KNOW YOUR NUMBERS--Blood Pressure
Gordon Peterson
Healthy aging, health and wellness copywriter. Compelling copy for the health and wellness market. My writing gives you 30+ years of exercise know-how, healthy diet, and serious study on how to SLOW the aging process.
As we can all see from Kelly’s story from yesterday, the problem with high blood pressure is there are no symptoms until it gets dire. By that time, it can cause permanent health problems.
???????????Some of those problems can include heart attack, stroke, atrial fibrillation (A-fib), heart failure, aneurysm, kidney disease, kidney failure, vision problems, and problems with your thinking processes. And the longer the high blood pressure goes untreated, the more damage it will cause.
“The silent killer” is another name for heart attacks. That’s because sometimes there are no symptoms. Unfortunately, your first and only symptom is often death. Also, heart attacks and heart disease tend to run in families.
BUT here is some very GOOD news; doctors can very successfully treat blood pressure with several good medications. Lifestyle changes can also be a big help, like eating a lean diet, losing weight, and getting more exercise.
Generally, you want to keep your blood pressure at or below 130/80, commonly called 130 “over” 80. Anything above that, especially long-term, can and will damage your good health.
Final thought: Don’t let high blood pressure sneak up on you as it did with Kelly. See your doctor regularly, i.e., at least yearly. If your readings start running high, talk with your doctor as to how you should treat it. And finally, do what your doctor recommends, and do those things faithfully.
Tomorrow: Blood sugar (glucose) and staying on top of YOUR numbers.