Fortunately, high blood pressure is not the end of the world. It is easily detected and, though not curable, it is usually controllable. Millions of people continue to lead normal lives after being diagnosed with hypertension. You can, too. What’s important is that you don’t dump the entire job on your doctor’s shoulders. Controlling your blood pressure requires a working partnership — you and your doctor. And some steps only you can take. So don’t sit back — get involved.
Drop that load! If you lose excess weight you immediately
ease the strain on your heart — blood pressure can fall within
weeks of excess weight being shed.
Cut out smoking. We’ve already told you what it does to your heart.
Limit alcohol. Since research findings indicate that drinking alcohol in excess may increase your blood pressure, if you do drink limit your intake to a maximum of two drinks a day (or, better yet, follow your doctor’s advice).
Get Physical. Exercise appears to have a modest effect on hypertension, especially borderline hypertension, though it is seldom enough by itself. But check with your doctor before beginning an exercise programme. Keep the intensity light to moderate. Different kinds of exercise (ranging from aerobic, such as brisk walking or cycling, to strength training with light weights) appear to be beneficial. But strenuous exercise, such as isometric exercises (pushing against a wall or pressing palms together to build strength) is not advisable; studies have shown it can cause a dramatic rise in blood pressure.
Ease off! Meditation has been shown in studies to help lower blood pressure. There are various routes to meditation. Transcendental Meditation is one of them; it involves clearing the mind of all thoughts while silently repeating a mantra. Yoga and breathing exercises have also been shown to be useful routes to relaxation.
However, while all these stress – reducing measures may bring blood pressure down temporarily, their benefit in permanently reducing b.p. is still not known. At the least, though, they are helpful adjuncts to other lifestyle changes.
Get regular medical check-ups. Even if you take regular pressure readings at home, it’s important to also visit your doctor as a back-up. (For one thing, your home b.p. kit may be malfunctioning and you may not even be aware of it).
Also, you need to know what your target blood pressure is and how soon you should try to reach it. The goal of drug therapy is not necessarily to lower pressure as much as possible; one study found that fewer people had heart attacks when they had a moderate — rather than a large — drug-induced drop in pressure.
Tell your doctor about any side-effect or other problem you may be having with the prescribed medication or with any other aspect of the therapy. If one drug or drug combination isn’t working, he may be able to prescribe another. Or you may need to do
some tests. Tell your doctor about any recent symptoms or even
just any changes in the way you feel. Ask any question that you
might want to ask. As they say, the only stupid question is the one
you didn’t ask.
After each visit to your doctor, note your blood pressure and weight on a chart or at least in your diary.
Your active, ongoing involvement in your treatment is essential!
Cut back on Salt. It is now known that only half of all hypertensives are salt-sensitive, (that is, their blood pressure is significantly affected by their salt intake). Still, physicians advise all hypertensives, and in fact all those at risk for hypertension, to restrict salt intake. With good reason. We have no easy means yet of knowing who is salt-sensitive and who is not until someone is actually battling hypertension and can see how it responds to increased or decreased salt intake. To wait until this happens before cutting back on salt may be bad advice for the high-risk group. It has been noted that, in the industrialized world where salt intake is high, people tend to become hypertensive as they grow older, regardless of other risk factors. It may be that, in sodium-sensitive people, a high intake of salt during the years that they haven’t yet been diagnosed with hypertension may in fact weaken their genetic defenses against the illness. It can’t hurt anyone to restrict sodium intake during the years that their blood pressure is still normal — and it may help at least half of them to stay that way. (Those who are elderly tend to experience greater reductions in blood pressure after they cut back on salt).
Here are practical ways to wage war on sodium:
Toss away your salt-shaker.
Use less — or no — salt in cooking or preparing dishes like salads, sauces and dips, and flavour up instead with a whole kitchen shelf of other options: herbs like coriander, parsley and mint, spices like pepper, cardamom, nutmeg, mustard, flavours like vinegar, lime juice and wine.
Cut back on processed foods which are a prime source of sodium in our diets today: wafers, farsan, ketchup and sauces (some, like soya sauce, more particularly), pickles, packaged soups, baked beans, cheeses, breakfast cereals, cold cuts. The list is endless. (See the box titled, “Sodium Highs & Lows” to get an idea of the range you’re up against).
Read food labels carefully. Sodium goes under many names,
‘salt’ or ‘common salt’ being only one of them. If any of the following ingredients appears high up on a food label, that item is
avoidably high in sodium: monosodium glutamate (or aji-no-moto, the name we more familiarly know it by), baking soda, soda bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate,
Include more fruits and vegetables in your diet. They are naturally low in sodium and have flavours of their own to compensate.
Slowly does it…. give yourself time to get used to a low-salt diet. In a few weeks, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that most foods taste better — it’s just that you’re beginning to savour their natural flavours, unsquelched by the over-powering taste of salt. In fact it’s a safe bet that you’ll begin to find salty foods unpleasant to the taste!
Go Bananas. Four bananas a day can help to keep your heart healthy, says American cardiac specialist Milton Packer of Mount Sinai Medical School, predicting that warnings to hypertensives against potassium deficiency will soon rival those against excessive salt.
