Stress Reduction Techniques Potential For Improved Blood Pressure Control

Modern medical advancements have significantly decreased the prevalence and severity of infectious disease as well as the treatment of acute, traumatic conditions. Pharmacological research has also gained insight into the management of chronic disease. Still, there is an epidemic of chronic, treatable diseases like stroke, heart disease, and kidney disease. Hypertension proves to be the underlying factor associated with these diseases. Hypertension is often referred to as the silent killer because of its indication in deadly disease, and the importance of monitoring ones blood pressure is vital. Lifestyle, diet, and genetic predisposition are all factors of high blood pressure. Chronic high blood pressure above safe levels, known as hypertension, puts elevated physical stress on the renal and cardiovascular systems. By controlling this factor in patients, healthcare providers can decrease cardiovascular events, improve health outcomes, and decrease overall mortality. Patient education is often overlooked in its role in the control and prevention of high blood pressure. This paper analyzes the causes and physiology behind high blood pressure as they relate to the current nursing interventions. The role of nurses is discussed in relation to patient education regarding high blood pressure, and educational approaches are analyzed.

The major health problem selected for this project was hypertension (Harrison et al, 2011). It is identified as a cardio vascular disease risk factor such as dementia, chronic kidney disease, coronary heart disease, and stroke (NICE, 2011). It can be missed easily, as in various instances it is asymptomatic as well as it is also known as a silent killer. The Hypertension is thought to be a disease of vascular regulation ensuing from arterial pressure control mechanisms malfunction (extracellular fluid volume, rennin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, and CNS) that results in elevation of BP by means of enhanced peripheral vascular resistance, and cardiac output. There are 2 basic hypertension types. Around 90 to 95 percent of the individuals have primary hypertension which is linked with change in lifestyle as well as needs medical treatment. On the other hand, 5-10% has secondary hypertension which is linked with various other diseases for instance pregnancy, thyroid, and renal (Haslam and James, 2005). It is estimated that around 1 in 20 adults will have increased BP of 160/100 mmHg and above that results in either more than one predisposing aspects (Gemmell et al, 2006).

Hypertension is sometimes referred to as the silent killer (Aycock, Kirkendoll, & Gordon, 2013). Today it is a public health problem. According to the American Heart Association 2013 Statistical Fact Sheet (2013), one out of every three adults has high blood pressure, which is estimated at 77.9 million people (AHA, 2013). High blood pressure is also referred to as hypertension. Hypertension is a prevalent medical condition that carries with it the risk factor for increased chances of heart disease and stroke (Gillespie & Hurvitz, 2013). Hypertension remains one of the top 10 causes of worldwide disability-adjusted life years (as cited in Drenjančević-Perić et al., 2011). For the estimated 348, 102 deaths in 2009, high blood pressure was listed as the primary or contributing cause of death (AHA, 2013). Despite the health risk associated with hypertension, the diagnoses of high blood pressure continue to rise. By 2030, hypertension is expected to increase by 7.2% from 2013 estimates (AHA, 2013).

Bosworth, Olsen, Grubber, Powers, and Oddone (2012) conducted a three-arm randomized controlled trial to determine the differences in AAs and Caucasians in two self-management hypertension interventions (N=636; non-whites n=328, and whites n=308). The subjects were randomly placed in the usual care (UC), home BP monitoring (HBPM), a tailored behavioral self-management intervention (TBSMI), and the two groups combined (TBSMI + HBPM). Data collection was done at the initiation of the research, 12 months, and 24 months from the control and intervention groups. BP results on whites at the baseline and intervention groups did not differ, but there was significantly reduction in the systolic BP of 7.5 mm Hg in AAs. This study denotes that a home BP monitoring in combination of nurse-administered telephone behavioral intervention was most effective in BP control in AAs.

Hypertension is a very common problem, affecting 1 billion people worldwide, with 50 million cases in the United States, and one third of cases going undiagnosed. 1% of the cases will experience a hypertensive emergency in their life. (1,2)

In the 19th and 20th centuries, before effective pharmacological treatment for hypertension came about, the three main treatments were used. These included restricting the level of sodium intake through the rice diet for example, sympathectomy which was the surgical ablation of parts of the sympathetic nervous system and finally, pyrogen therapy which involved injecting substances that caused a fever which indirectly reduced blood pressure. However, all of these treatments had numerous side-effects. Globally, the overall percentage of raised blood pressure cases in adults aged 25 and over was around 40% in 2008. In terms of the world’s population, the proportion of people with high blood pressure or uncontrolled hypertension fell slightly

