• Take the PCOS
  Health Assessment
• Introduction to
  the PCOS Five
  Step System
• What to expect from
  and when
• Sign-up and order
  the PCOS System

You are included in this category if your systolic pressure is between 120 and 139 or your diastolic pressure is between 80 and 89. Regard it as a wake-up call to take steps to avoid a stroke further down the road.

What exactly are systolic and diastolic pressures? Blood pressure is commonly measured by wrapping an inflatable cuff around the upper arm. Air is pumped into the cuff until circulation is cut off. When a stethoscope is placed over the cuff, there is silence. Then, as the air is slowly let out of the cuff, blood begins to flow again and can be heard through the stethoscope. This is the point of greatest pressure, called systolic, and is usually expressed as how high it forces a column of mercury to rise in a tube.

At its highest normal pressure, the heart would send a column of mercury to a height of about 120 millimeters. At some point, as more and more air is let out of the cuff, the pressure exerted by the cuff is so little that the sound of the blood pulsing against the artery walls subsides and there is silence again. This is the point of lowest pressure, called diastolic, which normally raises the mercury to 80 millimeters.

It is crucial to "know your numbers" with respect to normal and high blood pressure levels. Life-threatening complications to your cardiovascular system can develop over a period of years when Hypertension exists. Increased pressure on the inner walls of blood vessels make the vessels less flexible over time and more vulnerable to the build-up of fatty deposits in a process known as atherosclerosis, a key risk factor in heart disease. (See Insulin Resistance, Metabolic Syndrome and Heart Disease.)

Hypertension also forces the heart to work harder to pump adequate blood throughout the body. This extra work causes the muscles of the heart to enlarge. Eventually, the enlarged heart becomes inefficient in pumping blood and may lead to heart failure, when the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body's needs.

High blood pressure is common. However, only about half of people with high blood pressure know they have it because of its silent build-up. Blood pressure is controlled in just 1 out of every 8 people who have the condition .

The importance of hypertension is that it is a powerful risk factor for some very serious diseases such as angina, heart attack, stroke, atherosclerosis, kidney failure and circulatory problems in the legs, as well as erectile dysfunction.

In 95 perceint of cases, there is no specific cause for high blood pressure. A diagnosis of the condition is more common in African Americans than in whites, and becomes more likely with advancing age. People who are obese or Diabetic are more likely to have, or to develop, the disorder.

While high blood pressure can occur in slender, active people, it is much more common in the obese. An important step in avoiding high blood pressure is maintaining an ideal body weight by eating appropriately, including low cholesterol food, and getting sufficient regular exercise.

For many people, slender or obese, high blood pressure is a fact of life. What then should you do? The first step is have your blood pressure checked regularly, so that the diagnosis of hypertension is made early. Adults should have their blood pressure checked at least once every year or two.

Once the diagnosis is made, you should reduce the amount of salt and fat in your diet. If you are overweight, losing 10% of your body weight can make a difference. The majority of people with high blood pressure, however, will need medication.

These medications are proven to save lives, reducing the rate of heart attack, stroke and all of the other serious complications of high blood pressure. Generally, these medications are safe, with few serious side effects. Most can be taken just once a day.

Don't be surprised if, after treating your high blood pressure for a few months, your doctor says that you need a second or third medication. Most people with controlled high blood pressure (consistently under 140/90 mm Hg) require two or three or four different medications, working together, to control their condition.

By following your doctor's recommendations about medication, you give yourself the best chance possible of avoiding the complications of high blood pressure.

Click here to read about the Insulite MetaX System that can help to reverse
the symptoms of Insulin Resistance and Metabolic Syndrome