Are you one of the estimated 20 million Americans who have high blood pressure but is doing nothing to treat it? You do know what the consequences of not reducing your blood pressure are right? Those consequences read like a scene out of ER. Heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney failure and now high diastolic blood pressure is being looked at as a possible contributor to Alzheimer’s.
What was that really good reason for doing nothing again?
High blood pressure is endemic in the United States. Over 60 million Americans have it and fully a third is doing nothing about it. Probably the biggest reason that some ignore this very dangerous condition is that it has no outward symptoms. It may take years of abusing your blood vessels before the affects of high pressure manifest themselves as a heart attack or worse.
Out of sight out of mind is not a valid strategy when treating high blood pressure.
The really frustrating part for public health officials is that this condition can be prevented, controlled and even reversed in 90% of the cases. And it can be done naturally without medication.
Think about that for a moment. If you had cancer would you be ignoring it? If you had cancer and there was a way to control it or reverse it without using chemo or radiation would you ignore it?
Then why are you ignoring your high blood pressure?
The American Heart Association endorses changes in lifestyle over medication when treating high blood pressure. Changes in diet and exercise can quickly and dramatically reduce both systolic and diastolic pressure. This isn’t rocket science and it’s not difficult to do. All it takes is a little knowledge and a little commitment. It doesn’t require life changing behavior. Every little bit you do to lower your pressure counts.
Can you do any of these?
Walk for 10 to 30 minutes each day (it doesn’t all have to be at the same time)
Cut back on salt by eating out less.
Eat a banana a day.
Limit your alcohol intake to two drinks a day.
At a fresh fruit daily.
Substitute fish, poultry or lean white meat instead of beef three times a week
Take a garlic supplement daily.
There’s a ton more you could do but if you can do half the things on this list you can control your pressure. Can you do that?
What are you waiting for? Take responsibility for your health. Do it for yourself, do it for your family or do it for your friends. Just do it.
Just imagine knowing without a doubt exactly what will and won’t have a positive effect on your efforts to treating blood pressure?
