THE SILENT KILLER: HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

Having high blood pressure is like a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. This serious medical condition can lead to serious health problems and even death from a heart attack or stroke. The difficulty is that people have no idea they have high blood pressure until it is too late. There are no warning signs to tell a person they have high blood pressure, they in fact, feel fine. No one is immune to high blood pressure. Experts are not sure of what causes it, but they do know that certain factors raise one's risk including:

• Being overweight - high blood pressure risk is greatest for people who are obese.
• Smoking - if you smoke, quit.
• Not exercising - to cut your risk of high blood pressure, make physical activity a habit.
• Drinking too much alcohol - limit the amount to no mor than two drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women.
• Consuming too much salt - you can reduce your risk by limiting sodium intake.
• Stress - try to eliminate stressors from your life.

The only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to get checked by your doctor. Your doctor will diagnose you with high blood pressure after you have had at least two high blood pressure readings. High blood pressure is treated through lifestyle changes and/or medication.

Doctors recommend that all adults should be screened for high blood pressure every year. Being screened for this medical condition is easy and painless, so don't gamble with your health, have your blood pressure checked annually.

source: www.ahealthiermichigan.org