How Ace Inhibitors Work to Lower Blood Pressure

Blood pressure medications come in different forms and each is intended to cause a different reaction in the blood or blood vessels. An ace inhibitor is one such medication used in the treatment of hypertension.

Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibitors prevent the manufacture of a hormone in the body called angiotensin II. Angiotensin II makes blood vessels narrower. When the hormone production is blocked, the arteries remain wider and allow blood to flow through with less pressure on the vessels, thereby lowering blood pressure.

Brand Names for Ace InhibitorsBenazepril, Enalapril and Lisinopril are three ACE inhibitors commonly used in the treatment of high blood pressure. They are seldom the first course of action but are used to treat the more severe cases of hypertension. Ideally, maintaining a proper weight and eating right are the best ways to control blood pressure. After that a diuretic type of medication may be prescribed, which works based on the idea of flushing the arteries so pressure is reduced.

The brand names under which the common ACE inhibitors used to treat high blood pressure are sold are Lotensin (benazepril), Vasotec (enalapril) and Prinivil and Zestril (lisinopril). All of these work to increase blood flow by keeping the arteries open and wide.

ACE inhibitors have side effects just like any other drugs. It can feel as if you have a bad cold because many of the symptoms that are possible are a cough, sore throat, fever, and mouth sores. Other symptoms include an itchy, red skin rash, swelling of the neck, face or tongue, or a salty or metallic taste in your mouth. While all of these are not extremely common, they have been reported in enough cases to be listed as possible side effects to taking ACE inhibitors.

One side effect is raised potassium levels. Some medications, such as diuretics, actually reduce potassium and that has some health risks with it as well. The opposite is true of ACE inhibitors. Because they can raise potassium levels it is important to have yours monitored if you are taking any of these prescriptions. Symptoms of too much potassium in the blood stream include nervousness, a numbness or tingling feeling in the hands or feet, and even confusion. There can also be difficulty breathing.

It is important to watch what you eat and what you do while taking ACE inhibitors. Some foods which contain potassium, such as salt substitutes can cause you to have dangerously high levels of potassium. Also, taking anti-inflammatory drugs such as Advil, Motrin, Aleve or aspirin can negate the effects of your ACE inhibitor drug.

The challenge in controlling blood pressure with medicine is two-fold. Medical professionals will try the least invasive type of drug, meaning one with the least chance of side effects and that requires the lowest dose possible to manage your blood pressure. This means that a patient can often go through years of trial and error type of drug experimentation before finding something that works. Meanwhile, blood pressure can be going untreated.

Secondly, medications to treat blood pressure have side effects – all of them to some degree. You may find that using them requires you to take other medications to treat the symptoms of the side effects.

As with any disease or condition, a natural approach can be just as effective, without the risk of side effects. A doctor can help you determine if you need to lose weight or make other changes to control your blood pressure.

Discover how you can lower blood pressure safely and naturally without the risk of harmful drug side effects: The Blood Pressure Miracle

Frank Mangano is an active member of his community who works diligently providing assistance to senior citizens and probing as a health advocate to discover new and innovative ways to promote well being. Find out how you can maintain healthy blood pressure at: The Blood Pressure Miracle

Are You at Risk for High Blood Pressure?

Knowing the risk factors for high blood pressure, or hypertension, is the first step toward making sure your blood pressure is at a healthy level. There are several risk factors for hypertension. Some are within your control and others are simply a matter of genetics.

It does not matter what is causing or may cause you to have high blood pressure. The important point is that if you know you are at risk you can take steps to reduce the risk and keep your blood pressure at a healthy level.

We have no control over our genes, our race or our age. These are three risk factors for some people in developing high blood pressure. African Americans are more likely to develop high blood pressure than whites. They also seem to develop it at a younger age and have higher levels.

Age is a factor in blood pressure as well. The older you get, the more likely you are to have higher blood pressure. Women usually don't have trouble with hypertension until after menopause, unless they have a parent or other close relative with it. Men will develop hypertension as they age, with the greatest increases beginning between the ages of 35 and 55.

While race, age and genes are not something you can control there are several risk factors for hypertension which you can control. The most important is weight. Obesity leads to higher blood pressure especially in people with a body mass index over 30.0. Contributing to obesity and high blood pressure is also a lack of exercise. If you are inactive, you are more likely to be overweight and therefore develop hypertension.

