Sometimes sociological conditions and peer influences can distort ones view of the real situation. A good example of this was cigarette smoking. Older movies are a good indication of the social norms at the time. Not only did most people start smoking in social situations, but the person who did not smoke was considered not really as much a part of the social group. Of course, now most people are fully aware that not only is nicotine very addicting, but the intake of the toxic smoke is extremely harmful and unwise, and it is morally wrong to make those around you inhale toxic second hand smoke. Today, things are different and it is the person who wants to smoke, who is a bit of an outsider, and who often finds themselves literally outside, when they have to smoke in another location, like outside a restaurant or even outside an apartment where they are a visitor.

Today, caffeine is an accepted drug, just like nicotine was many years ago. In fact, caffeine is the most widely used drug in the world. Some may feel that it is probably not as harmful as the toxic smoke that went along with nicotine addiction and cigarette smoking. Nevertheless, there is no doubt, that caffeine is very harmful to the health of a person. In the Western world, 8 out of 10 adults consume caffeine in some form. Presently many Americans are hooked on caffeine. Ninety percent consume it in one form or another every single day. Over half of them consume more than 300 milligrams of caffeine every day. It is in coffee, tea, soda, chocolate, and a variety of other things, and is our nation’s most popular drug.

Caffeine occurs naturally in many plants, including coffee beans, tea leaves, and cocoa nuts. Caffeine is really a biological poison used by plants as a defense against being harmed and injured by the other forms of life in their environment. The caffeine gives seeds and leaves a bitter taste, which discourages their consumption by insects and animals. If predators continue to eat a caffeine-containing plant, the caffeine can cause central nervous system disruptions and even lethal side effects. Most of them learn to leave the plant alone.
Though it is widely known that caffeine is an addictive and unhealthy drug, it is widely consumed and as much a part of American contemporary life as smoking was years ago. With the spread of and popularity of coffee bars, coffee, one of the main sources of caffeine in people’s diet, is more popular than ever. (Tea and hot chocolate, also consumed at these coffee bars contain significant caffeine, but not as much.) Around one third of all coffee drinkers say they can’t do without it and are clearly addicted. Tolerance for caffeine for anyone drinking coffee can develop rapidly and lead to the desire to increase ones consumption. Someone used to drinking six or seven cups of strong coffee a day will begin to experience withdrawal symptoms on waking and then every two to three hours after the last coffee drink. If you are seeking optimum health, however, you should severely curtail your coffee consumption, and eventually stop consuming it at all. It is a drug and the last thing any of us needs is another addiction.

When most people think of caffeine they immediately think of coffee, and yet much of the caffeine that is ingested does not come from coffee at all. In fact, people who do not drink coffee may be ingesting quite a great deal of caffeine regularly. The fact is, caffeine is an addictive additive in most commercial sodas.
Caffeine has many effects on the body and brain. For example, as your body becomes fatigued, adenosine is made in the brain, and binds to adenosine receptors. This causes drowsiness by slowing nerve cell activity. The result is that you will want to stop and rest. You will want to go to sleep. This is healthy, for you need the rest. The adenosine also causes blood vessels to dilate in the brain, so more oxygen can reach the brain during sleep.

When caffeine is ingested and goes into the stomach, it quickly travels to the brain. Once there it binds to the adenosine nerve receptors. But instead of cellular activity slowing, this results in it speeding up. The cell can no longer bind with adenosine, because the caffeine is linked up with all of its available receptors. The usual effect of adenosine is blocked in this way and the cell begins accelerating its activity. In addition to this, because adenosine is shut out, the brain’s blood vessels begin to constrict. The increased neuron firing in the brain stimulates the pituitary gland. The pituitary signals the adrenal glands to produce adrenaline (epinephrine), the “fight or flight” hormone.Unfortunately, when the adrenaline wears off, you feel fatigued and that drives you to get more caffeine. As you go through this cycle many times through the day, you will find yourself becoming more and more irritable.

