Blood pressure is basically what happens when the blood exerts force against the walls of the blood vessels. This force matches the cardiac output and also, the resistance experienced from the walls of the blood vessels a process that produces blood pressure. Hypertension is a condition that occurs when this pressure rises above the normal which is anything over 140 over 90 mHg. The symptoms of this condition will include hot flashes, dizzy spells, fatigue, accelerated heartbeat and other debilitating conditions. Sex is also an area that gets affected by hypertension.

Let us find out the causes and treatment for the same.

Hypertension and male sexuality: A chronic patient of hypertension will go through a depletion of the lining that flanks the blood vessels, which in turn, limits the flow of blood. This also means that there is less blood flowing towards the penis and surrounding areas that get activated during sexual intercourse. This makes it difficult for many hypertensive men to achieve and retain an erection for long enough to enjoy sexual activity. This problem is most commonly known as erectile dysfunction. Also, these blood pressure problems can have an effect on ejaculation which leads to lack of sexual satisfaction. Many drugs prescribed for such patients may also lead to this problem as a side effect, which causes further fear and anxiety for the patient.

Hypertension and female sexuality: While the effect of high blood pressure on a woman’s sexuality is not as conclusive as its effect on male sexuality, it is a medically proven fact that decreased blood flow due to high blood pressure will also lead to a reduction in the blood flow to the vaginal area. This can lead to many problems including vaginal dryness and pain during intercourse, lack of arousal, difficulty in achieving an orgasm and relationship as well as anxiety issues.

Treatment: For women, better lubrication for better arousal is one of the key factors. For men, the use of safe medication as far as hypertension is concerned, is crucial. Medicines like sildenafil and tadafil as well as vardenafil are not known to interfere with the blood pressure medication. Yet, it is important to contact the doctor before having any medication.

Therapy: Better responses can be garnered by building intimacy, an area that a sex therapist or sexologist can help you with. With the help of proper therapy, the patient can learn to relax and enjoy the act with lots of foreplay and experiences that will help in building closeness like taking a warm bath together and other such activities. Promoting overall health can also help in improving your sex life if you are a patient of hypertension. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a cardiologist.

You might be surprised to know that unknowingly you are consuming poisons in your daily meal. Forget getting nutrients from these items, you end up troubling your health by consuming these food items. White rice, pasteurized cow milk, refined salt and refined sugar are the 4 white poisons, which are not good for your health. As they don’t have the right amount of protein, vitamins or minerals to keep your body healthy. Moreover, they increase the risk of developing other diseases like hypertension and diabetes. It has also been found via research that eating white rice increases the risk of diabetes by 17 percent.

Here is why you should stop eating these poisons:

1.Pasteurized Cow Milk:

The only good thing about this milk is that it has a longer life. The process of pasteurization keeps the milk good for a longer period, but harms its nutritive value. It removes enzymes, vitamin A, B 12 and C from the milk. The process also transfers hormones and antibiotics into the milk. Researchers have found that the process also destroys essential and good bacteria like lactobacillus acidophilus. Moreover, about 20% of iodine gets removed from the milk and thus after consuming it, you are more likely to develop constipation.

2.White or Refined Rice:

The process of refining rice leads to the removal of the outer layer and germ from it. The rice is left with endosperm, only. This layer contains starch in a huge quantity which can increase your blood sugar or glucose levels to a great extent.

3.Refined Sugar:

White sugar or refined one is full of chemicals. It has no nutritional value. The chemical is derived from sugar cane or beet. Then, the juice of this substance is extracted to get fibre free sugar. The juice is mixed with lime during the refining process. This kills all vitamins present in the juice. Calcium sulphate and sulphuric acid are also used for bleaching of the sugar. This is done to make the sugar look more white than natural.

4.Refined Salt:

Normal table salt contains iodine. This is needed for a healthy body. But refining of salt removes iodine from the salt. Fluorides are added during the process of refining. The fluorides are bad when consumed in excess. Consumption of refined salt also increases blood pressure. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Dietitian/Nutritionist.

Having a fight with a spouse may not only hurt feelings, but also worsen symptoms of chronic conditions like arthritis or diabetes, a study has found. Researchers from Pennsylvania State University in the US found that in two groups of older individuals - one group with arthritis and one with diabetes - the patients who felt more tension with their spouse also reported worse symptoms on those days.

The findings - published in the journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine - could potentially help create interventions targeted at helping couples with chronic diseases. “It was exciting that we were able to see this association in two different data sets - two groups of people with two different diseases,” said Lynn Martire, professor at Penn State.

“The findings gave us insight into how marriage might affect health, which is important for people dealing with chronic conditions like arthritis or diabetes,” Martire. It is important to learn more about how and why symptoms of chronic disease worsen, researchers said. People with osteoarthritis in their knees who experience greater pain become disabled quicker, and people with diabetes that isn’t controlled have a greater risk for developing complications.

While previous research has shown a connection between satisfying marriages and better health, both physically and psychologically, there has been a lack of research into how day-to-day experiences impact those with chronic illness. “We study chronic illnesses, which usually involve daily symptoms or fluctuations in symptoms. Other studies have looked at the quality of someone’s marriage right now,” Martire said.

“However, we wanted to drill down and examine how positive or negative interactions with your spouse affect your health from day to day,” she said. Data from two groups of participants were used for the study. One group was comprised of 145 patients with osteoarthritis in the knee and their spouses. The other included 129 patients with type 2 diabetes and their spouses.

