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High blood pressure also referred to as High B.P or hypertension is a chronic health problem. There are solutions to this problem also. The U.S Department of Health and Human Services offers the following solution of high blood pressure or reduces the blood pressure if it is an existing problem whose pinch you are feeling.

Be fit in your weight concerns: Healthy weight maintenance will definitely help you to prevent high blood pressure. Getting a normal weight is not a difficult task as it appears. The beginning can be initiated by cutting down the size of your meal and snacks, and it is important that you take particular care regarding the consumption of high calorie food. Your weight can be maintained if you can burn calories equivalent to the proportion of your consumption of your food. In case you are interested in losing your weight than you need to burn more calories than the amount of food you consume. As you progress in losing weight you can expect a reduction in your blood pressure levels.

Eat a healthy diet: When you are choosing on selecting your diet choose a diet that has plenty of fruits and vegetables. Avoid food stuffs which have high fat content and cholesterol. If you initiate practices to keep your heart fit, then you can definitely keep your blood pressure levels in control.

Keep a control on salt and sodium levels: Excessive consumption of salt and sodium levels can increase blood pressure. So it is vital that you read the food labels. The U.S guidelines indicates that the consumption of sodium can be restricted to not more than 2400 mg and the intake of salt should not be more than 1 table spoon per day. If you are in the practice of eating canned, processed and convenience foods then choose the brands that have low sodium content. In case you are in the practice of salting your food at the time of consumption then be in practice that you use very less salt or it would be best if you do not use salt at all. However this practice will take little time to get used to food without a pinch of salt. But in due course of time you will realize that the food tests better with less salt.

Junk items are made with lot of sodium and salt content, so select items with less salt and sodium content. Less consumption of salt and sodium will help you to prevent high blood pressure.

If you are into alcoholic consumption then as per the guidelines the intake should not be more than 2 drinks for men and 1 drink for women.

Exercise is an important criterion that helps you to maintain a stable blood pressure. Brisk walking and bicycling are good modes of exercising.

Incase you are smoking then an immediate action has to be taken to give up smoking. These are some of the steps which can help you to bring your blood pressure levels to bring it to moderate levels.

Aortic valve regurgitation or aortic regurgitation is a condition that occurs when your heart’s aortic valve doesn’t close tightly. From the aorta, oxygen-rich blood flows into the branching arteries and through the body to feed the cells. The body doesn’t receive enough blood, so the heart must work harder to make up for it (compensation) Regurgitation means the valve doesn’t close properly, and blood can leak backward through it. See an illustration of aortic valve regurgitation. This usually doesn’t cause any symptoms or problems. This topic focuses on the more serious cases of aortic valve regurgitation where large amounts of blood flow back across the aortic valve into the left ventricle. Aortic regurgitation can range from mild to severe. Some people may have no symptoms for years. But as the condition worsens, symptoms will appear. Eventually, despite this compensation, the heart may be unable to meet the body’s need for blood, leading to heart failure, with fluid accumulation in the lungs.

Causes of Aortic Regurgitation

The common Causes of Aortic Regurgitation :

Hypertension

Congenital bicuspid aortic valve (person is born with only two aortic valve leaflets, instead of the normal three)

Aortic Dissection

Syphilis

Ankylosing Spondylitis

Aortic Dissection

Marfan’s Syndrome

Rheumatic heart disease (caused by untreated “strep throat” in childhood)

Symptoms of Aortic Regurgitation

Some Symptoms of Aortic Regurgitation :

Chest pain .

Fatigue.

Shortness of breath while resting prone.

Usually none until age 40-50.

Swollen ankles and feet.

Shortness of breath on exertion.

Lightheadedness.

Fainting .

Rapid or irregular pulse.

Treatment of Aortic Regurgitation

Beta-blocker medications may slow progression in those with Marfan’s Syndrome .

Vasodilator medications such as ACE inhibitors, hydralazine, and nifedipine can decrease the severity of the regurgitation.

Surgical valve replacement in those with symptoms or significant left ventricular dysfunction.

Many patients with hypertension are sodium sensitive, meaning their blood pressure increases after they consume excessive amounts of sodium and decreases after they reduce their sodium intake. Such patients may be prescribed a sodiumrestricted diet, which usually limits sodium consumption to 2 grams a day.

If your patient must comply with such a diet, help him make the change. Along with his dietitian, provide nutritional counseling soon after his hypertension is diagnosed. Include the family or caregiver in your teaching, especially if she prepares the patient’s food at home.

Sources of Sodium

Your patient must understand which foods and drugs contain sodium. Explain that the most common sources of sodium are table salt, processed foods, drugs, and softened water.

Table Salt

Advise your patient to avoid using table salt during food preparation and tell him not to add salt to his food. Common table salt consists of 40% sodium and 60% chloride, so if he takes in 6 grams of salt, he’s actually consuming 2.4 grams of sodium.

Foods

Explain that some foods, such as beef and dairy products, naturally contain sodium. Other foods are processed with sodium to enhance the flavor or prolong the shelf life. Preserved or processed foods include pickles, canned vegetables, soups, and gravy. Tell him to be alert for products that list sodium ingredients such as sodium benzoate and sodium citrate.

Also, teach your hypertensive patient how to read food labels for sodium content. To reduce confusion and regulate what manufacturers put on food labels, the Food and Drug Administration has defined the terms used in sodium labeling:

* Sodium-Free : less than 5 mg of sodium per serving.

* Very Low Sodium: 35 mg or less per serving.

* Low Sodium: 140 mg or less per serving.

* Reduced Sodium: sodium content reduced by at least 25% of usual level.

* Light Sodium: sodium content reduced by at least 50% of usual level.

* Without Added Salt, Unsalted, or no Added Salt: foods once processed with salt and now processed without it. (These foods must list the amount of sodium per serving.)

Caution your patient about foods that claim to be low in sodium. If the sodium content is less than 5 mg per serving, he can eat the food without concern. If it’s higher than 5 mg, he’ll need to include the amount in his calculation of sodium intake for the day.

Drugs

Show your patient how to check labels for the sodium content of over-the-counter drugs such as antacids, cough syrups, and laxatives. For other drugs, advise him to check with his pharmacist. If necessary, he should ask his physician or pharmacist to recommend alternative drugs with little or no sodium.

Water

Natural and softened water can be high in sodium. A patient following a severely sodium-restricted diet should investigate the sodium content of his drinking water by contacting his water company or local public health department. Then he should discuss this information with his physician. Depending on how much sodium is in the water, he may be advised to drink and cook with distilled water.