According to the Mayo Clinic, blood pressure is determined by the amount of blood the heart pumps and the amount of resistance to blood flow in your arteries. The more blood your heart pumps and the narrower your arteries, the higher your blood pressure.
High blood pressure is also known as hypertension and is a condition that develops over many years. It has almost no symptoms and can go on for years undetected. The importance of checking your blood pressure is that if it exists, doctors can control it quite easily. Uncontrolled, it can increase your risk of heart attack and stroke.
Risk factors associated with the onset of high blood pressure include:
- Age
- Family History
- Race
- Alcohol Use & Smoking
- Obesity
- Increase in Sodium
- Decrease in Vitamin D & Potassium
- Stress
Treatments to slow down or lessen the severity of hypertension may include:
- Acupuncture
- Herbal Therapy
- Relaxation exercises
Acupuncture treatments provide a safe, natural way to alleviate hypertension. The Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) sees the human body as an integrated being. It works with vital energies inherent within all living things to promote the body’s ability to heal itself. Qi (pronounced “chee”) is a vital energy that flows through meridians, pathways that run throughout the entire body. Qi protects the body from illness and provides nourishment to cells, tissues, muscles and organs. During acupuncture treatments, fine, sterile needles are inserted at specific acupoints along these meridians to re-regulate internal organs, balance nervous system, reduce blood pressure, promote mind-body relaxation, and correct internal systems imbalance.
According to Eastern holistic medicine, treatment of hypertension requires
- Exercise
- Diet including anti-inflammatories, unprocessed and organic foods
- Stress reduction through breath, meditation and yoga
- Achieving a balance of rest and relaxation
