HYPERTENSION
HYPERTENSION
In Ayurveda Hypertension has been described by modern Ayurvedic Acharyas as “RAKTA GATA VATA”.
Ayurveda can help you
INTRODUCTION
Hypertension is excessive pressure exerted by blood on the walls of the blood vessels while flowing through them due to which heart has to work harder for pumping blood through the body because of which heart may get enlarged and can also get damaged
MEASUREMENT OF BLOOD PRESSURE
Measurement of blood pressure is done by two nunbers i.e the systolic pressure and the diastolic pressure
SYSTOLIC PRESSURE
Systolic pressure is pressure in the blood vessels when the heart contracts for pumping blood to the body
DIASTOLIC PRESSURE
Diastolic pressure is pressure in the blood vessels when the heart is relaxing and refilling with blood for pumping it in the body.
NORMAL BLOOD PRESSURE
Normal blood pressure is less than 130/85. High normal is 130-139/85-89. Anything above these numbers is considered hypertension, and puts the patient at risk for complications. If a patient is determined to have hypertension, regardless of whether it is mild or severe, it needs the attention of a physician to determine the best method of management.
HYPERTENSION-AYURVEDIC CONCEPT
In Ayurveda hypertension as a disease has not been described Ayurvedic practioners Thus to find an ayurvedic cure for hypertension ayurveda practitioners followed these steps.
1.First of all they identify the factors responsible for hypertension i.e the structural and functional that got imbalanced in diseased patients according to ayurveda.
2.Secondly they corelate the responsible factors with already mentioned diseases in ayurveda and thus apply the treament advised by ancient ayurvedic acharyas for these diseases for for treatment of ayurvedas
Ayurvedic Acharyas now comes to the conclusoion that hypertension is caused by vitiation of all the three doshas ,viz.vata,pitta,kapha but mainly two doshas i.e vata and pitta are involved so treatment of hypertension mainly involves balancing of these two doshas
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CAUSES
According to Amerian Heart association in about 90 percent to 95 percent cases of high blood pressure there’s no identifiable cause. This type of high blood pressure is called essential hypertension or primary hypertension which tends to develop gradually over many years.
The remaining 5 to 10 percent of cases high blood pressure is caused by an underlying cause, it is called secondary hypertension which tends to appear suddenly and causes higher blood pressure than primary hypertension
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Risk factrors
High blood pressure has many risk factors. Some you can’t control are
1.Age. The risk of high blood pressure increases as you get older. Through early middle age, high blood pressure is more common in men. Women are more likely to develop high blood pressure after menopause.
2.Race. High blood pressure is common among blacks, often developing at an earlier age than it does in whites. Serious complications stroke and heart attack are also more common in blacks.
3.Family history. High blood pressure tends to run in families.
Other risk factors for high blood pressure are within your control.
1.Excess weight. For more weight more blood is required for supply of oxygen and nutrients to your tissues so volume of blood circulated through blood vessels increases,so does the pressure on the walls of the blood vessels.
2.Inactivity. Those people who are less active ar tends to perform minimal physical activity have higher heart rates because of which heart has to work more with each contraction and more pressure will be exerted on the walls of the blood vessels.
3.Tobacco use. The chemicals in tobacco can damage the lining of your artery walls, which promotes narrowing of the arteries.
4.Sodium intake. Extra intake of sodium lead to fluid retention and increase blood pressure.
5.Low potassium intake.Dueto low or no intake of potassium Potassium,sodium can accumulate in your blood thus causing hypertension.Because potasium helps in balancing of sodium in blood low or no intake of potassium indirectly causes hypertension.
6.Excessive alcohol. Over time, heavy drinking can damage your heart.
7.Stress. High levels of stress can lead to a temporary but dramatic increase in blood pressure. If you try to relax by eating more, using tobacco or drinking alcohol, you may only fuel problems with high blood pressure.
Certain chronic conditions also may increase your risk of high blood pressure, including high cholesterol, diabetes, kidney disease and sleep apnea. Sometimes pregnancy contributes to high blood pressure
SYMPTOMS
Unfortunately, hypertension usually has no symptoms. This is why it is often called the “silent killer.” The best way to monitor for the disease is to have regular blood pressure checks by the patient’s physician, especially if the patient has any of the risk factors for developing the disease.
Very severe high blood pressure (160 over 100 or higher), especially if your blood pressure rises very high quickly, may lead to hypertensive crisis.
Symptoms of very severe high blood pressure include:
- Headaches, especially pulsating headaches behind the eyes that occur early in the morning.
