Unless you measure your Blood Pressure It does not give headaches It does not make you dizzy It may be very high and you feel nothing
Why Me? • • • •
Most of the time there is no reason why If parents have high BP you are more likely If you are overweight If you eat too much salt BP goes up temporarily because salt pulls water • Kidney disease and some tumors can cause high BP
So What! • • • • • • •
If untreated you can get Heart Failure Stroke ie. Paralysis Kidney Failure Death from all of the above Enlarged heart, like your muscles of your arms But blood supply to the heart remains same Now the heart is big and amount of blood giving it nutrition is same, not enough
Make a tight fist • • • • • •
Now look at it closely and open the fist You can see the blood returning to the fist The white color becomes red again Every time the heart beats, it is white When it relaxes , the blood supplies the heart So the time that the heart gets to relax is the time it gets its own blood/ nutrition
Normal Heart Rate • 70 per minute • More than 90 means less time in a minute that the heart is relaxed • That means less blood supply to the heart • So if it beats 100/ minute, worse supply • So when it beats fast , which is when you are stressed, smoking, working physically your heart gets less blood for itself
Whats a Heart attack? • Death of tissue from poor oxygen supply • Whether it is the heart or brain or any other organ, poor oxygen supply causes damage • Damage in the Heart causes the muscle to behave odd. Its like a muscle cramp in your leg • You cannot do anything when the same happens to your heart. Worst is it cannot supply blood to other important organs.
How do we die? • Heart stops • Heart does not pump blood, being inefficient • Heart is beating but fibrillating. That means it is not pumping but just tremors/ shaking • Sudden stop of blood to brain, heart or lungs • Brain hemorrhage from a weak blood vessel • All can be caused by high Blood Pressure
OK so High BP is bad • So check for it every time you go to a pharmacy or your doctor • Ask your doctor to check if the BP is OK • Don’t accept “slightly High” BP • If it is high , you need to do something • There is no middle road • High BP kills and paralyses
What to do? • • • • • •
Cut down on salt in your food Don’t eat frozen food Don’t eat canned food Don’t eat salted food Don’t add salt ever Don’t restrict salt in your diet unless you have high BP. By eating less salt you cannot prevent getting high BP.
What to do? • • • • • •
Lose weight Be more active so your heart is more efficient Try eating light food frequently Avoid big meals Adopt a lifestyle and maintain it Look for other medical problems that often come with high BP
What goes along with High BP • • • • •
High Sugar High Fat in your blood Obesity All the effects of over eating Food is our biggest enemy. Eat only to get energy for that days work • If you think you did not work enough, eat just to satisfy your hunger
Food Habits • • • • • • • •
Cut down Potatoes No fried food More Vegetables No salad dressing, except Vinegar/ Vinegarette No Butter Eat to satisfy hunger, not because it is time to eat Don’t listen to what your mother told you Don’t finish the food on your plate
Treatment of High BP • Your doctor will tell you which medicine suits you depending on other connected issues • Example: If you have an anxious personality • If your heart rate is too fast • If your HR is too slow • If you have kidney disease • If you are Diabetic • If you also have leg swelling
Treatment contd. • Smoker with Lung Disease • Gout
Treatment follow up • Return to your doctor in 1 -2 weeks to check for the effect of the medication • Do not let more than a month pass by without returning to your doctor • Remember that High BP is not cured • You need to take medicines all your life • As time goes by the effect of medicine may become less and most people end up with 2-3 pills for High BP treatment
Dont • Don’t stop your pills abruptly • Don’t wait to the last day when you run out of pills • Don’t presume that your doctor remembers or has notes on what medication you are taking • Don’t check your BP if you have pain or headache. Both raise your BP . High BP does not give you headache or pain
Always • Always take your pill bottles with you to the doctor to confirm what you are taking • Always check BP only when you feel fine • If you have a headache and you check your BP , it will be high • High BP does not give you a headache • Go to the ER if you have “the worst headache” • It may be a brain hemorrhage
