Those of us that live in the United States of America have a propensity to live a life that will lead to high blood pressure / hypertension. With the passing of years we have more and more of a chance of having the problem. Almost half of all in the senior age group in America have the problem. To make matters worse when you have hypertension you are five times as likely to have a stroke and three times as likely to suffer a heart attack and up to three times as likely to have heart failure.
At issue with hypertension is that about 1/3 of the people who have it do not even know, as there may be no pain involved directly. While it continues unnoticed it causes pressure that in turn causes damage to the blood vessels.
There is a lot of expert opinion that hypertension is not out of our hands or our control. There are things that can be done to stop or slow it like changing diet, reducing salt, losing weight and probably most importantly to start exercising.
Further, the diet that is most helpful is a low fat diet but by far exercise is greatly advantageous because just like many other parts of your body exercise works out your heart and strengthens it.
Exercise and Your Heart
What happens during exercise is that there are new paths are created between blood vessels so there is increased blood flow even though there may be damage in a particular area.
The experts have found out through study and through careful observation that although exercise is very good for the heart, it is a certain kind of exercise that is best. It is best for it be moderate and not too strenuous. That is the most effective at building the alternate channels for the blood to flow as we discussed earlier.
This sort of information has been around for a while and it has lead some to think that exercise is some sort of panacea for hypertension or heart disease but it is not. There are other risk factors and even the healthiest still have heart problems.
Hypertension - What is it?
Surprisingly sometimes a problem with the kidneys is the culprit. It is not very surprising that things like obesity, heredity and the lack of exercise are also. What can we do to maximize our chances of avoiding the development of hypertension?
Every person is different and each set of guidelines may need to be altered for the individual but there are some general tips that can help almost everyone. Let us look at a list of what may help.
1. Get Medical Advice As with any change you decide that may be drastic and even dangerous depending on your condition, you should consult an expert. Doctors have spent their entire adult lives studying human health and disease and most can offer much in the way of guidance when it comes to making the kinds of changes necessary to be healthier in every way.
2. Go Slow When you decide on whatever program is best for your level of health it is advisable to take the entry into the program slowly to give your system a chance to adjust.
3. Respect Your Limits Figure out what is safe for you and use those guidelines for your degree of exercise. Indicators can include shortness of breath and sleep problems and others. Be alert and conscious of what is going on with your body and make necessary adjustments.
5. Maintain a regular Program Along with determining limits on the amount of exercise, you need to find a comfortable schedule of 3 to 5 days a week to maximize the benefits of your conditioning. The conditioning of your heart requires regular and frequent repetition.
6. All Out Is Not Best The best rate of exercise is around fifty percent of capacity. Just enough to slightly strain the system but not over burden it either.
To start out you may want to loose that extra weight and take that extra strain of handling those extra pounds away. For many years experts have known that being overweight will increase your risk of getting hypertension and the loss of the extra pounds will help you decrease that risk.
What is it and who gets it? Asthma is a condition whereby the smaller airways of the lungs constrict (or narrow) from time to time, causing typical symptoms. The duration and extent of narrowing vary and they determine the degree of severity of the disease. Asthma affects people of all ages, however, it tends to starts in childhood and runs in family. Having said that, certain asthma sufferers have no family members who have asthma.
What are the symptoms of asthma? Typical symptoms are a cough, wheezing, chest tightness and shortness of breath. The severity of asthma can usually be classified according to the degree of symptoms. Each episode of symptoms may last from a hour to several days if left untreated. Death is a known but uncommon cause of severe untreated asthma.
Symptoms of mild asthma: Episodes of symptoms only during exercise or triggered by a chest or an upper respiratory infection. You are usually symptom- free between episodes.
Symptoms of moderate asthma: You display symptoms from time to time. Symptoms tend to be worst at night and early in the morning. You may be awakened at night with a tight chest and coughing.
Symptoms of severe asthma: You have symptoms on most days. You may find it hard to talk. Frequent hospitalization for asthma is also one of the criteria for severe asthma.
What causes asthma? Asthma occurs as a result of inflammation in the lower, smaller airways. No one is entirely sure why the inflammation occurs. As a consequence of the inflammation, the sensitive airway constricts, making it hard for air to get in and out of the lungs. This leads to symptoms like wheezing, breathless, chest tightness and a cough. Not only that, the inflammation also stimulates the airway to pump out extra mucus, which causes the airway to obstruct further.
What are the exacerbating factors of asthma or what can make it worse? Asthma symptoms may be triggered by certain factors. Occasionally, we do not know why it becomes worse. It is possible to avoid certain triggers to help to reduce symptoms. Identifiable triggers include:
Exercise. Exercise is a known trigger for asthma. Having said that, you should not refrain yourself from doing sports and exercises. They are actually good for your asthma. It is possible to prevent asthma symptoms while exercising by using an inhaler before you exercise.
Pollen and moulds. This is particular evident during season of hay fever.
Infection. Viral respiratory tract infections like flu or common cold are common triggers.
Smoking and air pollution.
Some medicine. Certain medicines are known to constrict smaller airways in the lungs, they include aspirin, beta-blockers and some eye drops for glaucoma.
House dust mites.
Some food. We do not know why certain food can bring up symptoms of asthma. Food like nuts, eggs and fish can sometimes trigger off an asthma attack in people who have known asthma. However, this is not a common trigger.
Emotion. Asthma has nothing to do with your 'nerve'. However, certain emotions like stress, laughing, anxiety can all cause symptoms of asthma.
Both Detro Canaro & Michael Russell are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Detro Canaro has sinced written about articles on various topics from Metabolism, Infants And Toddlers and Legal Matters. Copyright Detro Canaro (2008) Detro Canaro is a husband, a father, a writer, health nut and webmaster of several websites. One of those websites offers