So, what if I have high blood pressure?

Men may ask, "So what if I have high blood pressure? I feel fine!" On the whole, people with high blood pressure have few or no symptoms and apparently have no complications. During the early years of hypertension, hereditary and environmental factors promote brief spurts of the blood pressure during stress or exercise.

Complications

The higher the blood pressure and the longer it remains elev-ated, the more serious the illness and the more likelihood of death. A few patients remain uncomplicated, but the majority of them suffer from heart failure or heart attack. Some patients have large-vessel rupture, while others suffer from kidney failure or brain damage due to stroke. Most people over 60 have concerns with blood pressure greater than 140 over 90. This reflects the stiffening of the arteries that comes with age. This puts them at risk for strokes.

Change your lifestyle

Lifestyle changes have been shown to delay and perhaps stop the development of hypertension. Address issues such as high-calorie intake, high-salt intake, increased body weight, alcohol consumption, and a diet poor in fruits and vegetables. Smoking cessation is the most effective and immediate way to reduce the risk for strokes and heart attacks among smokers who have hypertension. Smokers should quit.

Eat fresh, natural foods

The keys to lifestyle changes include low salt intake by eating less processed foods and more natural foods. Men can achieve this by increased intake of fresh fruits, vegetables, peas, and beans. Eating fish in preference to other types of meat has the beneficial effect of lowering blood pressures. This is especially true for diets containing mackerel and herring due to the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids found in these fish.

Physical Activity

Regular physical activity protects against cardiovascular disease as well as many other causes of death. After 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, the blood pressure remains lower for the rest of the 24-hour period. This occurs with young and elderly people.

Relaxation

Yoga, meditation, biofeedback, and cognitive behavioural therapy have been shown to lower blood pressures, at least in the short term. Marital harmony and slow-breathing techniques also lower blood pressures.

Dr Pauline Williams-Green is a family physician and president of the Caribbean College of Family Physicians; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.