Caffeine raises the blood pressure and increases the levels of various stress hormones, and for those very sensitive to it or consuming large quantities, it can cause heart palpitations and nervousness. If sustained by regular coffee drinking over a lifetime, these increases in blood pressure and heart rate will elevate the risk of stroke and heart disease. Heavy coffee drinkers, those having five or more cups per day, were two to three times more likely to have coronary heart disease than were nondrinkers.

Caffeine at a high level can eventually lead to exhaustion of the adrenal glands. Caffeine is a chemical stimulant that increases blood levels of the hormones produced by the adrenal glands. The adrenal hormones regulate stress response, blood pressure, blood sugar, mineral levels, immune activity, inflammation, and cell growth and repair. Long term caffeine consumption contributes to adrenal insufficiency, in which over 150 hormones produced by the adrenals or metabolized from adrenal hormones no longer function adequately.
Caffeine causes the body to produce greater amounts of cortisol, the body’s stress hormone. These elevated levels can last for hours having a negative effect on serotonin and dopamine production. Anxiety will increase and even depression can result from these changes.

People sometimes feel sharper after their cup of coffee, however the increased cortisol will lead to restricted blood to the brain and eventually causes poorer mental performance.

People who chronically stimulate their adrenal glands to overproduce cortisol alter their daily pattern of cortisol concentrations so that cortisol is low in the morning when they wake up instead of high. So they reach for a cup of coffee to artificially spike their cortisol levels up again. These same people experience huge cortisol surges at meals causing them to overeat. They have higher body fat, lower muscle mass, and reduced metabolism, so they burn fewer calories. They don’t sleep well at night because elevated cortisol levels keep them from entering the deep, rebuild and repair stage of sleep the body needs for recuperation. High levels of cortisol will also compromise your immune system and interfere with your body’s ability to fight off pathogens.

Be aware that if you frequently drink coffee or have other sources of caffeine, including ,especially, the many popular caffeinated sodas ,and find that at end of the day you are regularly stressed out and exhausted, even depressed and worried, it could very well be the result of the caffeine generating large amounts of cortisol in your body.

In the end, those seeking the healthiest life should avoid the caffeine to be found in many popular beverages. You should avoid caffeinated coffee, and even Decaf, which is not totally caffeine free, and get in the habit of reading the ingredients on the labels of all sodas and drinks, and choose only the ones which are free of caffeine. Fortunately, for those in successful recovery from alcohol, which had caused hangovers and interfered with the important REM sleep, the powerful need for caffeine in the form of coffee in the morning no longer exists.

According to statistics, one out of every three adult Americans have high blood pressure. Blood pressure is defined as the amount of force that the blood uses on the veins and arteries as it circulates through the body. A healthy person’s blood pressure should be around 120/80 mm Hg or even lower. Blood pressure that consistently measures 140/90 mm Hg or higher is considered high blood pressure.

If left uncontrolled, it may increase the risk of serious health problems including heart attack, kidney failure or stroke.

There are two types of high blood pressure: First, there is primary high blood pressure in which there is no known underlying cause and second, there is secondary high blood pressure which occurs as the result of a medical condition or as a side effect from medications.

What makes high blood pressure so dangerous is that most people do not experience any symptoms, even when blood pressure readings are dangerously high. This is why it is called the “silent killer.” However, some people may notice one or two of the following symptoms if their levels are consistently raised: headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, nausea, increased nosebleeds.

What Causes High Blood Pressure?

For most people, the cause remains unknown, making primary blood pressure the more prevalent of the two. While it is not entirely known why primary high blood pressure occurs, research is ongoing and a number of factors have been implicated. Since high blood pressure often runs in families, a strong genetic component has been indicated.

Other risk factors for high blood pressure include smoking, alcoholism, high salt intake, being overweight, lack of exercise, and high levels of stress.

Some conditions known to cause secondary hypertension are: diabetic nephropathy, kidney disease, Cushing’s syndrome, hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism, arteriosclerosis (a thickening, hardening and narrowing of the walls of the arteries), underlying heart conditions, sleep apnea, obesity, pregnancy (especially in cases of pre-eclampsia) and side-effects of certain medications or supplements.