Our eating and drinking habits greatly impact blood pressure. Consuming too much alcohol or salt on a regular basis also increases blood pressure. Not only overeating, but what you eat will affect blood pressure in a good or bad way.

How much stress you have and how you deal with it can influence blood pressure negatively. It is difficult to know how much stress a person is under, since many people hold it in and may not even feel overly stressed when in reality they are. When there is too much stress, other good habits are often sacrificed to deal withthe current situation. For example, during a stressful period you may not get enough sleep or exercise or may substitute good home cooked meals for high sodium fast foods.

Any one of these risk factors alone can put blood pressure levels within a dangerous range. When you couple the risk factors with one another, your problem grows exponentially. This means that if you are overweight, inactive and have a family history of hypertension, you are at a much higher risk than someone with only heredity working against them. It would be wise for anyone with the non-controllable risk factors of race, heredity, or age to keep stay physically active, maintain a healthy weight and reduce the amount of alcohol and sodium they consume. It is also important to eat a proper diet that will support a healthy blood pressure. Specific nutrients help reduce blood pressure even in those who are genetically predisposed to hypertension.

Learn how to reduce the risk factors for developing high blood pressure and keep your blood pressure at a healthy level: The Blood Pressure Miracle

Frank Mangano is an active member of his community who works diligently providing assistance to senior citizens and probing as a health advocate to discover new and innovative ways to promote well being. Find out how you can maintain healthy blood pressure at: The Blood Pressure Miracle

The Obesity-Hypertension Connection: Is Your Weight Putting You At Risk?

Did your daily weigh-in cause your blood pressure to spike? If you are as little as ten percent over your ideal weight, and especially if you're carrying excess body fat in your abdominal region, then what you learn in the next three minutes as you read this article could not only help you lose those excess inches, it could save your health and even your life!

More than 50 percent of Americans are overweight or obese and the numbers just keep on rising. These shocking statistics have doctors from the World Health Organization, Center for Disease Control, and American Heart Institute wondering how to stop the epidemic. That sudden shock of seeing the numbers on the scale inch up is not what’s giving rise to your blood pressure. It is the ongoing, day-to-day strain that obesity puts on the entire cardiovascular system that causes blood pressure to reach dangerous heights.

Being extremely overweight and having high blood pressure is so closely related that it has even been given its own name: obesity hypertension. Of all the cases of hypertension in the U.S., 75% can be directly attributed to obesity. Deaths directly from hypertension or that had high blood pressure as a primary contributor totaled 310,707 deaths in the U.S. in 2002. It’s a chain reaction (obesity=hypertension= heart disease=death) that all begins with how fat a person is.

Obesity is also a condition that is an equal opportunity disease. It doesn’t matter if you are male, female, old, young, or the origins of your ancestry. If you are overweight, you increase your chances for hypertension and if you lose weight, your risk goes down. But stay overweight and your risk of developing hypertension is 5 to 6 times greater than someone who is at his or her ideal weight.

How Heavy is Obese?

The first question to ask in removing the obesity risk factor for hypertension is “Am I overweight?” Obesity is determined by Body Mass Index (BMI), which takes into account the relationship between height and weight. A BMI above 30.0 is considered obese. A score between 25.0 and 29.9 is considered “overweight.” Ideally, BMI should be between 18.5 and 24.9.

To measure your own BMI you take your current weight and divide it by the number you get when you multiply your height in inches by your height in inches again. Then multiply that number by 703 for your BMI. For example, if you are 5’6” and weight 165 pounds, you would multiply 66” times 66” for a total of 4356. Then divide 165 by 4356 for a total of 0.0378. Next multiply that by 703 for a BMI equal to 26.6, which is considered overweight.

How Does Being Overweight Impact Blood Pressure?

When you are obese, your body needs more blood in order to supply oxygen to and nourish the extra tissue. When you put more blood into the same passageway of veins and arteries, there will be extra pressure on those blood vessels.

