5 things you didn't know about high blood pressure

Some facts about high blood pressure:

1. It's extremely common

Nearly one in three adults in this country has high blood pressure, but because there are no symptoms, nearly one-third of them don't know they have it. The only way to tell whether you have it is to have your blood pressure checked.

2. Why you should worry

A 2005 study found that 50-year-olds with normal blood pressure live longer -- about five years more -- compared with those with high blood pressure. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure or kidney failure.

3. Reading the numbers

Blood pressure is typically recorded as two numbers -- the systolic pressure (top number) over the diastolic pressure (bottom number). The top is the pressure of blood in the vessels when the heart contracts. The bottom is the pressure of the blood between heartbeats, when the heart is at rest and is refilling.

4. Is yours high?

Under the latest guidelines from the American Heart Association, a resting blood pressure reading below 120/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) is "normal." If your resting blood pressure is consistently 140/90 or higher, you have high blood pressure. A reading between those levels places you in the prehypertensive category.

5. How to combat it

There is no cure, but you may be able to lower your blood pressure by eating more fruits and vegetables and less fat and salt. Exercising at least 20 minutes a day on most days of the week also helps. Lose weight if you're overweight, stop smoking and drink only one to two alcoholic drinks a day. (Some studies say that drinking more than three to four ounces of 80-proof alcohol per day will raise blood pressure.)

Source: http://www.northjersey.com

Lowering blood pressure in a natural way - eating dark chocolate

Of course this is not a joke, a study was made in the US by specialists and published in the Journal of the American Heart Association about eating dark chocolate to lower the blood pressure. One bar of chocolate is enough to lower the blood pressure in a natural and so enjoyable way. It is also helping to improve the insulin resistance.

It was already known that food rich in flavinols are lowering the blood pressure. Flavinols are also called in a medical scientific language as natural antioxidants, and the aliments that are containing these antioxidants are like tea and red wine, but from now on we will put on this list the dark chocolate, too.
The study was pretty simple. It took place at University of L’Aguila in Italy particular for lowering the blood pressure, so it wasn't an accidental discover. At the study participate 20 persons, half men, half women, all suffering from high blood pressure. None of these persons took any medicaments or followed any treatment for lowering the blood pressure. But also they hadn't been suffering from another disease and the won't smoking. For the experiment to be perfect and for the results to be visible regarding lowering their blood pressure, the participants avoid chocolate for 2 weeks.

The experiments begin with dividing the group in two, one of them ate dark chocolate and the other white one. The amount was the same, a bar of 3.5oz daily for 15 days. Another week passed with no flavionoid foods and the groups swapped the type of chocolate. The white chocolate was the perfect control food for this lower blood pressure study as it containing all ingredients in the dark one but no flavinoids at all.

A very significant lowering of the blood pressure was found on the group that consumed the dark chocolate for 15 days, and not any blood pressure lowering in the group eating white chocolate. Another successful treatment, beside lowering blood pressure was the reduction in insulin resistance at the group eating dark chocolate. Also the bad cholesterol level decreased by 10 percent. At the group eating only white chocolate there was no changing regarding lowering blood pressure or cholesterol level; they were the same as the beginning of the experiment.

But the best natural ways to lower blood pressure still remains exercise and diet and a non-natural on medicaments prescriptions. All these can't be replaced with the eating of chocolate. Also it's very recommendable and occasional eating of small bar of dark chocolate rich in flavinoids to lower your blood pressure. It is also good for your taste buds and also it is helping your heart.



Source: 365articles.com

Novartis drafts NBA legends to launch high blood pressure awareness

Campaign to alert the estimated 72 million Americans with high blood pressure about the potential risks of uncontrolled high blood pressure

Novartis and the National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) launch Shooting for Healthy BP, a campaign to educate people, particularly African Americans, who are disproportionately affected by high blood pressure, of the associated health risks of high blood pressure and motivate them to manage their condition. NBA legends Dominique Wilkins, Darryl Dawkins and Spencer Haywood will reveal their high blood pressure stories to help motivate and inspire people to get their blood pressure controlled.

“Like a lot of other people, when I was diagnosed with high blood pressure, I denied it,” said Darryl Dawkins, former Philadelphia 76er and New Jersey Nets center. “I just didn’t want to hear it. And maintaining a healthy diet and getting exercise was not enough to manage my condition. My doctor recommended that I take a medication to get me closer to goal. I tried other prescription treatments that did not work for me. My doctor prescribed a combination of two medicines in one pill to help me manage my high blood pressure. I’m proud to be teaming up with other NBA Legends to get the word out about the urgency of working toward managing high blood pressure.”

For former New York Knicks and Seattle Supersonics forward, Spencer Haywood, the decision to better manage his condition was the result of his own family’s struggles with high blood pressure. “When I was first diagnosed with high blood pressure 11 years ago, I was shocked to find out that an athlete like me could have this condition,” said Haywood, who was a member of the 1968 gold medal U.S. Olympic basketball team. “But having witnessed the devastating effects of high blood pressure on my family, I knew I had to take it seriously. I worked closely with my doctor to set up a game plan to get and stay at my blood pressure goal. Together with Dominique and Darryl, I hope we can inspire other people to do the same.”

High blood pressure is a national health crisis. According to recent estimates, 72 million Americans have high blood pressure and nearly 40 percent of those treated do not have it under control. Although anyone is susceptible, African Americans have a greater risk of developing high blood pressure and a much greater risk of stroke, heart disease and kidney damage. According to recent statistics, more than one in three African Americans has high blood pressure and more than two-thirds do not have it under control, increasing their risk of complications. In fact, as many as 30 percent of all deaths in African American men and 20 percent of all deaths in African American women who have high blood pressure are thought to be linked to the condition.

