8-14.

This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.

Copyright © 2009 EBSCO Publishing All rights reserved.

Healthy Aging

Healthy Aging


“If I would have known I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of myself.”
~ Dean Martin

“None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.”
~ H.D. Thoreau

This is the third in a series of articles on healthy aging. It is the most requested topic for our Weekly Wellness Reports and to me, it is one of the most important topics. You see, health is not about waiting for disease to strike and then battling it. As the World Health Organization said back in 1948, health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Healthy aging
My seventh-grade teacher was an ancient fossil of man – much older than even my parents! I think he was 50. He told me a truth about aging that I have never forgotten: The only way to avoid getting old is to die young. With that in mind I found great wisdom in the words of Benjamin Franklin who said, “All would live long but none would be old.”

So, healthy aging is about living long without being old! To reach that goal we need to take a brief look at the process called “biological aging.”

Biological aging does not happen with the tick of the clock or the pages turning on your calendar; it happens in your cells. During its life cycle a cell may be damaged by exposure to:
Toxins
Direct trauma
Nutrient deficiencies
Stress
Each of these circumstances causes inflammation and free radical production. Intense nutrition is needed to battle these causes of premature cell death.

Premature biological aging occurs when more cells die than you can replace.

Fighting inflammation
The human body is designed to fight premature aging and remain young. A powerful force called homeostasis mobilizes your immune system, hormones, nerves and other important systems to ignite the healing process. Homeostasis uses focused inflammation to remodel your cells following injury, illness or even the extreme challenges of emotional stress. Once the healing process is complete, homeostasis extinguishes the fire of inflammation and returns your body to a state of dynamic and vital balance – free from the effects of runaway inflammation.

Homeostasis orchestrates the cells in your body to maintain balance under even severe conditions.

However, there are times when your body cannot heal itself. If inflammation overwhelms a cell it may be damaged beyond repair. Damaged, dead cells must be removed or they will become the focus of infection and illness. Betalains, a unique class of nutrient that is both an antioxidant and a protein, assist a special cell called a macrophage (literally “big eater”) to engulf the dead cell and eliminate it from your body. This makes room for a brand-new replacement cell and the cycle of wellness continues.

Intense nutrition
The supplements of healthy aging include four critical components:
A balanced multiple vitamin/mineral supplement to establish a solid foundation for healthy aging
An essential fatty acid supplement to nourish the arteries and rehydrate the brain
A Vitamin C supplement to serve as an antioxidant reserve and keep the immune system active
A B-12 supplement to keep the energy level up and the mind bright.
Premature aging is about losing more cells than we replace. Healthy aging is about closing the gap between loss of cells and repair or replacement of our cells as directed by homeostasis and fueled by nutrients.

Toxins: A Major Source of Inflammation

Toxins: A Major Source of Inflammation


Have you ever walked down the cleaning aisle at the supermarket? What was your experience? I hate it! In fact, I completely avoid that aisle. If I need something, I hold my breath, quickly get what I need and beat a hasty retreat from that toxic soup.

The soaps, bleaches, softeners and fragrances in the cleaning aisle are all in sealed containers. Yet, they still give off an overwhelming, nauseating stench that may make a person sick for hours. What happens when we bring those containers home? They continue to give off toxins. Only now, the containers are open and the process happens 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Our toxic environment
In North America we are inundated with toxins every moment of every day. Pollution in our air, water and food challenges our ability to detoxify and adapt. Worse still, the place we think of as a haven from stress – our home – is likely the most toxic environment we face in our daily routines. Toxins released from household chemicals, fabric, carpet, fragrances and pesticides seep into our body in tiny amounts even as we sleep.

Toxic waste, like barnacles on the hull of a ship, drags us down. It slows the efficiency of our mitochondria (the energy-producing engines inside our cells). Noxious chemicals create fatigue, headaches, digestive disturbances and moodiness. Eventually, toxins become the focus for inflammation.

Inflammation
Your body uses acute inflammation to try to neutralize toxicity. Think of your reaction to a bee sting: redness, swelling, heat and pain. This is not caused by the toxins in the bee venom. It is the reaction of your body as it tries to eliminate the toxicity:
Redness is the increase in blood supply to bring in immune system antibodies and remove the neutralized venom.

Swelling is the lymphatic fluid that dilutes the concentrated poison while providing proteins for repair of the tissue damaged by the toxins.

Heat comes from immune system activity as it battles the invading contaminant.

Pain causes us to guard that area from further damage.
Chronic inflammation occurs when the toxins are not completely removed from an area. A good example of this may be found in simple lawn chemicals, like fertilizers and pesticides. Certain fertilizers are potassium-based. Potassium is important for human health. When we are exposed to these fertilizers, our cells may accept the potassium along with the toxic “attachments.” Your immune system will constantly attack these contaminated cells until it destroys them. Clusters of diseases like Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis have been linked to these fertilizers.

Home sweet home – isolate and insulate
Neutralizing toxins in the body begins with isolating ourselves from chemical exposure. We must be diligent if we are to protect our family from toxic overload. Chemicals should be stored out of the living area in a place that is well-ventilated. This is especially true if there are children in the home, as developing brains are up to 10 times more likely to suffer damage from toxins than an adult nervous system.

Insulating ourselves against toxic exposure is equally important. Two nutrient classes shine when it comes to protection from pollution:
Essential fatty acids – Many of the toxins we face are fat-soluble. We need “clean” fats in abundance to displace toxic fats in our brain, liver and other regions of our body.

Antioxidants – Antioxidants neutralize toxins and Betalain antioxidants found in Nopal figs have two added benefits over standard antioxidants:
Betalains drain away the toxin from an affected area
Betalains shore up the cell membrane to help promote healing.
Betalains turn out to be our best tool in combating the causes of inflammation: toxins, stress, injury and nutrient deficiency. Use this excellent tool liberally to help you resist the increasing onslaught of toxins both inside and outside of our home sweet home!