Hypertension is the most frequent and severe disease, widespread in all European and other countries, especially in the United States.
The human body is influenced by the external environment, with which it is connected by the nervous system. Adaptation to constantly changing environmental conditions is also accomplished with the help of the nervous system.
In rural areas, where there are much less various irritants, where clean air, lots of plants, simple living conditions - hypertension is incomparably less common than in cities.
In large industrial centers for people between 20 and 50 years of age, normal blood pressure is: systolic within 140 mmHg. Art.and diastolic 90 mm Hg. Art. It can also be higher in quite healthy people over the age of 50.
In the emergence and development of hypertension Soviet scientists attributed the leading role in the disruption of the nervous system, biochemical processes in metabolism, predisposing factors hereditary, age, atherosclerosis and previous kidney disease.
Studies in recent years of the etiology and pathogenesis of this disease have fully confirmed the defeat of the whole organism in diseases that are accompanied by a violation of the function of the higher departments of the central nervous system. Numerous morphological works of domestic and foreign pathologists who have studied vessels, organs and systems in this disease, proved the defeat of all organs and systems (vessels of the brain, heart, liver, kidneys, adrenal glands, gastrointestinal tract, spleen, lungs, thyroid gland, peripheral nervous system and even bone tissue, where there are thickening due to disorders). These data are fully supported by clinical symptoms and the course of hypertension.
It is characteristic that the higher the degree of psychoemotional load in work, the more common is hypertension. For the development of this disease is not enough just nerve stimuli, which are subjected to a huge number of people, but not everyone is ill, which depends on the peculiarity of the body's response to the stimuli. Hypertensive patients are more likely to have strong processes of higher nervous activity. This is more often people energetic, active, strong-willed, and they have the disease occurs as a result of constant overstrain, overwork of the neuropsychic sphere.
An interesting fact is that young people who react to various negative and even positive emotions more violently than others are often predisposed to hypertension. Such hyperactivity of the vasomotor apparatus in young subjects can now be established by specialized research methods. In addition, sometimes special studies can also establish a slight decrease in renal blood flow as a result of renal vasoconstriction. This provides a great opportunity for early prevention of this serious disease in its infancy.
It is beyond our scope to cover the etiology of hypertension, which is now largely elucidated, the pathogenesis, which remains completely undiscovered, and the pathologic picture, which is of great interest to scientists.
Let's focus on the clinical symptoms: initially, blood pressure rises intermittently, over time it becomes persistent and definite. There are headaches, dizziness, flickering "flies" in front of the eyes, disturbed sleep, heart palpitations, general weakness. The pulse becomes hard and tense. Crises appear, which may be early in the disease and pass quite favorably. Their frequent occurrence, however, characterizes a more severe form of the disease and can give severe complications from the brain and coronary system.
As hypertension develops, left ventricular hypertrophy appears, the apex tremor increases, there is an accent of the second tone over the aorta. The aorta is deforming.
There is a close relationship between hypertension and atherosclerosis, and often these two processes are combined, there is coronary insufficiency with typical attacks of angina pectoris, which is caused by atherosclerosis of the arteries, and hypertension contributes to their appearance. Patients begin to be bothered by dyspnea on physical exertion, and later at night in the form of cardiac asthma attacks with coughing.
In later periods, hypertension is aggravated by right heart failure, liver enlargement, and edema. In the late period renal arteriosclerosis appears with the phenomena of hematuria, albuminuria, decreased concentrating ability and retention of nitrogenous waste. Symptoms of ocular fundus lesions develop accordingly to kidney damage.
The course of hypertension is divided into three stages and three phases: phase IA characterizes the pre-hypertensive state, and blood pressure rises only with nervous tension; stage 1B is characterized by transient (transient) arterial hypertension. In stage IIA, arterial hypertension is unstable, and in stage PB, it is persistent. In stage IIIA (sclerotic) hypertension takes irreversible character, but compensated, and in stage SHB patients lose the ability to work.