“All too often I find that patients ignore their high blood pressure because they feel fine. But it is critical for them to actively manage the condition because it can have devastating effects like heart attack, stroke and kidney damage,” said Wallace Johnson, MD, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine at University of Maryland Baltimore. “It is very important for people to partner with their doctors and create a plan that takes into account diet, exercise and, if needed, medicine to get to a healthier blood pressure goal. Many people will require two or more blood pressure medications to achieve that healthier blood pressure goal.”

For the Shooting for Healthy BP campaign Wilkins, Dawkins, and Haywood will be traveling to 15 cities across the country. In addition, an online resource, www.ShootingForHealthyBP.com, is available, which includes valuable information about the symptoms and risks associated with the condition.
“For many years my mother didn’t take her high blood pressure seriously. As a result, she suffered two strokes, which was a wake-up call for her to work to achieve her blood pressure goal,” said Dominique Wilkins, NBA Hall of Famer and legendary Atlanta Hawks forward. “I know from my mother’s struggles to manage her high blood pressure that we need to work together to better manage it.”

Through this initiative, the NBRPA encourages its members to take an active role in their health and in the well-being of their
communities.
“We are proud to be partnering with Novartis to help educate the public on the risks associated with high blood pressure,” said Len Elmore, President of the NBRPA. “The Legends are committed to helping others, and Darryl, Dominique and Spencer are living examples of how high blood pressure can affect anyone, even athletes and their families. They represent the effort the Legends are making to help educate and inform people of all ages about the importance of managing their health and well being.”

As the category leader in high blood pressure management, Novartis feels a tremendous responsibility to support consumer education and professional recommendations for controlling high blood pressure. A commitment to innovative research, educational campaigns, such as Shooting for Healthy BP, paired with responding to the treatment needs of patients and physicians are the hallmarks of Novartis.
About the NBRPA

Founded in 1992 by NBA Legends Dave DeBusschere, Dave Bing, Archie Clark, Dave Cowens and Oscar Robertson, the NBRPA is a non-profit Association comprised of former professional basketball players. Working in direct partnerships with the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association, the group’s mission is to promote basketball while assisting Members in building community relationships and fostering support for charitable activities; providing comprehensive health care coverage; offering the Dave DeBusschere NBRPA Scholarship Fund for members and their children; monitoring the pension plan; and creating revenue-earning opportunities. The NBRPA Board of Directors includes Legends Al Attles; Rick Barry; Junior

Bridgeman; Fred Brown; Mark Eaton; Len Elmore; Tom Hoover; Maurice Lucas; Earl Monroe; Jeff Mullins; Tom “Satch” Sanders and Buck Williams.
www.LegendsOfBasketball.com

About Novartis

Novartis Pharmaceuticals
Corporation researches, develops, manufactures and markets leading innovative prescription drugs used to treat a number of diseases and conditions, including those in the cardiovascular, metabolic, cancer, organ transplantation, central nervous system, dermatological, gastrointestinal and respiratory areas. The company’s mission is to improve people’s lives by pioneering novel healthcare solutions.

Located in East Hanover, New Jersey, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation is an affiliate of Novartis AG (NYSE: NVS), a world leader in offering medicines to protect health, treat disease and improve well-being. Our goal is to discover, develop and successfully market innovative products to treat patients, ease suffering and enhance the quality of life. Novartis is the only company with leadership positions in both patented and generic pharmaceuticals. We are strengthening our medicine-based portfolio, which is focused on strategic growth platforms in innovation-driven pharmaceuticals, high-quality and low-cost generics, human vaccines and leading self-medication OTC brands. In 2006, the Group’s businesses achieved net sales of USD 37.0 billion and net income of USD 7.2 billion. Approximately USD 5.4 billion was invested in R&D. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Group companies employ approximately 101,000 associates and operate in over 140 countries around the world. For more information, please visit
http://www.novartis.com.

Source: http://www.insightnews.com

Co-operative marriage helps female heart health

Okay all you stressed-out working women, here's one more compelling reason your spouse should help bathe the kids, share homework duty and throw in a few loads of laundry while you're commuting home from work: it's good for your heart.

Both men and women are vulnerable to higher blood pressure as a result of job stress, according to a recent study by the Heart and Stroke Foundation. The good news is that among women, the elevated blood pressure – which heightens risk of heart attack and stroke – can be offset by having a supportive partner at home.

The same benefits, however, don't show up among the guys.

"The impact of marital support was lost on the men," says Dr. Sheldon Tobe, a nephrologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and co-author of the study. "I was blown away looking at the results."

Tobe says while previous research has shown the link between job stress and higher blood pressure, this study, which over a year involved 229 men and women who were not being treated for high blood pressure, focused on the interaction between stress both at work and at home.

It showed that over time, women with work stress experienced an increase in blood pressure, but that it was counteracted by marital support. Men, however, didn't show similar physical benefits. Their stress and blood-pressure levels didn't appear to be affected by what was going on at home.

To Dr. Brian Baker, associate professor of psychiatry at U of T and co-author of the study, the gender gap doesn't come as a surprise. He notes there's a growing body of research showing that women's emotional and physical health tends to be more affected by the benefits and disadvantages of marriage.

"Men and women are hard-wired differently," he says. While there are exceptions, in general, men tend to be more independent and less emotionally sensitive to their environments, while women – traditionally the caregivers and nurturers – are more attuned and affected by their surroundings and relationships.

Linda Lewis-Daly can attest to the health benefits from a marriage characterized by teamwork and mutual support. Now 44, Lewis-Daly had a heart attack five years ago. At the time, she was a fit and active "Type A personality and Type E woman" who was being treated for high blood pressure. She was also a single mother of two young children with a demanding corporate job. Today, she is fit and healthy – and vigilant about monitoring her blood pressure and stress levels.

And she says along with lifestyle changes, her three-year marriage is a key ingredient to her health. She and her husband Francis, who have four kids between them, each have jobs and divide the household chores.

