Hypertension(High blood pressure)

Blood pressure is the measure of the force of blood pushing against blood vessel walls. The heart pumps blood into the arteries (blood vessels), which carry the blood throughout the body. High blood pressure(known as Rakta Gata Vata in Ayurveda), also called hypertension, is dangerous because it makes the heart work harder to pump blood to the body and contributes to hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, and to the development of heart failure.

Symptoms to look for: 

• Headache

• Dizziness

• Blurred vision

• Nausea

• Vomiting

• Chest pain

• Shortness of breath

The exact causes of high blood pressure are not known, but several factors and conditions may play a role in its development, including:

• Smoking
• Being overweight or obese
• Lack of physical activity
• Too much salt in the diet
• Too much alcohol consumption (more than 1 to 2 drinks per day)
• Stress
• Older age
• Genetics
• Family history of high blood pressure
• Chronic kidney disease
• Adrenal and thyroid disorders
• Smokers
• Pregnant women
• Women who take birth control pills
• People over the age of 35
• People who are not active
• People who have sleep apnea 

• However in today’s economy most of us are stressed on a daily basis. When you are under stress, your body produces hormones that temporarily raise blood pressure.  Long term stress can cause emotional, psychological, and even physical problems as well as affect blood pressure and lead to cardiovascular problems. Emotional stress is also a component in contributing to high blood pressure. Neuroimaging methods and theoretical frameworks were used in a understand the neurobiological or ‘brain-body’ pathways linking the central processing of psychological stressors to the regulation of blood pressure and other cardiovascular reactions implicated in coronary heart disease risk. The study suggests that exaggerated stressor-evoked cardiovascular reactions predict the premature development of high blood pressure among other aspects of developing cardio vascular disease. Everything on this planet is based on energy and how that energy vibrates; which is at all different frequencies. We as beings also resonate at different vibration frequencies, we respond to certain vibrations. You have within you 7 chakras also known as energy wheels. Each chakra is responsible for certain parts of the body as well as our emotional well being. Blood pressure is connected to the fourth chakra, which is also responsible for the heart, circulatory system, ribs, breast, thymus gland, lungs shoulders, arms, hands and diaphragm¹. Emotionally speaking hypertension has to do with waiting to blow up or pop; waiting for anything to happen. This stems from not resolving old traumas that is literally eating you up. By not dealing with past problems, and maybe some of them you could not because they stem from your childhood, you are seething with rage, and bubbling up waiting for the volcano to erupt- just one more trigger. You could have unconscious anger from years of suppressing anger in fear of hurting another’s feelings, this is usually a family member or currently a spouse; and you feel that the negative emotions are better buried then dealing with. Like a volcano, eventually just the right circumstances and it will blow; over time suppression of guilt, fear, and incidents of the past results in you becoming angry towards everyone and everything. The fourth chakra is about letting go and forgiving; our breath and blood draw in Universal Love and radiate it throughout our body and outward to others. If this is possible, you live in tranquility, if you cannot, you live in anger, fear, betrayal, always looking for the injustices, seething, and ready to explode. When you are out of balance, manifesting with hypertension, there are feelings of unworthiness, and the inability to receive love. You may feel demoralized, and want to give up on life, and feel powerless in your current situation; job, personal life, family. You cannot count on anyone and feel you have to do it all in order for it be done right…the pressure is mounting. You cannot relax, and tend to over eat. Your satiation for love comes from the food choices, usually creamy, high fat foods, except when you are in a rather difficult situation and turn to salty crunchy foods to release some of the tension. A quick fix of ice cream or French-fries, even fried chicken (foods that are counterproductive to healthy blood pressure) can sooth the fire temporarily and buy you another day in an unhappy situation. Getting to the root emotional causes of high blood pressure and bringing yourself back into energetic balance may be the key to controlling blood pressure, especially if you have tried other avenues and they did not work. Until you can forgive, let go and love yourself, you will continue to look for other vehicles to satiate the feelings of fear, abandonment, unworthiness and others. Once you are able to freely love, and accept love and let go of all that has caused you to bubble up in anger, you will continue to eat foods that contribute high blood pressure, which aggravates your current physical condition.

Acupressure points :

In traditional Oriental medicine, hypertension is said to be intimately connected with blockages in the Liver meridian. The following points are useful for managing acupressure: Gb 20, Li 11, Ht 3, St 36, Lv 3, and Kd 1.

1. (Gb 20, Wind Pool) : Place your thumbs on your earlobes. Slide them back toward the center of your neck. Now your thumbs will be approximately one thumb width above the hairline of your neck. Your thumbs will fall into a depression on either side of the vertebra of your neck, at the base of the skull. (If you slowly bend your head forward and then back again, you will be able to identify these depressions easily.) Wind Pool (Gb 20) is located in these depressions. Use the thumbs to apply medium to firm pressure, and hold for a minute or even more. Breathe deeply and build up and release pressure gradually.

