So what is blood pressure anyway

by Baxter

Arctic Moon by Michele Macartney-Filgate

If you read yoga magazines or read online articles about yoga and your health, you often come across a warning to avoid this or modify that yoga asana if you suffer from high blood pressure or hypertension another term used for high blood pressure). But it turns out that there are a lot of differing opinions about how and what to change about a typical yoga practice if you have hypertension (HTN), and not a great deal of agreement on the best approach to take. However, before we get into that, I thought it would be helpful to discuss what blood pressure is, and how it is determined, as well as why HTN needs to be addressed either via lifestyle changes or medical intervention.

So, what is blood pressure? Well, it is a measurement we take—usually in your upper arm via a blood pressure cuff—that measures the pressure in the arteries of your arm. When you are sitting or standing with your arms at your sides, the place where blood pressure reading is taken is in line with your heart and its main artery, the thoracic aorta. Now we are measuring the pressure downstream in an artery in the arm, but it seems to correlate well with the pressures inside the heart and aorta. The top number of a blood pressure reading, called the systolic blood pressure, is the amount of pressure the blood in your arteries is exerting on the elastic, stretchy walls of the artery when the heart is at its maximum point of contraction. On average, it runs around 120mmHg’s of mercury in a normal healthy person. The bottom number, called the diastolic blood pressure, is the pressure at the time the heart is most relaxed between beats and is filling with more blood coming in from the body and lungs. A healthy average for that number is 80.  So, if your blood pressure, on average over the course of the day, is at 120/80 or below, it is said to be in the normal range.

Via observations and studies, if your blood pressure averages 140/90 or above over the course of the day, you are said to have high blood pressure or hypertension. If you fall between 120/80 and 140/90, you are now said to have a condition called “pre-hypertension,” a no man’s land where it seems you are at a greater risk of developing HTN over time. More on HTN and why it’s important later.

Let’s go back to the concept of blood pressure for a few more moments. Your blood pressure is not a constant figure, but changes as your physical, mental and emotional activities change. It often goes up during exercise, stressful situations, and emotionally charged interactions, as well as varying with your body position of reclining, sitting or standing. It must vary dynamically to accommodate our changing situations throughout the day. Maintaining the proper blood pressure for our changing needs is a complex system that involves many of the body’s systems, including hormones, brain activity, and specialized receptors for pressure in the some of the biggest arteries in the body, called baroreceptors. As these various components of the blood pressure regulation interact, they result in dynamic fluid changes within the blood vessels and heart, via changing the blood flow in the vessels, the heart rate and the intensity of the contraction of the heart itself. Other organs also get involved, such as the kidneys, which are asked to help lower blood pressure at times by filtering out more water from the blood to decrease the overall amount of fluid in the system. Other parts of our nervous system can also influence the blood pressure readings. Your autonomic nervous system, composed of the two opposing and balancing parts, the sympathetic (Flight, Fight or Freeze response) and the parasympathetic (Rest and Digest response), can either increase or decrease your blood pressure, depending on how activated they are.

A few more thoughts on the general topic of blood pressure. Although we have defined the situation where blood pressure is elevated above the normal level and is considered potentially dangerous if left untreated, the opposite situation can also exist. That is, your blood pressure can be lower than normal, and this situation is called hypotension. Highly trained runners, especially long distance runners, can have blood pressures that average 100/60 or even lower and feel no worse for the wear. However, in other situations, hypotension can create symptoms that indicate it is not a normal adaptation to good aerobic fitness, such as lightheadedness, dizziness on standing and fainting. So next time, we will look at the conditions of hypertension and hypotension in more detail, and begin to discuss how yoga could fit into plan for better health for these students. Special thanks today to both Shari Ser and PubMed for their insights on blood pressure, as well as all my teachers back at UC College of Medicine in Ohio!

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What Makes The Amigo Turnout So Popular

By Eula Nichols

The Amigo Turnout is the creation of Tom and Carol Mac Guinness. They worked together to invent horse products that are far superior to anything that had ever been produced by their competitors. They opened their business in 1985 and have worked to improve their products every day since they began.

The people who purchase this cover for their horses rave about how good it is. The special features included it offers make it a leader in the field of horseware products. They find these products to out perform their expectations and the experiences they have had with other covers.

Another reason is the continuous research done by the Horseware Ireland management and staff. They are always looking for ways to improve their products whether it is in their use or their durability. They have a policy of innovation and improvement that controls production.

These horse covers regularly receive high ratings from customers who have purchased them. They comment on the strength and durability of their cover as well as the ability to keep the horse warm and dry all winter. The fabric design is water proof and has filler that allows the fabric to breathe and keep the horse from sweating. The wicking nature the fabric possesses allows the sweat vapors to evaporate away from the animal.

Horse owners know that the proper fit of a cover is paramount. If it is too small or too large it will not stay in the proper position on the animal and may cause chaffing on the coat. The adjustable straps that are found on these covers assure that it will fit properly if the horse has been measured carefully.

All covers made by this company are made from a special fabric called rip stop. It contains a very strong nylon thread that prevents tears from progressing past that point. The covers are also very cost efficient for the consumer. The low cost of this product is only surpassed by the long life it demonstrates. Many users speak of years of trouble free use from one cover.

The horse cover is meant to be worn in wet winter weather to keep your horse warm and dry. It also serves to protect their coats and prevent the horse from growing a shaggy winter coat. When horses spend time in the weather their health can suffer so these coats can keep them from getting respiratory problems from cold and wet exposure. For summer use it protects the coat from fading in the sun and protects it from straw and sticks that can cause wear marks under the sheet.

Regardless of where you live or the weather you may experience an amigo turnout can serve you and your horse well. It protects from the cold as well as the heat and sun. It can also serve to keep the show horse in perfect order prior to any showing. With boots for the legs they also protect the animals while traveling in trailers. When everything is said and done many people consider these covers to be one of the must have items for every horse owner.

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