"I think there are huge emotional and physical benefits to having a spouse who's actually involved in the day-to-day running of the household," says Lewis-Daly, who has her own business as a consultant on workplace health and wellness.

Nothing takes the daily pressure off like a husband who helps with math homework, takes the kids to dance and hockey, does the ironing, changes the beds and takes turns grocery shopping, she says.

She sees lots of women carrying job stress that's compounded by the demands of doing double duty and having little support from spouses. "You can see the resentment start to build and that can manifest itself in health issues," she says.

Source: http://www.thestar.com

Low Blood Pressure Increases Stroke Risk in Kidney Disease Patients

WASHINGTON, DC -- February 14, 2007 -- For patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), the risk of stroke is increased with low blood pressure as well as high blood pressure, reports a study in the March Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

"Our study confirmed that individuals with CKD and elevated blood pressure are at increased risk of stroke," says Daniel E. Weiner, MD, of Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston. "Further, we found that individuals with the lowest systolic blood pressures and moderate kidney disease are also at risk of stroke - even compared to CKD patients with slightly higher blood pressure."

Using data on more than 20,000 Americans participating in a long-term study of heart disease risk factors, the researchers looked at how CKD and blood pressure affect the risk of stroke. Based on a standard test of kidney function, 7.6% of subjects had CKD: a condition generally associated with progressive loss of kidney function. In addition to permanent loss of kidney function requiring dialysis or kidney transplantation, CKD has been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.

People with CKD were at increased risk of stroke, even after accounting for traditional risk factors. At a median follow-up of one year, just over five percent of CKD patients had a stroke. Compared to those without kidney disease, stroke risk was 22% higher for subjects with CKD.

With or without CKD, high blood pressure was also an independent risk factor for stroke. For each 10-mm Hg increase in systolic blood pressure, stroke risk increased by 18%.

However, in CKD patients, stroke risk was also increased at lower-than-normal blood pressures. Among patients with moderate CKD, the stroke rate was more than doubled for those whose systolic blood pressure was less than 120 mm Hg, compared to patients with similar CKD but blood pressure of 120 to 129 mm Hg.

"This effect was most significant in individuals receiving drugs to lower blood pressure," Weiner notes. "The fact that this was an observational study rather than a randomized controlled trial precludes any comment about possible harm related to treating patients to lower blood pressure goals, but it's an area that may benefit from further investigation."

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. CKD is also extremely common - millions of Americans have kidney function in the range of the kidney disease population studied. The study was designed to address unanswered questions about the interplay between high blood pressure, kidney disease and stroke.

"This research points out how little we truly know about the best way to treat individuals with CKD," says Weiner. Although the exact nature of the relationship between blood pressure, kidney disease, and stroke risk is still unclear, the results suggest several possibilities. "Most likely, low blood pressure identifies individuals with weak hearts or with stiff blood vessels that are unable to compensate to increase blood flow when needed or individuals who have a high pre-existing burden of vascular disease. However, it is possible that low blood pressure itself may be directly harmful in patients with kidney disease due to decreased blood supply to the brain."

Source: http://www.docguide.com

Three natural ways to lower blood pressure

You can dramatically lower your blood pressure without drugs, according to three new studies. It’s easy:

Go home earlier: Working more than 41 hours per week at the office raises your risk of hypertension by 15 percent, according to a University of California, Irvine, study of 24,205 California residents. More than 51 hours ups risk by 17 percent.

Take short walks: Forty minutes of exercise a day will ease blood pressure by 5 percent — but you can do it in bite-size pieces.

Pick your produce wisely: Choosing foods that are high in fiber can slash your blood pressure readings by 3 to 7 points, says a new study of 25 overweight women and men from the USDA’s Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, Md. Whole grain foods such as brown rice and wheat bread are good sources, but so are many fruits and veggies.

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Source: http://www.kansascity.com

February Nursing News and Research Briefs

Hypertension Clinical Trial of High Risk Group Yields Promising Blood Pressure Results—Controlling hypertension among African-American men living in urban areas has long posed a challenge, a perception that may have discouraged researchers from studying that high risk group. Now, a hypertension clinical trial specifically targeting high risk, underserved young, urban African American men has yielded encouraging blood pressure results but high mortality rates. In “Underserved Urban African-American Men: Hypertension Trial Outcomes and Mortality During 5 Years,” published this month in the American Journal of Hypertension, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (JHUSON) researchers Cheryl R. Dennison, PhD, CRNP; Miyong T. Kim, PhD, RN; Martha N. Hill, PhD, RN; and others report the results of a randomized clinical study that compared two interventions for treating hypertension. A more intensive approach provided one group of participants with an array of high blood pressure treatment and support services delivered by a nurse practitioner, community worker, and physician team. The less intensive approach offered education information and referral to hypertension care sources in the community. Both approaches succeeded in reducing blood pressure; however those in the more intensive group showed superior improvements in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The study was conducted among a group of very high risk urban African-American men facing a host of social and economic challenges. Unfortunately, during the study 17% of participants died, over half due to narcotic or alcohol intoxication or cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. The researchers note that the alarmingly high mortality rate among the study participants exposes “a major societal and public health problem.”

Health Care Patient, Provider Communications: Easier Said than Done—Improving communications between patients and health care providers, especially nurses on the front line, and facilitating provider-to-provider communications are seen as key avenues to reducing medical errors and improving the quality of patient care. In support of these goals, initiatives such as Speak Up, aimed at creating patients who are active in their own care, and Silence Kills, designed to enhance communications among providers, have been launched throughout the country. However, in “Breaking the Silence—Bridging the Communications Gap Between Healthcare Professionals,” published recently in Nursing Leadership 2006, JHUSON faculty members Jo M. Walrath, PhD, RN, and Cynda H. Rushton, DNSc, RN, find such efforts face real obstacles in daily medical practice. The authors note that “a ‘quality chasm’ exists in health care–the lack of skills, competency, or confidence of many nurses to engage in open and effective communication with one another, other providers, and patients.” In one study reviewed by Walrath and Rushton, fewer than one in ten providers who had seen coworkers make mistakes, cut corners, or break rules fully discussed their concerns with the coworker and most felt it was not their responsibility to do so. In response, Walrath and Rushton ask, “If only one in ten providers have the communications skills to raise a red flag in their hospital setting when problems are witnessed—or believe it is their professional responsibility to call attention to the issues—how can anyone be confident that the patient who chooses to speak up will be heard and have issues resolved?”

