While searching the medical literature for recent scientific achievements, it occurred to me that some discoveries do not need to be related to nano-technologies or human cloning. There may be some simple albeit beneficial recommendations everyone is able to cope with. However, what is amazing to me, You can improve Your health condition substantially by following only simple rules. Moreover, no medicines, diagnostic or therapeutical interventions are needed any more. What is important is understanding and self-discipline. This is cheap, fast, easy-to-check and contributes to the health state a lot.
Arterial hypertension is a concerning medical problem today. Sacks and Campos, in their Dietary Therapy in Hypertension report:
“From 1960 through 1991, blood pressure decreased in the United States, and after the first 10 years of this interval, the rate of cardiovascular deaths decreased.
Effective hypertension screening and treatment were probably the reason for these beneficial trends. However, from 1990 through 2002, blood pressure increased”.
The major proportion of arterial hypertension is essential hypertension, when no concrete reason for elevated blood pressure can be found. It is generally accepted should arterial hypertension occur, drugs must be prescribed to control blood pressure. If this is not done properly, grieving consequences are to follow: congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction, stroke, renal failure, blindness, arrhythmias. Nevertheless, the authors provide evidence-based scientific data that arterial hypertension can be successfully managed with dietary interventions.
The dietary treatment of arterial hypertension consists of reduced salt intake, weight reducing and a healthful dietary pattern. These approaches have been studied in detail and today, well-organized dietary patterns are available. They are the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, variants of that diet, and variations of the Mediterranean diet. Thousands of participants who followed simple dietary schemes improved their blood pressure numbers within only weeks. This was true for all age groups, as well as women, Afro-Americans and those suffering from diabetes. In the following picture from the original article results of a 90-day trial are shown. The picture describes the significant benefits of a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains with limited carbohydrates and salt.
In conclusion, the authors state “Dietary management is appropriate for all patients with hypertension”. It must be noted here, the National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure recognizes that after the dietary modifications start, drug therapy should be modified. The American Heart Association guidelines for cardiovascular health and the dietary management of hypertension can be recommended to all hypertension patients.