Arteries are the vessels through which the blood is carried to all the parts of the body from the heart. Blood pressure is a force of blood against the wall of the arteries. In high bp heart requires a lot of strength to pump the blood to the arteries. The heart pumps out the blood into the arteries each time it beats. When there is a contraction of the heart the highest is the blood pressure. It is known as systolic pressure. Between the beats the heart is relaxed and the blood pressure falls, it is called diastolic pressure. When systolic pressure is equal to or greater than 140 mm and diastolic pressure is equal to or greater than 90 mm in adults it is referred to high bp.

High blood pressure is called the silent killer because in 90-95 percent case its cause is unknown. Only in 5 percent we can say that it is due to hypertension. We can say that it is caused due to obesity, high intake of sodium, stress and hormonal changes in woman. The symptoms of high bp are very confusing. They are headache, nosebleeds, vomiting, restlessness, nausea, shortness of breathe and many more. It is very necessary to control the high bp other wise it will increase the chance of having a stroke, kidney or heart disease. Along with its medicines, a high bp patient should also follow some home remedies and natural cure. Exercises and yoga are also very helpful in reducing the high bp.

Home Remedies for High Blood Pressure

One of the best home remedy is the garlic. It is very effective and helps a lot in lowering the blood pressure. If daily for 12 weeks a clove of garlic is taken by a patient of high bp it will reduce his cholesterol level, destroy the plaque, and prevent blood clot.

Juice of fresh Indian gooseberry (amla) mixed with honey should be taken every morning.

For immediate relief drink a solution of 100 gms of water and half lemon for every two hours.

For a month, in an empty stomach take fresh papaya daily.

In 2-4 teaspoonful of water take 4 basil (tulsi) leaves and two neem leaves for 6-8 days in an empty stomach.

Milk with amla is also very helpful in reducing the high blood pressure.

Guggul (Commiphora mukul), a natural plant extract reduces the triglycerides by 22-30% and blood cholesterol by 14-27%. It is also very effective.

Many people have hypertension, also known as high blood pressure. I myself have mild hypertension. Hopefully I'll never need to go on medication, and there are several ways to lower blood pressure besides medication.

1) Eating a balanced diet is one. Low in saturated fat, with lots of fruits, veggies, fiber, and whole grains is often recommended, and the DASH diet is one example. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. For those of us who love to eat, this can be tough, but your diet doesn't need to be perfect to make a difference.

2) Exercising regularly will lower your blood pressure, even simply walking 30 min several days a week. Exercising is simple to do, although getting into the habit can be tough. Once you get into the habit it's not tough, and you may find you even look forward to your daily exercise. I know I do.

3) Keeping alcohol intake low helps with hypertension. I have a problem with this as I'm a wine lover. Medical professionals recommend no more than two drinks a day. My doctor has suggested trying close to zero alcohol for a month to see what affect it has, and I am trying that now.

4) Reducing stress in your life. This can be tough depending on your life situation. I have a high stress job, a high stress wife, and three little kids, but every little bit helps.

5) Weight, keeping it close to your ideal weight. Of course many of the above suggestions help with weight a lot, like exercise, limiting alcohol, and eating a balanced diet. Unfortunately I fight with my weight a lot like many do, and it goes up and down, but averages much lighter than it used to fortunately!

6) Not smoking. If you don't smoke, obviously do not start. If you do smoke, quitting is ideal if possible. It's easy for some folks and next to impossible, perhaps actually impossible, for some. If you cannot quit, cut down. My friend Grim Jon has cut down to a pack a day from an amazing three and a half to four packs a day!

7) Reduce your salt intake. In fact it's the sodium in the salt that affects blood pressure. Numerous studies have shown that limiting salt has an often significant effect.

There are many ways to potentially reduce your blood pressure other than medication, and I'm working on them, even though mine is only borderline high.

