Hypertension, more commonly known as high blood pressure, affects approximately 1/3 of all Americans. Unknowingly, many people with the disease are essentially ticking time bombs waiting to explode. High Blood Pressure is also referred to as the silent killer. Although most diseases and illnesses manifesting symptoms, people often find the problem during a routine check in the doctor’s office, or after disaster strikes. Hypertension frequently causes serious, potentially life-threatening health problems; so, various medicines have been developed to keep the beastly disease under control.

High blood pressure can seriously damage a person’s arteries. Due to periods of excessive force, over time the artery walls are weakened, possibly resulting in aneurysms. Basically, fragile balloon-like areas may develop. Thus, an individual may die, if the artery pops. For a fortunate few, aneurysms are discovered before time runs out. However, the odds are not in the patient’s favor.

Although a myriad of medicines are available, doctors may decide what treatment is best based upon the patient’s age, ethnicity, other medications, and allergies. All of the issues may potentially determine how an individual will react to high blood pressure medicine . Nevertheless, beta-blockers have been commonly used, in the past, to control hypertension: “These slow down the heart, reducing the amount of work that it has to do, and lowers an important hormone. This opens the blood vessels, making it easier for the heart to work”. Today, due to the adverse side effects of sleepiness and cold hands, the medication is infrequently prescribed to lower blood pressure.

In tandem with other blood pressure medicines, diuretics (water tablets) are used to release excess salt and water in the body. For some, water tablets will initially lower an individual’s pressure. However, the side effect can be a little disconcerting. Until a patient’s body is regulated, frequent trips to the restroom are a must. Therefore, patients are instructed to take the medication at a convenient time.

In truth, the information mentioned above represents only a few of the consequences, and medicinal treatments, of high blood pressure. However, the short list is a great argument for further exploration of the disease and subsequent use of high blood pressure medicines. Heart attacks, strokes, and aneurisms are three often-fatal results of neglecting to treat hypertension. Also, beta-blockers and diuretics are only two of the many options for medicinal solutions. So, in order to avoid becoming a medical statistic, periodically have a health care professional check for possible hypertension, especially if a history of high blood pressure runs in the family. You may want or need high blood pressure medicines.

EXFORGE and EXFORGE HCT are prescription medicines for the treatment of high blood pressure. EXFORGE contains two prescription medicines: amlodipine, a calcium channel blocker (CCB), and valsartan, an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB). EXFORGE may be used when any one of the following medicines to lower your high blood pressure is not enough: a dihydropyridine CCB or an ARB. It may also be used as the first medicine to lower high blood pressure if your doctor decides you are likely to need more than one medicine. EXFORGE HCT contains three prescription medicines: amlodipine, valsartan, and hydrochlorothiazide (a diuretic or water pill). EXFORGE HCT may be used to lower blood pressure in adults when any two of the following medicines to lower high blood pressure have been tried first: a CCB, an ARB, and a diuretic.

First, understanding the benefits of regular exercise yourself will allow you to share a gift with someone in the true spirit of love and concern for them. If the recipient can understand you are looking out for their best interest and want them to live a longer and healthier life, the gift will be well received. A corollary to this first point is to give a fitness gift to someone who already understands the importance of healthy activity in their life.

Second, select a gift that can also be used when the person is not “exercising.” A nice sports watch, for example, can be worn as a regular digital watch on a regular basis, then kick into timing laps or keeping pace when the person is working out. Heart rate monitors can be worn without the chest transmitter strap, similarly providing regular sports watch functionality until the user needs that heart rate measurement.

People love high-tech gadgets. Especially men. So the third point is to find something that uses new or innovative technology. In the health and fitness world, there are several products that fit this bill. Timex makes some incredible speed and distance units that use GPS technology to give constant readouts on speed, distance, pace, and more. Newer units also come with heart rate monitors and can send all that data to a separate recorder unit that can download training data to your PC.

Perhaps no one puts high-tech into a wrist unit better than Finnish company Suunto. Their wristop computers are the ultimate in multi-function training devices. They range from simple functions like time, date, and stopwatch to the more advanced altitude, temperature, and EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption). Suunto even makes units that will keep your golf score, and measure the speed of your swing.

Finally, choose something simple that can be a constant reminder to get more regular physical activity than the recipient is currently getting. A pedometer is a great tool for motivation, as it constantly reminds you to take more steps per day. Pedometers count steps, distance, calories, time and much more (depending on the model). A person can clip one on their waistband and go all day-whether deliberately “exercising” or not-and keep track of their effort.

Whatever health and fitness gift you decide to give this holiday season, be assured you are helping the recipient live a better and healthier life. That’s truly the “gift that keeps on giving.”