Dizziness and Headache with High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
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Many people nowadays often ignore the mild symptoms of dizziness and headaches. When they go to the regular examination, doctors say they have hypertension because of bad habits and smoking. What other triggers can induce hypertension besides these reasons and how can it be prevented?
What is hypertension?
Hypertension (high blood pressure) can be divided into two types, primary hypertension (or essential hypertension) and secondary hypertension. In 95% of hypertensive cases, patients who have no explicit cause are referred to primary hypertension, which has not only common symptoms but also the critical risk of other cardiovascular diseases suffered from hypertension for a long time. Moreover, the severe conditions can lead to dysfunction of the heart, brain, and kidney, resulting in organ failure.
1. The facts of primary hypertension
• Primary hypertension occurs in the elderly and middle-aged. However, some researchers point out that more and more young people are suffering from hypertension due to various factors such as lifestyle and stress.
• In the early stage of primary hypertension, there are no specific symptoms that include headache and dizziness. Because hypertension is a potential disease that attacks when it reaches a certain point. It is better to take a regular blood pressure test every year.
• Instead of hypertension, complications such as coronary heart diseases and Cerebrovascular Disease (CVD) play a major role in the cause of deaths. It is high time that we control the condition of hypertension and prevent, prolong or alleviate the complication thereof.
• In most cases, which are treated with prescribed medications, hypertension can be effectively controlled under the guidance of doctors.
• As a life-long illness, hypertension will follow the patient throughout life. Therefore, the person concerned must be dependent on antihypertensive drugs and are not allowed to stop or reduce the drugs themselves in case of a rebound reaction or other complications.
2. The common symptoms
Hypertension affects the elderly and middle-aged with no obvious symptoms that that slowly worsen over a period of more than ten years. Half of the patients learn that they have high blood pressure when they take a blood pressure test during a physical examination or other illness. Then there would be some symptoms such as dizziness, a heavy head, insomnia, amnesia, tinnitus, fatigue, nightmares and irritability. Some patients ask for a doctor if they have a heavy head and palpitations.
Here are some common symptoms:
• High blood pressure
• Headache
• Feeling of a heavy head
• Dizziness
• Vomiting
• Palpitations
• Vertigo
• Nausea
• Anorexia
3. Complications
• The constant high blood pressure level in the heart can lead to angina, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and even sudden death.
• Long-term pressure in the brain can lead to microaneurysm in the small artery. If the blood pressure rises suddenly, the aneurysm could rupture and cause cerebral haemorrhage. The most severe complication of hypertension is a stroke that poses a higher risk than for normal people.
• Prolonged hypertension can also damage the kidneys and speed up the occurrence of renal artery stenosis.
4. Diagnosis
If you tend to get hypertension, doctors recommend that you perform the following tests:
• Blood pressure: the normal level should be less than 120/80 mm Hg.
• Laboratory test: routine blood/urine test, renal function, blood sugar, blood fat, uric acid, and electrolytes.
• X-rays of the chest help to investigate the aorta and heart.
• Electrocardiogram or ultrasound cardiogram can detect left ventricular hypertrophy.
Cause of hypertension
The pathogenesis of primary hypertension does not yet have an identifiable explanation, but it is closely linked to genetic factors and various susceptible factors.
1. Sex and age. In most regions of the world, the risk of hypertension before the age of 35 is higher for men than for women. However, women’s blood pressure rises more rapidly after the age of 35 than it does in men, with the risk of hypertension being increased. Experts point out that this phenomenon may result from the dietary and endocrine levels of pregnancy. Moreover, people who work in psychologically demanding and intensive occupations are more vulnerable than manual workers. Urban citizens are more prone to high blood pressure than rural people because they are exposed to more tensions in life caused by various factors.
2. Diet. Many dietary habits can increase blood pressure, such as eating too much salt, excessive consumption of alcohol, frequent strong coffee, and low calcium in the diet. People who like to eat vegetables or fish embrace a healthy diet. In contrast, eating meat as a staple diet tends to induce hypertension. Therefore, diet and nutrition play a key role in the regulation of the blood pressure.
3. Smoking. Smoking or second-hand smoke can not only damage the respiratory system but can also cause coronary heart disease. And a large amount of nicotine and cadmium (one of the trace elements) in tobacco can lead to an increase in blood pressure.
4. Obesity and overweight. It is reported that the risk of hypertension in obese and overweight people is 2 to 6 times higher than normal. Hypertension and diabetes, which occur in obese people, always induce arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
5. Genetic factor. It is currently believed that primary hypertension is a multifactorial disease caused by the interaction of some innate genes with many pathogenic and physiological stressors. When parents are suffering from high blood pressure, their children's chance of hypertension increases by up to 45%.
Treatment of hypertension
The approaches of treating hypertension are diverse: diet, medicine, and home remedy. Besides the medication your doctor prescribes, high-blood pressure can be controlled at home. Here are some Chinese methods and home remedies that are recommended to you.
