Regular drinkers are exceedingly prone to getting hypertension, because they hurt their kidneys in such a manner that extra stress is exerted on arteries and such, because the kidneys are closely related with blood pressure. Drinkers ought to restrict the quantity they drink to one or two drinks day by day or so. Women should be expecially cautious as to how much they drink because their tolerance is generally lesser than a man’s. If blood pressure becomes a powerful obstruction as a consequence of drinking, medical doctors are very likely to administer some strong medication to a person.

Alcohol also causes some individuals to become fat. At the very slightest, it is a contributing factor to being chubby, due the number of calories alcohol contains. That beer gut which individuals get after downing a six pack a day will not be only making you look bad, likelihood is it’s also raising your blood pressure to dangerously excessive levels. In any case, the extra fat an individual has on them, the extra stress that fat goes to put on arteries, which can, in turn, increase the strain of the blood pressing against these arteries. Also, people who find themselves obese have a much bigger system of blood vessels and these vessels are stretched out to the maximum. This stretching ends in thinner blood vessesls which, in turn, raises blood pressure attributable to elevated peripheral resistance. The entire scenario puts a huge strain on the heart.

In summary then, there is a very strong affiliation between hypertension and alcohol consumption. Principally, if you want to keep your blood pressure under control, then drinking much less alcohol will certainly help out. In addition to controlling blood pressure, consuming less alcohol will drastically lower the danger of acquiring other associated ailments corresponding to liver breakdown. Any responsible family doctor will counsel you to keep your alcohol consumption to a safe and sensible level. In this approach, you will be well on the trail to a healthier life.

Check out these links for more information on a Healthy Diet Plan , Weight Loss Programs and Eating Healthy

The total amount of sodium a water softener provides to tap water depends on the “rigidity” of your water. Hard water incorporates large quantities of calcium and magnesium — dissolved from the soil by rainwater. A number of water-softening systems eliminate calcium and magnesium ions from hard water and restore them with sodium ions. The greater the amount of calcium and magnesium, the more sodium required to soften the water. Still, the total amount of sodium in softened water that was originally enormously hard shouldn’t be reason for trouble.

Softened water nonetheless contains all of the natural reserves that we require. It is only deprived off its calcium and magnesium contents, and a few sodium is added throughout the softening process. That’s the reason most often, soft water is perfectly safe to drink. It’s highly recommended that softened water contains simply as much as 300mg/L of sodium.
In areas with pretty excessive hardness the soft water should not be used for the preparation of child-milkdue to the excessive sodium concentration following the softening method has been administrated.

Nearly all of sodium in the standard diet comes from table salt and refined meals. The water out of your tap might add a little quantity of sodium to your eating regimen, based on the type of softener you use, but not a big amount. As a basic rule, an eight-ounce (236 milliliters) glass of softened tap water comprises less than 12.5 milligrams of sodium. In response to the Food and Drug Administration nutrient guidelines, that is in the very low-sodium range. One of the best ways to lower the sodium in your eating regimen is by reducing back on table salt and refined foods.

The sodium uptake by means of soft water will depend on the rigidity of the water. Averagely, lower than 3% sodium uptake comes from drinking softened water.

Estimates state that a person consumes about two to three teaspoons of salt a day, from various resources. Assuming a daily consumption of 5 grams of sodium by food and the drinking of three quarts of water, the role of sodium (Na+) in the water from the house water softening method, is minimal compared to the whole every day consumption of many rich foods.

In case youre anxious regarding the quantity of sodium in your softened water, there are some things you can apply:

* Swap to a kind of water-purification procedure that does not replace magnesium and calcium with sodium.
* Acquire demineralized water for drinking and cooking.
* Soften only the hot water and using unsoftened cold water for drinking and cooking.

Stress is a normal part of life however, if left unmanaged, stress can lead to emotional, psychological, and even physical problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, chest pains, or irregular heart beat and ultimately the need for heart bypass surgery.

The mechanisms of exactly how stress increases the risk of heart disease are not yet fully understood. Stress itself might be a risk factor, or it could be that high levels of stress make other risk factors (such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure) worse. For example, if you are under stress, your blood pressure may go up, you may overeat, you may exercise less, and you may be more likely to smoke.