His conviction is based on the findings of recent research which indicate that getting enough potassium in your diet is at least as important as cutting back on sodium, if not more. In one investigation at Temple University School of Medicine in the U.S., men with normal blood pressure were divided into two groups, one fed on a normal diet for nine days, the other put on a diet that was deficient in potassium. The latter group showed a significant rise in blood pressure.
Other studies of large populations show that the lower the average intake of potassium, the higher the average blood pressure.
How does potassium help to regulate blood pressure? The thinking is that insufficient amounts of this mineral may promote sodium retention in the body, which can lead to hypertension in the long run. So-called “salt-sensitivity”, it is felt, may actually be an acquired condition caused by chronic potassium deficiency – and not a genetic condition as was initially believed.
Besides bananas, other good sources of potassium are beans, potatoes cooked with their skins, water melons, oranges, apricots and chicken.
(If you’re on one type of b.p. drugs known as diuretics, you may even need a potassium supplement because this drug can deplete potassium stores — but first check it out with your doctor.)
Take your medication regularly. This is one of the most commonly-neglected steps in hypertension control. Though lifestyle changes are necessary and helpful, for many hypertensives they do not go far enough. In fact, treatment for blood pressure often involves taking medication every day for the rest of your life. Sometimes several times a day. Sometime more than one drug. And that’s a daunting prospect for many people. Especially since each drug comes with its own complement of potential side-effects — ranging from headaches and dizziness to insomnia and impotence. Because hypertension usually has no symptoms that would serve as a reminder, some people simply just forget to take their medication. Others feel that because they’re not being in any way troubled by their hypertension, it’s okay to miss a dose now and then.
It’s not: studies show that even short-term bouts of hypertension can accelerate the formation of plaque in blood vessel walls. And there is enough evidence to show that medication dramatically improves survival rates for both, young and middle-aged hypertensives. That is why it’s important to take your medication exactly as your doctor’s ordered it — even if you feel perfectly fit.
Try to develop a way in which you’ll remember to take your medication — use a watch with a timer (or an alarm clock if you must); ask a family member to remind you; take your medication in conjunction with some other activity you engage in everyday — just before you have your morning bath, for instance. If you take a drug in multiple daily doses, ask your doctor if it’s available in a once-daily formulation. It’s easier to remember to take just one pill a day.
Even if you’re on medication, the lifestyle changes we suggested above can help the drug work better, or can help keep the dosage down.
*59\332\2*
HYPERTENSION: GET THE CUFFS ON HIGH BLOOD PRESSUREFortunately, high blood pressure is not the end of the world. It is easily detected and, though not curable, it is usually controllable. Millions of people continue to lead normal lives after being diagnosed with hypertension. You can, too. What’s important is that you don’t dump the entire job on your doctor’s shoulders. Controlling your blood pressure requires a working partnership — you and your doctor. And some steps only you can take. So don’t sit back — get involved.Drop that load! If you lose excess weight you immediatelyease the strain on your heart — blood pressure can fall withinweeks of excess weight being shed.Cut out smoking. We’ve already told you what it does to your heart.Limit alcohol. Since research findings indicate that drinking alcohol in excess may increase your blood pressure, if you do drink limit your intake to a maximum of two drinks a day (or, better yet, follow your doctor’s advice).Get Physical. Exercise appears to have a modest effect on hypertension, especially borderline hypertension, though it is seldom enough by itself. But check with your doctor before beginning an exercise programme. Keep the intensity light to moderate. Different kinds of exercise (ranging from aerobic, such as brisk walking or cycling, to strength training with light weights) appear to be beneficial. But strenuous exercise, such as isometric exercises (pushing against a wall or pressing palms together to build strength) is not advisable; studies have shown it can cause a dramatic rise in blood pressure.Ease off! Meditation has been shown in studies to help lower blood pressure. There are various routes to meditation. Transcendental Meditation is one of them; it involves clearing the mind of all thoughts while silently repeating a mantra. Yoga and breathing exercises have also been shown to be useful routes to relaxation.However, while all these stress – reducing measures may bring blood pressure down temporarily, their benefit in permanently reducing b.p. is still not known. At the least, though, they are helpful adjuncts to other lifestyle changes.Get regular medical check-ups. Even if you take regular pressure readings at home, it’s important to also visit your doctor as a back-up. (For one thing, your home b.p. kit may be malfunctioning and you may not even be aware of it).Also, you need to know what your target blood pressure is and how soon you should try to reach it. The goal of drug therapy is not necessarily to lower pressure as much as possible; one study found that fewer people had heart attacks when they had a moderate — rather than a large — drug-induced drop in pressure.Tell your doctor about any side-effect or other problem you may be having with the prescribed medication or with any other aspect of the therapy. If one drug or drug combination isn’t working, he may be able to prescribe another. Or you may need to dosome tests. Tell your doctor about any recent symptoms or evenjust any changes in the way you feel. Ask any question that youmight want to ask. As they say, the only stupid question is the oneyou didn’t ask.After each visit to your doctor, note your blood pressure and weight