The Treatment of Modern Western - Biblio.nhat-nam.ru

37HYPERTENSIONHypertension refers to elevated systolic and/or diastolicblood pressure. When this is due to unknown etiology, it iscalled essential hypertension and accounts for 85-90% of alldiagnosed hypertension. The other type of hypertension issecondary hypertension when damage to the kidneys orendocrine dysfunction cause the blood pressure to rise. It isestimated that there are more than 35 million hypertensivesin the United States, and high blood pressure occurs twice asoften in African Americans than in white Americans. Thereis no consistent difference in the prevalence of diastolichypertension between men and women. However, diastolicpressure does increase with age, at least until 55-60 years,and systolic pressure increases with age until at least 80.More than 50% of both white and African Americans sufferfrom some form of hypertension over age 65. Until complicationsdevelop, primary hypertension is asymptomatic.When signs and symptoms do arise, they include dizziness,facial flushing, headache, fatigue, epistaxis, and nervousness.However, none of these are pathognomonic for hypertensionand all are due to some complication involving one or moretarget organs.Although the causes of essential hypertension are unknownaccording to Western medicine, there are a number of factorswhich are associated with or lead to this condition. The maincause seems to be a diet high in animal fat and sodium chloride,especially if sodium chloride is high in relation to potassiumand magnesium. Recent studies in remote areas ofChina, New Guinea, Panama, Brazil, and Africa where lowfat, low sodium diets are the norm show virtually no evidenceof hypertension, even with advanced age. However,when individuals in these groups moved to more industrializedareas and changed their diet to include more animal fatand salt, the incidence of hypertension increased proportionatelyto increases in body mass and fat. 1 Lifestyle choicesalso seem to play a role in the development of hypertension,including smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol andcoffee. Even moderate alcohol consumption can producehypertension in certain individuals, and chronic alcoholintake is one of the strongest predictors of high blood pressure.Smoking is a contributing factor to hypertension due tothe fact that smokers are more prone to increased sugar, alcohol,and caffeine consumption. In addition, environmentalfactors, such as lead contamination from drinking water aswell as residues from cadmium, have been shown to promotehypertension. People whose hypertension has been leftuntreated have been shown to have blood cadmium levels 3-4 times higher than those with normal blood pressure. 2The Western medical diagnosis of hypertension is based onmeasuring systolic and diastolic blood pressure using a bloodpressure cuff. Since blood pressure may fluctuate, at least twoblood pressure readings should be taken on separate days,and care should be taken to insure the proper sized cuff forthe size of the arm. For instance, using too small a cuff on alarger than normal arm will tend to read hypertensive. Theupper limit of normal blood pressure in adults is140/90mm/Hg.If patients have mild hypertension and no heart problems, dietand lifestyle changes may suffice if carried out with determination.Such diet and lifestyle modifications include weightloss, restricted intake of sodium, exercise, and relaxation. Formore severe hypertension or for mild cases that do not respondto changes in diet and lifestyle within one year, drug treatmentis usually considered necessary. Antihypertensive medicationstypically fall into one of five categories: diuretics, ACEinhibitors, beta-blockers, vasodilators, and calcium channelblockers. Diuretics cause the body to excrete water and salt.There are three main types of antihypertensive diuretics: thiazides,loop diuretics, and potassium-sparing agents. There aremany different thiazides used for the treatment of hypertension,such as hydrochlorothiazide and chlorthalidone.Thiazides often serve as the basis for the treatment of hyper-