If stress itself is a risk factor for heart disease, it could be because chronic stress exposes your body to unhealthy, persistently elevated levels of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. Studies also link stress to changes in the way blood forms clots, which can in turn increases the risk of heart attack.

Stress can be caused by a physical or emotional change, or a change in your environment that requires you to adjust or respond. Things that make you feel stressed are called “stressors.”

Stressors can be minor hassles, major lifestyle changes, or a combination of both. Being able to identify stressors in your life and releasing the tension they cause are the keys to managing stress.

These are some common stressors that can affect people at all stages of life:

• Illness – personal or a family member or friend.
• The death of your friend or a loved one.
• Problems in a personal relationship.
• Work overload.
• Starting a new job.
• Unemployment.
• Retirement.
• Pregnancy.
• Crowd situations.
• Relocation of home or work.
• Daily irritations.
• Legal problems.
• Financial concerns.

There Are the Warning Signs.

When you are exposed to long periods of stress, your body gives you warning signals that something is wrong.

These warning signs should not be ignored. They are telling you that you need to break the pattern.

If you continue to be stressed and you don’t give your body some relief from these tensions you are more likely to develop health problems which can include heart disease. You could also worsen any other existing illnesses.

Below are some common warning signs and symptoms of stress.

Physical signs mayinclude:

Dizziness – general aches and pains – grinding teeth – clenched jaws – headaches – indigestion – muscle tension – difficulty sleeping – racing heart – ringing in the ears – sweaty palms – constant tiredness or exhaustion – trembling unexplained weight gain or loss.

Mental signs may include:

Constant worrying – difficulty in making decisions – forgetfulness – inability to concentrate – lack of creativity – loss of sense of humor – poor memory.

Emotional signs may include:

Anger – anxiety – crying – depression – feeling powerless – frequent mood swings – irritability – loneliness – negative thinking – nervousness and sadness.

Behavioral signs may include:

Compulsive eating – excessively critical attitude towards others – explosive actions or reactions – increased use of alcohol or drugs – withdrawal from relationships or social situations.

Coping With Stress

If you have identified some causes of stress in your life, the next step is to learn some of the techniques that can help you cope. There are many techniques you can use to manage stress.

Some of these you can learn yourself, while other techniques may require the guidance of a trained therapist. If your stress level is severe, then it will usually be better to seek the help of a qualified health practitioner.

Some simple techniques for coping with stress include:
Eating and drinking sensibly at set regular times. Indulging or bingeing with alcohol and food may seem to reduce stress, but it actually adds to it.

Try to be more assertive. You do not have to meet others’ expectations or demands. It’s OK to say “NO!” Remember, being assertive allows you to stand up for your rights and beliefs but you must remember to respect those of others.

If possible, quit smoking. Aside from the obvious health risks of cigarettes, nicotine acts as a stimulant and increases stress levels.

Exercising regularly really does help. Choose non-competitive exercise and set reasonable goals. Aerobic exercise has been shown to release endorphins (natural substances that help you feel better and maintain a positive attitude.)

Take time to relax every day. Most stressed people find it difficult to find enough time to carry out all that they need to do, but this is just a stress related illusion.

Make the time and gradually you will find that you really did have time after all. Learn to control what you can and accept what you cannot.

Make sure you get enough rest. Even with proper diet and exercise, you can’t fight stress effectively without rest.

You need time to recover from exercise and stressful events. The time you spend resting should be long enough to relax your mind as well as your body.

Some people find that taking a nap in the middle of the day helps them reduce stress, but this may not be ideal for everyone.

By making small but positive changes, a little at a time, you will find that it is possible to reduce stress and improve your overall health.

The trouble is that knowing “quite a lot” is often a dangerous place. Why? Well imagine if you were about to undergo a routine surgery. You are very confident that the outcome will be a success.

But how would you feel if the surgeon who was about to perform this surgery were to inform you that although they had performed quite a few surgeries and “knew quite a lot” about what they were about to do, they didn’t know everything about this particular procedure?

