A young boy, 21 years old goes to his friend to congratulate him on getting selected for a prestigious medical college. He envy’s seeing his newly bought sphygmomanometer, what we call the B.P. apparatus in easy language. They both play with the new toy checking their own pressures. The findings are not normal.  “Koi nahi…..abhi nausikihiye hai….jaldi seekh jayenge” says the boy undermining the data found. But the findings remain the same till the doctor friend completes his graduation. Now the finding raised some amount of concern. Blood tests done……findings alarming! Raised serum creatinine level! What does this imply? This means that the persistent raised blood pressure over years has damaged the kidneys. O my God!! Kidney failure at 26!

Hypertension is a problem so prevalent that 20-40% urban adults and 12-17% rural adults suffer from it in India. This difference between the urban and rural figures itself suggests that this is a lifestyle disease.

Blood flows within the vessels energizing and rejuvenation every nook and corner of our body. There is a specific diastolic and systolic pressure within the vessels i.e. 120/80. Any elation in this stats mean extra burden upon all the organs of of the body- extra burden on heart, extra pressure with brain vessels, extra pressure within eyes and so on…! What’s follows when the pressure is high? A permanent damage to the organs which is a totally irreversible. Heart attack, brain strokes, blindness, kidney damage etc. are some of the repercussions.

Thus it is very much necessary to keep it under check through lifestyle modification, diet selection, exercises and medication. Yoga and meditation have also been found helpful in control of high blood pressure.