- Visual disturbances.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Over time, untreated high blood pressure can damage organs, such as the heart, kidneys, or eyes. This may lead to:Chest pain (angina), heart attack, or heart failure.
- Stroke.
- Kidney (renal) failure.
- Peripheral arterial disease.
- Eye damage (retinopathy).
- Abnormal heart beat.
Blood pressure commonly rises as you get older, but this normal increase occurs more quickly in people who already have high blood pressure.
Untreated high blood pressure can damage the delicate lining of the blood vessels. After a blood vessel is damaged, fat and calcium can easily build up along the artery wall, forming a plaque. The blood vessel becomes narrowed and stiff (atherosclerosis), and blood flow through the blood vessel is reduced. Over time, decreased blood flow to certain organs in the body can cause damage, leading to:
- Coronary artery disease, heart attack, and abnormal heartbeat.
- Stroke.
- Kidney (renal) failure.
- Peripheral arterial disease.
- Eye damage (retinopathy).
People with borderline, or “high-normal,” blood pressure (120-139/80-89)-which is now considered “prehypertensive”-have a higher risk for developing high blood pressure and heart disease than those with blood pressure less than 120/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).4
In addition, men who have high systolic blood pressure during middle age (50s to 60s) may show a greater decline in mental ability later in life (after age 75) than men who do not have high blood pressure earlier. Short-term memory and attention span are most affected.
Elevated blood pressure readings may not always mean you have high blood pressure. For some people, just being in a medical setting causes their blood pressure to rise. This is called white-coat hypertension.
Malignant hypertension (hypertensive crisis) is high blood pressure that increases rapidly. The cause may be unknown, or it may be caused by a medicine or another condition.
Isolated systolic high blood pressure is when systolic blood pressure is elevated above 140 mm Hg, but diastolic blood pressure stays at less than 90 mm Hg. This type of high blood pressure is more common in older adults, especially older women. If you are older than 50, a systolic blood pressure over 140 is a more important risk factor for heart disease and stroke than your diastolic blood pressure.
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SYMPTOMS OF HYPERTENSION ON THE BASIS OF VITIATED DOSHAS
Vata Hypertension: (Symptoms and Treatment)
Symptoms:
1.The blood pressure may rise suddenly and fall suddenly with nervous tension.
2.Irregular or erratic pulse both in rhythm and strength.
3.An increase in blood pressure will be followed by worry, strain, overwork, anxiety or insomnia.
4.Frequently associated with nervous system disorders.
Treatment
- Tonification therapy:
- Garlic is very good for this condition. Eat an entire crushed clove (with honey) once or twice a week.
- Take nutmeg or saraswat powder in warm milk.
- Ashwagandha preparations.
Herbal Combinations
Ashwagandha - 1 part
Valerian - 1 part
Gotu kola - 1 part
Mix well and take 1-3 grams of the powdered herbs with warm water or with ghee.
Pitta Hypertension: Symptoms and Treatment
Symptoms
- Flushed face
- Red eyes
- Violent headaches
- Sensitivity to light
- Nose bleeds
- Anger
- Irritability
- Burning sensations
- Wiry and tight pulse
- Associated with liver disorders and the accumulation of internal heat.
Treatment
Herbs: Aloe gel, barberry and katuka. In stronger cases, purgation may be prescribed with bitter herbs such as aloe, rhubarb root or senna. Gotu kola is another useful herb for Pitta hypertension. It calms the nerves and relieve heat and stress.
Herbal Formulas:
- Gotu Kola preparations
- Brahma Rasayana
- Saraswat powder
- Gotu kola and skullcap taken in equal proportions.
Kapha Hypertension (Symptoms and Treatment)
Symptoms
- The blood pressure remains continually high. (no fluctuation as in Pitta hypertension.)
- Obesity
- Tiredness
- Edema
- High cholesterol.
Treatment
- Avoid dairy, butter, eggs and high fat foods.
- Incorporate plenty of hot spices in the diet, particularly mustard and onions.
- Herbs: Cayenne, myrrh, garlic, motherwort and hawthorn berries. Avoid licorice.
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TREATMENT
Useful herbs
1.Ambarbaris
2.Alfaalfa
3.Gandana or Rojmari
4.Lahsuna
5.Sarpgandha
6.Prajmoda
Asav/Arishta
1.Balarishta
2.Punarnava arishta
Ghrita
1.Arjuna ghrita
2.Shadanga ghrita
Yoga in hypertension
1.Balasna
2.Shavasna
3.Makarasna
