Originally published November 1 2005
American health organizations spread the word about blood pressure
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The American Society of Hypertension shares information about blood pressure, particularly how to monitor and control it with a healthy diet and moderate exercise.
Blood pressure is a measure of the force of blood as it flows through the arteries (the vessels that carry blood from the heart through the body).
A blood pressure reading is written with the systolic pressure over the diastolic pressure.
High blood pressure, of hypertension, occurs when systolic pressure is 140 or higher, or when diastolic pressure is 90 or higher.
Risk is higher among those who are African-American, overweight, have a family history of high blood pressure, have elevated blood pressure (prehypertension), consume too much salt or alcohol, don't get enough exercise, endure chronic stress or take certain medications.
Sometimes high blood pressure can be caused by an underlying medical condition, like a kidney problem or structural abnormality of the aorta.
Researchers believe the fault may lie in the body's lack of response to the increasing blood pressure.
Special sensory nerve endings in the carotid sinus (the area where the carotid artery branches off) detect pressure changes when the arterial walls stretch from increased blood pressure.
Those signals cause the body to make changes to lower blood pressure, like opening blood vessels, slowing heart rate or increasing output from the kidneys.
Over time, hypertension can increase the risk of stroke, heart failure, heart attack, and kidney failure.
Some people can prevent or control high blood pressure through diet and lifestyle modifications (following a healthy diet, reducing of salt intake, losing weight, limiting alcohol consumption, and increasing levels of regular physical activity).
Tiny electrodes attached to wires are wrapped around that part of the artery.
The wires are tunnelled under the skin to a pulse generator (pacemaker) placed under the skin near the collarbone.
The signals are interpreted as a rise in blood pressure, causing the brain to initiate a natural response and take steps to decrease blood pressure.
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