Did you know that there are numerous preventable causes of death in the world, with our next few blog posts we will be reviewing the top ten preventable causes of death and the various ways of evading, managing and treating them through the science of Ayurveda?
Today’s blog focuses on hypertension or high blood pressure as it is also known.
Considered by both Ayurvedic and conventional medicine and known to be a massive cause of disability, debilitating quality of life and death across the known world, Hypertension is often classed in a league of its own. And rightly so, it is a condition that is often the root cause or underlying factor of strokes, failure of the kidneys, angina and heart attacks and a variety of other disorders should it remain either undetected or appropriately treated.
Much like a knife in the dark, in various cases, the symptoms of hypertension don’t manifest until they have caused such serious complications, such as an imminent stroke for example that it easily embodies a silent killer’s role within our body’s. The most reliable way to stay informed in relation to hypertension is to assume you may have it and ensure you regularly have your blood pressure checked.
The bodily system of circulation dictates that blood pressure is considered high if your arterial blood pressure is found to be considered above what is the normal to standard ranges of the classic 120 ( systolic) over 80 (diastolic)
Hypertension and the science of Ayurveda
All three of our Doshas are involved in the condition of Hypertension according to the Ayurvedic way of thought. It’s also inclusive of the body’s blood vessels and of course the muscle that is the heart. Derangement of the Vata dosha can be noted and observed through bodily symptoms and signs when it comes to hypertension, especially those related to Vyana vayu, which is the prana vayu which is responsible for the integration of all of the vayus. Correcting the balance of the vata dosha is considered a beneficial treatment. Along with this visitation of the pitta dosha may often be observed and treatment should also be administered.
People who are more prone than most to hypertension are those who possess predominantly Vata and Pitta constitutions and therefore Vata and Pitta imbalances. Emotional conditions with physical impacts such as anxieties, unfounded or valid fears, unexpressed frustrations and anger which is left unprocessed often tend to have a negative impact on the bodies endocrine system, which may result in conditions such as hypertension or elevated blood pressure.
As with most Ayurvedic healing, a large part of the treatment is focused on aligning the current imbalances and returning them to an equilibrium. With focuses on proper nutrition, sustainable exercises, the practice of Pranayama breathing techniques, contemplative meditation, various yoga asanas and the initiation of changes to our behavioural patterns all makeup aspects of the prescribed ayurvedic treatment. The inclusion of medicinal minerals and herbs may also play a role.
Luckily hypertension does have some symptoms that you can watch out for and take note of, things like neck and back pain upon waking that has soon dissipated naturally, frequent bouts of urination, feelings of pain in the region of the heart and dizziness when standing are all natural indicators of the potential presence of Hypertension.