High blood pressure is many times a symptom of underlying disease. You can visualize heart as a pump which is pumping blood (viscous liquid) across the body. It supplies the brain where it pumps against gravity. Similarly it also receives the blood from the legs which is again against gravity. In this closed circulation the blood vessels allow the gases like oxygen and carbondioxide and some liquid to pass through the membrane along with nutrients and waste products to and from various tissues.
Why Does Blood Pressure Increase ?
1. The heart has to pump with higher intensity due to a blockage which restricts the blood supply to a critical organ including the brain and heart
.2. Blood vessels become narrow due to constriction or fat and calcified plaques deposited.
3. Certain hormones (Chemicals) secreted by the kidneys and other organs cause the blood vessels to contract.
4. Stress which releases enzymes that increase blood pressure.
5. Electrolytes like Sodium levels increase the osmotic pressure thereby increasing the volume of blood and thus blood pressure. It is mainly due to an underline endocrine disease.
Considering these five points we need to investigate understand and try to address the cause by symptomatically managing the blood pressure.
What Does it do ?
High blood pressure has multiple effects on to the body especially on small blood vessels which can burst (bleed) in brain, eyes and other organs, which is an emergency. It also increases the risk of pushing a clot into the brain as well as damaging the blood vessel itself.
But it is also a silent disease, due to Blood pressure cholesterol and other lipids which circulate in the blood get pushed towards the walls of the vessel due to high blood pressure thereby increasing the risk of atherosclerosis and heart-attack and it also initiates a vicious cycle increasing blood pressure.
In short high blood pressure is a serious entity needs to be addressed objectively.
How do we Manage ?
First we need to address the cause of high BP, then we need to assess the damage it has already done, then with conventional medicines or with Ayurvedic medicines and life style corrections High Blood pressure can be managed. It is a misconception that you need to take medication life long, yes in some cases it might be true but if detected early with some life style changes and adjutant Ayurvedic therapies we can control your blood pressure.