We are accustomed to perceiving hypertension (increased blood pressure) as a disease characteristic of older people. Usually, those suffering from high blood pressure take medications prescribed by a doctor and cope with it at the very least. But you can treat hypertension in a different way, without drugs, or rather, not even treat it, and not create conditions for increased pressure. How it works?
In fact, hypertension is not a disease, but a compensatory reaction of the body to insufficient blood supply to a vital organ - the brain. This reaction is aimed at survival, because it is impossible to reduce the blood supply to the brain: it is life-threatening. And the body knows this.
Therefore, in order to preserve the life of the whole body, he is forced to create some uncomfortable conditions for its individual parts. Thus, an increase in blood pressure of only 15 mm Hg. Art. already disrupts cellular nutrition. Hence all the unpleasant symptoms associated with “high blood pressure,” as we say.
The reason for about 70% of cases of high blood pressure is insufficient blood supply to the brain.
The first cause of high blood pressure: tension in the neck muscles
Why does insufficient blood supply to the brain occur? Blood flows to it through four arteries: two carotid and two vertebral. The carotid arteries are quite thick and difficult to compress. And even atherosclerotic plaques in them (which does not happen too often) do not lead to significant disturbances in the blood supply to the brain.
But the vertebral arteries are thin and pass through the bodies of the four upper cervical vertebrae, and they also make a loop, going around the first cervical vertebra and entering the cranial cavity through the foramen magnum. Therefore, when the posterior and lateral muscles of the neck are tense, these arteries are immediately pressed by the vertebrae. The brain is less well nourished - blood pressure rises.
Impaired blood supply due to tension in the neck muscles and compression of the arteries can be called a macrocirculatory cause of increased blood pressure. But there is also a microcirculatory one. It is associated with an increase in blood acidity levels.
Living with hypertension
If the disease progresses and it cannot be completely cured, accept the diagnosis and learn to live with it.
The lifestyle of a hypertensive person differs from that of a healthy person. What is he like? Ideally, a person suffering from hypertension must comply with a number of requirements:
- Switch to a different diet - a salt-free diet, a different method of cooking (food is boiled, stewed, steamed), give up tasty but unhealthy food, treat yourself not to sweets and smoked meats, but to fruits, vegetables, and nuts.
- Quit bad habits.
- Provide regular moderate physical activity.
- Engage in auto-training or use other available methods for relaxation and increase stress resistance (communication with pets, calm dancing, reading, cinema, music, hobbies, travel). Fundamentally reconsider your relationship with the outside world and with yourself.
- Control your weight.
- Monitor your blood pressure.
- Follow the doctor's recommendations, take prescribed medications in the prescribed dose according to a specific regimen.
- Many hypertensive patients are weather dependent, so monitor the weather conditions and take the necessary precautions - prepare in advance for possible hypertensive crises.
- Patients should not be overcooled; also avoid prolonged exposure to the sun.
- It is not recommended to change the climate suddenly.
- It is better to give up conquering the mountains and the depths of the ocean; a holiday at the Dead Sea would be an excellent alternative.
- Get enough sleep.
- Take care of a reasonable combination of work and rest.
- Monitor edema, and fight it when it first appears (use diuretics).
In addition, hypertensive patients should always have a special first aid kit on hand. Contents of medications in it: for relief of hypertensive crisis and daily use. Here is an approximate list of necessary medications that you carry with you:
- "Captopril", "Lisinopril", "Enalapril" - ACE inhibitors; during a crisis, place the tablet under the tongue and dissolve;
- “Metoprolol”, “Anaprilin”, “Atenolol” - beta-blockers; the crisis is relieved by intravenous injection;
- “Nifedipine” (under the tongue), “Verapamil” (intravenously) – vasodilators;
- "Furosemide" (intramuscular or intravenous for quick effect);
- “Valerian”, “Motherwort”, “Peony” - sedatives;
- “Baralgin”, “Pentalgin”, “Citramon” - analgesics;
- "Semax" - regulatory peptides (stabilize the functioning of the brain and the whole body, relieve the crisis).
You can live with hypertension for many years; a person gradually gets used to the prohibitions and restrictions, and following such rules is useful even for healthy people. Only early diagnosis and optimal lifestyle correction will stop the disease. To completely eliminate symptomatic hypertension, you may have to undergo surgery.
The second reason for high blood pressure: blood acidity
The fact is that the cells of all organs need not only nutrients, but also, most importantly, oxygen.
Oxygen is carried by blood cells - red blood cells. The red blood cell receives oxygen in the lungs, and must release it in the smallest vessel in which all useful substances are transferred from the blood to tissues and cells - in the capillary. The trick is that the diameter of the capillary is smaller than the diameter of the red blood cell. That is, a red blood cell can enter the capillary only by curling up into a tube. This is necessary so that the release of blood from the erythrocyte occurs quickly - over the entire surface of the erythrocyte.
