News August

Weight Loss, Activities Reduce Hypertension

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, affects up to 65 million people. According to the Joint National Committee on Detection, Evaluation and Diagnosis of High Blood Pressure, a normal blood pressure reading is less than 120 mmHg systolic (the upper number in a blood-pressure reading) and less than 80 mmHg diastolic (the lower number).

A person is considered hypertensive if the blood pressure measures 140/90 or greater. The in-between numbers (from 120 to 139 systolic and 80 to 89 diastolic) are considered prehypertensive.

Untreated, hypertension increases a person's risk of heart attack and stroke, and can damage such vital organs as the brain, kidneys and heart. Long-standing hypertension can cause blindness, impotence and peripheral vascular disease, and it worsens the effects of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, on the body.

Lowering blood pressure through the use of medications effectively decreases the risk of these maladies. Medications such as diuretics (water pills), ACE inhibitors, beta blockers and others are among the most common blood-pressure medicines.

Some patients, however, cannot tolerate the side effects of these medications. Beta blockers, for example, can cause dizziness, decreased libido and depression. ACE inhibitors may cause chronic cough. Others may be frustrated by having to take the multiple daily medications that are often necessary to control blood pressure effectively.

For such patients, investigating integrative medical approaches, such as lifestyle changes, selected supplements, and mind-body interventions, may prove fruitful.

But first, let me say that I don't recommend stopping your blood-pressure medications altogether. Doing so may have dangerous consequences -- either from rapid elevations in blood pressure or from the withdrawal effects of sudden discontinuation.

Instead, integrative medicine principles call for making gradual, permanent changes to benefit your health and working in partnership with your physician to wean medications when and where possible.

Lifestyle changes are the cornerstone of good blood-pressure control. Salt reduction, weight loss, limiting alcohol intake and mild aerobic exercise -- and quitting tobacco, if you smoke -- may keep borderline hypertension patients from having to take medications, or may enable those on medications to cut back. In fact, shedding 10 percent of body weight may itself be enough to normalize blood pressure in many people.

A Mediterranean-style diet, one rich in olive oil (which contains blood pressure-lowering monounsaturated fatty acids), and plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, has been shown to lower blood pressure.

So has the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, developed and tested by professionals at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. A copy of the DASH diet is available online at www. nhlbi.nih.gov. Search for "DASH diet" and then click on NHLBI, DASH Eating Plan.

Fish oil and coenzyme Q10 -- a molecule that is part of the metabolic machinery of cells -- are two supplements that have been shown in studies to modestly lower blood pressure. These supplements are generally considered safe -- coenzyme Q10 is used widely in Europe and Japan in the treat- ment of cardiac disease -- but should only be started after consulting with your doctor, as they can interact with certain medications, such as the blood thinner Coumadin.

Further, coenzyme Q10 is a powerful antioxidant, and can interfere with certain chemotherapy medications. Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy should speak with their oncologists before starting this supplement.

Finally, there have been intriguing studies on the effects of mind-body interventions, such as qigong, tai chi, meditation, yoga and osteopathic manipulation, on lowering blood pressure.

These modalities are believed to help restore the balance between the sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous systems in the body, thereby reducing stress and its harmful effects on the cardiovascular system. Utilized consistently, these practices can permanently change the body's physiology, including high blood pressure, for the better.

Source http://www.delawareonline.com/