Natural Remedies for High Blood Pressure:

Garlic — Eating garlic is a very good way to lower high blood pressure. It has beneficial effects on the whole cardiovascular system. Clinical studies have shown that garlic decreases the systolic pressure by 20-30 mm Hg and the diastolic by 10-20 mm Hg. During one of these studies people with high blood pressure were given one clove of garlic a day for 12 weeks. Their diastolic blood pressure and cholesterol levels were significantly reduced.

Coenzyme Q10 — CoQ10 has been proven to be effective in treating people with a common type of high blood pressure. A clinical trial was done where half the people were given 60 mg of CoQ10 twice daily for 12 weeks and the other half were given, of course, a placebo. The people taking CoQ10 had an 18-point reduction in systolic blood pressure.

Magnesium — It is well known that magnesium deficiency leads to high blood pressure. Because our modern diet lacks magnesium, most Americans are deficient in this mineral. Many studies have shown that it helps significantly to take magnesium daily for the treatment of high blood pressure. Magnesium can also be taken to prevent hypertension.

Lysine, Proline and Vitamin C — This is a protocol by Linus Pauling, a nobel prize winner, to cure plaque build up in the arteries and thus reduce high blood pressure. To find out more about this protocol go to the saveyourheart.com website.

Cinnamon — In recent studies it was shown that cinnamon helps lower high blood pressure as well as reducing serum cholesterol levels. Below is a list of other herbs that are used to lower blood pressure. Herbs can be taken in capsules, as tinctures, you can use them in cooking if appropriate, or your can use them as a tea.

* Hawthorn

* Gingko biloba

* Ginseng

* Gotu Kola

* Skullcap

* Ashwagandha

* Burdock

* Hawthorn

* Nutmeg

* Cardamom

* Kelp

Lifestyle Changes to Reduce High Blood Pressure:

You might want to get your own blood pressure machine and keep track of your blood pressure yourself. This way you can see what causes it to go up or to go down.

Do about 30 minutes of aerobic exercise each day such as walking. Don’t overdue it and exercise too much as it then becomes stressful to your body and may increase blood pressure.

Eat a lot of potassium rich foods such as vegetables and fruits.

Drink lots of water, between 8 to 15 glasses of water a day. Drinking lots of water mimics what the drugs your doctor prescribes are doing. It relaxes your body, including your arteries.

Learn to relax, slow down and manage your stress levels. Stress is a huge influencing factor in high blood pressure.

If this is the case for you and you are diagnosed with this condition then you are at risk of a heart attack, stroke and even kidney disease. All of these can be fatal! In saying this, it doesn’t mean things cannot be reversed. Yes you can do something about this! First off you need to see your doctor to check out these high blood pressure symptoms or signs. Once you have been told that you are in the high catergory then you may need to go on medication straight away to bring it down. Once on medication though, you usually stay on it. You should try to avoid this.

Taking medication in itself maybe ok as it helps lower you blood pressure, which is important, but what you should be doing is trying to get it down by living a healthier lifestyle. Lose weight, quit smoking, cut out added suger and salt, exercise and try to cut back on stress. Ok, so the stress factor may be harder than you think but once you are healthier you will also feel better in other ways as well.

Some people have been known to show some form of symptom that can include fatigue, dizziness, headaches, blurred vision, nausea but of course these could also be signs of many other conditions. So I suppose the one important thing to remember apart from keeping fit and healthy is regularly visiting your doctor. Having check ups to keep on top of things. It isn’t just high blood pressure symptoms that should be a concern to you but many other factors that can contribute to bad health. This is true especially as we age. Check ups and preventative measures are always the best option to living a full healthy life.

As I said before many people won’t know that they have high blood pressure as it is not a major visible condition but there are signs to look out for that can contribute to this. Take a good look at yourself and your life style and please go to the doctors for regular check ups. Life is too important to let slip away just because we live busy lives. Our work and families deserve us to be healthy.

Diet

Undoubtedly, changing your dietary habits will have one of the biggest effects on improving blood pressure levels.

- Eat more whole grains and cut down on white flour products.

