THE LOWDOWN ON HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

 Close your eyes and you will see clearly.

 Cease to listen and you will hear truth.

 Be silent and your heart will sing.

 Seek no contacts and you will find union.

 Be still and you will move forward on the tide of the spirit.

 Be gentle and you will need no strength.

 Be patient and you will achieve all things.

 Be humble and you will remain entire.

The writer of the above was speaking about being at peace with oneself and the world and how important it is for your heart to be healthy and joyful.

Yet many in the community have health problems and habits that have a direct effect to weaken their heart function.

How many suffer from high blood pressure? This puts a strain on the heart function and can lead to heart attack and stroke if not treated properly.

High blood pressure [hypertension] can be contributed to by unresolved stresses, bowel problems and can have a kidney involvement amongst other things. The Journal of the American Heart Association reported that infections could also be linked with high blood pressure.

The common microbe, Chlamydia pneumoniae, which is responsible for pneumonia, bronchitis and sinus infections, is linked with severe high blood pressure, according to the report.

"Previous studies indicate that this bacterium is one of the most prevalent infectious agents worldwide with a wide range of clinical manifestations, including coronary heart disease and stroke," says Peter. J. Cook, specialist registrar at Heartland Hospital in Birmingham, England. "Now we know that severe high blood pressure falls into the same category." Severe high blood pressure is indicated by a reading of 160/90 millimetres of mercury or greater.

The American Heart Association previously reported that heart attack survivors who had the most Chlamydia pneumoniae antibodies had a four-times-higher risk for suffering another heart attack or needing treatment to restore blood flow to the heart than did survivors with no detectable antibodies in their blood.

The causes not withstanding, there is much that can be done to help these problems over a period of time.

The same journal reported that a diet rich in Potassium, in the form of fruits and vegetables, or in supplements could help to lower high blood pressure.

Individuals should eat more fruits such as bananas, oranges and green leafy vegetables to help prevent high blood pressure, says Frank M. Sacks, M.D., professor of nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health. "If he or she already has high blood pressure, then they should eat a diet high in potassium or take supplements."

The study, which involved 300 women in the Nurses' Health Study, showed that potassium was far more important than magnesium or calcium in lowering blood pressure. In the past, it was hard to  delineate which of these was more important or whether they worked together in lowering blood pressure.

Of course, smoking is something that should be totally avoided as patients with high blood pressure already are more susceptible to atherosclerosis, and smoking accelerates that progression.

So perhaps it is wise to take the advice of the above quotation and:-

Close your eyes and you will see clearly [that changes need to be made]

Cease to listen [to those who tell you that smoking hasn’t killed them - yet] and you will hear truth.

Be silent [while you take steps to make changes] and your heart will sing.

Be patient [enough to take your medicines over time] and you will achieve all things.

Be humble [enough to seek the advice on a tailor-made natural therapies plan of action for you] and you [hopefully] will remain entire.