I’d like to share an email with you that my brother sent to me. He met a woman who has taken charge of her life and it reminded him to do something about his health before it’s too late.
“I met a woman today whose parent’s both died before they were 65. Both her parents worked hard all their lives and only started to look after their health when they were already suffering from illness. They both had high blood pressure.
My new friend had changed her own life as a result of her parent’s premature death. She exercises regularly and has her cholesterol tested regularly. She has found that she has a hereditary tendency to high cholesterol, but is managing to keep her cholesterol lower by regular exercise and paying attention to her diet.
She is hoping that taking this effort now will mean that she is able to enjoy not only her children, but also her grandchildren, which is something her parents were unable to do.”
I congratulate her on taking the tests and facing up to the results.
Filed under Blog by Catherine Chalice
Using A Blood Pressure Monitor
High blood pressure is called the ‘silent killer’ because there are rarely any symptoms. It forces the heart to work too hard, which over time can lead to heart failure. Have you checked yours recently?
Check Your Blood Pressure with a Blood Pressure Monitor
Taking your own blood pressure reading is easy. The only equipment you need is blood pressure monitor, also called a sphygmomanometer. Here’s a link to a blood pressure monitor on Amazon.com.
–>Buy A Blood Pressure Monitor Safely and securely from Amazon<–
It’s good to get one with a digital readout that takes your pulse at the same time. You place the cuff around your arm, just above your elbow then inflate it enough to take your blood pressure. Some models do this automatically at the press of a button, others need pumping up by squeezing a little bulb. Either way is easy. Then you deflate the cuff and the machine records your blood pressure.
High blood pressure is often referred to as 140/90 or above, but the guidelines vary so it is best to check yours with a doctor. The first number measures the level of pressure in your blood vessels when your heart beats, pushing blood into your arteries. The second number measures the pressure in your blood vessels when your heart rests between beats.
Regular exercise lowers blood pressure, but it’s normal for it to go up during and after a workout.
Catherine
Filed under Blog by Catherine Chalice
My reaction to health education programs that repeatedly tell us to eat less salt, has always been, “What about the people who don’t eat enough salt?” I was sure I couldn’t eat any less.
The official advice may improve the overall statistics for heart attacks, but it’s assuming the whole population has the same needs. People with high blood pressure might benefit from the advice, whilst for others, continuing to eat less and less salt could cause serious (but not high profile) health problems.
The message is reduced to a sound bite to reach people with limited attention spans. We don’t get enough information to work out our individual needs.
Excessive salt is harmful, but so is too little. We need the sodium in it for our nerves to send messages to the brain and many other functions in the body. Macrobiotic practitioners also say too little salt makes us weak.
I’ve always suspected I might not get enough salt because my blood pressure is on the low side of normal and I don’t eat processed meals or add it to my food. Luckily, I don’t have adrenal fatigue, but having read JL Wilson’s book on the subject I was influenced by his longer explanation of our need for salt. He says,
“The majority of people with normal blood pressure do not experience a rise in blood pressure with moderate salt intake. In fact some of the symptoms of adrenal fatigue are caused by your body’s need for salt.”
The classic symptoms of lack of salt include being sleepy until 10 a.m. and again in the middle of the afternoon. Both true in my case. So I’ve taken his recommendation of drinking salted water in the morning.
It doesn’t taste as disgusting as I thought it would and even though I only add a tiny amount of salt it is making a difference. I’m more alert in the morning and less tired in the afternoon. It’s added an extra two hours to get on with things, everyday.
Catherine
Filed under Blog by Catherine Chalice
