3) Psycho-social factors: Mechanization of human life, commercialization in every field, and unusual competitive environment puts each of us under unusual stress and strain. We do struggle every minute for our survival and growth. Which makes us highly emotional and imbalanced psychologically. These emotional factors like Anger, Irritability, fear, sense of insecurity, jealousies, hostility play a major role in causing hypertension and other cardiac diseases.

4) Food Habits: Fast foods, ready-made foods, rich in fats, oils, spices, western food, salty, smoked foods contribute to high blood pressure. Our traditional Indian food is sufficient to keep us fit and healthy. (Refer to CVS Guidelines of Diet and Nutrition).

5) Tobacco: Smoking or chewing is quite harmful to blood vessels and heart. It Increases incidence of blood pressure and heart diseases.

6) Alcohol: Any amount of alcohol intake is harmful to heart and circulating system.

7) Drugs: continuous use of certain drugs like anti inflammatory drugs, steroids, also oral contraceptives can cause hypertension.(take these drugs only under the supervision of your physician)

8) Certain disease conditions of other organs like tumors in adrenal glands, kidney disorders, obstruction in renal vessels, lung disorders also can cause high blood pressure, which is called as secondary hypertension.(If high blood pressure is found in healthy and young adults below 30-35 one must consult the expert and rule out diseases of other vital organs like kidney).

Symptoms of Hypertension

Usually starts after the age of forty. Many a times there may not be any signs and symptoms of high blood pressure.In such cases it is found in routine checkups only. Usual symptoms are

1) Easy tiredness or exhaustion.

2) A kind of tension – irritability and anger expressed on near and dear.

3) Disturbed sleep\change in sleep pattern.

4) Frequent headaches especially back of the head and vertex on getting up from sleep and exertion.

5) Giddiness or vertigo or reeling sensation.

6) Frequent episodes of bleeding from nose.

7) A sudden rise of hypertension can lead to cloudiness of consciousness, delirium, or even sometimes comatose state.

Note: Many a times hypertensive patients say that, they can understand that their blood pressure is raised, by a kind of uneasy and tense feeling.They avoid going for a check-up because they do not have uneasiness or tension.This is a myth. A person can suffer from high blood pressure but still may not have any abnormal sensation. They must go for periodical check-ups as per their physician's guidelines.

Complications of hypertension

Hypertension is not a disease by itself. But it is a way can lead to number of diseases or complications. It is a silent killer, if unchecked. Uncontrolled hypertension can lead to:

1) Heart problems like coronary heart disease or heart attacks.

2) Cerebral stroke and hemiplegia (one sided paralysis or cerebral hemorrhage and sudden death).

3) Renal failure or kidney failure.

4) Eye problems like retinal detachment or vitreal hemorrhages etc.

Treatment of Hypertension

1) Causes of hypertension in each person differ. Analysis is to be made in each person and contributing factors are to be traced out.Those factors must be avoided to the extent possible. (Measures to be taken will be discussed in the coronary Heart Disease segment).

2) It is possible to cure Hypertension, provided, patients change their lifestyles. Medication for 2-4 years can solve the problem, they need not continue medication for the entire life time, unlike conventional medicine.

3) The Homoeopathic physician needs to study individual personal factors, like food habits, environmental adaptation, emotional and intellectual, psycho-social factors, past illness, family history, life situation etc. along with the study of disease and its pathogenesis. So, respond to your physician in giving the history, and don't hesitate to reveal all the problems and conditions pertaining to you.

4) If you are already on conventional hypertension drugs, you can safely switch over to Homoeopathic mode of treatment and taper your drugs gradually as per the physicians guidelines.

5) Reduce salt intake, stop smoking, avoid Alcohol, go for regular walks, and regulate your emotions.