HYPERTENSION

So why do I speak on Hypertension today when basically this Blog is on the Tao and things esoteric? Well because I feel this topic is equally important for my friends who follow me here. It also gives this place a variety of topics to keep away from boredom. And I am very qualified to talk about it.
Hypertension is a silent killer. When a person has high blood pressure, initially there are no ill health, every thing seems normal. But the assassin has already entered into your body. Slowly the eyes, heart, brain and kidneys are afflicted. Like all diseases, when you feel its bad side effects, it is rather too late. The effects are the damage to the eyes leading to blindness, strokes, heart attacks and kidney failure. And all these are avoidable (or nearly so).
When a person is obese, high blood pressure is a must because the heart has to work much harder to pump the blood greater distances. So I don’t understand when such a person tell me that they don’t have Hypertension- impossible! Obesity also predisposes a person to diabetes and associated high cholesterol levels or hyperlipidaemia. This combination of Hypertension, Diabetes and Hyperlipidaemia is triple trouble.
My advice? Please get your Blood Pressure checked today! If possible please do some blood tests to know your blood glucose and cholesterol levels. Actually I had discussed this topic in greater detail in my book ‘Esoteric Views on Health”. And in my Book, I tried to avoid medical jargon to make it simple, effective and interesting.
In fact even a slightly elevated blood pressure is a danger, as they are 55% more likely to have a stroke compared with those of normal pressure as revealed in a study of 518,520 adults in 12 studies. Even those with so called pre- hypertension systolic pressure of 130 – 139 mmHg has a 79% higher chance of getting a stroke when compared with normotensive individuals.
Strokes can be either ischemic or haemorrhagic. After the age of 55, the risk of suffering a stroke, doubles for every decade of age. The lifetime risk is 1 in 4 for men and 1 in 5 for women. The risk factors includes –
a) Hypertension
b) Diabetes – the risk increases 4 times
c) Atrial fibrillation – risk is 5 times more
d) High cholesterol
e) Family history of stroke
f) Lifestyle factors – sedentary life, overweight, smoke and drinks.
Some warning signs –
1) Sudden, severe headache with vomiting, dizziness
2) Confusion, speech problems
3) Paralysis or numbness
4) Vision problems
5) Difficulty in swallowing
6) Difficulty in walking, loss of coordination and balance
7) Drowsiness
So don’t just sit there reading my Blog entry- go get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked!( But please get the right doctor!)