1. Non-drug therapy
Non-drug therapy, which is suitable for some types of hypertensive patients, helps to prevent or reduce some complications of cardiovascular diseases caused by hypertension.
1) Food and drink
• Try to reduce salt in the diet to no more than 6g a day.
• Reduce your fat intake. Replace fatty foods with protein-containing foods or products. Increase the intake of potassium, magnesium, and calcium from vegetables and fruits.
• Quit drinking alcohol. The intake of alcohol is linearly correlated with blood pressure and the prevalence of hypertension, so patients should avoid any alcohol.
2) Smoking
Smoking, as the main risk factor for hypertension, is an unhealthy lifestyle for you and the people around you - second-hand smoke. It can obviously increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
3) Weight loss
Hypertensive patients can improve insulin resistance, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and LVH (left ventricular hypertrophy) by losing weight. Try to reduce calories and salt in your diet and improve your sports training.
4) Doing exercise
Sport is beneficial to reduce blood pressure by 6 to 7 mmHg. Depending on your age and physical fitness you can choose between 3 and 5 times a week different methods, like jogging and brisk walking, for a duration of 20 to 60 minutes.
5) Keep a positive mind
Long-lasting and excessive pressure, especially a negative mind, can obviously increase the possibility of cardiovascular disease. It is important for the patient to maintain a healthy mental state and reduce emotional pressure and depression.
2. Qigong
Qigong is a traditional Chinese method that coordinates body posture and breathing to guide Qi throughout the body. Hypertensive sufferers can try out the static methods presented here.
Sit on the chair, put your feet apart on the floor and place your hands on your legs. Relax your entire body and calm your mind. Close your eyes, concentrate on your navel and breath peacefully for 30 minutes, twice a day.
3. Head massage
Chinese medicine suggests that massaging the acupuncture points in the head is beneficial for hypertensive patients.
By combing the head, the blood circulation is accelerated allowing the blood to flow more smoothly. Moreover, it can adjust the movement of the cranial nerves and increase blood flow to the hair root, which can slow premature aging of hair and clear dandruff and grease in the hair.
Try to comb the head with moderate pressure - especially on the scalp - for 3 minutes, three times a day (morning/afternoon/evening).
4. Foot therapy
Chinese medicine believes that rubbing the arch of the foot with the palm of the hand can strengthen the kidneys, adjust the Qi and build communication between the heart and kidneys, which is effective for treating insomnia, nightmares and high blood pressure.
There are more than 60 acupuncture points around the back of the ankle, which correspond to every organ in the body. Therefore, soaking the feet in warm water can stimulate the acupuncture points, promote blood circulation and help adjust the bowels, which in turn help to improve immunity, ward off pathogens, and relieve blood pressure.
You can put your feet up to the ankle in a tub of warm water (about 40℃) for 5 to 10 minutes, then use your hands to rub the arch of the feet.
5. Hypotensive drug therapy
Western medicine for hypertension aims to lower blood pressure and prevent/delay the onset of high blood pressure complications such as stroke, heart attack, heart failure, renal insufficiency, and cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Those medications include diuretics, beta-blockers, and calcium channel blockers (CCB).
6. Diet therapy
1) Favourable food
The hypertensive sufferers should accept the appropriate diet that contains
• Rich protein
• High-fibre and minerals
• High energy (easily digestable)
Here are the types of food recommended to you:
• Fish. The protein from fish can improve the vascular elasticity and permeability that eliminates sodium from your body thus helping to reduce the risk of hypertension and stroke. You can eat it steamed or stewed.
• Lean meat. The premium protein contained in the meat is beneficial to hypertensive people.
• Beans. There is plenty of plant protein in beans or bean products like soy milk.
2) Prohibitive foods include:
• Indigestible food
• Fried, grilled, raw or cold and processed food
• High salt and fatty food
Examples:
• Butter, which is a fatty food, can aggravate hypertension. To protect the blood vessels and lower blood pressure/fat, you can choose to eat celery, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, agaric, bananas, garlic, onions, mushrooms and sea fish, which can lower blood pressure.
• If the liver has a high amount of cholesterol, it can exacerbate hypertension.
Prevention of hypertension
1. Weight loss: Overweight and obesity are the major risk factors for high blood pressure. The main measures of weight loss are to limit overeating and to do sports.
2. Keep a sensible diet: Reduce sodium intake, increase intake of potassium, calcium, and magnesium and reduce fat in the diet.
3. Limit drinking alcohol: To prevent high blood pressure, you should as much as possible abstain from or at least reduce alcoholic beverages.
4. Increase physical activities: The risk of developing high blood pressure in physically less active people is 1.52 times higher than that of physically active people. Therefore, regular physical activity, especially aerobic exercises, is recommended for you.
5. Mental balance: Psychological pressures caused by personal factors and environmental factors often leads patients to adopt an unhealthy lifestyle. The latter is related to the increased risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Therefore, it is necessary to treat them with the appropriate methods and try to relieve various psychological pressures.
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