Weight gain is also usually in the form of fat. According to Mayo Clinic research, fat cells even produce more chemicals, which in turn add to the strain on the heart and pressure on the blood vessels. In addition, there is an increase in insulin from weight gain. This makes the body retain sodium and water, which also increases heart rate and decreases the ability of the blood vessels to move blood throughout the body, thereby increasing blood pressure.It’s not just how much you are overweight, but also where you carry your extra weight that can have a great impact on blood pressure. Risk factors are increased when added weight is in the abdominal area. This is because people with a so-called spare tire also have increases in blood sugar, which causes the fat to be deposited there, and then starts the sodium and water retention cycle.Reducing Weight to Lower Blood PressureBecause there is a direct correlation between obesity and hypertension, it makes perfect sense that by losing weight you can lower blood pressure. The proof is in the numbers. Blood pressure is measured in mm/hg. A reading of blood pressure both as the heart beats and as it relaxes, creates the dual number of X over Y giving you your final blood pressure reading. For every 2.2 pounds of weight lost, blood pressure falls 1 mm/hg. Realistically, an overweight person like in our example above could lose just 10 percent of their body weight – in this case 16.5 pounds and lower their blood pressure by 7 or 8 points.

Small Steps for Big Results.

If you can conquer obesity, then you can take dramatic steps in lowering blood pressure. One of the best ways to combat weight is with walking. Walking increases metabolism and is more effective in the long run than more strenuous cardiovascular workouts. Those who are overweight should talk to their doctor before starting an exercise program of any kind, but all physicians will agree that walking is one of the safest, most effective forms of exercise. Good shoes that provide support to the arches will protect feet and knees from stress injuries. Also, walking on softer surfaces such as a grassy field or dirt road will give a better workout because more balance and coordination is needed.

Some other ways to lose weight safely and lower blood pressure include:

1. Reduce sodium intake

2. Don’t eat within 3 hours of going to bed at night

3. Drink at least 8 glasses of water each day

4. Replace saturated animal fats with non-saturated, healthy fats from vegetable sources

5. Limit consumption of alcoholic beverages that are packed with caloriesThere are some risk factors associated with hypertension that you cannot control, such as genetics, race, and age. How much you weigh and what you do to make sure you are a good weight is within your control. Take action to keep obesity in check and reduce your risk of developing high blood pressure.Discover more powerful methods that will lower your weight while reducing your blood pressure at the same time: The Blood Pressure Miracle

Frank Mangano is an active member of his community who works diligently providing assistance to senior citizens and probing as a health advocate to discover new and innovative ways to promote well being. Find out how you can maintain healthy blood pressure at:The Blood Pressure Miracle

5 Easy Ways to Lower Blood Pressure Using 1 Great Fruit

Do you know which common food that you can get right atyour local grocery store or farmers market that will reduceyour blood pressure significantly while boosting your immune system and protecting you from cancer at the same time?

If you ate a green salad with fresh chopped tomatoes, then you not only got a healthy dose of this powerful antioxidant, but you have also taken significant action toward lowering your blood pressure. A recent double-blind study conducted in Israel has confirmed what hearth-healthy Italians have enjoyed for centuries – tomatoes (and tomato sauce) lower blood pressure and the risk of heart disease.

The Israeli study was led up by Dr. Esther Paran, head of the hypertension division of Soroka Medical Center. It involved patients who were already being treated for hypertension, but were not responding well to the medications. Dr. Paran had patients take a supplement of tomato extract. The results were a significant drop in blood pressure after just four weeks.

Tomatoes are so effective at lowering blood pressure because they contain lycopene. This potent antioxidant is even the focus of some hybrid tomatoes grown by the Israeli company, Lycomato, in order to have higher concentrations of lycopene in each piece of fruit. Other antioxidants found in tomatoes make this one super-food in the prevention of heart disease. It can even help keep LDL cholesterol from oxidizing which makes it stick to the arteries and narrow the passage way causing blood pressure to increase.

Even during the peak growing season it can be difficult to consume four whole tomatoes each day, which is the recommended amount for having a positive impact on blood pressure. Here are some ways to get the benefits of tomatoes without having to eat them straight off the vine.

1. Make Chili. Using tomato puree, which is a concentrated form of tomatoes, as the base for your chili utilizes the antioxidants without the bulk of a whole tomato. Add some ultra-lean and high protein ground bison and kidney beans with minced garlic and onions, and cayenne pepper and you have a heart-healthy main course and a full day’s allowance of tomato.

