According to the American Heart Association, high blood pressure affects about 73.6 million people age 20 and over in the USA  alone. One in three adults suffers from it and 78.7% of them are aware that they have it. 69.1% were receiving treatment and  45.4% had it under control.  That left 54.6% who did not have it controlled.

The cause of 90 - 95% of the cases of hypertension isn’t known. This is referred to as ‘essential hypertension’.  However, regardless of that, it is easy to diagnose and there are numerous treatments to help control it.

Many conditions can adversely affect the blood pressure. Eight of them are as follows:-

1. STRESS An argument, financial problems, fear and other emotional factors will temporarily raise your blood pressure. This actually is a defense mechanism to enable you to function more efficiently by increasing the amount of oxygen and nutrients available to the cells. Unless you already have hypertension, a temporary increase shouldn’t be harmful, but if you are already a sufferer, it could bring about a stroke.  This is why people who are chronically hypertensive, are told to stay calm and not get overly excited.
2. SMOKING Literally within seconds of lighting a cigarette, your blood pressure increases as much as 15-20 points. This happens because nicotine has a stimulating effect on the adrenal glands. They send out a hormone to help defend the body against the poison and when this happens the blood vessels constrict and the pressure goes up.
3. SALT Common table salt can affect your blood pressure tremendously. However, not everyone who has HBP reacts adversely to table salt. You should be able to determine very easily whether it affects you.  Monitor your blood pressure a few times during the day and then when you have a highly salted meal (for instance Chinese food) check your blood pressure a few times over the next 24 hours. People that are sensitive to salt have to be extremely careful with their diet, and make sure they read the labels on their food products.  Canned soups are notoriously high in sodium.
4. KIDNEY DISEASE With kidney disease, the kidneys are unable to eliminate the liquid wastes from the body and they accumulate, producing edema and toxicity.
5. LIVER CONGESTION All the blood in the body flows through the liver, both to pick up nutrients that the liver stores and for detoxification. If the liver is congested with toxins or chemicals, and has lost its ability to function properly for a number of reasons, a back pressure builds up in the portal circulation. This can be reflected in the whole body circulation as high blood pressure.
6. ATHEROSCLEROSIS - ARTERIOSCLEROSIS Many feel that the major cause of hypertension is the narrowing of the arterial system by deposits of calcium, cholesterol, fibrin and other blood constituents resulting in either atherosclerosis or arteriosclerosis. As plaque builds up, the internal diameter of the blood vessel is decreased significantly. This results in increased pressure because the same amount of fluid is being forced through a narrower opening.
7. TUMORS In a very small percentage of patients suffering with HPB, other factors, such as tumors, are involved.
8. NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES A deficiency in calcium, magnesium, potassium and other nutrients have a definite effect on creating the condition of hypertension.

These eight conditions can adversely affect the blood pressure but are not the underlying causes of having the condition in the first place. As the majority of people suffer from essential hypertension (HPB of unknown cause), the best that they can do is be aware of these conditions and do whatever is necessary to protect themselves. They, of course, should be under the care of their physician, as there are numerous medications available, as well as many natural products that can also be very beneficial.

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