Tag: kidney diseases

What Should You Know If You Have High Blood Pressure?

What Should You Know If You Have High Blood Pressure?

If you are battling high blood pressure there are some things you will want to know. First thing you want to understand is what the numbers mean. Your blood pressure will read with a top and bottom number. The top is your systolic pressure and the bottom number is your diastolic pressure.

Normal blood pressure is 120/80 so if your blood pressure reads 130/90 you are at risk for developing high blood pressure. This reading is called prehypertension which is basically a stage before developing high blood pressure.

By having your blood pressure checked and monitored often you can easily lower it where it needs to be. The best way to do this is by maintaining or adopting a healthier lifestyle. Have you always had normal blood pressure until recently?

If this is the case, consider what you have recently started doing different that may have caused it to rise. Did you change your diet? Have you been exercising less? Maybe you are on a medication; some medications can cause your blood pressure to rise.

If you do have high blood pressure you can easily monitor it at home if you choose. If you do this you still want to keep your regular doctor visits. You can share your own results and you can both see what is and isn’t working for you.

If you are on other medications consult your doctor. Chances are one of these could be raising your blood pressure and you want to take control as soon as possible. If your blood pressure gets too high without proper treatment you are at more risk of having a stroke or heart and kidney diseases.

If you have recently changed your diet you should talk to your doctor, especially if your blood pressure has risen since then. Lots of salt and sodium can cause high blood pressure and not enough fresh fruits and vegetables. If this is the case, try to limit your salt intake and get more vegetables in your diet.

Also physical inactivity can be a cause for high blood pressure. Have you recently stopped doing regular every day physical activity? If so, consider starting again. You might have stopped because of an inevitable reason; broken bone, etc. If this is the case talk with your physician. Together you can find a way to still get a little bit of physical activity in your daily routine.

You also want to cut off or limit your use of tobacco and alcohol consumption. Many people do not realize these cause high blood pressure. There are many over the counter medicines and even doctor prescribed medicines to help you quit smoking. There are also many different resources to help you quit drinking.

If your doctor prescribes blood pressure medicine for you, you want to be sure and remember to take it. Some people are bad at remembering to take medication. There are many different ways you can help yourself remember.

You take the risk of a stroke or heart disease by not taking your blood pressure medication. This should be reason enough to take your medicine, but sometimes people just forget. While it sounds like reason enough, if you are not used to taking daily medication it is rather easy to forget.

If you have certain questions or concerns talk with your doctor. They will gladly answer any questions you have and do their best to get your blood pressure at a normal rate again.

Lowering Your Blood Pressure

Do you have high blood pressure? Maybe you want to prevent getting high blood pressure, no matter what the case is, there are everyday things you can do. What you eat, how much you exercise, even your habits can effect your blood pressure.

If you see your doctor regularly you more than likely have your blood pressure checked every time. This is a necessary procedure to monitor your pressure and be sure you don’t have high blood pressure. There are different reasons one has high blood pressure and different things you can do to help lower it.

If you have high blood pressure it damages your blood vessels increasing your risk for stroke or heart and kidney diseases. In other words, having high blood pressure is very harmful to your health and you want to treat it right away.

Making lifestyle changes is the first way to go when you want to lower your blood pressure. If doing these simple changes does not help and you have to use medication, continue doing the changes along with the medication. The lifestyle changes alone may just not be enough and added with medication could help significantly.

If you use any tobacco of any kind, stop your use or decrease it significantly. Nicotine makes your blood vessels constrict resulting in a faster heart beat. This faster heart beat raises your blood pressure. You can easily find products that help quit smoking or help quit the use of other tobacco products.

If you are overweight you are at a high risk of high blood pressure. Start a diet program and start eating healthier. Exercising regularly is very beneficial to lowering your blood pressure. Plan an exercise routine and track your progress. This will show you what is working and what is not.

Eat plenty of fruit and veggies and try a low fat diet. Try to stay clear of sodium, alcohol and caffeine or at least limit your intake. Sodium isn’t harmful to everyone’s blood pressure but until you know for sure, it is better to take precaution.

Alcohol can cause high blood pressure in some people as well. Try to only drink one or two alcoholic beverages a day. If you know this is increasing your blood pressure, try to quit altogether. Your health might be at risk.

Stress can sometimes affect your blood pressure. Stress is very common and there are millions of ways to help reduce stress. Try some relaxing techniques first and if none of these work talk to your doctor. They may have some better suggestions.

If all else fails you may have to turn to medication. There are many types of medicine to help you lower your blood pressure. You may end up taking this medicine for the rest of your life but if it helps keep you healthy, it is worth it.

If you are still unsure of how to handle your blood pressure talking with your doctor is the best solution. Tell them of your concerns or ask them any questions you might have. No question is stupid when it comes to your health. You could even do some research online and find out many things about blood pressure. You are not the only one curious about taking care of your health. Take the necessary steps to live a long healthy life.