2. Since using olive oil with the tomatoes enhances the curative quality, make your pasta sauce red with tomatoes, tomato paste and olive oil to sauté the garlic and onion. Tomato paste used in making sauce contains more than 10 times the nutrients of a single tomato.

3. Have a fresh salad as a side dish to either of these entrees and cut one whole tomato on top. You’ll get one-quarter of you tomato intake right there.4. Drink tomato juice. It is better to make your own fresh juice so that you can control the sodium. Store bought juices can be high in sugar and sodium-based preservatives. If you have a juicer, you can make some incredible veggie juices to suit your own tastes by adding carrots, celery and some low-sodium seasonings.

5. Take a tomato supplement. If you just can’t stomach tomatoes, then a 200 mg supplement provides the equivalent of more than the recommended four tomatoes.

Adding tomatoes to your diet can reduce systolic blood pressure by 10 points and diastolic pressure by 4 points as was evident in the Israel study. Whatever way you slice it, tomatoes will keep strengthen your immune system and lower blood pressure.

Learn about more fruits that can play a major role in reducing your blood pressure: The Blood Pressure Miracle

Frank Mangano is an active member of his community who works diligently providing assistance to senior citizens and probing as a health advocate to discover new and innovative ways to promote well being. Find out how you can maintain healthy blood pressure at: The Blood Pressure Miracle

5 Steps You Can Take Today To Lower Blood Pressure Naturally

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is not something to be taken lightly. It is a serious disease, the cause of which is unknown. One fact health care professionals do know is that left untreated, high blood pressure over time can lead to serious heart disease and other vascular troubles, even death.

Blood pressure medications come in a wide range of formulas anddosages; each aimed at reducing the pressure going through theblood vessels either as the heart pumps blood or relaxes. Somemedications strengthen the blood vessels while others thin theblood in an effort to reduce the strain. Trial and error is usuallya doctor's only course of action when determining which combination of drugs and treatments will benefit a specific patient. The problem with this approach is the dangerous side effects, which often accompany these medications.

There is however some good news about hypertension! There are steps you can take today that will begin to lower your blood pressure almost immediately. Overtime, the result is a sustained healthy blood pressure reading that supports your blood vessels and heart for years to come.

Start with these 5 easy lifestyle changes. Always consult with your doctor before trying anything new with your health regime, and never go off of any medication without the advice of your doctor. Here is a list that any doctor can approve of:

1. Drink Water. Yes, water is a way to cleanse and refresh everypart of the body, even your blood vessels. Drink 8-10 glasses each day to flush out excess salt and toxins that make their way into the blood stream. You can use water to replace some drinkscontaining caffeine that temporarily raise blood pressure.

2. Stop Smoking. If you are a long time smoker, you know how itaffects your breathing. What you may not realize is its impact onyour blood pressure. If you can't quit completely, then cut down.Even a 50% reduction in the number of cigarettes smoked each week can help.

3. Exercise. A cardiovascular workout strengthens the heart. This is important because high blood pressure over time puts added strain on the heart. Just 20 minutes, 3 times per week of asustained increase in heart rate will aid in lowering bloodpressure.

4. Eat Right. If you are eating better and exercising, a niceby-product will be weight loss. By reducing your weight by 10%, you can significantly lower blood pressure. A diet that includes the freshest fruits and vegetables will support healthy blood pressure. Reduce or eliminate salt intake, and especially beware of "hidden" sodium found abundantly in pre-packaged convenience foods.

5. Relax. Many people have a temporary raise in blood pressure when they are under stress. If you have high blood pressure because you are over weight or have a family history of hypertension, then stress raises it that much more. Try taking a walk, meditating or listening to relaxing music to take the edge off a stressful day. Make time for decompressing each and every day.

Discover many more safe and effective methods that will make a positive impact on your blood pressure level: The Blood Pressure Miracle

Frank Mangano is an active member of his community who works diligently providing assistance to senior citizens and probing as a health advocate to discover new and innovative ways to promote well being. Find out how you can maintain healthy blood pressure at: The Blood Pressure Miracle