The Silent Killer :: High Blood Pressure

According to recent estimates, approximately one in 3 U.S. Adults suffer from high blood pressure. Even so, because the symptoms aren’t obvious, nearly one-third of the people who have high blood pressure do not know it. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure or kidney failure. The problem is so pervasive high blood pressure is often called “the silent killer.”

What is Blood High Pressure? Blood pressure is the force in the arteries when the heart beats and when it’s at rest. High blood pressure (or hypertension) is defined in an adult as a blood pressure greater than or equal to 140 mm Hg when active or ninety mm Hg when at rest.

High blood pressure can have serious repercussions for the heart but it may also profoundly affect other organs and create complications for pregnant women.

According to Americanheart.org There are a number of factors that can increase high blood pressure. While some are hereditary, others can be changed with lifestyle choices. It’s vital to have your blood pressure checked regularly, especially if any of the factors below relate to you. Then test your heart for its health and if needed take action on these factors below that can be changed.

Factors that can be changed:

One more intriguing fact concerning this topic. Overweight (obesity): Obesity is defined by your body mass index (BMI) rather than weight and is very closely related to high blood pressure. Medical professionals strongly recommend that all obese people with high blood pressure lose weight until they’re within 15% of their healthy body weight. Your health care provider can help you calculate your BMI and a healthy range of body weight.

Sodium (salt) sensitivity: Some people have high sensitivity to sodium (salt), and their blood pressure goes up if they use much salt. Reducing sodium intake tends to lower blood pressure. Americans consume 10-15 times more sodium than they need. Fast foods and processed foods contain particularly high amounts of sodium. Many over-the-counter medicines, such as painkillers, also contain large amounts of sodium. Read labels to find out how much sodium is contained in food items and avoid those with high sodium levels.

Alcohol use: Drinking more than one to 2 drinks of alcohol per day tends to raise blood pressure in those who are sensitive to alcohol.

Birth control pills (oral contraceptive use): Some women who take birth control pills develop high blood pressure. Check with your practitioner.

Lack of exercise (physical inactivity): A sedentary lifestyle contributes to the development of obesity and high blood pressure. Even minor exercise like a daily walk can dramatically reduce blood pressure.

Drugs: Certain drugs, such as amphetamines (stimulants), diet pills, and some pills used for cold and allergy symptoms, tend to raise blood pressure. If one or more of these relate to you, please check your blood pressure regularly!

Smoking: Smoking increases blood pressure and therefore the risk of heart disease. The longer and more cigarettes one smokes the greater the risk. People who smoke a pack of cigarettes a day have more than twice the risk of heart attack than non-smokers. Women who smoke and also take birth control pills increase several times their risk of heart attack, stroke and peripheral vascular disease.

Factors that cannot be changed

Age: The older you get, the more likely you’re to develop high blood pressure, especially when active. This is largely due to arteriosclerosis, or “hardening of the arteries.”

Race: African Americans have high blood pressure more often than people of European descent. They develop high blood pressure at a younger age and develop more severe complications sooner.

Family history (heredity): The tendency to have high blood pressure appears to run in families.

Gender: Generally men have a greater likelihood of developing high blood pressure than women. This likelihood varies according to age and among various ethnic groups.

Information included from http://www.emedicinehealth.com/high_blood_pressure/page2_em.htm

The Canary Club was started by Lynn Larkin and Judith Seton, 2 women who had been through the mill with ineffective testing resulting in inadequate care. They’re now ready and willing to work with you to create an effective vehicle for healthy change. We would like to invite each of you to participate in a consumer-advocacy group http://www.CanaryClub.org that allows people from all over the country to self-order a home hormone test kit for concurrent evaluation of these 3 major hormones. Drs Shames can be reached at http://www.FeelingFFF.com

Judith Seton MaApSc -SE CanaryClub.org