- Eliminate saturated fats and use virgin olive oil. This tip alone has shown a reduced need for hypertension medications in a past study.

- Include more fresh fruits and vegetable in your diet. Foods like bananas, oranges, melons, carrots, celery, mushrooms, broccoli and others may help in lowering high blood pressure.

- Add more oily fish such as salmon into your diet. The omega-3 fatty acids that are contained in fish are very beneficial to good heart and cardiovascular health.

Salt

Reducing salt intake is another proven lifestyle change that lowers blood pressure. Did you know that we should consume less than one teaspoonful of salt each day? That is approximately 2,400 mg.

Many people will use a salt substitute at home and that’s a great idea. The problem though is in the bigger picture. Roughly 75% of the salt intake in your typical American diet comes from foods eaten outside of the home, typically fast foods and processed foods. If you have doubts about this you can simply look at the sodium levels on the package labels. I’m not picking on McDonald’s, but you have enough sodium in one quarter-pounder to last the entire day. And that’s not even counting the salty fries!

Exercise

This is a lifestyle change that can also go a long way in reducing high blood pressure levels. It’s also one that is the most difficult changes to start.

There have even been studies that have shown moderate exercise to control hypertension to the point where high blood pressure medicines were no longer needed.

Smoking, Alcohol and Caffeine

By now I am sure everyone knows you should not smoke. Cigarette smoking and good health just don’t mix. Reducing alcohol and caffeine consumption will also lower blood pressure levels as well as provide other health benefits for years to come.

Weight Loss

With nearly one-third of American adults being overweight or obese, it’s easy to see why high blood pressure is at record levels. Several studies have proven that by losing weight and reducing sodium intake many people with hypertension have been able to reduce or eliminate blood pressure medications.

These are only some of the major lifestyle changes that can help reduce high blood pressure. There are several others as well, but the important point is to asses where you currently are and begin making change in the areas you need to. By doing so you begin getting high blood pressure under control.

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Read the Ingredients

Unfortunately, given its prevalence, a good amount of the sodium you digest comes from processed foods. A good habit to develop, before buying such food, is to read the ingredients label. Unfortunately, those labels, with their multisyllabic words, seem like they aren’t written in English. You feel as if you need a chemistry degree to understand them. Well, to help, remember that foods that contain ingredients with the word “sodium” in them can be bad news. For example, take disodium phosphate and monosodium glutamate (MSG). The word “sodium” is visible. Miminize your use of such ingredients and foods.

Also, the US FDA , to aid people’s dietary choices, developed sodium guidelines. For example, “low sodium” equates to 140 milligrams or less of sodium per serving. Or, as another example, 5 milligrams or less of sodium per serving is “salt free” food. Google FDA sodium for the entire guide. If necessary, bring it with you to the grocery store to allow for quick and easy interpretation when you shop.

Further, highly processed foods often contain high levels of sodium, making them contributory to a high blood pressure diet. I can only imagine the thoughts going through your head now. You’re busy and have no time to cook. You rely on frozen dinners and canned goods to quickly whip something up for you and your family. Unfortunately, a good amount of these foods are laced with sodium.

The Infamous Salt Shaker – One of the More Prominent High Blood Pressure Causes

Finally, like most people, you probably grab for the salt shaker at the center of your dining room table to add some quick flavor to your sometimes bland food. And, to compound the matter, you may be adding salt to processed food that already contains high levels of sodium. So resist the “salt shaker” temptation. Perhaps you might even empty your salt shaker. Further, use natural herbs to add flavor to your food. Consider onions or thyme, for example. This may be hard to do, but it’s in your body’s best interest.

As you can see, sodium not only presents a high blood pressure health issue, but also is hard to avoid given our busy lives. If you look at your food labels, especially those of processed foods, you’ll start to see sodium everywhere. So remember to avoid ingredients with the word “sodium” in them as sodium can play a huge role in a high blood pressure diet. Also, use the Food and Drug Administration guidelines to monitor your sodium use. And put down that salt shaker!

Take these small, proactive steps and you are on your way to eliminating some high blood pressure causes and earning better health.