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211 S. Cedar St. Manistique, MI 49854
(906) 341-5494 1-888-341-3001
Courtesy of
Caring for you and about you
If you've been diagnosed with
high blood pressure, your heart is
working overtime. Also known as
hypertension, high blood pressure
not only raises the risk of heart
disease. It also increases risks to
your arteries, brain, kidneys, and
eyes.
Blood pressure measurements
give you two readings: the top
number is the pressure in your
arteries when your heart pumps
blood. The bottom number is the
pressure in arteries between
beats.
If you don't know what your
blood pressure is, it's time to find
out. Bottom line? High blood pres-sure
can be a silent killer.
What increases blood pres-sure?
As usual, certain risks are
outside your control. That includes
genetics, age, and a family history
of hypertension. In some cases,
certain medications can raise
blood pressure. Let us look over
a list of your medications to make
sure that's not true for you.
In most cases, though, doctors
don't know the exact cause. What
they do know is that making
lifestyle changes can make a big
difference.
Here are some things you can
do:
1. Lose a few. Even 5 to 10
pounds can make a difference in
blood pressure. Studies have also
found that belly fat may be the kind
that's most likely linked to high
blood pressure.
2. Exercise. Try to exercise 30
to 60 minutes more days of the
week than not. You may see a
change in your numbers within just
a few weeks.
3. Make a DASH for it. The Di-etary
Approaches to Stop Hyperten-sion
(DASH) diet is rich in whole
grains, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat
dairy products. Go easy with
foods high in saturated fats and
cholesterol.
4. Limit salt, alcohol, and caf-feine.
Read food labels, eat fewer
processed foods, and don't add salt
to your food. Track your habits so
you can see exactly how much al-cohol
and caffeine you drink each
week.
Small amounts of alcohol can ac-tually
lower your blood pressure. But
more than moderate amounts can
do just the opposite.
Likewise, caffeine can also boost
blood pressure. Check your pres-sure
30 minutes after you drink a
cup of coffee and see if it's more
than 10 points higher than at other
times of day.
5. Go smoke-free. Smoking can
be a tough habit to kick. If that's true
for you, get help to quit for good.
And, remember: Even second-hand
smoke isn't harmless.
6. Chill out. Easier said than
done, I know. But stress can tem-porarily
boost your blood pressure.
You know better than anyone what
helps you relax. Try to build that
into your daily (or weekly) routine.
If your doctor gives you medi-cation
for high blood pressure,
take it exactly as prescribed. But
be patient. It can take a while to
get your numbers where they
need to be. You may also need to
try more than one medicine. There
are many classes of high blood
pressure drugs, and it can get con-fusing.
As you know, we’re here
as a resource.
You can't feel blood pressure, so
there's only one way to know
medicine or a lifestyle change is
working: Consider buying a blood
pressure cuff from our store so
you can regularly check your blood
pressure.
Nothing herein constitutes medical advice,
diagnosis or treatment, or is a substitute for
professional advice. You should always seek
the advice of your physician or other medi-cal
professional if you have questions or con-cerns
about a medical condition.
