Hypertension

Hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure, is a very frequent and potentially serious health issue that develops over many years, and it eventually affects almost all of us.

Blood pressure is a pressure caused by blood pushing against the walls of blood vessels; when there is a narrowing of arteries and/or higher amounts of blood pumped by the heart, there is also a danger of hypertension, which then increases the risks of heart diseases and stroke.

Causes and Conventional Treatments

Although no direct cause has been so far identified, there are many contributing factors such as physical inactivity, alcohol drinking and tobacco smoking, stress, salt-rich diet, overeating and obesity, and vitamin D deficiency. The chance of having high blood pressure increases with age and genetic predispositions.

The best treatment is prevention – reduce alcohol and tobacco intake, restrict salty and fast foods, be active and eat healthy. There are also pharmaceuticals used to lower the pressure, such as beta-blockers or calcium antagonists.

What Cannabis Does to Blood Pressure

Studies have repeatedly shown that cannabis use lowers blood pressure in regular users, thus it seems to be a viable treatment of hypertension (but there are no clinical data available), but it is important to note that particularly inexperienced users may at first feel overwhelmed by psychoactive effects of THC and their blood pressure may go – only temporarily – up.