High Blood Pressure


What is High Blood Pressure?

High blood pressure is a serious condition that can lead to coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure, and other health problems.

“Blood pressure” is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps out blood. If this pressure rises and stays high over time, it can damage the body in many ways.

Causes:

Blood pressure tends to rise with age, unless you take steps to prevent or control it.

Certain medical problems, such as chronic kidney disease, thyroid disease, and sleep apnea, may cause blood pressure to rise. Certain medicines, such as asthma medicines (for example, corticosteroids) and cold-relief products, also may raise blood pressure.

In some women, blood pressure can go up if they use birth control pills, become pregnant, or take hormone replacement therapy

Treatment:

  • Natural Progesterone Cream:

    "Research from Weill Medical College of Cornell University and other institutions provides new evidence that the sex steroid hormone progesterone is also a vasoactive hormone that directly affects blood vessels. This finding sheds light on both the drop in blood pressure that usually accompanies pregnancy (when progesterone levels are high) and the rise in blood pressure that often occurs in women after menopause (when the production of progesterone falls off). It may also focus and sharpen the debate on the value of female hormones in long-term cardiovascular protection.

    Dr. Resnick says the difference between the synthetic progestins and natural progesterone may be important. "Most of the synthetic progestins are closely related to male hormones like testosterone. Unlike progesterone itself, male hormones may have opposite effects, to promote calcium uptake and facilitate smooth muscle constriction, rather than blocking it as does natural progesterone. So the proper regimen for postmenopausal women is still a very open question—it may be that only with the naturally occurring progesterone will hormone replacement therapy be more clearly protective." Dr. Resnick adds that his research may potentially lead to the development of new therapies to treat hypertension and hardening of the arteries with age." (2) To read more about this study click here


    • Other treatments may include:

    1. Medication
    2. Diet
    3. Exercise
    4. Maintain a healthy weight
    5. Stop smoking
    6. Manage stress

    How much do you know about stress? Take a test.
    “Test: What is Stress?”


    “Your Guide to Lowering Blood Pressure (1)”

    *(1) Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health
    (2) http://NYP.org/news

    Back to Symptoms and Conditions