Causes of Kidney Stones

Kidney stones are not necessarily as common as say coughs and colds but it is one of the top reasons why people come rushing to the emergency wing of the hospital. Urine liquid is usually colored white or yellow so when you see that your urine is in a different color, say pink, then you worry so you troop to the hospital. When you sense a different kind of pain somewhere below your stomach, you begin to rattle because you know it is not just a simple case of indigestion.

When that sot of thing happens you also rush to the clinic or the hospital. After initial interview and certain tests, you are then confronted with the results you have kidney stones. So how in the world did you get kidney stones?

Not a lot of people are aware of kidney stones. Sure there are medical groups who push for more education about the kidney but most people only hear of kidney transplants. These are pretty major stuff already, kidney stones are very basic but it is a good place to start when it comes to discussing kidney and the importance of a healthy functioning kidney. The formation of kidney stones spring from crystal that are not excreted through urination but the real question is why does this happen. Doctors are not quick to point at any one particular cause but what can be done is discuss the several factors that can be attributed to this condition. Then maybe, the factors can be isolated as per patients case.

For one, it can be hereditary so if your parents and grandparents have it then most likely you will have kidney stones as well. It has been observed that a person with a family history of kidney stones are prone to forming kidney stones as well. This is probably the reason why urinary tract infections, kidney relate disorders such as cystic kidney diseases and some metabolic disorders like hyperparathyroidism which are all found to be linked to kidney stone formation are believed to be inherited as well.

Certain food in major food groups are also seen as potential causes of kidney stone formation. However people in the medical field believe that eating these food are major causes of kidney stone formation. People who tend to form high calcium which leads to the formation of one kind of stone called calcium oxalate are requested to limit or avoid certain foods.

These include spinach, beets, soybean crackers, peanuts, okra, chocolate, sweet potatoes, grapes, celery, fruit cake, strawberries, marmalade and liver. These are a bunch that includes delectable delights which is really sad news for those who have to cut down on them so work on keeping those kidneys healthy to keep enjoying those treats.

Just as the causes of kidney stones are quite a blur so are the symptoms and in fact most of the signs go unnoticed. For this reason kidney stones ahs been aptly called as the silent stones. These silent stones should eventually be found out. Scanning the urinary system through special tests called computerized tomography, more popularly known as CT scan, or an intravenous pyelogram help doctors detect kidney stones.

The results from these tests are also vital in finding out the proper course of action to treat the existing condition.

Kidney Stones Basics

Many people don’t realize it but when the kidney suffers from complications such as kidney stones, it can disrupt its filtering function and may even cause more complicated diseases in people. Experts say that not all kidney stones are harmful as long as they are not located in the utererthe tube that is connected with the bladder and where urine passes.

For people who are prone to kidney stones, it is a must to know the basic things that they must to ensure that they are knowledgeable enough in case they might be suffering from the condition.

The first thing that a person who is prone to kidney stones must know is what is it. As defined, kidney stone is a result of substances and other minerals crystallized in the urine. Kidney stones are hard pieces of materials that can block the passage of urine and may cause pain and infection to the person suffering from it. These stone may grow in size and in number when remained undiagnosed or untreated. Experts categorize kidney stone types into four: the “calcium oxalate”, the “struvite stone,” the “uric acid stone,” and the “cystine stones.”

Next is what are the possible causes of the condition. Experts say that there are many factors that may lead to the possible causes of kidney stones. These factors may include “heredity,” referring to the kidney related diseases that runs in many generations of the family; the “geographical location” which says that the places where the disease is common caused by other related factors such as climate and way of living; “diet” which greatly trigger the cause of the stone especially if they have high contents of calcium, sodium, and “oxalates,” which refer to products that may contribute to the increase in the levels of kidney stone-forming chemicals and substances in the body.

Knowing the signs and symptoms of kidney stones should follow this. You might be suffering from kidney stones if you feel insistent pain in varying levels in your back or side, tinge of blood present in your urine, slight chills or fever which indicates infections, often vomiting, foul smelling urine, cloudy or yellowish urine, urge to urinate often and painful urination.

You should also know are prone to kidney stones. Many studies show that middle-aged men are more prone to developing kidney stones compared to other age brackets. This is because this is when people are reckless and careless about their lifestyles. However, women and kids may also suffer from kidney stones depending on their risk factors such as heredity, lifestyle, and medical condition.

People must also be very aware how kidney stones are diagnosed. Physicians are the best ones who can give accurate diagnosis on kidney stones. When you visit a doctor, he may perform medical history check, lifestyle check, and laboratory tests and examinations so he would determine which treatment options are appropriate for you.

Lastly, what are the treatment options available for this condition. For mild kidney stones, medications to relieve pain are given. For those who are having more complicated stones, medical procedures are available such as shock waves, lithotripsy, tunnel surgery and ureteroscope.

Today, it seems that people who are already suffering from kidney stones are usually the last ones to realize the importance of taking care of the kidney. Knowing the basics will help one to realize the importance of the organ in the functions of the body and for the overall health as well.