2. Li 11 and Ht 3 : To locate Li 11, hold your arm in front of your chest, as if you were holding a cup in your hand. The point is at the outside end of the crease on your arm at the elbow joint. Ht 3 (Lesser Sea), hold your palms facing up. From Li 11 slide your fingers across the elbow crease until you feel the bony projection of the outside of your funny bone. Just above this bony projection is a natural depression. Ht 3 is in this depression. Place your thumb on Ht 3 and your middle finger on Li 11 and apply strong pressure for about a minute.

3. (St 36, Three Mile Foot) : St 36 is the most effective point to rejuvenate the ch'i and blood. The combination of Li 11 and St 36 is used extensively to treat hypertension. This point is located four finger widths below the lower border of the kneecap and one finger width off the shin bone to the outside. Flex your foot up and down; you will feel the muscle move under your fingers if you are on St 36. Apply moderate to firm pressure on St 36. Hold the pressure for one minute. This point can also be stimulated either with the heel of your opposite foot, or with your fingers.

4. (Lv 3, Bigger Rushing) : Lv 3 exerts a powerful, beneficial influence on all aspects of the body associated with the liver meridian. This point is located on the top of your foot, between the big toe and second toe. Start at the web margin of skin between the two toes. Now slide your index finger up between the bones until you feel a depression about 1/2 inch up. Using your index finger, press between the bones. Start with light pressure. Increase the pressure gradually as much as you can tolerate or until you are using moderate to firm pressure. Press for about 1 minute.

5. (Kd 1, Bubbling Spring) : Kd 1 is on the sole of the foot between the second and third toe bone, two thirds of the distance from the heel to the base of the second toe. It's just below the ball of the foot. Press firmly on the point for about a minute.

Lifestyle changes you can make to lower your blood pressure and keep it down.

1.      Lose extra pounds and watch your waistline

2.    2. Exercise regularly

3.    Eat a healthy diet

4.    Reduce sodium in your diet

5.     Limit the amount of alcohol you drink

6.    Avoid tobacco products and secondhand smoke

7.     Cut back on caffeine

8.   Reduce your stress

Low sodium, low sugar, high potassium diet along with weight loss solutions can be a healthy approach to treating high blood pressure.

Home Remedies for High blood Pressure
1. Garlic - Garlic contains allicin, a substance which has antibacterial, antioxidant, lipid lowering and anti-hypertension properties. It was proven in a 2009 study that fresh garlic has more potent cardio-protective properties than processed garlic.
2. Cinnamon - Cinnamon not only prevents heart disease, it can also prevent diabetes. 
3. Onions - Onions contain quercetin, an antioxidant flavonol found to prevent heart disease and stroke. In a research study published in the Journal of Nutrition, subjects with hypertension experienced a decrease in their blood pressure by 7mmHg systolic and 5 mmHg diastolic as opposed to those who were taking placebo.
4. Olives - This herb is a significant part of the Mediterranean diet, recognized to be one of the healthiest in the world. Oil made from olives has been found to reduce blood pressure. The daily use of 40 grams of olive oil reduced the dosage of blood pressure medication in hypertensive patients by about 50 percent. Polyphenols in extra-virgin olive oil was credited for the significant reduction of blood pressure.
5. Oregano - This herb contains the compound carvacrol which has been proven to be effective against blood pressure. Carvacrol was found to reduce heart rate, mean arterial pressure as well as the systolic and diastolic blood pressures.
6. Cardamom- In one study published in the Indian Journal of Biochemistry and Biophysics, 20 subjects newly diagnosed with primary hypertension were administered 3 g of cardamom powder. After the end of the 3 months, all the subjects experienced feelings of well-being without any side effects. Moreover, the study was able to demonstrate that blood pressure was effectively reduced. It also improved antioxidant status while breaking down blood clots without significantly altering blood lipids and fibrinogen levels.

7. Celery contains high levels of 3-N-butylphthalide, a kind of photochemical that helps a lot in controlling high blood pressure level. You can eat a few stalks of celery as a simple snack daily.

8. Vegetables such as carrots, spinach and parsley play a significant role in lowering blood pressure. Take a glass of juice made of these vegetables twice a day to help keep your blood pressure under control.

9. Indian gooseberry (Amla) is an effective home remedy for high blood pressure. Mix 1 tablespoon of fresh amla juice with an equal amount of honey. Take this mixture daily in the morning before your breakfast.

10. Boiled potatoes are essential for lowering blood pressure. The magnesium and potassium present in the vegetable are very effective in lowering blood pressure.

11. Watermelon seeds are also a good remedy for high blood pressure. Take some dry roasted seeds and grind them up. Add the seeds to 2 cups of water and boil for about 15 minutes. Strain the liquid and consume daily in the morning and evening.

12. Make a mixture of 1 teaspoon each of honey and ginger juice with 1 teaspoon of cumin powder, stir well and consume this mixture twice a day for treating high blood pressure.