Banking for the Future: A New Approach to Electronic Health Records—The fragmented U.S. health record system—where many different providers maintain and access patient information—is seen as cumbersome, inefficient, and not serving patient needs or privacy. New and better systems for documenting, storing, and sharing information electronically are now evolving and are expected to be maintained in the future by regional health information organizations supported by a national health information network. According to JHUSON faculty member Marion J. Ball, EdD and colleagues, such a system would encounter many challenges, including adequate financing without a heavy reliance on public funding. In “The Health Record Banking Imperative,” published in the IBM Systems Journal, the authors suggest an alternative approach, a Health Record Banking (HRB) system, and a unique method of financing. The proposed HRB system would function as a sustainable institution independent of long-term government funding and, the authors write, provide “uninterrupted access to patient records, maintenance of the rights of the consumer to control his or her personal health data, and…storing all electronic health records and data in fail-safe, readily accessible, secure and restricted repositories.” To fund the system, Ball and colleagues propose substantial underwriting through the sale of “deidentified” health data (data that does not identify individuals) that would allow industry, government, and medical researchers to “reap great value from data mining and researching enormous [HRB] databases.”

What Would the Ideal Hospital Medication Use System Look Like?—Medication use systems (MUS) in hospitals are complex and prone to error. They often depend on intricate organizational systems and subsystems. According to JHUSON faculty member Jo M. Walrath, PhD, RN and nursing colleagues at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, “This complexity, along with the sheer volume of medications given to patients, opens the way for error and reinforces the need for a major redesign of MUS within hospital settings.” In “Quest for the Ideal, A Redesign of the Medication Use System,” published in the January-March issue of the Journal of Nursing Care Quality, Walrath and colleagues describe efforts to redesign the MUS for Johns Hopkins Hospital, one of the nation’s largest hospitals. The redesign effort—now in the implementation stage—used idealized design methodology as a starting point for preventing patient harm from medication errors. The interdisciplinary team directing the effort identified systems properties, proposed and gathered feedback on an ideal design, and established a structure to plan changes in the system and to monitor the impact of changes.

In Other Nursing News:

Robin P. Newhouse, PhD, RN has been awarded a two-year $100,000 grant by the Maryland Cigarette Restitution Fund Grant at The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions to conduct four studies related to smoking cessation interventions and counseling efforts by nurses in Maryland hospitals.

The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing is a global leader in nursing research, education and scholarship and is ranked among the top 10 nursing higher education institutions in the country. The School’s community health program is second in the nation and the nursing research program now holds eighth position among the top nursing schools for securing federal research grants. The School continues to maintain its reputation for excellence and educates nurses who set the highest standards for patient care, exemplify scholarship, and become innovative national and international leaders in the evolution of the nursing profession and the health care system.

Source: http://www.newswise.com

Sleeping in might just keep the kids slim

SLEEPING in and starting school later would be popular with kids, and it could even keep their weight down. A new study in the journal Child Development has found that children aged three to 18 are at greater risk of being overweight if they don't get enough sleep.

Even just one extra hour of sleep made a big difference to body weight, reducing young children's chance of being overweight from 36 per cent to 30 per cent, and reducing older children's risk from 34 per cent to 30 per cent. The study was conducted in two stages, approximately five years apart, and involved 2,182 children. At the start of the study and again five years later, diaries were kept by either the children's carers or the children themselves, recording bedtime, time asleep and wake time during one weekday and one weekend day. Later bedtime was linked to being overweight in children aged 3 to 8, and earlier wake time had the greatest effect on weight in those aged 8 to 13. Child Dev
2007;78 (Snell E, et al)

HIGH blood pressure during pregnancy could be a sign of things to come, with new research in Hypertension finding that women who suffer from this condition while pregnant are more likely to develop heart disease later in life, compared to those who maintain normal blood pressure. The authors claim that pregnancy acts like a "stress test" for women, and developing high blood pressure is a sign that the blood vessels and heart are not in the best of health. They studied 491 healthy postmenopausal women, one third of whom had developed high blood pressure during pregnancy. The women were tested for any build-up of calcium in the heart's blood vessels – a sure sign of heart disease. Women with a history of high blood pressure during pregnancy had a 57 per cent greater chance of having calcium build-up compared to women whose blood pressure was normal during pregnancy.
Hypertension
2007;doi:10.1161/01.HYP.
0000258595.09320.eb (Sabour S, et al)

LONELY people are more than twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, according to a study in the latest issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry. Over a four-year period, researchers studied 823 adults who had an average age of 80 and were free of dementia at the start of the study. Loneliness was measured on a scale of one to five, with a higher score indicating a more intense feeling of loneliness. At the start of the study, the average loneliness score was 2.3, and this was tested again at yearly intervals. Over the next four years, 76 participants were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. For each point on the loneliness scale, the risk of Alzheimer's disease increased by 51 per cent. So a person with a high loneliness score (3.2) had 2.1 times the risk of developing the disease as a person with a low score (1.4). The authors stress that further studies are needed to discover how negative emotions may cause changes in the brain.
Arch Gen Psychiatry
2007;64:234-240 (Wilson RS, et al)