There are those who would suggest that vitamin supplementation can be used in therapeutic doses to cure a wide range of health problems including atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

So here is what we do know about vitamins for certain:

Our bodies are unable to make vitamins. Vitamins are vital to our health as they serve or assist with functions in almost all bodily processes and therefore we must obtain them from our food or from vitamin supplements.

Lack of sufficient vitamin content in the diet does cause illness and decline in the human body and does result in poor development and debilitation in the young.

There are thirteen vitamins in total. These are classified as either water soluble or fat soluble, and in one case – both.

Fat Soluble Vitamins

Fat-soluble vitamins are absorbed, together with fat from the intestine and because of this can be stored in the body and can exert an influence for much for longer periods of time than water soluble vitamins. This also makes it possible to “over dose” if supplementing and great care should always be taken if supplementing.

Vitamins A, some forms of C, D, E and K are fat soluble vitamins. They are largely processed in the liver and then distributed throughout the body’s fatty tissues where in some cases they may also be stored.
The fat soluble version of Vitamin C is Ascorbyl Palmitate.

Ascorbyl palmitate is an amphipathic molecule, which means one end is water-soluble and the other end is fat-soluble. This dual solubility allows it to permeate the extra-cellular aqueous environment of the cell and the interior cellular environment, as well. When it is incorporated into the cell membranes of human red blood cells, ascorbyl palmitate is believed to protect them from oxidative damage and is also believed to help protect vitamin E from oxidation by free radicals.

Some forms of Vitamin C – including ascorbic acid – and the B complex group make up the nine water soluble vitamins. These water soluble vitamins are not readily stored in the body and need to be consumed on a very regular daily basis.

The B complex group comprises of vitamins:

B1 – Thiamine
B2 – Riboflavin
B3 – Niacine
B5 – Pantothenic acid
B6 – Pyridoxine
B7 – Biotin
B9 – Folic Acid
B12 – Cyanocobalamin

There are two differing and largely misunderstood value recommendations for vitamin intake.

One is the RDA which simple means recommended daily amount and is the amount of vitamins that an average weight healthy individual needs to consume to support normal bodily functions.

Then there is the Therapeutic Daily Amount. This is a suggested (and often speculative) amount of vitamins or vitamin combinations that a person of average weight would need to consume in order to address or influence a curative effect upon a disease or illness.

There is much argument as to whether vitamin supplementation is useful or not and there are many surveys and studies that support both sides of the argument, but on balance, there is a very large body of evidence which tends to support some therapeutic use of certain vitamins, and the necessity to supplement poor or unbalanced diets.

It is overwhelmingly agreed that the best source of vitamins are those obtained by a varied and well balanced diet, but to gain sufficient amounts of vitamins for therapeutic purposes solely from dietary sources would be impossible.

The following is a list (not exhaustive) of which foods can be consumed to obtain dietary amounts of each vitamin.

Vitamin A
Liver, Sweet potatoes, Carrots, Mangoes, Spinach, Cantaloupe, Dried apricots, Milk, Egg yolks, Mozzarella cheese.

Vitamin B1
Quorn, Brewer’s Yeast, Bovril, Wheat germ

Vitamin B2
Marmite, Liver, Kidneys

Vitamin B3
Peanuts, Cereal, Tuna, Chicken, Beef liver, Turkey, Lamb, Beef

Vitamin B5
Broccoli, Avocados, Meat, organic unprocessed grains

Vitamin B6
Wheat germ, Wheat bran, Liver, Fatty Fish, Hazel nuts, Peanuts

Vitamin B7
Organ meats, Barley, Brewer’s yeast, Corn, Egg yolks, Milk, Royal jelly, Soy, and Wheat bran

Vitamin B9
Spinach, Asparagus, Turnip greens, Lettuce, Beans, Peas, Sunflower seeds, Liver

Vitamin B12
Liver, Sardines, Kidneys, Rabbit, Fatty Fish

Vitamin C
Rose hip extracts, Blackcurrant, Guava, Strawberry, Peppers, Spring greens, Curly Kale, Brussels sprouts, Lemon, Orange

Vitamin D
Cod liver oil, Salmon oil, Herring, Kippers, Canned Salmon, Mackerel

Vitamin E
Sunflower oil, Cottonseed oil, Safflower oils, Hazelnuts, Almonds, Wheat germ, Cod liver oil

Vitamin K
Cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, Broccoli Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Cabbage, Alfalfa, Liver, Fish oils, Yogurt, milk, Soya bean, Sea kelp

So it would seem to be the very best policy for the healthy individual to maintain a varied and balanced diet that contains at least one of the water soluble vitamins in each meal and at least one of the fat soluble vitamins each day.

