Hypertension, most commonly referred to as "high blood pressure", HTN or HPN, is a medical condition in which the blood pressure is chronically elevated. It was previously referred to as arterial hypertension, but in current usage, the word "hypertension" without a qualifier normally refers to arterial hypertension.
2010-01-04

High Blood Pressure Medication - Can They Be Responsible For More People Ignoring Hypertension?

0 comments

High blood pressure medication is the most common method of controlling hypertension. But could it also be a contributor to even higher blood pressure or worse?

With over 300 brands to choose from, often times the effectiveness of a given medication has to go through a trial and error period with an individual patient before a reasonable dosage or combination of drugs can be achieved. It's during this period tat the patient is likely to experience side effects.

Side effects from high blood pressure medications can range from the annoying like a need to frequently urinate, to having an impact on the quality of life such as general fatigue, impotence, dizziness and blurred vision. In some instances, the drugs can actually cause what they are designed to control. Heart attacks, strokes and congestive heart failure are all possible side effects of some of the drugs.

A patient new to these medication may soon loose there tolerance for the side effects and the juggling of dosages and decide to abandon them all together. This is particularly true of persons with mild hypertension who considered themselves healthy before being diagnosed as hypertensive.

Unfortunately, high blood pressure has no outward symptoms and for many, the first time they realize they have the condition is when they have their blood pressure checked. As a result, the new patient weighs the misery of the side effects, and perhaps the cost of this new life long requirement, against life the way it used to be. It is not unreasonable to see why they chose to abandon the therapy even knowing the risk. In their minds, the cure is worse than the disease.

This of course is a trend that can be extremely dangerous. Hypertension can not be ignored. It will not go away by itself. It kills over 50,000 Americans each year.

If a patient decides they cannot tolerate the medicine, then they need to take other steps to control their condition.

Fortunately, there is an alternative to drugs. In fact the American Heart Association endorses changes in lifestyle over the use of medication. The fact is, this condition can not only be controlled, but reversed by making changes in diet, exercise and stress management. It's not rocket science; it's simply informed common sense and something that anyone can accomplish if they commit to it.

It's estimated that of the 65 million Americans that have high blood pressure, one third don't know they have it. Of the remaining 43 million who know they have the condition, fully a third are not treating it. This is a huge public health issue that screams out for attention.

It also begs the question as to why blood pressure medications are prescribed as the control of choice rather than encouraging healthy lifestyle choices. Is it simply a Western medicine tradition that there's a pill for everything, or is it something else. When there is overwhelming evidence that this condition can be controlled naturally, why do we continue to put patients through the miseries and expense of medication?

It's your body. If you are hypertensive then you have to make a decision as to how you will deal with it. You can't just ignore it or it will eventually take its toll on you.



Autor: Rachel Willson

Did you know that there is an alternative to high blood pressure medication that can lower your BP reading by 20 points in three weeks? Would you like to know how? Visit http://MyNaturalCures.info for the answer to that question and more on replacing drugs with a healthy lifestyle.


Added: January 4, 2010
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

What next?

You can also bookmark this post using your favorite bookmarking service:

Related Posts by Categories