Make sure you get plenty of plant foods in your diet. It should contain less saturated fat and refined carbohydrates, and more potassium, complex carbohydrates, fiber, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C and essential fatty acids. Either fish oil supplements or flaxseed oil (both rich in omega-3 fatty acids) are very effective in lowering blood pressure. There are two numbers reported when blood pressure is measured. The systolic is the first and higher number, measuring the pressure inside the arteries when the heart beats (constricts). The lowere number, the diastolic, measures the pressure in the arteries when the heart is at reast in between beats..

Hypertension is ranked in stages:

• Systolic diastolic
• Prehypertention 120 to 139 80 to 89
• Stage 1 140 to 159 90 to 99
• Stage 2 greater than 160 greater than 100

Basic Solutions:

After consulting with your doctor, try some of these basic ideas.

• If you are overweight, diet sensibly.
• Cut down on or cut out red meat and eliminate salt (sea salt is OK in moderation)
• Reduce stress, using meditation or a self-help program.
• Stop smoking!
• Cut down on or eliminate alcohol consumption.

More strategies:

Eat two apples a day, since the pectin in apples may help lower high blood pressure.

Raw garlic - use it raw in salads and add to cooking. Also, supplement with garlic pills, twice a day.

Relaxation plays a large part in lowering blood pressure. Fish watching is quite relaxing. If you don't have your own fish tank, try finding a tape of aquariums and fish swimmin in their natural habitats.

Try eating a cucumber each day - they are known for being a good diuretic and a calming agent. You can juice 1/2 cup of fresh cucumber juice daily. Include carrots and parsley, other good diuretics.

Drink 2 cups of potato water a day. Take 2 medium potatoes, wash, cut each in half. Cover with water and cook for 30 minutes. Drink the potato water after it cools.

A spicy alternative - cayenne pepper is a wonderful blood pressure stablilizer.

You can buy watermelon-seed tea at health food stores, or make your own. Crush 2 teaspoons of dried watermelon seeds, put them in a cup of just boiled water, let steep for one hour. Stir, strain and drink the tea a half-hour before a meal. Drink this 3 times a day. (since watermenlon seeds are known to strengthen kidney function, be prepared to use bathroom facilities often.)

Another tea that may lower your blood pressure is raspberry leaf tea. Add one ounce rasperry leaves to 2 cups of boiling water, simmer for 20 minutes. Drink a cup a day, hot or cold.

Do you have high blood pressure? Are you concerned about the possibility of hypertension? Have you seen your Doctor recently? Have you had a check up or screening? If not, why not? If so, are you heeding your Doctor's advice and making every effort to reduce it?

Have you done any of these things? Do you even know if you have high blood pressure? Do you know if your high blood pressure is out of control? You might not have hypertension, many people don't. But, many people do! You need to know either way. Be aware that hypertension could strike you down without a moment's notice, closer than a nano of a nano-second, bam!

Keeping your head buried in the sand won't solve anything. Your hour glass may very well be running out. It only runs one way. You could be a dead man (woman) walking? Are you are overweight, eat and drink crap, don't exercise, don't take your prescribed medication regularly, and haven't seen your Physician recently? Don't get me wrong, you can be slender and look in shape, and be in the same boat as well.

Hypertension, high blood pressure is the number two killer of Americans! What will motivate you to deal responsibly with it? I am asking you all these pointed questions and rightfully so. Because I want you to care about your state of health and overall well being.

Reuters recently ran a great news article on hypertension and high blood pressure, as well as many other publications on the same day. Two hundred and eighty-eight news articles, at last count to be exact. Here is a piece from the article, that says it so well:

"Yet despite that, one in six deaths in the United States is due to hypertension, and it costs our healthcare system $73 billion each year in expenses.

"In that context, hypertension is really a neglected disease in this country. There's a huge gap between what we could do and what we are doing, " he said.

As far as I know the $73 billion doesn't cover individual casket, disembowelment, embalming fluid and tombstone costs. Those are your family's out of pocket expenses.

Wake up today and care about the health of you, your family and friends. Take action, make an appointment and do something about your high blood pressure or that of someone you know.

Everyone counts and you count, Chad