Dr. Jou's Clinic for Hypertension

In western medicine, there are many causes leading the high blood pressure. Obesity, genetic factors, cigarettes, heavy drinking, stress and old age are the major factors for the development of high blood pressure. But the fact that we have to remember is that these are guidelines for general people. When we take a look at a certain person, we have to define what kinf of factors are influencing him. For example, evenif he is given with genetic factors, if he has lead his life in a healthful way, the genetic factor cannot be estimated to play a role. On the other hand if he has been under severe stress for a period of time and is disgnosed as a hypertensive patient after the stress, definately the major culprit is the stress ,not the genetic factor.

In this way, personalized diagnosis is very important in approaching and solving the oroblem perfectly, Neverthelessa, the western medicine tries to ignore the precise diagnosis but generally uses the regular causes to everyone with high blood pressure. And they generally prescribe the anti-hypertensive drugs to everyone without regard to personal precise causes.

This is where the western medicine should be criticized, for the perfect correction in high blood pressure, like other things, is thought to be most effective only when we know the real cause.

Nutritional discoveris like heavy metal factors and mineral factors that scientists have found recently should be recognized by western doctors as being significant as they are.

Classification of Blood Pressure

screening	systolic	diastolic
normal	<120 and <80
prehypertensive	120-129 or 80-89
stageⅠ	140-149 or 90-99
stage Ⅱ	≥150 or ≥100

Primary Causes(Essential Hypertension)

	In 90 percent to 95 percent of high blood pressure cases, the American Heart Association says there's no identifiable cause. This type of high blood pressure, called essential hypertension or primary hypertension, tends to develop gradually over many years.
◆ genetic tendency	Researchers have found that there is genetic tendencies playing a role in the development of high blood pressure. When one or both of one's parents have had high blood pressure, he/she has greater possibility that he/she may develope it. This holds true for those whose bother or sister has the high blood pressure. It means that anyone that has a family history of hypertension should measure the blood pressure for diagnosis before it comes out.
◆ age	As one gets older, it is undeniable that the risk that he/she may develope high blood pressure increases. Researches explain that persons under 30 years of age scarcely have hypertension but 63 percentage of old population over 60 years of age are dignosed as high blood pressure. This possibly means that in one way or another aging process have some association with the occurrence of hypertension.
◆ overweight	The heart have to pumps more blood throughout the body to supply the oxygen and nutrients to body cells as one carries more weight. Overweight may be onother reason that forces the heart to work more than ever, resulting in more pressures in the blood circulation. The statistics proves that the more fat tissues one has in the body, the more possibility comes of hypertension development by three times. For this reason, control or reduction of body weight in most hypertensives is estimated to be significant in many ways in the prevention and treatment of high blood pressure.
◆ salt	Some population in Asian countries have the dietary habit of taking more salts than recommended daily by scientists. It is proved that the salt in the bloodstreram tends to absorb more fluid from outside of blood vessels, raising the blood volume, causing the hypertension. Researchers describe that about 30 percent of hypertensives may be sensitive to or be influenced by the amount of salt intake that exceed the daily recommended volume.
◆ drinking, cigarettes	It is proved that those who drink alcohols or enjoy cigarettes have stronger possibility that high blood pressure developes in later time. Some people can feel their blood pressure raised when they measure the blood pressure the next day after they drink much. Many kinds of heavy metals that is contained in the cigarettes tend to hurt the internal wall of blood vessels hardening and thickening the wall. This may hardens the arteries, forming what is called arteriosclerosis, another reason for the hypertension.
◆ chronic stress	Chronic stress condition certainly tend to raise the blood pressure. Impaired relationship, hostility, frustration or various kinds of tension that may be felt by everyone are believed to have some connection with hypertension. They may stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, may accelerate the heart rate amd sometimes may constrict the arteries. All of these situations have been proved to have some influence on the blood pressure.
◆ others	Many other factors including comnstipation, agressions, gout, diabetes, menapause, lack of exercise and some drugs(prescriptions, over the counter) may impair the blood pressure.

Secondary Causes(Secondary Hypertension)

The other 5 percent to 10 percent of high blood pressure cases are caused by an underlying condition. This type of high blood pressure, called secondary hypertension, tends to appear suddenly and cause extremely higher level of blood pressure than primary hypertension. Various conditions can lead to secondary hypertension, including kidney abnormalities, tumors of the adrenal gland or certain congenital heart defects.