TEENAGE couch potatoes are more likely to have high blood pressure than their more active friends, regardless of whether they are overweight. In the Journal of Adolescent Health this week, researchers report a direct link between "sedentary" activities, like watching TV, and high blood pressure in adolescents. The study included 4508 participants aged 12 to 19. Surveys were used to assess their diet and activity levels, while blood pressure and body mass index were measured directly. Regardless of body mass index, higher blood pressure was strongly associated with higher levels of TV and video watching, particularly in the 12- to 15-year-old age group. The authors claim that reducing sedentary activity may improve teenagers' blood pressure and lower their later risk of heart disease and stroke.
J Adolesc Health
2007;40:166-172 (Sugiyama T, et al)

NALTREXONE – the drug used to ease withdrawal symptoms from drugs and alcohol – could soon be used to treat sufferers of a painful intestinal condition known as Crohn's disease. The study, published this week in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, involved 17 patients with active Crohn's disease. They were treated with a low dose of naltrexone (4.5mg per day in tablet form) for 12 weeks, and monitored for any improvement in their symptoms. While the study did not include a group of patients taking placebo tablets for comparison, 89 per cent of participants showed an improvement in their symptoms with naltrexone treatment, and 67 per cent reported that their symptoms disappeared. The only side effect of naltrexone was sleep disturbance in some patients. The authors note that a thorough placebo-controlled trial is now required to prove the drug's effectiveness.
Am J Gastroenterol
2007;102:1-9 (Smith JP, et al)

SEA squirts could hold the key to new and improved cancer-fighting drugs with fewer side effects than current chemotherapies. Research published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this week shows that a synthetic form of sea squirt toxin called diazonamide can stop human cancer cells from multiplying, while leaving normal cells unharmed – at least in the laboratory. When small samples of human breast, prostate or colon tumours are implanted under the skin of mice, diazonamide can reduce the size of the tumours without the harmful side effects seen with other cancer drugs. The sea squirt, known as Diazona angulata, is around 10cm wide. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA
2007;doi:10.1073/pnas.0611340104 (Williams NS, et al)

Source: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au

Lower your blood pressure, save your life

High blood pressure, which usually has no symptoms, is hard on the heart and other organs.

To help keep this “silent killer” at bay, consider these facts and tips from Dr. Michael Prisant, director of the Hypertension and Clinical Pharmacology Unit at the Medical College of Georgia’s Cardiovascular Center.

High blood pressure can cause:

• the heart to get larger, which can lead to heart failure.

• small bulges (aneurysms) to form in blood vessels. Common locations are the main artery from the heart; arteries in the brain, legs, and intestines; and the artery leading to the spleen.

• blood vessels in the kidneys to narrow, which might cause kidney failure.

• arteries throughout the body to harden faster, especially those in the heart, brain, kidneys and legs. This can cause a heart attack, stroke or kidney failure, or lead to amputation of part of the leg.

• blood vessels in the eyes to burst or bleed, which can cause vision changes and can result in blindness.

SOURCE: National Institutes of Health, www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci

Get regular blood-pressure checks. One-third of Americans have high blood pressure and might not know it. Blood pressure below 120/80 is considered normal. A consistent reading of 140/90 or higher is considered high.

Your doctor should measure your blood pressure twice at every visit after a five-minute rest period. Most doctors will diagnose high blood pressure on the basis of two or more readings, taken on several occasions.

Control your risk factors. High blood pressure can’t be cured, but it can be prevented and controlled in most cases. Adopt healthy habits:

• Eat healthful foods

• Eat less salt

• Maintain a healthy weight

• Exercise

• Limit alcohol

• Don’t smoke

Use medicine if needed. If lifestyle changes aren’t enough to control your blood pressure, your doctor might prescribe medications. Be careful mixing these with over-the-counter drugs. Drugs such as ibuprofen or naproxen might interfere with blood pressure-lowering medications.

Source: http://www.thestate.com

You Need A Blood Pressure Monitor

by A.Caxton

People today are more and more aware of what they need to do to ensure that they live long, healthy lives. Eating well, exercising, and getting a good night's sleep are the three keys to maintaining your health, and prevention is always better than cure.

There are many tools that can be acquired by the average individual to help them keep track of their health, and one of these is a blood pressure monitor.

Probably everyone has seen the blood pressure monitor stations in pharmacies, and has sat there and checked their blood pressure at one time or another.

But checking your blood pressure sporadically, or every six months when you visit your doctor, does not help very much. A single reading means nothing. It is only by checking your blood over the course of time that a true picture of the state of your blood pressure will be shown.

And these days, portable blood pressure monitors are so inexpensive and easy to use that there is no reason why you should not acquire one to keep in your own home - and use on a daily basis.

If people suffer from high blood pressure, or have a family history of heart disease, such a monitor is imperative. Athletes concerned with their progress will also find the monitor helpful.

What Is A Blood Pressure Monitor

A home monitor consists of a cuff which you place around your bicep. This is connected to a small machine full of electronics, with a digital display. You press the Start button, and the cuff immediately inflates and tighten on your arm. Because it is so tight, it can sense how quickly the blood is flowing through your veins. This is your blood pressure.

The numbers given are your systolic and diastolic numbers, and your pulse.

Keep a notebook beside the machine, and each day take your blood pressure in the morning and at night. Write down the numbers in your notebook, and if you ever see any noticeable difference, especially if the numbers become very high, you'll know that it's time to visit your doctor for a consultation.

What does "systolic" and "diastolic" mean, anyway?

The definition of "systolic" is: The blood pressure when the heart is contracting.

The definition of "diastolic" is: The arterial pressure during the interval between heartbeats.

In other words, your heart contracts and then relaxes with each heartbeat - pushing your blood through your veins. When it contracts it is called systole and when it relaxes it is called diastole.

