Hero Hacks - Blood Pressure

Introduction

Of all the organs of our body the heart is without doubt the most critical and rightly so as, if it stops pumping blood around the body and delivering vital oxygen to the other organs, including the brain, death will occur very quickly.Despite its importance however many of us pay little if any attention to the health of our heart until forced to do so, when it is often too late. And yet keeping a check on the heart by simple routine measurement of our blood pressure could be so simple.

In the second section you will learn about ACE inhibitors, Melaleuca's natural alternative

ProStolic and the   benefits of Bio active Casein Hydro lysate Tripeptide's VPP and IPP.

Of all the organs of our body the heart is without doubt the most critical and rightly so as, if it stops pumping blood around the body and delivering vital oxygen to the other organs, including the brain, death will occur very quickly.

Despite its importance however many of us pay little if any attention to the health of our heart until forced to do so, when it is often too late. And yet keeping a check on the heart by simple routine measurement of our blood pressure could not be easier.

As with most things in life, if the heart starts to run into problems then there will be warning signs giving us time to take remedial action and these warning signs often come in the form of abnormally high or low blood pressure.

The principle role of the heart is to take freshly oxygenated blood and pump it through the main arteries and then through a network of smaller blood vessels to all parts of the body. As the heart contracts forcing blood out into the arteries pressure is exerted on the walls of the arteries. Then, as the heart relaxes and its chambers refill ready to pump again the pressure in the arteries falls.

By measuring these two pressure levels we can get an indication of just how well the heart is pumping blood around the body and thus see whether or not it is working normally.

Until quite recently it was necessary to visit the doctor's office to have your blood pressure measured. The doctor would place a cuff around your upper arm roughly at the level of the heart. He would then place his stethoscope over the brachial artery where it runs close to the surface of the skin on the inside of your arm at the elbow and proceed to inflate the cuff.

As the cuff is inflated it tightens around the arm preventing blood from flowing through the brachial artery. The pressure in the cuff, which is indicated by a mercury manometer attached to the cuff, is slowly released and the point at which blood starts flowing through the artery, and which the doctor hears as a "whoosing" sound through his stethoscope, is noted. This is the point at which the pressure in the cuff equals the pressure in the artery as the heart pumps blood through it and is known as the systolic pressure.

The doctor then continues to slowly release the pressure in the cuff and to monitor the sound of blood being pumped through the artery until no sound at all is detected. At this point the manometer indicates the pressure in the artery as the heart is at rest and refilling ready to pump again. This lower pressure is known as the diastolic pressure.

Blood pressure will vary from person to person and will also rise and fall within each of us depending on a variety of factors such as the time of day, our level of activity, whether we are feeling stressed, our general state of health and whether or not we are currently taking particular forms of medication.

For the average person at rest however systolic blood pressure will be around 120 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury) and diastolic blood pressure will be 80 mm Hg. As an indication of the degree of variation between individuals, and within any one person, the normal range of systolic pressure is considered to be 90 – 135 mm Hg and the normal range of diastolic pressure is 50 – 90 mm Hg.

If your blood pressure falls outside these readings, then your doctor will need to investigate further to discover why your blood pressure in either unusually high or unusually low.

Since most of us do not visit the doctor on a regular basis, and only venture into the surgery when we absolutely have to, it can often be many months, or even years, between blood pressure checks and we could well be walking around blissfully unaware that we have a time bomb ticking away inside us.

Today however there is a whole range of very simple to operate and relatively inexpensive blood pressure monitors available for use in our own homes and absolutely no reason at all for not keeping a regular eye on our most valuable organ.

So, before tragedy strikes either you or one of your loved ones, why not take a few minutes to check out the range of blood pressure monitors available and buy yourself some peace of mind.

One of the more common treatments for high blood pressure are ACE inhibitors. When your kidneys detect low blood pressure, they release an enzyme called renin, which stimulates the formation of a protein called angiotensin I. Angiotensin I is then converted by the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) in the lungs to a very potent chemical called angiotensin II. Angiotensin II is a powerful blood vessel constrictor that causes muscles surrounding the blood vessels to contract, resulting in narrowing of the blood vessels. This narrowing of the vessels increases pressure in the vessels and can result in high blood pressure .

The ACE Inhibitors block the action of the angiotensin-converting enzyme in the lungs so that angiotensin I is not converted into angiotensin II. This allows blood vessels to remain widened, which results in lowering of the blood pressure.   ARBs block the action of angiotensin II itself, so that vessels dilate, making it easier for the heart to pump blood, and results in lower blood pressure .

The natural bio active casein hydro lysate tripeptide's in Melaleuca's ProStolic? act as a natural blocker to the formation of angiotensin II. Also included in this proprietary blend is pomegranate juice powder, which inhibits activity of the angiotensin-converting enzyme as well. A third ingredient is passion flower extract. Although researchers don't know exactly how passion flower works, they believe that flavonoid and alkaloid compounds in the plant regulate the neurotransmitters in your nervous system that reduce anxiety. One of these flavonoids in particular, chrysin, helps to calm your central nervous system and lower your blood pressure.

Combined with the proprietary blend of tripeptide's, pomegranate juice powder and passion flower extract, ProStolic? also contains potassium and calcium to provide a well-rounded natural remedy to help promote healthy blood flow and naturally maintain healthy blood pressure, but without the side effects so common with medications.

Tripeptide's are formed when milk casein is broken down into smaller pieces. Several different peptide's have been studied, but a significant amount of research has determined that the tripeptide's Isoleucine-Proline-Proline (IPP) and Valine-Proline-Proline (VPP) have the most supportive evidence for their efficacy, safety and bio availability

The natural bio active hydrolyzed casein (a combination of tripeptide's IPP and VPP) is an active ingredient included in the proprietary blend in Melaleuca's ProStolic?. These tripeptide's are derived from nonfat milk casein, and have been clinically proven to help maintain healthy blood pressure. Most studies show that blood pressure is lower after 2 weeks of daily consumption of IPP and VPP, and reach a stable level after 4-6 weeks. 

Like the mechanism of action of the commonly prescribed ACE Inhibitors, the natural action of tripeptide's block the formation of Angiotensin II, which normally causes the blood vessels to narrow. But that's where the similarity ends. Studies show that IPP and VPP tripeptide's accomplish the blockage of Angiotensin II without the side effects so common in ACE and ARB medications. In 2001, an 8-week placebo-controlled, double-blind study was conducted on 30 people with mild or moderate hypertension. Results of the study showed a significant decrease in blood pressure of IPP and VPP test subjects, but no change was seen in the placebo group. In addition, no adverse reactions such as dry cough, digestive tract symptoms or abnormal changes were observed. 

Over 20 human clinical trials have been conducted with the IPP and VPP peptide's over the past 10 years and more than 10 double-blind clinical studies have been conducted on the particular formulation of tripeptide's used in Melaleuca's proprietary blend. A 1996 placebo-controlled study on the blood pressure of 30 elderly hypertensive patients, most of whom were taking anti hypertensive medication, showed a significant decrease in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure after 4 and 8 weeks, but no significant changes were observed in the placebo group. 

A British Journal of Nutrition article reported a single blinded, placebo controlled study of 131 people with high-normal blood pressure or mild hypertension to determine the efficacy of hydrolyzed casein containing IPP and VPP in reducing blood pressure. The authors concluded that these peptide's could assist in the prevention of hypertension in people with blood pressure that is above normal.

Melaleuca's Prostolic also contains other natural hypertension treatments including pomegranate juice, passion flower, potassium and calcium. 

Andrew - Founder of Hero Transformations.