Treatment of hypertension is mainly aimed at improving the function of the nervous system and eliminating overstrain by organizing systematic, if possible active, rest, cessation of alcohol and tobacco abuse. Spa treatment and physiotherapy procedures aimed at strengthening the nervous system are useful (only for patients in stage I and IIA).
Let's focus on the diet, since a significant proportion of patients with this disease are overweight.
Hypertension and atherosclerosis are accompanied by an increase in the content of lipids in the blood, so fats of animal origin these patients should be replaced by the use of vegetable oils (especially olive and corn).
Abuse of protein foods also contributes to high blood pressure, especially if the use of table salt is not restricted, which in protein fasting does not have such a harmful effect. Excess sodium intake contributes to the loss of potassium, which has antisclerotic properties and is like an antagonist of sodium. Every cell in the human body guards its potassium reserve and strives to keep sodium chloride out of its cytoplasm. It is known that the body's resistance to various harmful influences is enormous, so it is only necessary to strive to facilitate it. Foods such as apricots, bananas, apricots, peaches, blueberries, cherries, raspberries, cabbage, baked potatoes, rice, etc.Potassium-rich foods can be very helpful in this regard.
To improve the taste of the low-salt diet, which we recommend to carry out only periodically, food is useful to acidify the juice of lemon, cranberry, spices are allowed to use: for example, pepper, onion, mustard, horseradish, coriander, dill, cumin, and garlic in atherosclerosis and hypertension, we advise you to be sure to use one - two cloves 2 days in a row, take a break 1-2 days. It is especially beneficial to consume it during the fall days when the weather is conducive to the spread of various infectious diseases.
Mushrooms, tomatoes, milk, various fruit and vegetable juices in combinations are also beneficial. Boiled meat, fish, game are recommended no more than 3 times a week. It should be remembered that hypertension and atherosclerosis are less common in vegetarians, but there are almost no vegetarians among long-lived people. Hence, it is better to eat dairy and plant-based foods occasionally and meat-based foods at other times.
Fluid intake is individual: if there is no edema, fluid should be consumed up to 2 liters per day. Thus, the restriction goes mainly along the lines of periodic restriction of table salt and mainly combating overeating. One salt-free day in 2-3 weeks is helpful.
In hypertension and atherosclerosis is necessary therapeutic physical training, because under the influence of physical exercise balanced excitation and inhibition in the cerebral cortex, strengthened reflex connections, improve metabolic processes, improves blood circulation, strengthens the heart muscle, improves breathing. In resting muscles only a part of capillaries is dilated, whereas in working muscles almost all capillaries are dilated.
И. П. Pavlov attached great importance to physical culture and especially to walking, which trains the cardiovascular system and is useful for people engaged in mental labor.
When prescribing phytotherapy, it is necessary to take this whole complex into account and to know that herbal medicines and food substances act on the body in the same way; they either bring invaluable benefits or can cause harm if used incorrectly.
Treatment of hypertension from medicinal plants was made by us in 30 patients in clinical conditions, and in 20 - in polyclinic with I and II stages of hypertension, in some patients the disease proceeded on the background of a noticeable violation of general metabolism.
For the preparation of therapeutic infusions we used almost the same ingredients as for atherosclerosis, with the obligatory use of swamp wheatgrass, hawthorn blood-red, immortelle and donna. When patients tendency to edema, we 5-6 g of the mixture brewed 200 ml of boiling water and appointed 40 ml 4 times a day for 10-15 minutes before meals.
Hypertension medicinal collection No. 1
White birch, leaf 10g
White rose, petals 10g
Donnik medicinal, herb 10g
Common mordovanum, fruit 10 g
Bare licorice, root 10 g
Lipa cordifolia, flowers 20 g
Common raspberry, fruits 20 g
Chestnut, herb 20 g
Mother and stepmother, leaf 20 g
Large Plantain, leaf 20 g
Field horsetail, shoots 30 g
Buccinia medicinalis, herb 30 g
Gardener's dill, herb and seeds 30 g
Anise, fruit 30 g
Melissa medicinalis 30 g
Marshmallow, herb, 30 g
Blood-red hawthorn, flowers and fruits 40 g
Shiphip, fruit (ground) 50 g
Sandwort, herb 50 g
Topiarynaya wheatgrass, herb 60 g
Collection from hypertension (a tablespoon of 5-6 g) brew 500 ml of boiling water, stew for 30 minutes and take 150 ml 3 times a day for 10-15 minutes before meals. The taste of the infusion is pleasant, the smell is fragrant. The last evening dose can be drunk before going to bed without a snack.
