High blood pressure (hypertension) is a multi-systemic, multi-organ disease that points to a deeper problem in your overall health. In fact, hypertension shows that the body is in a hyper alarm state–like a warning sign that somethings are wrong in the body that needs fixing. However, people don’t listen to their body. And to make matters worst, hypertension does not give symptoms in half the victims. That’s why high blood pressure is called the silent killer. Hypertension is a form of chronic low-grade inflammation in the body’s internal organs and systems not just a cardio-vascular embarrassment. Call hypertension a multi-organ disease if you may.
The organs involved in regulating hypertension include the brain, the liver, the kidneys, the adrenals, the thyroid gland, heart, arteries, the enzymes and endocrine system. Imbalance in any of these synergistic organs and systems can raise blood pressure and complicate overall health.
Here are the main complications of high blood pressure:
- Hypertension increases the risk of coronary heart disease by three-fold. Atherosclerotic heart disease is the number one killer disease in Western Countries. High blood pressure is the number one cause of sudden collapse and sudden death.
- Hypertension causes a six-fold increase in the risk of developing congestive cardiac failure.
- Hypertension increases the risk of stroke (brain attack) by seven-fold. Stroke could be thrombotic, embolic or haemorrhagic stroke.
- Hypertension is the second leading cause of end-state renal failure. It is only second to diabetes in this regard.
- Hypertension at least doubles the risk of developing tumors, aneurysms and cancers of various kinds.
- Hypertensive medications (synthetic pharmaceutical drug complications) aggravate the risk of type II diabetes by eleven-fold.
- Hypertension (hypertensive retinopathy) is also a major cause of visual loss like retinal detachment, macular degeneration and cataract.
To eliminate the complications, the underlying cause of high blood pressure must be treated. These include lifestyle changes like smoking cessation, avoiding coffee, alcohol, weight loss and stress management. Exercise is encouraged, salt restriction, avoiding packaged foods and eating organic fresh farm foods. Supplements are necessary to supply more nutrients to the body which processed food lack. Nutrients are the real natural healers.