So you've taken your blood pressure. The typical numbers for a healthy human being are around 120 systolic and 80 diastolic. If your numbers are near these, that's good. If you've been exercising or under stress your numbers may be inflated - that's why it's important to take daily readings so that you can compare them over time. If your numbers are consistently higher than this, it would be well to visit your doctor - bringing your records with you - to see if anything is amiss.

Alastair Hamilton is the copywriter of http://www.bikecyclingreviews.com . For additional information regarding blood pressure or cycling training go to Polar heart rate monitors

Article Source: ArticleRich.com

Flaxseed oil lowers blood pressure

A diet rich in the plant omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) reduced blood pressure by up to six percent, says new research from Greece.

In the UK alone, there are an estimated 10m people with hypertension, defined as having blood pressure higher than 140/90mmHg. The condition is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD).

“The magnitude of the hypotensive effect (5mmHG or 3-6 percent) is certainly clinically relevant, and is expected to considerably reduce the overall CVD risk in these patients,” wrote lead author George Paschos in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

How the study was done
The researchers, from Harokopio University and Laiko Hospital in Athens, recruited 59 middle-aged men (average age 53) with abnormal blood lipid levels (dyslipidaemic) and randomly assigned them to receive either the omega-3-ALA-rich flaxseed supplements (8g per day) or omega-6 linoleic acid-rich safflower oil in a prospective, two-group, parallel-arm study.

The ALA-rich diet gave an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 1.3:1, while the LA-rich diet gave an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 13.2:1.

After 12 weeks of supplementation they report that the men receiving the ALA-rich flaxseed oil supplements were found to have reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressures, falling from 120 to 100mmHg and 80 to 72mmHg, respectively. These falls equated to a decrease in systolic blood pressure of 3,1 percent and diastolic blood pressure of 6,3 percent.

The omega-6-rich LA supplement did not significantly affect blood pressure, said the researchers.

“Our results indicate that increased ALA intake can bring about a significant decrease in SBP and DMP by approximately 5mmHg or 3-6 percent,” wrote the researchers.

Exact mechanism unclear
The mechanism behind the effects is not clear, they said, and may be due to the effect of the omega-3 metabolites, prostaglandins, on a variety of blood pressure regulators, including control of salt and water balance, control of blood flow in the kidneys and effects on heart output.

Future studies are needed, they said, to further clarify the underlying mechanism(s).

The study does have several limitations, said Paschos, the most notable of which being that the dose of flaxseed given is not readily achievable in a conventional diet.

“However, several products like cooking oil, margarine, salad dressing, and mayonnaise fortified with ALA can be produced by the industry, and inclusion of these foods in the diet has been shown to substantially increase dietary ALA intake to levels exceeding those used in the present study,” he wrote.

“Hence we believe our results could be applicable in practice.”

The study was funded by the Greek Ministry of Development, General Secretariat for Research and Technology. - (Decision News Media, February 2007)

Source: http://www.health24.com

High blood pressure and pregnancy

Women who have high blood pressure in pregnancy are more likely to develop coronary artery disease later in life.
"Usually it is assumed that the development of high blood pressure during pregnancy has no long-term consequences, since it subsides after pregnancy," said Dr. Michiel L. Bots, the senior author of the study, and an associate professor of epidemiology at the Julius Center for health Sciences and Primary Care in the Netherlands.

The study found pregnancy-driven high blood pressure caused a 57 percent greater risk of developing coronary calcification later in life, than women who had normal blood pressure during their pregnancy. The calcium deposition in the arteries of the heart causes what's called atherosclerosis, or the process by which fatty substances like cholesterol, build up in the inner lining of an artery.

Researchers looked at 491 healthy, post-menopausal women who were selected from among participants enrolled in a study called PROSPECT.

Bots says that women who develop high blood pressure during pregnancy may need to be referred to a program that includes cardiovascular risk factor management and close monitoring for increases in blood pressure, cholesterol and weight.

Source: http://www.9news.com

TV and high blood pressure

Teenagers who spend a lot of time planted in front of the TV are more likely to have higher blood pressure, regardless of whether they are overweight. "This is the first research to show a direct and independent connection between TV watching and higher blood pressure among adolescents," said study leader Nicolas Stettler, M.D., M.S.C.E. a pediatric nutrition specialist at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

The team reported on their study of 4,500 American adolescents in the February issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health. They found that sedentary activities and higher body mass index (BMI) were associated with higher systolic blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure is the pressure found when the heart pumps, in contrast to diastolic blood pressure, the pressure between heart beats.

"It was already known that physical activity lowers blood pressure in both adults and children, but sedentary activity is not just the opposite of physical activity," said Dr. Stettler. "For example, other studies have found that decreasing sedentary activity in young people helps prevent or treat obesity better than interventions to increase physical activity."

If further studies confirm these results, encouraging adolescents to reduce their sedentary activity may improve their blood pressure and lower their later risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

The researchers studied nationally-representative data from 4,500 U.S. adolescents, aged 12 to 19, who participated in the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Interviewers assessed the adolescents' nutritional intake and activities. Measurements of blood pressure and BMI were adjusted for gender and age.

Within the 12- to 15-year-old age group, the study team found higher blood pressure to be especially associated with higher levels of watching television and video. "Although the association between sedentary activity and systolic blood pressure was rather small, most adolescents spend several hours per day in sedentary activities," said Yasuki Kobayashi, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Tokyo Department of Public Health a co-author on this study. "Interventions to decrease sedentary activities may have an important public health impact."

"Elevated blood pressure is one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and stroke," said Mr. Takehiro Sugiyama, a medical student at the University of Tokyo, Japan, first author on this study. "High blood pressure in adolescents is predictive of hypertension in adulthood, and in addition, adolescent obesity is a predictor of obesity and cardiovascular risk factors in young adulthood and beyond."

The researchers also found that higher BMI is associated with lower diastolic blood pressure, contrary to associations found previously in studies of adults. The implications of this finding are unclear, but shows that adolescents are not just "small adults" and may have determinants of blood pressure that are different from adults said the authors.