You may be experiencing the early warning signs of blocked arteries (atherosclerosis) but you may not be associating this pain and discomfort with heart problems.

Strange though it may sound, the traditional image of a man holding his chest whilst gasping for breath is not the most common pain experience or symptom of a blocked artery sufferer, although it may be that very one that ultimately brings them into the accident and emergency department.

It is very likely that the patient has been experiencing pain and discomfort for some time but has put this down to a myriad of other possible – and less serious – illnesses.

Take the example of my husband. He had angioplasty and a stent procedure some ten years earlier and therefore convinced us all that his chest pain was not a heart problem or angina. He claimed that he of all people would recognize heart pain.

He experienced something that he was convinced was more like indigestion for some eighteen months before he finally had a massive heart attack episode which was followed up with a heart bypass operation.

Typically he would be enjoying a rich meal, for example a Chinese Meal (one of his favourites) but no sooner would he have put his knife and fork down when he would be clutching directly below his chest with one arm and wincing with the pain, which would go off after a few minutes. This would be put down to indigestion, because of the rich food followed by pain.

Another common occurrence would be at the end of the evening just before bed when it was his self imposed job to finally load and switch on the dishwasher, which involves bending to close the door of the dishwasher, he would immediately get a pain in the chest again. This would be put down to a hiatus hernia because it came on after bending.

The pain – below the centre of his sternum – would also be apparent if he undertook anything that involved stooping or bending. So plenty of antacid remedies were taken and they would, strangely, ease the pain which often would disappear within a few minutes of taking this medication.

The pain would however, very often re occur during the night and he found it easier and more comfortable to sleep propped up by some pillows but would frequently complain in the morning of pain below the sternum during the night. He would frequently take antacid medication on several occasions throughout the night.

We got to the stage where we could no longer go for walks for the simple reason that after only a few steps, the pain would come on which would be immobilizing for him for several moments.

Now I can guess what you are thinking. If my husband experienced all these symptoms for so long why didn’t you get him looked at?

Well the answer is, we did. The accident and emergency department performed an ECG on a few occasions when we had rushed there after very severe pain, but unfortunately the ECG results did not indicate a heart attack and we were advised to “take things easy” and return if the pain re-occurred. They took a blood test on one other occasion and came back with the diagnosis of “irritable-bowl syndrome” which added to our reasoning and is one of the reasons why we always put his pains down to digestive problems, and is why he was sure it was not a heart related problem.

On the final occurrence of this type of chest pain, the pain just wouldn’t go away as it had in the past. All the antacids wouldn’t shift it and he spent most of the day clutching his stomach.

He eventually gave in when a second a violent pain started to develop in his right shoulder and he allowed me to call the ambulance at 10 pm. Prior to this he had insisted that it was another bout of indigestion and flatly refused to even consider attending the hospital.

By 5 am the next day he had been transferred from our local hospital to the main hospital and was in intensive care awaiting heart bypass surgery. He suffered several very unpleasant heart attack episodes whilst in hospital awaiting surgery.

So please heed this warning.

If you are suffering from any of the above symptoms, do not delay! Get to the hospital right away.

If the symptoms are not caused by a problem with your heart then this is great news and you can relax and get the appropriate treatment, but if it is your heart, and you won’t be reading this article unless you have a suspicion that it may be, then you will be in the right place to get treatment sooner rather than later!

My husband is now fully recovered and he is as fit as a fiddle. He can once again walk without pain in his chest and – deep joy – he can enjoy his favourite Chinese food without any suffering any pain afterwards!

