How To Lower Blood Pressure

By Dr. Bill

This morning I am feeling quite good because I don't have to drive anywhere, and the weather is nice. Hopefully my wife won't find any "honeydo's" for me, until after I've soaked up a bit of sun, and finished a newspaper or two.

Earlier this morning, I was thinking about the number of Americans, possibly a third or more, who have high blood pressure, or hypertension, in medical lingo. The thing is, many of them have it, but don't even know it, until it's too late. High blood pressure is often referred to, as "The Silent Killer," because it often attacks with no warning, causing strokes, heart attacks and heart failure.

So, what causes hypertension?

There are several factors like a sedentary lifestyle, low potassium, body type, sodium intake, saturated fat, alcohol, and huffing. I call smoking "huffing" because everyone who smokes, huffs. And there's "essential hypertension" which is when we can't find a specific reason for it, but just the same it's there.

Now, if you happen to be overweight, and more people are overweight every day, or if you sit around all day on your job, and don't exercise, you're probably already on the road to high blood pressure. And the more fat around your midsection, the more trouble you're likely to be in.

Sodium isn't bad in and of itself. But here in the Sunshine State, I see people pouring the stuff on every plate they consume. Tasting the food in the first place isn't even an issue, they just always add more. Too much salt can lead to water retention, then high blood pressure, or make it worse.

I see piles of bananas every time I go to the supermarket. And I try to get in at least one per day for their rich potassium levels. But I guess most Americans don't eat the bananas they toss in their carts because they aren't getting enough potassium in their diets. This may lead to high levels of sodium.

And I'm not even touching upon the alcohol and huffing, which are some of the worst things you can do.

Now I'm no teetotaler. I have a drink now and then and so can you. And I'm not going to complain about a special occasion cigar, even if I won't partake.

But I'll tell you this: smoking and constant drinking, in the long run, will hurt you - if you get to have a long run. And if you have high blood pressure, doing either is suicidal.

You can start lowering your blood pressure with simple lifestyle changes. Try eating better one day at a time. Try a little exercise, also one day at a time. Then, make it two. Remember, it took quite a while for your body to get in the shape it's in, so don't try to fix everything in a only few days or weeks. Because if you do, you'll only end up hurting yourself and being pissed off, and then, not doing anything.

These lifestyle changes are important, too. Don't be like a good friend of mine who always used to say, "Hey...who the...put a vegetable on my plate?" His heart attack hit him like a bulldozer, and he's still recovering over a year later.

He told me at the hospital, "I guess it's all carrots and celery from now on, huh?" This isn't the way it has to be. Start with little changes and you'll be surprised how much you can do for your health. - 17274

About the Author:

Dr. Bill is an orthopaedic surgeon and anti-aging author. For heart health, he recommends this form of pharmaceutical grade fish oil.