An evidence-based intervention that was recently implemented at the clinic where I work was correct blood pressure assessment. We mainly use Dinamaps (automatic blood pressure machine) to obtain vital signs on our patients. We obtained manual blood pressure readings if the patient had a preference, if the patient had an irregular heart rate, or if the automatic reading was very out of range. Various methods were being used to obtain blood pressures on patients who either refused a bicep blood pressure or in the case that the blood pressure cuffs on the Dinamap didn’t fit properly. The main method that was used was the use of the automatic machine with the cuff on the forearm. This led to a variety of results and proper blood pressure assessment

Hypertension is currently a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, which are leading causes of death in the United States. It is estimated that by 2025, 1.56 billion adults will be living with hypertension. Hypertension affects nearly 1 in 3 adults, which is 67 million people. Hypertension is also known as the silent killer because individuals do not have warning signs or symptoms. There are about 36 million adults with high blood pressure who do not take preventative measures to control it. Children are also being affected by hypertension. An estimated 3% of children suffer from this condition, which is a risk factor for obesity and sleep apnea. Hypertension can be reduced by taking basic preventative measures like changing one’s eating diet, exercising daily and by taking medication if other preexisting conditions exist. However, new approaches of effective early prevention needs to be implemented through policies and curriculum in order for people to be educated and influenced to apply the techniques to their daily life.

Late studies demonstrate that a few patients can control their hypertension by natural procedures alongside professionally prescribed

6. Our goal is to inform our clients on the affects of caffeine, stress, and daily exercising on blood pressure. We discussed the healthy alternatives for caffeine, like juice or milk. We also informed the clients on stress-relieving activities such as adult coloring pages. Lastly, we demonstrated simple chair exercises that the clients can perform to help lower blood

Hypertension impacts nearly 25% of the adult population around the world. It is considered one of the foremost risk factors for mortality, and is responsible for 13.5% of all deaths. In addition, half of all strokes and ischemic cardiac disease are triggered from high blood pressure (Pepin et al.2014). According to the newest guidelines, hypertension is defined as a systolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 140 or a diastolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 90 (Jin, 2014). Systemic hypertension remains one of the most modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease. In hypertensive patients, between 12%-27% require at least 3 medications to achieve sufficient control; these patients are considered to have resistant hypertension. Furthermore, those with resistant hypertension have a 50% greater chance of experiencing a cardiovascular event in comparison to those without resistant hypertension, and according to the literature, the numbers of cases are increasing (Martinez-Garcia et al. 2013).

The nervous system has a major role in controlling blood pressure through the autonomic nervous system In one study patients with hypertension that was resistant to pharmacologic techniques were selected for a surgical study to receive bilateral renal nerve ablation. The others were continued on medical therapy alone. The surgical group had lower blood pressures overall when monitored over time compared to the subjects who only received medical as opposed to surgical therapies (Coffman, 2011).

Approximately one in every three adult’s ages 20 years old and older are diagnosed with high blood pressure or hypertension. Hypertension affects 78 million people in the United States and is equally prevalent in both men and woman (Crabtree et al., 2013). Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (Hajjar & Kotchen, 2003). It can lead to stroke, myocardial infarction, renal failure, heart failure, neurological issues, and death if not detected early and not treated properly (James, Oparil, Carter, & et al., 2014). Approximately 9.4 million deaths in 2010 were attributed to high blood pressure (Angell, De Cock, & Frieden, 2015). About 54% of strokes, 47% of coronary heart disease, and 25 % of other cardiovascular diseases are attributed to high blood pressure (Arima, Barzi, & Chalmers, 2011).

The teaching plan is an education program designed to help patients who need a review of concepts for managing hypertension. However, hypertension management requires on-going education and nutritional advice with regular review and modification as the disease process progresses and the needs of the patient changes. The teaching will help patients to apply their new found knowledge to their illness. Altogether will help change the patient feeling and attitude towards hypertension, and also encourage the patients to care for themselves more effectively increasing their quality of life. The teaching plan follows the outline (Appendix A) of the lesson content which include (a) general overview of hypertension, (b) ways to control hypertension, (c) importance of blood pressure medications and being compliance, (d) how to measure a blood pressure, (e) Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Plan, (f) importance of exercising, and (g) complications seen from uncontrolled hypertension. Handouts (Appendix B) are given to the patient to reinforce instruction. The patient will be taught how to properly take a blood pressure and where blood pressure monitors can be purchase. The patient will then show a return demonstration how to properly monitor his blood pressure with a home machine and what a normal blood pressure should be. The healthcare provider would inform the patient to keep a record of his blood pressure reading and present them at each

Background- Hypertension is the major problem in developing countries. Blood pressure is usually maintained in a range by various regulatory mechanism involving hormones, nervous system and other local factors. Any rise in blood pressure above normal range for prolonged period is labeled as hypertension which is usually preceded by high normal blood pressure known as prehypertension. Various aerobic exercises and yoga may be beneficial in prehypertensive people. Of many yogic exercises, Pranava yoga seems to be simplest .Pranava yoga involves chanting of word ‘Aum’.