With a high level of blood acidity, red blood cells swell and cannot curl into a tube. And, therefore, they cannot get into the capillary. Cells and tissues remain without oxygen and send a signal to the brain that there is not enough oxygen.
The brain thinks that the problem is caused by a narrowing of the vessel, and increases the pressure so that the same amount of blood can pass through the vessel of a smaller diameter as before through the vessel of a larger diameter. The result is the same - increased blood pressure.
What to do to prevent blood pressure from rising? Firstly, regularly relax the muscles of the back and sides of the neck - for this you can do simple exercises, which we have already talked about. Secondly, restore blood alkalinity. Let's talk about this in more detail.
What does acid-base balance depend on?
Violation of the acid-base balance of our internal environment, a gradual increase in the acidity of the body, is one of the important causes of aging.
To build the cells that make up our body, we need a certain amount of building material. We get it through nutrition. For this purpose, there is an entire digestive system, the main task of which is to ensure that the cells receive all the substances they need for life and normal functioning.
And since these substances are carried to the cells using the blood, then, naturally, the circulatory system takes an active part in this process.
All substances contained in the food we consume are eventually broken down into acidic or alkaline residues. Depending on this, all products are conventionally divided into alkaline or acidic.
Acid foods include carbohydrate foods (porridge, baked goods, flour, sweets, starch) and protein foods (meat, fish, milk). And alkaline - all greens and vegetables (except potatoes). Other foods, such as fruits, are both acidic and alkaline.
The diet we are all accustomed to, to which we have been accustomed since childhood, consists of approximately 70% acidic foods. Therefore, over time, acids accumulate in the body, changing the pH of our internal environment to the acidic side. Accordingly, in order to restore the pH of the blood and other environments of our body, it is necessary to change the ratio of acidic and alkaline foods in the diet in the opposite direction so that it is 70% alkaline. Then the acidity level will decrease and the acid-base balance will begin to restore.
Rules of patient behavior
Food is a means of livelihood, a way to maintain health in the body. Therefore, proper nutrition is a very important component of any treatment complex.
What is not advisable to eat:
- salt is enemy number 1 for hypertensive patients, since it is dietary sodium, and it retains fluid in the body and causes vasoconstriction; food is prepared without salt, and then a little is added to the already prepared dish;
- all products containing a lot of salt (chips, crackers, sausages, smoked meat and fish, canned food, lard);
- fatty and fried foods are prohibited, as are products containing animal fats; they contain a lot of cholesterol, which is deposited on the walls of blood vessels;
- flour, confectionery and all kinds of sweets (buns, cakes, chocolate, creams, pies, sweets) - they add extra pounds, aggravating the situation with blood pressure;
- strong tea or coffee is also excluded - these drinks tone the blood vessels, increasing blood pressure;
- foods with spicy seasonings excite the nervous system, provoking the production of adrenaline, which constricts blood vessels.
How to enrich your diet:
- low-fat dairy products;
- vegetable oil;
- fresh fruits and vegetables;
- dried fruits;
- foods rich in potassium, which strengthens the heart (raisins, bananas, prunes, melons, tomatoes, beans, seaweed);
- steamed food;
- vegetable soups instead of meat broths;
- lean meat (turkey, chicken, veal);
- lean fish;
- foods containing a lot of magnesium (cabbage, jacket potatoes, rose hips, bran bread, walnuts, currants, greens, oat porridge, millet, buckwheat, rice);
- vitamin C, which is abundant in sea buckthorn, lemons, oranges, grapefruits, and currants.
Regular physical exercise strengthens the endurance of the heart and trains blood vessels, increasing their elasticity. Physical activity improves blood circulation, saturates the blood with oxygen, speeds up metabolism, and eliminates excess weight.
All this is very important to maintain normal blood pressure.
The following types of physical activity are suitable to combat hypertension:
- morning work-out;
- physiotherapy;
- stretching;
- walking;
- cyclic exercises (light running, cycling, swimming, skiing).
Any physical activity should be regular, long-lasting (30-40 minutes a day), and not excessive. Strength exercises that involve lifting weights, static loads, and sudden movements should be excluded.
Adequate rest is important for the normal functioning of human internal organs and systems. Overfatigue negatively affects the functioning of the heart and blood vessels: the heart muscle weakens, blood vessels lose elasticity. By rest we mean a change of activity, physical and emotional unloading.
Weekends or vacations should be spent with benefit for body and spirit. Rest should be active (hiking, fishing, cycling). It is worth visiting museums, theaters, cinemas, exhibitions more often, being in nature, breathing fresh air, admiring beautiful landscapes. The best option is to recuperate at a medical resort, sanatorium, or in places that are located in the same climate zone as the area of residence.
While resting, you should not think about problems, work, or household chores. The ability to relax and distract yourself strengthens your resistance to stressful situations. Sleep also helps to restore strength after a long day of work, full of conflicts, problems, family troubles and physical stress. Without enough sleep, a person overloads the nervous system, which is directly involved in regulating blood pressure levels.
