Show y SPEAKING Dy By Dr David Evans Vernal Family Health Center Hypertension and fro how you can ran control it if My doctor Informed me that I Iha ha have ve hypertension What Wha t should I 1 do L. L Vernal L.M.-Vernal M M. Vernal Your doctor has told you that you have high blood pressure So have 20 to 25 million other Americans Each of them like you felt upset and bewildered on hearing there was something wrong Now its it's time to put aside your apprehensions Youre You're living in a time and place in which high blood pressure can be readily controlled con con- trolled CONTROL Control requires your cooperation You must find lind ways to cooperate with your doctors doctor's orders-not orders reasons to avoid cooperation If It yo your r doctor gives you pills find a away away away way to remember to take them every day It will help to put aside a full days day's supply every morning so that tha t you can tell a at t a glance if youve you've missed a dose Dont Don't bury your head in the sand and pretend that if you dont don't think about it high blood pressure will go away Untreated Untreated Untreated Un Un- treated high blood pressure can shorten your life or cause seri serious us changes in the quality of your life It puts an added strain on your heart It can damage your kidneys It can lead to a debilitating stroke which may change you from an active independent person to one who is paralyzed and dependent on others But with your blood pressure under control none of that need happen You may lead a thoroughly normal life in quality as well as in length And that's the point to remember POSITIVE THINKING So this is a time for some very positive thinking You have a disease that's readily treated that's iI s E possible Ie to 9 control so long as you cooperate You have a hand in your own destiny Dont Don't hesitate to ask your doctor questions or to turn to him for reassurance Hes He's your best ally Dont Don't seek the advice of off f friends and relatives They mean well but their ideas on the subject may be based on someone else's case on misinformation and misconceptions misconceptions misconceptions miscon miscon- or on sheer super super- HOW now HIGH IS HIGH Most doctors set the figure figure- 90 as the borderline between normal and high blood pressure Everyone's blood pressure goes up under certain circumstances and its it's not abnormal to exceed this figure during exertion stress illness etc But if your blood pressure is consistently above this level it could if not checked do damage to your heart kidneys eyes and your arteries themselves There are many possible methods to control your blood pressure Your doctor will probably recommend some combination of these methods to you If H youre you're overweight its it's important that you go on a weight-reduction weight diet The extra weight you carry adds a burden to your heart and circulatory circulatory cir cir cir- system Your doctor may tell you to cut down on your intake of salt It has long b been n known that salt causes your body to retain fluids keeping your blood pressure high He lie may also tell you to cut down on your intake of ot animal fats meat eggs and dairy products These fats can form deposits cholesterol on the walls of your arteries narrowing them and raising your blood pressure Chemicals in tobacco can cause your arteries to tighten thus raising your blood pressure Smoking is a dangerous habit for anyone but particularly hazardous for people with high blood pressure Mild exercise can be bean bean bean an important factor in controlling controlling controlling con con- trolling your blood pressure Walking is probably the best exercise There are several types of medication which are helpful in reducing blood pressure They may be used alone or in various combinations a r. r k BETA XI XI Helpful Hannahs Hannah's Joan Riddle and Bonnie Norton are shown at work cleaning a yard |