High Blood Pressure

Another blog post from Ann Arbor chiropractor, Mike Tannenbaum, D.C.

Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in three adults in the U.S. has high blood pressure. (The medical term for this is hypertension.) High blood pressure is often termed the “silent killer,” since it generally has no obvious symptoms, but can kill you. Over time, it can cause an array of illnesses that include chronic heart failure, kidney failure, heart attack and even death. So, what causes high blood pressure? Genetics can play a part. Very often, though, lifestyle choice is the defining factor. Now, people at risk for high blood pressure are those with a family history of it, and/or who are overweight, drink heavily, are physically inactive, smoke cigarettes, have high fat intake, have high sodium consumption, or have diabetes, and are over 50 years of age.

So, how do you keep your blood pressure in the normal/healthy range?

1. Have your blood pressure checked by a health care practitioner who is well versed in taking blood pressures. (Don't rely on a machine at the drug store.)

2. If your blood pressure is high, you should attempt to control and bring down your blood pressure. The CDC recommends the following:

First: Check with your primary care provider (PCP) to see if any medications you are taking may be causing your blood pressure to rise, and work with your PCP to adjust your medications accordingly. Also, if you are already taking blood pressure medication, check with your PCP to see if there needs to be any change in the blood pressure medication regimen.

Second: Work to implement the following lifestyle changes:

-Eat a healthy diet, low in sodium, total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol and high in fruits and vegetables.

-Don't smoke, or find a way to quit smoking as soon as possible. The Michigan Tobacco Quitline can be reached at 1-800-QUIT-NOW or https://michigan.quitlogix.org

-Be active. Try, for example, taking three brisk 10-minute walks daily, five days a week.

Any questions about this blog post can be directed to our Ann Arbor chiropractic office at [email protected]. Also, if you have any questions about chiropractic, low back pain, neck pain or headaches, they can be directed to the same email address.

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