Participants in both groups kept daily diaries about their mood, how severe their symptoms were, and whether their interactions with their spouse were positive or negative. The participants in the arthritis and diabetes groups kept their diaries for 22 and 24 days, respectively.

The researchers found that within both groups of participants, patients were in a worse mood on days when they felt more tension than usual with their spouse, which in turn led to greater pain or severity of symptoms. They also found that within the group with arthritis, the severity of the patient’s pain also had an effect on tensions with their spouse the following day.

When they had greater pain, they were in a worse mood and had greater tension with their partner the next day. “This almost starts to suggest a cycle where your marital interactions are more tense, you feel like your symptoms are more severe, and the next day you have more marital tension again,” Martire said. “We didn’t find this effect in the participants with diabetes, which may just be due to differences in the two diseases,” she said.

Regulating salt consumption is key to prevent hypertension, which is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, heart attack, stroke and heart failure, say experts.

Hypertension, also known as high or raised blood pressure, is a condition in which the blood vessels have persistently raised pressure.

To lower the risk of heart disease, adults should reduce sodium intake to less than 2 grams a day, or the equivalent of about one teaspoon of table salt, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

“Hypertension can lead to cardiovascular diseases. The rise in blood pressure caused by eating too much salt may damage the arteries leading to the heart,” Vijay D’Silva, Director at the Asian Heart Institute, said in statement.

According to a recent study, published in the journal Hypertension, about half of adults living in Asia are suffering from the high blood pressure.

While lifestyle factors, including diet and stress, are behind the high hypertension rates in Asia, one common problem is high salt intake, the study showed.

Asians not only tend to have diets high in sodium, but they are genetically more sensitive to sodium, the researchers said.

“Raised blood pressure due to high salt consumption is the biggest single contributing risk factor for non-communicable diseases and damage to your kidney,” explained Bhupendra Gandhi of the NGO Amar Gandhi Foundation.

Previously, it was believed that eating high amounts of fruit and vegetables might help counteract the effect of high salt on blood pressure.

However, another study led by researchers from the Imperial College London and Northwestern University, showed that people eating higher amounts of salt had higher blood pressure — no matter how healthy a person’s overall diet.

Hypertension can also affect fertility in both males and females, says Rajalaxmi Walavalkar of Cocoon Fertility.

“Anyone with hypertension is at an increased risk of infertility. A high salt diet leading to high blood pressure can result in delayed puberty and even impact reproductive health,” Walavalkar noted.

Besides affecting the heart and fertility, hypertension can affect the skin too, the health experts said.

“High blood pressure can harden your arteries, which decreases the flow of blood and oxygen. An impairment of the flow of oxygen, to an organ such as your face, can cause your skin to dry and wrinkles faster which can make one look less youthful,” said Amit Karkhanis – Medical Cosmetologist and founder of Dr Tvacha clinic.

Hypertension is also known to cause trouble sleeping which leads to signs of premature ageing (fine lines, uneven pigmentation and reduced elasticity).

Reducing salt consumption in everyday life, including fried foods, processed foods, cannot only curb the problem of hypertension but also save multiple organs from damage and pave way for a healthy life.

In the world full of weight loss diet, we have the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or the DASH diet, which is believed to help treat hypertension or high blood pressure. The DASH diet encourages you to reduce sodium intake in your diet and add more variety of foods rich in nutrients that help reduce blood pressure levels. Is this diet effective? What does it really preach? Does it compromise on what is called a 'balanced diet?' Let's find out.

What is DASH Diet?

Also known as Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, this diet focuses on reducing your blood pressure levels and encourages healthy eating. It promotes eating less sodium and loading up on potassium, magnesium and calcium rich to regulate blood pressure. According to the Mayo Clinic, the DASH diet is a healthy way of eating; it offers health benefits just lowering blood pressure. The DASH diet is said to be in line with dietary recommendations to prevent osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer.

DASH diet is altered according to the dietary needs of the person and the intensity of hypertension. Therefore, in addition to the standard DASH diet, which allows you to consume up to 2,300 milligram of sodium a day, there is a lower version of the diet. Here's what the two versions have to offer:
Standard DASH diet: One can consume up to 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day
Lower sodium DASH diet: One can consume up to 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day
Both the versions aim at reducing the amount of sodium, which further helps in reducing blood pressure levels and the risk of developing other cardiovascular diseases.
What does the DASH diet recommend eating?

This diet is plant-focused that is rich in vegetables, fruits and nuts along with low-fat and non-fat dairy products, which are great sources of healthy fats. Basically, the diet emphasises lowering sodium intake by eating whole foods over processed foods.

Does the DASH diet work?

The DASH diet outlines a generally healthy diet that anyone can benefit from. Its basic principle is to eat a nutrient rich yet not calorie-dense diet, which has shown to not only reduce blood pressure levels but also promote weight loss. The American Heart Association (AHA) also recommends this diet and according to it, "In addition to being easy to follow, delicious and varied, the DASH eating plan is proven effective." The AHA promotes eating and avoiding the following foods-

Aim to eat foods like:
-Fruits
-Vegetables
-Whole grains
-Low fat dairy products
-Nuts and legumes
-Non-tropical vegetable oils
-Skinless poultry and fish
-Saturated trans fat
-Sodium
-Red meat
-Sweet and sugar-sweetened beverages