Dr. Stettler's co-authors were: Takehiro Sugiyama, of the University of Tokyo, Japan; Dawei Xie, of the University of Pennsylvania; Rose C. Graham- Maar, M.D., M.S.C.E. now of St. Christopher's Hospital for Children; and Kazuo Inoue, M.D., Ph.D. and Yasuki Kobayashi, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Public Health, University of Tokyo.

About The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals and pioneering major research initiatives, Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country, ranking third in National Institutes of Health funding. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 430-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents.

Source: http://sev.prnewswire.com

Low blood pressure is ...

Blood pressure is the pressure of blood within the arteries of the body. Blood pressure is the driving force that causes blood to flow through the body from the arteries (where the pressure is high), through organs, and into the veins (where the pressure is low). Blood pressure is generated by the pumping of blood by the heart into the arteries as well as by the resistance to the flow of blood by the arteries. The systolic blood pressure (the top number) represents the pressure in the arteries as the muscle of the heart contracts and pumps blood into the arteries. And the diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) represents the pressure in the arteries as the muscle of the heart relaxes after it contracts.
Systolic blood pressure for most healthy adults falls between 90 and 120 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Normal diastolic blood pressure falls between 60 and 80 mm Hg. (By convention, an individual’s blood pressure is written as systolic/diastolic blood pressure, e.g., 120/80). Current guidelines define normal blood pressure as lower than 120/80. Blood pressures between 120/80 and 140/90, which used to be considered “pre-hypertension,” are now considered too high. High blood pressure increases the risk of developing heart disease, kidney disease, hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis or arteriosclerosis), eye damage, and stroke.
When the flow of blood is too low to deliver enough oxygen and nutrients to vital organs such as the brain, heart, and kidney, it is referred to as Low Blood Pressure. When this happens, the organs are unable to function normally and can be permanently damaged. It should be noted that unlike high blood pressure, which is defined on the basis of blood pressure alone, low blood pressure is defined primarily by signs and symptoms of low blood flow. In fact, some individuals may have a blood pressure of 90/50 and have no signs or symptoms of low blood pressure, and, therefore, not have low blood pressure while others who normally have a blood pressure of 130/80 may develop symptoms and signs of low blood pressure if their blood pressure drops to 100/60.
There are certain traditional medicines that can help to cure low blood pressure. Butter milk is good for both high and low blood pressure. Using asafetida in various articles of food regularly, also helps to cure low blood pressure.

Source: http://www.blood-pressure-updates.com

U.S. uses more drugs for high blood pressure

High blood pressure is controlled better in the United States than in five Western European countries, a study found, and researchers credit American doctors' more aggressive prescribing of drugs.

The researchers pointed proudly to the findings, saying that the U.S. strategy of prescribing more pills earlier probably saves money overall by preventing heart attacks and strokes.

But other experts disputed that and questioned the cost-effectiveness of treating mildly high blood pressure.

The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago and Stanford University and was published in the Jan. 22, Archives of Internal Medicine.

The researchers looked at doctors' reports on more than 21,000 patients treated for hypertension. They found that post-treatment blood pressure was 134 over 79 on average in the United States; 139/80 in France; 141/83 in Germany; 143/84 in Italy; 141/83 in Spain; and 144/82 in Britain.

A reading of 140/90 or above is considered high, both in America and abroad. High blood pressure raises the risk of a heart attack, stroke, heart failure and kidney failure.

The study also found that the use of more than one blood pressure drug per patient was highest in the United States, with 64 percent of the patients getting more than one class of drug. That compared with a low of 44 percent in Spain and 59 percent in Germany and Britain.

Study co-author Dr. Caleb Alexander of the University of Chicago said treating high blood pressure aggressively and early is "a good thing, given the burden of hypertension among the population."

High blood pressure affects more than 72 million adults in the United States, according to the American Heart Association, and Americans will spend $23 billion on blood pressure drugs this year.

American doctors follow more aggressive treatment guidelines for high blood pressure than do doctors in Europe. The U.S. guidelines encourage prescribing blood pressure medicine earlier and adding additional medications if one pill alone does not work.

The study's authors wrote that spending on blood pressure drugs in the United States is probably less than the costs of the heart attacks and strokes prevented.

"That's very debatable," countered Dr. William Elliott of Chicago's Rush University Medical Center, an expert on preventive medicine. "Only in specific subsets of patients does it save money ... for very high-risk people, older people, people with previous heart attack and strokes."

Also, the study does not take into account the potential harmful side effects of aggressive medical treatment for hypertension, said Dr. Lisa Schwartz of the VA Outcomes Group, made up of researchers trying to promote the straightforward presentation of medical information. Blood pressure drugs can cause low blood pressure (which can lead to falls), weakness, depression and chronic cough.

In addition, some experts said the study simply reflects the fact that American doctors are treating less-severe hypertension to start with. The Europeans in the study started with higher blood pressure before treatment.

For example, 87 percent of the French started with levels over 160/100. In contrast, 65 percent of Americans started treatment with levels that high.

Also, the study did not involve a representative sample of the nations' people, but instead looked only at those people who go to the doctor for hypertension. That means the study probably missed uninsured Americans who cannot afford regular care.

The data came from a 2004 survey in which doctors filled out diaries about the first 15 cardiovascular patients they saw in one week.

The study was supported by grants from the National Institute on Aging and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The authors reported no financial ties to the drug industry.

Source: http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com

New understanding of blood pressure gene could lead to new treatments

Research by scientists at UCL (University College London) has clearly demonstrated for the first time the structure and function of a gene crucial to the regulation of blood pressure. The discovery could be important in the search for new treatments for illnesses such as heart disease, the UK's biggest killer.