To ensure that we start off correctly, I think that it is important to understand the difference between dietary health supplements and vitamins.

The term ‘vitamin’ first became popular in the early nineteenth century as a combination of the words ‘vital’ and ‘mineral’. A compound is called a vitamin when it cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities by the body, and must be obtained from the diet. The term vitamin does not include other essential nutrients such as dietary minerals, essential fatty acids, or essential amino acids, nor does it encompass the large number of other nutrients that promote health but are otherwise required less often

There are an almost infinite amount of dietary supplements and we shall be covering only the ones that:

a) Claim to be heart healthy or curative
b) Are very popular or widely acclaimed

Omega-3 Fatty Acids
These healthy fats have emerged as the runaway heart-helpers, with numerous studies showing they can help reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and atherosclerosis and subsequently the need for heart bypass surgery. If you’ve had a heart attack, omega-3s appear to reduce the risk of suffering another one. Fish oil is by far the best supplement source of omega-3s.

CoQ10
At this point, there are no complete, sure bets with CoQ10. It is suspected to be beneficial in numerous applications, most notably heart-related damage, but until additional larger, longer and better-controlled studies are performed, no one can say for sure.

Currently, however, CoQ10 has shown the most definitive benefits in treating hypertension, or high blood pressure. People with high blood pressure have been shown to have less CoQ10 than normal, and CoQ10 has been shown to reduce high blood pressure in early research. The treatment of hypertension is the only CoQ10 application that has so far received a “B” rating, meaning there is good, solid scientific evidence that Co Q 10 may be helpful.

Green Tea
There are claims that the benefits of green tea include a lot of healing and preventive processes that cater to diseases like cancer, heart disease,rheumatoid arthritis, infections, impaired immune functions, and cardiovascular diseases.

The claims also suggest the benefits of green tea also help to alleviate problems with high cholesterol and improve the overall cholesterol level in the body.

It is further claimed that by drinking recommended amounts of green tea, the human body is cleansed from toxins that may cause a lot of health problems.

In 1994 the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of an epidemiological study indicating that drinking green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly sixty percent.
University of Purdue researchers recently concluded that a compound found in green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells.

There is also research indicating that drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as improving the cholesterol ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol.

Here are just a few medical conditions in which drinking green tea is reputed to be helpful, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, high cholesterol levels, cardiovascular disease, infections and impaired immune function.

Alpha-Lipoic Acid
According to State Canadian researchers in the November 2003 issue of The Journal of Nutrition, Alpha-lipoic acid has been identified as a powerful antioxidant that is found naturally in our diets, but it appears to have increased functional capacity when given as a supplement in the form of a natural or synthetic isolate. They also noted that Alpha-Lipoic Acid supplements may help to prevent cardiovascular risk factors such as LDL oxidation and high blood pressure.

Aged Garlic
Garlic has been found to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, blood pressure, and plaque formation. One study at the University of California found that 200 mg of aged garlic extract taken daily lowered heart attack risk by 65%.

A study from December 2008 examined the effects of a standard garlic supplement versus a placebo in 42 men with hypercholesterolemia. By the end of the 12 week trial, the garlic supplement group reduced total cholesterol levels by a mean average of 7.6% and 11.5% more than the placebo group.
The LDL (”bad”) cholesterol fell by almost 14%. The participants HDL (”good”) cholesterol rose by almost 12%. The dosage found to be most effective was 600 mg a day.

A 2007 experiment examined the effects of garlic supplementation in a total of 112 volunteers. Half of the men and women were diagnosed with heart disease, the remainder were described as having at least “one or more risk factors of cardiovascular pathology”. The exact figures of this Russian study weren’t available, but the summary states that 6 months of garlic supplementation resulted in a “moderate hypolipidemic” (cholesterol lowering) and “antioxidant effect”.

The researchers concluded that people with pre-existing cardiovascular disease would likely benefit in both the short and long term from a dosage of 600 mg daily. 300 mg was the recommended dosage for those with at least one risk factor, but who lack clinical diagnosis of heart disease.