Hypertension was treated in patients in clinical settings for one month, in 5 patients after discharge for a year; in patients receiving phytotherapy on an outpatient basis for a year or more. No other hypotensive agents were prescribed during treatment with the herbal infusion.
Treatment of hypertension with phytotherapy was usually started from the 3rd-5th day of patients' stay in the clinic. During this period, blood pressure fluctuations, changes in blood cholesterol levels, prothrombin time, and other types of clinical examinations were closely monitored.Under the influence of the therapy, the majority of patients experienced a marked improvement in their general condition: headache, dizziness, heart pain decreased, and sleep normalized. Starting from the 7th-8th day of the disease, a gradual decrease in blood pressure was noted. Treatment of hypertension with medicinal herbs led to improvement of general condition, there was a noticeable decrease in blood pressure, which in some patients by the day of discharge from the clinic normalized. Thus, in one patient, blood pressure went from 260/150 mm Hg.Art. decreased to 170/100 mm; in 4 patients - from 240/130 - 220/120 mm Hg.Art.- to 170/100- 140/75 mm; in 2 patients - from 190/120 mm Hg. Art. decreased in one to 150/90 and in the other to 135/70 mm.
In 12 patients, blood pressure fluctuated between 200/100 mm Hg. Art., decreased to 150/80 - 120/70 mm, in other patients it did not exceed 170/90 and decreased to 120/70 mm. At the same time there was a decrease in blood cholesterol as well as prothrombin time. All this indicated positive treatment of hypertension with phytotherapy.
We additionally recommended the patients under outpatient treatment to make warm foot or general therapeutic baths from the infusion of the following herbs: marsh wheatgrass, oregano, birch, linden flowers, sage, thyme and hop cones 10 g of each ingredient for two baths. All the above plants brew 3 liters of boiling water, steam for 2-3 hours, strain into a water-filled bath (the heart area should not be covered with water). Take a bath 5 to 15 minutes after a hygienic shower. Such baths have an anti-spastic effect and are indicated for vertigo and extrasystoles.
In addition to the use of infusions and baths, in the treatment of hypertension, we recommend spring and fall to apply leeches: in cardiac form on the heart area, with cerebral behind the ears for 4-6 leeches.
In our practical experience, we have seen that when the kidneys are not good enough, with bad urine tests should alternate infusions: one day to take an infusion of plants from hypertension, another - from kidney disease, if there is a hepatotropic factor, then accordingly must alternate with an infusion of liver disease (see. special section). In addition, we consider it necessary in hypertension and atherosclerosis to use gentians, especially in the fall and spring periods.
Hypertension medicinal collection No. 2
Verb, bark
Dandelion, flower and leaf
Common wormwood, herb
Yarrow, herb
5 g of the above mixture brew 150 ml of boiling water and take 60 ml in the morning and before lunch 10-15 minutes before taking the main infusion. Bitters should be taken intermittently, as they can become addictive with prolonged use. It is not recommended to take during menstruation.
Thus, the regulation of life, diet, individual physical training with rubbing the whole body in the summer with cold water, winter and fall - warm, baths from medicinal plants, massage (if indicated) and the use of infusions of properly and reasonably selected herbs will prevent hypertension, completely cure or limit its development.
Treatment of hypertension should be started as early as possible.
All the infusions of medicinal plants described in this section can be taken for a long time (except for bitters), making small, 5-10 days, breaks every six months. During menstrual days, we recommend that women also take breaks from treatment..
