"Controlling Hypertension and Lowering Cholesterol"

Today my Doctor said “My pressure is up and I seem to be fine”…That is a recurring theme that I hear often when people are talking about their blood pressure after leaving a doctor's office.
But what is Blood Pressure? It’s something everyone has and it’s something that we can’t do without. As blood is pumped through your body's arteries, it creates force against the inside walls of your blood vessels. The amount of blood the heart pumps and the resistance of the arteries determines your blood pressure.
A "silent killer," ………..High blood pressure usually has no symptoms, but yet it can lead to serious and even life-threatening problems if left untreated. The good news is that there are ways to manage Hypertension.
Why me, why now? There are a number of reasons why people have Hypertension. In the majority of cases, hypertension is caused by a combination of inherited and environmental factors. Certainly, a family history of hypertension predisposes you to the disease. Other risk factors are Chosen, such as smoking, eating too many fat-laden foods, and not getting enough exercise.
But there is good news and some bad news! There are factors You Can Control and others you can't. Look at the list below to find out what you CAN do about lowering your blood pressure.
Factors You Can Control
SMOKING: Cigarette smokers are at least twice as likely as non-smokers to develop heart disease. If you smoke, talk to your doctor about breaking the habit. Give up the habit, it will help reduce your chances of getting heart disease and help keep your blood pressure under control. REDUCE ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION: Excessive alcohol can raise your blood pressure and reduces your heart's ability to pump blood. EXERCISE: Let’s work that body more! Doing just 30 to 45 minutes of mild to moderate exercise such as brisk walking or biking three times a week can bump your blood pressure down a few points, especially if you are losing weight as well. For those of you who want to lower your risk of hypertension further, try some vigorous exercise, such as riding a stationary bike for 40 minutes, running for 30 minutes or doing laps in the pool. Vigorous exercise can lower blood pressure by more than 10 points. Note: Please check with your doctor before you undertake vigorous exercise. EATING A LOWER FAT, BALANCED DIET: It is well documented that many people who have high blood pressure are also overweight. Try controlling your weight with both exercise and diet to maintain a healthy weight. Seek help from a registered dietitian in your area to gain more insight to better eating habits.

REDUCE SALT INTAKE: This is a must do! We salt our food before we even taste it! Many people consume far more salt than their bodies actually need. Eating too much salt can be dangerous to those with a history of high blood pressure because sodium intake can increase blood pressure. While not everyone must cut down on salty chips, pickles and popcorn, African Americans and people of African descent and women older than 65 seem to benefit when they lower their daily salt intake to no more than 2,400 milligrams a day - or about one teaspoon. The best thing that we can do for ourselves is to take the salt shakers and high sodium seasonings off of the dinner table and control the salt intake with better cooking practices.

Below are a few hints and suggestions on what you can do to help reduce your salt intake during the day:

·         Moderate your sodium intake gradually if you are accustomed to eating salty foods

·         Enjoy plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables instead of consuming salty snacks

·         Choose other foods within a food group that don’t have as much sodium i.e. meats , fish , poultry

·         Season with herbs and spices, herbed vinegar, and fruit juices instead of salt

·         Learn to prepare food with less salt or high-sodium ingredients

·         Go easy on high sodium foods (canned soups, processed foods)

·         Read the Nutrition facts information on your food label and understand where the sodium is coming from

·         If cutting back on sodium, look for reduced sodium products in the store

·         Be “salt “ conscious when eating out

·         Purchase lightly salted snacks, and nuts

·         When eating out move the salt shaker off the table, When at home do the same thing

·         Recognize terms that describe salty foods: Pickled, smoked, au jus, soy bases

·         Go easy on condiments, they tend to be salty

·         Reduce the consumption of processed and luncheon meats

Above all, remember that these changes must be gradual. Setting a goal too high will set you up for great disappointments. You can take control of your health by taking one step at a time.

LOWERING CHOLESTEROL

Death rates from heart disease are higher for African Americans than for Whites and heart disease is the leading cause of death for African American women. By living a healthy lifestyle, you can significantly reduce your likelihood of developing heart disease. Monitoring (and reducing if necessary) your cholesterol is an extremely important part of “living healthy.” A large body of research has shown that elevated blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for the development of heart disease.

