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America the Beautiful... or so we say. I too, want to think of America that way, but I have learned that America is harboring dirty little secrets that no one wants to discuss or even think about. They just go about their daily business doing exactly what feels good without giving any regard to what the outcome or consequences may be. How quickly I learned for myself and those that I love that the consequences are dire! I am clearly referring to the consequences of ignorance. As a young child I learned from my parents and teachers that "Knowledge is Power"... So I bought it and found it to be true. How about you? Did you learn anything from that statement? Do you find it to be true or false? Have you ever given thought to the another phrase that is true? The phrase "Ignorance is NO Excuse". Well, if not, you should consider what I am saying here. I often prefer to think of it this way... "Knowledge is Power" that leads us through a healthy and happy life; however "Ignorance is Deadly" and the fastest way you can prove to be your own worst enemy.
Now let's get right into the meat of what exactly is Hypertension and what it does to us and what we can do to fight it and WIN.
First - What is Hypertension? It is as you may have expected "High Blood Pressure". Well, that may not sound so awfully bad at the onset, but what one doesn't know is that this means excessively high High Blood Pressure for extended periods of time > weeks, months and in most cases years. Yes, people go on for years and years with excessively high blood pressure and the part that gets to me is that they do this out of sheer ignorance. You got that? Yes, sheer ignorance. Knowing or not knowing is not an acceptable excuse... On the other hand, knowing and not doing anything with this knowledge is far worse than not knowing.
The normal ranges of blood pressure should be near as possible to 110/80. In the most recent past it was 120/80. So let's break this down a bit so that you understand exactly what I am saying here... Keeping in mind that I am not a doctor, but I am not stupid either and I know what I am talking about because I learned the hard way... It happened to me. I have Hypertension. But as we go through my article, you will see what makes me different or special as one would say... I chose LIFE... I want to live and will give it a good fight in order to do so. I have a lot to live for and will do all I can at any age to keep a reasonable and healthy lifestyle. When it comes to your life, all I can say is that it is never to late to learn something new to protect or better your quality of life.
Now getting back to business of high blood pressure, let's discuss what the numbers mean. The top number or "Systolic Pressure" is when your heart beats or how much and how often the heart contracts. This is commonly referred to as your "Heart Beat". So 110 to 120 is a good rate for a normal heart beat. The bottom number or "Diastolic Pressure" is when your heart rests between beats... For every beat of your heart there needs to be a moment of rest and relaxation (R&R).
Now, I am not proud of what I am about to say, but for me being "the ignorant one" in this case had to learn the hard way... The way to near death was what I was facing when I learned that I had gone for longer periods than I care to think about with my blood pressure riding regularly above 185/117. In other words, my heart beat rapidly for long periods of time without proper rest in between... It was if I was always in a race. Or, might I add a race for death. Anyway, I learned and very glad I did.
Next - There are many contributing factors to getting the disease of Hypertension. Therefore, I will name just a few of the most common factors that I am familiar with.
Obesity - Being overweight for your height, age, body type or frame. If you don't know what weight you should be, look online. You can find out anything you need on the internet. Become a good researcher. It will help you with the power of knowledge in the long run.Diet - Most people in America have improper diets. Diets consisting of lots of artery clogging and cholesterol raising foods (i.e. red meats, dairy products or ice cream). These things may well taste good, but they are not the best choices for you... So, you can choose to "eat to live" or "eat to die". One tends to make that choice each and every time they put food in their mouth.
Stress - Lot of angry people in this world, especially in America (to which I am referring). Anger alone is deadly as it stops the blood flow to your brain and back to your heart. So as one would say that "getting pissed off" regularly is similar to taking a pistol to your head and playing Russian Roulette. It is either take your life today or take your life another day... Those are the choices you make when you keep feeding your body with anger... Some people get so angry that they have a heart attack right then and there. They don't even wait for hypertension to get the best of them... It is like they are rushing to die... and for what? Out of sheer ignorance -- that's what. So, there is no need to sugar coat the real picture is it? I don't think so. Kill me now or kill me later is what happens when someone gets angry all the time. What they failed to realize is that the anger only kills the person that is angry at some point.
Exercise - Or should I emphasize the lack thereof... The majority of Americans are by nature "sheer lazy". You think? I know we have quite a lot of athletic people in America; those that win gold medals or play sports (football - basketball - baseball). I get it... But for the most part our dear Americans do no more than they are forced to do by chance or circumstance. If people don't have to work or go to school (which by default they do), I think they would commonly stay home and look at the tube. You know the "Couch Potato" type. Am I right or what? Most people do not prefer to beat the heat or any of the natural elements just to get a breath of fresh air or exercise. I am fairly sure they would come up with any excuse under the sun to deviate from a regular routine of basic cardiovascular exercise. They would say something like, "Its boring, it makes me sweat or hurts my ankle". So, any excuse will do as one would say. But I beg to differ. If you choose "Life" then this is a must have, necessary evil just to help you have a better quality of life... Sweating is very good for you in many ways... Did you know it cools your body temperature and removes toxins from your body? It is just a tip I wanted to share.