In April 2009, a review of garlic’s role in the management of high cholesterol was published in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics. This meta-analysis looked at 13 clinical trials that included over 1,000 participants. The authors of the study summarized their findings in the following way: “The available evidence from randomized controlled trials does not demonstrate any beneficial effects of garlic on serum cholesterol”.

Resveratrol
Resveratrol is claimed to be a key ingredient that helps prevent damage to blood vessels, reduces “bad” cholesterol and prevents blood clots.

Most research conducted with resveratrol has been conducted on animals, not people.
Research in mice given resveratrol has indicated that the antioxidant might also help protect them from obesity and diabetes, both of which are strong risk factors for heart disease. However, those findings were reported only in mice, not in people. In addition, to get the same dose of resveratrol used in the mice studies, a person would have to consume 100 to 1,000 bottles of red wine a day, which is why supplementation would be required to achieve such benefit.

Some research shows that resveratrol could be linked to a reduced risk of inflammation and blood clotting, both of which can lead to heart disease, but more research is needed before it can be confirmed whether resveratrol was the cause for the reduced risk.

Here is a summary from The Linus Pauling Institute:

Resveratrol is a polyphenolic compound found in grapes, red wine, purple grape juice, peanuts, and some berries.
When taken orally, resveratrol appears to be well-absorbed by humans, but its bioavailability is relatively low because it is rapidly metabolized and eliminated.

Scientists became interested in exploring potential health benefits of resveratrol when its presence was reported in red wine, leading to speculation that resveratrol might help explain the “French Paradox.”

Moderate alcohol consumption has been consistently associated with 20-30% reductions in coronary heart disease risk, but it is not yet clear whether red wine polyphenols, such as resveratrol, confer any additional risk reduction.

Although resveratrol can inhibit the growth of cancer cells in culture and in some animal models, it is not known whether high intakes of resveratrol can prevent cancer in humans.

Resveratrol administration has increased the lifespans of yeast, worms, fruit flies, fish, and mice fed a high-calorie diet, but it is not known whether resveratrol will have similar effects in humans.

At present, relatively little is known about the effects of resveratrol in humans.

The French paradox does seem to lend some weight to the argument. The paradox is the observation that the French appear to suffer a relatively low incidence of coronary heart disease, despite having a diet relatively rich in saturated fats. The term French paradox was first coined in 1992 by Dr. Serge Renaud, a scientist from Bordeaux University in France.

Nattokinase
Nattokinase has been the subject of more than 17 studies, including two small human trials.

Researchers from Biotechnology Research Laboratories and JCR Pharmaceuticals Co. of Kobe, Japan, have tested its ability to dissolve a thrombus in the carotid arteries of rats. Animals that were treated with nattokinase regained 62 percent of blood flow, whereas those treated with plasmin regained just 15.8 percent.

Researchers from JCR Pharmaceuticals, Oklahoma State University, and Miyazaki Medical College tested nattokinase on 12 healthy Japanese volunteers (six men and six women, between the ages of 21 and 55). They gave the volunteers 200 grams of natto before breakfast, then tracked fibrinolytic activity through a series of blood plasma tests. The tests indicated that the natto generated a heightened ability to dissolve blood clots. On average, the volunteers’ ELT (a measure of how long It takes to dissolve a blood clot) dropped by 48 percent within two hours of treatment.
Volunteers also retained an enhanced ability to dissolve blood clots for two to eight hours. As a control procedure, researchers later fed the same amount of boiled soybeans to the same volunteers and tracked their fibrinolytic activity. These tests showed no significant change.

Conclusion:
Nattokinase is a particularly potent treatment because it enhances the body’s natural ability to fight blood clots in several different ways.
Additional benefits Include the convenience of oral administration, confirmed efficacy, prolonged effects, cost effectiveness, and the fact that it can be used preventatively. It is a naturally occurring dietary supplement that has demonstrated stability in the gastrointestinal tract.

The properties of nattokinase closely resemble those properties of plasmin in that it also dissolves fibrin directly. More importantly, it enhances the body’s production of both plasmin and other clot-dissolving agents.