You need to sleep in moderation, at least seven hours a day. For a sound sleep, it is necessary to ventilate the sleeping area, create favorable conditions (silence, twilight, make a comfortable bed). It is advisable to take a quiet walk in the fresh air before doing this. If you have difficulty falling asleep, take a herbal sedative (motherwort, valerian).
In order to avoid becoming a victim of hypertension, it is very important to radically change your perception of life and set your priorities correctly. It’s not for nothing that they say: if you can’t change your circumstances, change your attitude towards them.
Indeed, many health problems begin under the influence of prolonged and frequent stress. Depression is a bad ally in the fight against illness. Dissatisfaction with life, low self-esteem, envy, anger, resentment, the desire to see everything in a bad light depress the nervous system, leading to its excessive stimulation or inhibition, apathy. The stress hormone, adrenaline, causes vasospasm, thereby worsening their condition. After strong experiences, a person feels heaviness and pain in the heart, but it regulates the strength of blood flow in the vessels.
You need to live with optimism, a smile, be able to find positive aspects in everything, and not take problems that arise to heart. It is important to find your own ways of relaxation, restoring mental balance, and receiving positive emotions. In the frantic rhythm of modern life, be able to pause and take a breath. If negativity accumulates without finding a way out, it destroys health from the inside.
Tobacco products and alcohol-containing drinks increase blood pressure, worsen the condition of blood vessels, overload the heart, and lead to the accumulation of toxic substances. If your goal is to get rid of hypertension forever, be sure to quit smoking. But this should be done not abruptly, but gradually. When the body has already adapted to daily “doping”, an unexpected change in habits will lead to another stress, which again is fraught with an increase in performance.
It is believed that in moderate doses, alcohol is harmless and even beneficial. But it is difficult to adhere to boundaries in this matter; there is always a risk of crossing a fine line, beyond which the slow but sure destruction of health begins. Even small but regular consumption of alcohol leads to alcoholism over time. Therefore, it is better not to take any half measures: a complete, decisive and irrevocable cessation of alcoholic beverages.
Ways to alkalize the body
There are several ways to restore the acid-base balance. The best way is to change your diet. Ideally, 70% of your daily diet should consist of alkaline foods and no more than 30% of acidic foods.
rinse your mouth with a baking soda solution for 3 minutes or longer after each meal To prepare a soda solution, pour a teaspoon of soda into a glass of boiling water and stir until all the carbon dioxide bubbles are released. Then the solution is ready.
Soda wraps also, due to the removal of salts deposited in soft tissues, lead to a gradual alkalization of the internal environments of the body. You can use only socks, you can use knee socks, stockings or even tights. You can also do body wraps. Only clothes should be cotton, not synthetic.
Socks (or other clothes) must be soaked in a soda solution prepared according to the same recipe and put on. A plastic bag is put on top, and another (dry) sock is placed on top of it. These wraps should be done at night. The key is to keep your skin alkaline and moist throughout the night.
Sometimes in the morning, after washing off the soda solution, skin irritation and itching appear. It can be easily removed by wetting these areas of the skin with an acidic solution (vinegar or citric acid, highly diluted).
Emergency help for high blood pressure at home
Modern medicine treats high blood pressure with antihypertensive pills that weaken myocardial contraction. Beta blockers, which are part of antihypertensive drugs, simply artificially weaken the heart muscle, thereby reducing systolic pressure. Naturally, after several years of taking these drugs, the heart muscle becomes weak and myocardial dystrophy occurs. And the reason for this is taking antihypertensive drugs.
It must be understood that blood pressure is derived from the difference between blood volume and the volume of the bloodstream. Blood, like any liquid, is incompressible and does not change its volume. But the bloodstream - the vessels through which blood flows - can shrink or expand. Naturally, vasoconstriction leads to an increase in blood pressure, and vasodilation leads to a decrease.
Therefore, in an emergency, in the event of an attack of hypertension, you can quickly reduce the pressure by expanding the bloodstream. To do this, you can steam the skin until it turns red, apply mustard plasters to your calves, or increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the inhaled air (breathing into a bag and similar methods). This will help lower your blood pressure for a while. And to normalize blood pressure for a long time, it is necessary to restore full blood flow to the brain through exercise and alkalize the body through nutrition.
Manifestations of secondary hypertension
Since secondary hypertension is a syndrome of another disease, it shows itself somewhat differently. Symptoms of concomitant pathology join the usual signs of the disease. These include:
- kidney diseases (lower back pain, protein in urine, swelling);
- cardiovascular diseases (heart pain, arrhythmia, shortness of breath);
- disorders of the endocrine system (characteristic fullness occurs in the face and body, while the arms and legs are thin);
- diseases of the central nervous system (nausea, dizziness, loss of memory, coordination).
In addition to the signs of these diseases, specific indicators indicate secondary hypertension: persistent arterial hypertension, no result from the therapy used, panic attacks.