The examples listed above are just a little bit of "Food for Thought" I wanted to share with you. You see, I had to learn the hard way, but I am clearly trying to make a difference in your or anyone's life that chooses to listen to me... The choice is all yours... I am just a sounding board, trying to relay helpful information. That is pretty much where I am coming from. So, please continue to listen and learn and one day you may surprise yourself or someone you know with the new knowledge about health and longevity that you have learned from someone who really cares.
Now - Let's get into the heavy discussion of what this really does to your body before it kills you...
Heart attack - Suddenly your heart has taken all the shock it can stand and if you go into a massive heart attack your time is very limited. Heart attack restricts oxygen to your brain and you can only live a few minutes without oxygen to a major organ such as the brain. Some people experience chest or arm pain, but they mistake it for indigestion. However, women don't notice the signs and they tend to succumb to heart attacks more often than men do.
Congestive heart failure - The heart starts to swell and grows larger within the same space it had when it was of normal size. It tends to choke itself out and grows week and looses power. Your heart can't pump the blood to the other parts of the body as intended, so you will feel very weak or have trouble breathing. After which time, it may be lights out for you and your heart as it becomes cramped within the small space that was once normal and can't beat as it should. When it weakens and dies out like any muscle that doesn't function properly, you tend to become more stagnate in nature. Fluid fills your body and your heart continues to become weak until it stops beating.
Stroke - Strokes are not always deadly, but they surely are debilitating. Most people who are often prone to strokes usually have severe signs of weakness on one side of their body that they may never recover from. They lose muscle control, speech and functionality in their body. Motor function is very important for us to move about and even to speak or eat. Loss of motor-skills will generally traumatize anyone.
Kidney failure - Your kidneys play a major role in removing the excess fluids from your body and taking out the toxins along with the fluid. When this shuts down, your body can't flush out the excess fluids and you tend to pick up excessive water weight or most people refer to it as fluid retention. Either way, this is not a good sign for the heart or the body. If you can't remove the fluid from your body naturally, it starts to build up in your lungs and then you drown. However, bad it sounds when your lungs are filled with fluid, there is no room for the air you need to breathe... So, there you have it you drown from within.
Blindness - Is exactly what it says... When your blood flow is restricted from your eyes, you tend to go blind. Some people refer to it as tunnel vision, but to me Blind is Blind. There is no two ways to look at it.
Peripheral artery disease - This is where plaque builds up in your arms and legs when the blood can't flow through. At that point your interior walls will start to build up with fluid and so will your heart.
Aortic aneurysms - Weakening of the walls of your aorta or needing to get a stent or balloon in your artery for the blood to flow properly.
Finally - We discussed both cause and effect. Now let's see what we can do to cure some of our ill will towards life and living. I for my part, would like to start with changing your game plan. That is just in case it does not include lots of whole foods such as greenery and live foods like plant foods from the earth. No one said you have to turn into a Vegan or anything remotely such as that. But it would be very helpful to you to try to eat less burgers and steaks and eat more of the white meats and lean meat in some cases. But for sure you need to grow to love fruits and vegetables. Make sure you understand that berries are your best friend... They stave off many diseases commonly known to man (American or otherwise). And if your arms or legs are not broken, then you should do your best to get some form of exercise (as when you were a child) as it can rejuvenate a stagnate old or young body and make you feel alive again. It will also lower your heart rate and that is what we are discussing here.
Be Good to Yourself - Your heart and family will love you for it. Know your own body and don't forget your daily dose... Vitamins I mean. Take a multivitamin that is right for you. Vitamin C, vitamin E, Fax-seed, and Fish oils are good for you. Folic Acid and B-Complex or at least B-12 are also recommended supplements. These things will help your heart health go a long way, so why wouldn't you do something to pick up your heart and get it in good or better condition than it may be in now? Other suggestions to lower your blood pressure would be to back away from the buffet table and throw away the salt shaker. Fried foods are also killers so learn to bake or broil your meats. I know I may be sounding like your mother, but that should let you know how much I really do care... So my friend, stay away from the coffee fix, because we don't want you "fixed to be buried"... Caffeine in coffee or soda is not in your best interest. Just remember that everything I have said in my article is to be taken in good measure. I am not trying to be judgmental but helpful as best as I can.
So, please don't shoot the messenger, as I am only here to tell you like it "tis" and to get you to take a second look at yourself and see if you have chosen to live or chosen to die by default of ignorance of intention and the lack of motivation or will to live. Try not to let me be the one that thinks more of you than you think of yourself... See, I don't even know you, but I still care and that is the reason for my lengthy article... So, here you have it and I am done preaching to the choir. But please take my message in stride and let it resonate in your heart and mind because I am trying to help you make a change for the better... GOD Bless... Oh, one more thing, just in case I didn't touch on it. Stop SMOKING -- That restricts your blood flow to the main arteries of your body too. Just in case you didn't know.
Very Respectfully,
Brenda McLean
Author/Writer
Giving you the best... Don't settle for anything less.
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