Nattokinase may actually be superior to conventional clot-dissolving drugs such as recombinant tissue plasminogen activators (rt-PA), urokinase, and streptokinase, which are only effective therapeutically when taken intravenously within 12 hours of a stroke or heart attack.
Nattokinase, however, may help prevent the conditions leading to blood clots with a dose of only 2,000 fibrin units or 50 grams, of natto per day.

Terminalia Arjuna
Terminalia arjuna is a medicinal plant of the genus Terminalia, widely used by Ayurvedic physicians for its curative properties in people with heart problems including angina, hypertension and deposits in arteries.

Research suggests that Terminalia is useful in alleviating the pain of angina pectoris and in treating heart failure and coronary artery disease.

Terminalia may also be useful in treating hypercholesterolemia. The cardio protective effects of terminalia are thought to be produced by the antioxidant nature of several of the constituent flavonoids and oligomeric proanthocyanidins, while positive inotropic effects may be caused by the saponin glycosides.

There are documented studies on humans which appear to be sufficient enough to confirm the theraputic benfits of this dietary health supplement.

Pycnogenol
The extract has four basic properties – it’s a powerful antioxidant, acts as a natural anti-inflammatory, selectively binds to collagen and elastin, and finally, it aids in the production of endothelial nitric oxide which helps to dilate blood vessels.

There is a large amount of clinical trial information that appears to support the efficiency of this dietary health supplement with particular emphasis on heart health.

Supplements often undergo clinical trials and more so as they become more popular. This will mean that although every care has been taken to detail the current information accurately, as new trials are undertaken, some of this information may become redundant.

Look at the four blood pressure categories below and then determine which category you fall into.

If your blood pressure reading is in two different categories where systolic pressure is in one category and diastolic pressure is in another, then your correct blood pressure category is the higher one. For example, if your blood pressure reading is 119/85 you have Pre-hypertension.

Below 120 and Below 80 is considered Normal blood pressure.
120-139 and 80-89 is considered Pre-hypertension.
140-159 and 90-99 is considered Stage 1 hypertension.
160 or more and 100 or more is considered Stage 2 hypertension.

The 1st Number represents Systolic pressure. This is the pressure generated when the heart contracts.
The 2nd Number represents Diastolic pressure. This is the blood pressure when the heart is relaxed.

It is not possible to determine what blood pressure category you are in by taking just one reading. Blood pressure readings should be taken at four or five equally spaced periods throughout the day whilst you are at rest and these readings should be taken over seven days. The numbers should then be averaged to give a representative reading

It is important to understand just how dangerous high blood pressure is.

High blood pressure is a very high risk factor for congestive heart failure. This is a serious condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood to supply the functional needs of your body. The result of your heart failing to pump enough blood can result in kidney damage and in extreme cases, even a stroke.

In relation to your kidneys, if high blood pressure remains untreated it can damage both the blood vessels feeding the kidneys and the kidney filtering membranes – called nephrons – as well.

High blood pressure is a leading risk factor for a stroke as well as creating the ideal condition for “a bleed” in the brain which can be just as life threatening.

Many patients who need to undergo heart bypass surgery need to do so because of damage initially caused by high blood pressure.

Here is a summary of the effects of high blood pressure:

Damage to cerebral tissues or stoke, resulting in convulsions, impaired speech and impaired body function including partial or total paralysis.

Atherosclerosis which is hardening of the walls of the arteries. This raises the risk for heart disease and further increases the severity of high blood pressure in a “vicious circle” of cause and effect coronary heart disease of varying severity.

If you discover that you have high blood pressure, you need to find a suitable method to reduce it, and you should treat this as very urgent. Delay is to be avoided, especially since you may have been unknowingly suffering with high blood pressure for quite some time prior to discovery.

Undoubtedly you should consult with your doctor, but you may also wish to discuss with your doctor alternatives to prescription drugs that although are very effective, do have some very unpleasant side effects.

Some known non prescription drug methods for effectively lowering blood pressure include meditation, aerobic exercise, controlled breathing exercises, healthy diet and stress management.

If you are a tobacco smoker you should without question seek urgent help to quit as quickly as possible. You may also need to understand that nicotine replacement (patches, gum etc) may not be suitable to assist you as they may actually exacerbate the condition.

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