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Drinking toxins? Good health begins with pure water.
Enhancing your health with filtered water and lots of it is the foundation of good health. A person may be able to survive a couple of months without food but only a few days without water. Hydrating the body is the primary step towards optimal...
Symptoms of Arthritis
Symptoms of Arthritis
In a previous article, we discussed what Arthritis is and its
many forms, now it is time to take a look at the symptoms of
Arthritis. Arthritis shows up in various ways. Some of the first
symptoms include things like...
Tips to prevent heart disease and lead a healthy life
One of the greatest ailments that endanger your healthy life is undoubtedly the heart disease. As per statistics provided by the American Heart Association, 62 million Americans suffer from some form of cardio-vascular diseases like heart attack,...
What's In Your Lip Balm?
The use of lip balm is often necessary due to the fact that our lips don’t produce any oil and are likely to become dry and chapped. You’ll probably notice this during the wintertime, especially if you spend time outdoors. However, many of us have...
Winning the Stress Game
Winning The Stress Game Stress is a big factor in today’s world. The way we deal with it is as individual as we are. We need a certain amount of stress to function, but when it reaches extremes and we can no longer deal with it, it becomes a...
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Blood Pressure Medications: A Concise Guide
High blood pressure is unfortunately something that most people
have to deal with as they age. This is especially true for the
average person in the western part of the world. The national
average for high blood pressure is approximately 24% in the
United States with most other Western countries within close
proximity of that number.
Medication is the most frequent form of treatment outside of
individual lifestyle choices. However, there are a wide variety
of drug types used to treat high blood pressure and they each
approach the problem in a unique fashion. A physician will
prescribe the type of drug best suited for the needs of the
individual patient.
DIURETICS
A diuretic is a medication that reduces the amount of water and
sodium in the blood. The reduction in water helps to reduce the
overall pressure on the walls of the blood vessels and as a
result lower the overall blood pressure. A diuretic is usually
prescribed in addition to another type of medication as opposed
to being used a sole treatment by itself. Diuretics are often
called "water pills" and the physician may refer to them as such.
BETA BLOCKERS
Beta blocks work to reduce the heart rate and lower the blood
pressure by inhibiting the bodies "fight / flight" response.
Essentially a beta-blocker blocks the ability of epinephrine and
norepinephrine to stimulate the sympathetic nervous system. This
action prevents the increased heart rate and high blood
pressure, which is a direct result of that stimulation. The
beta-blockers prescribed for high blood pressure have a calming
effect and give the person a greater tolerance for stress.
ACE INHIBITORS
Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, or ACE Inhibitors, as
they are commonly known helped to reduce blood pressure by
preventing the hormone Angiotensin II from forming. Angiontensin
II normally constricts the blood vessels as well as acting on
the brain to increase the need for salt and hydration.
ANGIOTENSIN ANTAGONIST
Angiontensin antagonists target the same hormone as ACE
inhibitors, described above. However, rather than inhibiting the
production of
Angiotensin II it blocks its effect on the cells
of the heart and blood vessels. These medications are also
referred to as ARB's, which stands for angiotensin receptor
blockers. This is a newer type of medication which helps to
modulate the renin-angiotensin system which has a big role in
maintaining the bodies overall blood pressure and the volume of
blood in the body.
CALCIUM CHANNEL BLOCKERS
This class of medications reduce the overall level of calcium in
the heart which in turn reduces the blood pressure since the
level of calcium dictates the force with which the heart pumps
blood. Individuals with a weak heart (cardiomyopathy) are
advised to not take a calcium channel blocker.
ALPHA BLOCKERS
Alpha-blockers bring blood pressure lower by limiting the nerve
impulses sent to the blood vessels, which allows the blood to
pass more freely. Whereas the beta-blockers affect the heart to
decrease blood pressure, the Alpha-blockers affect the blood
vessels.
ALPHA-BETA BLOCKERS
The Alpha-Beta class of drugs combines the effects of both the
Alpha-blockers and the Beta-blockers, and thereby bring about
lower blood pressure. See the descriptions for both to
understand how they work.
NERVOUS SYSTEM INHIBITORS
Nervous system inhibitors work at the level of the brain as
opposed to the circulatory system. Essentially this class of
drugs reduces the nerve impulses sent the blood vessels thereby
allowing them to be more relaxed which results in lower blood
pressure.
VASODILATORS
A vasodilator works similar to many of the other drugs by
relaxing the blood vessels and as a result lowering blood
vessels. However, these medicines do not target the hormones or
the heart directly. There are a large variety of these types of
drugs and they act in different ways.
About the author:
Ray Kelly is an Exercise Scientist with 15 years experience in
the health and fitness industry. Find out more about Blood
Pressure at: Blood Pressure and Weight Loss or
http://www.free-online-health.com
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