In a paper published online in Nature Medicine, the team, led by Professor Patrick Vallance and Dr James Leiper, UCL Department of Medicine, reveal the role of the human gene dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH), showing that loss of DDAH activity disrupts nitric oxide (NO) production. NO is critical in the regulation of blood pressure, nervous system functions and the immune system.

The role of DDAH is to break down modified amino acids (Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and monomethyl arginine (L-NMMA)) that are produced by the body and have been shown to inhibit NO synthase. These molecules accumulate in various disease states including diabetes, renal failure and pulmonary and systemic hypertension, and their concentration in plasma (the fluid component of blood) is strongly predicative of cardiovascular disease and death.

In a healthy human body, the majority of ADMA is eliminated through active metabolism by DDAH. Scientists have hypothesised that if DDAH function is impaired, NO production is reduced, and that this could be an important feature of increased cardiovascular risk.

To examine this pathway in more detail, the researchers deleted the DDAH gene in mice. These mice went on to develop hypertension, or high blood pressure. They also designed specific inhibitors (small molecules) which bind to the active site of human DDAH. These small molecule inhibitors also induced hypertension in mice, confirming the importance of DDAH in the regulation of blood pressure.

Dr Leiper, UCL Medicine, said: "These genetic and chemical approaches to disrupt DDAH showed remarkably consistent results, and provide compelling evidence that loss of DDAH function increases the concentration of ADMA and thereby disrupts vascular NO signalling.

"There has been considerable scientific interest in this pathway and the role of ADMA as a novel risk factor, but so far there's been little evidence to support the idea that it's a cause of disease, rather than just a marker. Genes and their pathways are crucial to our understanding of cardiovascular disease and a better understanding of DDAH-1 could lead to important new treatments.

"It could help us to establish if genetic variation predisposes certain people to these diseases, or whether environmental factors exert some of their effects through modulation of DDAH activity.

"Our research also shows that this pathway could be harnessed therapeutically to limit production of NO in certain situations where too much nitric oxide is a bad thing; for example, hypotension and septic shock. These are some of the biggest problems in intensive care medicine and there is a huge unmet need for drug treatments."

The study, which was carried out at UCL's Rayne Institute, was funded by grants from the British Heart Foundation, the Wellcome Trust and the Medical Research Council.

Professor Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Director of the British Heart Foundation, said:

"The unexpected finding in the 1980s that a simple gas, nitric oxide (NO), is made by cells in the blood vessel wall and is a powerful control of blood vessel relaxation led to the award of the Nobel Prize in 1998 to its discoverers.

"More recently, there has been increasing evidence that impairment of NO production is likely to be an important factor in the development of heart and circulatory disease, but the mechanisms responsible are not fully understood.

"This study suggests for the first time that the loss of the activity of the enzyme DDAH-1 leads to reduced NO production and may cause heart and circulatory disease. These findings are likely to be important in the search for new ways to optimise the health of our blood vessels."

Source: http://www.news-medical.net

Blood pressure is ...

Blood pressure is the force in the arteries when the heart beats (systolic pressure) and when the heart is at rest (diastolic pressure). It's measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). High blood pressure (or hypertension) is defined in an adult as a blood pressure greater than or equal to 140 mm Hg systolic pressure or greater than or equal to 90 mm Hg diastolic pressure.

High blood pressure directly increases the risk of coronary heart disease (which leads to heart attack) and stroke, especially when it's present with other risk factors.

High blood pressure can occur in children or adults, but it's more common among people over age 35. It's particularly prevalent in African Americans, middle-aged and elderly people, obese people, heavy drinkers and women taking birth control pills. It may run in families, but many people with a strong family history of high blood pressure never have it. People with diabetes mellitus, gout or kidney disease are more likely to have high blood pressure, too.

American Heart Association recommended blood pressure levels

Blood Pressure Category	Systolic (mm Hg)		Diastolic (mm Hg)
Normal	less than 120	and	less than 80
Prehypertension	120–139	or	80–89
High
Stage 1	140–159	or	90–99
Stage 2

Source: http://www.americanheart.org

3 dont's for your high blood pressure

1. Don't take too much salt: Too much salt can elevate your blood pressure. Check for the quantity of salt or sodium present in the food before you purchase or consume it.
   
2. Don't get less sleep: Remember, if you don't take enough sleep, it may raise your blood pressure. The more you sleep the more normal is your blood pressure. Sleeplessness increases the level of stress hormones, which can ignite the sympathetic nervous system thereby causing many complications.
   
3. Maintain a healthy weight: Being overweight can add to your hypertension problems. If you are overweight, start working towards a healthy weight. You can do this by limiting the size of your meals and snacks, and by refraining from high calorie foods.

Source: http://www.blood-pressure-updates.com

Remember about your high blood pressure

If you living with high blood pressure, you must to remember 6 rules that you need to follow:

1. Keep a track of your blood pressure: Living with high blood pressure is not a kid’s stuff. You need to monitor your blood pressure levels on a daily basis. Today, there are lots of devices available in the market that facilitate you to monitor your blood pressure on own. Get one such monitor at your home and monitor your blood pressure regularly. Also make sure that you maintain accurate records for the same.
   
2. See your doctor regularly: Be in regular touch with your health care provider. If you are confused about your dosage, ask your doctor again. And if you notice any side effects, inform your doctor without delay.
3. Keep enough medicine: Make sure you refill your hypertension medicines before you run out of them. Take your medicines on time and as directed.
4. Cultivate a healthier lifestyle: Consult your doctor and ask him about what you should eat. You can also ask him about and then start the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. DASH is a clinically proven diet recommended for reducing high blood pressure
5. Eat a balanced diet: Hypertension requires the intake of a healthy diet. Take foods which are high in potassium and rich in fiber.
   
6. Exercise daily: Make it a point to exercise for at least 30 minutes daily. This will go a long way in helping you control your blood pressure.

Source: http://www.blood-pressure-updates.com