on a chart or at least in your diary.Your active, ongoing involvement in your treatment is essential!Cut back on Salt. It is now known that only half of all hypertensives are salt-sensitive, (that is, their blood pressure is significantly affected by their salt intake). Still, physicians advise all hypertensives, and in fact all those at risk for hypertension, to restrict salt intake. With good reason. We have no easy means yet of knowing who is salt-sensitive and who is not until someone is actually battling hypertension and can see how it responds to increased or decreased salt intake. To wait until this happens before cutting back on salt may be bad advice for the high-risk group. It has been noted that, in the industrialized world where salt intake is high, people tend to become hypertensive as they grow older, regardless of other risk factors. It may be that, in sodium-sensitive people, a high intake of salt during the years that they haven’t yet been diagnosed with hypertension may in fact weaken their genetic defenses against the illness. It can’t hurt anyone to restrict sodium intake during the years that their blood pressure is still normal — and it may help at least half of them to stay that way. (Those who are elderly tend to experience greater reductions in blood pressure after they cut back on salt).Here are practical ways to wage war on sodium:Toss away your salt-shaker.Use less — or no — salt in cooking or preparing dishes like salads, sauces and dips, and flavour up instead with a whole kitchen shelf of other options: herbs like coriander, parsley and mint, spices like pepper, cardamom, nutmeg, mustard, flavours like vinegar, lime juice and wine.Cut back on processed foods which are a prime source of sodium in our diets today: wafers, farsan, ketchup and sauces (some, like soya sauce, more particularly), pickles, packaged soups, baked beans, cheeses, breakfast cereals, cold cuts. The list is endless. (See the box titled, “Sodium Highs & Lows” to get an idea of the range you’re up against).Read food labels carefully. Sodium goes under many names,’salt’ or ‘common salt’ being only one of them. If any of the following ingredients appears high up on a food label, that item isavoidably high in sodium: monosodium glutamate (or aji-no-moto, the name we more familiarly know it by), baking soda, soda bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate,Include more fruits and vegetables in your diet. They are naturally low in sodium and have flavours of their own to compensate.Slowly does it…. give yourself time to get used to a low-salt diet. In a few weeks, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that most foods taste better — it’s just that you’re beginning to savour their natural flavours, unsquelched by the over-powering taste of salt. In fact it’s a safe bet that you’ll begin to find salty foods unpleasant to the taste!Go Bananas. Four bananas a day can help to keep your heart healthy, says American cardiac specialist Milton Packer of Mount Sinai Medical School, predicting that warnings to hypertensives against potassium deficiency will soon rival those against excessive salt.His conviction is based on the findings of recent research which indicate that getting enough potassium in your diet is at least as important as cutting back on sodium, if not more. In one investigation at Temple University School of Medicine in the U.S., men with normal blood pressure were divided into two groups, one fed on a normal diet for nine days, the other put on a diet that was deficient in potassium. The latter group showed a significant rise in blood pressure.Other studies of large populations show that the lower the average intake of potassium, the higher the average blood pressure.How does potassium help to regulate blood pressure? The thinking is that insufficient amounts of this mineral may promote sodium retention in the body, which can lead to hypertension in the long run. So-called “salt-sensitivity”, it is felt, may actually be an acquired condition caused by chronic potassium deficiency – and not a genetic condition as was initially believed.Besides bananas, other good sources of potassium are beans, potatoes cooked with their skins, water melons, oranges, apricots and chicken.(If you’re on one type of b.p. drugs known as diuretics, you may even need a potassium supplement because this drug can deplete potassium stores — but first check it out with your doctor.) Take your medication regularly. This is one of the most commonly-neglected steps in hypertension control. Though lifestyle changes are necessary and helpful, for many hypertensives they do not go far enough. In fact, treatment for blood pressure often involves taking medication every day for the rest of your life. Sometimes several times a day. Sometime more than one drug. And that’s a daunting prospect for many people. Especially since each drug comes with its own complement of potential side-effects — ranging from headaches and dizziness to insomnia and impotence. Because hypertension usually has no symptoms that would serve as a reminder, some people simply just forget to take their medication. Others feel that because they’re not being in any way troubled by their hypertension, it’s okay to miss a dose now and then.It’s not: studies show that even short-term bouts of hypertension can accelerate the formation of plaque in blood vessel walls. And there is enough evidence to show that medication dramatically improves survival rates for both, young and middle-aged hypertensives. That is why it’s important to take your medication exactly as your doctor’s ordered it — even if you feel perfectly fit.Try to develop a way in which you’ll remember to take your medication — use a watch with a timer (or an alarm clock if you must); ask a family member to remind you; take your medication in conjunction with some other activity you engage in everyday — just before you have your morning bath, for instance. If you take a drug in multiple daily doses, ask your doctor if it’s available in a once-daily formulation. It’s easier to remember to take just one pill a day.Even if you’re on medication, the lifestyle changes we suggested above can help the drug work better, or can help keep the dosage down.*59\332\2*
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