Heart disease refers to the condition in which there is an insufficient amount of blood flow to the heart, resulting in damage to the heart muscle. A common cause of this is a blockage of the coronary (heart) arteries due to the accumulation of cholesterol deposits. These cholesterol deposits narrow the arteries and slow down blood flow.

 Let’s learn more about cholesterol and see how we can battle against it!

WHAT IS CHOLESTEROL?

Cholesterol is fat like material present in the blood and in most tissues of our body. It is an important component of cell membranes and serves as a building block for some hormones. Our liver produces all of the cholesterol that we need, but we also take in cholesterol by eating meats, dairy foods, egg yolks, poultry, and fish.

Key components in your cholesterol or “lipid” profile include Total Cholesterol (TC), Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL), High Density Lipoprotein (HDL), and Triglycerides. The lipoproteins (LDL and HDL) help to transport cholesterol through the blood stream.

WHAT ARE DESIRABLE CHOLESTEROL LEVELS?

TOTAL CHOLESTEROL: In general, increased cholesterol levels correlate with increased risk of heart disease. The following table will provide basic guidelines to assess the significance of your total cholesterol level.

TOTAL CHOLESTEROL MG/DL SIGNIFICANCE 
<200 Desirable - 200-239 Borderline High. Some increased risk of heart disease. >240 High Cholesterol. Twice (2x) the risk of heart disease as compared with a person with Total Cholesterol <200.

LDL: In general, the lower the LDL the better! The most desirable level for any individual must take into account a person’s past medical history. For example, a person with a history of heart attack, who smokes, and has a family history of heart attacks, should have LDL levels even lower than what the following table suggests. You should discuss your individual case with your doctor.

LDL LEVEL MG/DL SIGNIFICANCE

130-159 Borderline High. Some increased risk of heart disease. >160High LDL level. Associated with considerably higher risk of heart disease.

HDL: The higher the HDL level the better. High HDL levels actually have a protective effect against heart disease. A HDL level less than 35 mg/dL increases your risk for heart disease.

TRIGLYCERIDES: Several, but not all, population studies have shown that increased triglycerides are independently correlated with increased risk of heart disease. Triglyceride levels >400 mg/dL are considered high.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD CHOLESTEROL BE CHECKED?
All adults age 20 and over should have their total cholesterol checked at least once every 5 years. The test requires a simple blood sample taken from your arm or finger. Your doctor may or may not check your HDL and LDL levels at the same time. If you have not had your cholesterol checked in the last 5 years, I urge you to talk with your doctor soon!

WHAT CAN I DO TO LOWER MY CHOLESTEROL LEVELS?
The good news is that you can make lifestyle and dietary changes to improve your cholesterol profile! The two most important things that you can do are (1) to monitor your diet and (2) increase your physical activity.

Your diet should be low in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. 

Foods traditionally used in the African American diet (chitterlings, sausage, bacon, fat back, pigs feet) are high in fat and must be eaten sparingly, if it all. 

Increase the amount of fiber in your diet by eating more fruits, vegetables, and whole-wheat grains. 

Please check out the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute web site www.nhlbi.nih.gov and look under their guidelines for heart healthy living.

Resources:
www.nhlbi.nih.gov
www.hebni.com
National Cholesterol Education Program Resource Kit - http://hin.nhlbi.nih.gov/cholmonth/

(By: Roniece Weaver, MS, RD, LD and David Pryor, MD)

 Much Love, Dr.Shermaine #InformativeRead #PleaseShare #HealthyBodySoulAndSpirit #IWantYou2LiveWell

"It's Not Selfish to Love Yourself, Take Care of Yourself and to Make Your Happiness a Priority. It's a Necessity." (Mandy Hale)

"Self-Care is Not Selfish. You Cannot Serve From an Empty Vessel." (Eleanor Brown)

The contents of the Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Site and its resouces, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on the site are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this site!

If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on the site. Reliance on any information provided by this site or other visitors to the site is solely at your own risk.