OCR Text |
Show Do you know the facts about High Blood Pressure? People who have high blood pressure sometimes some-times don't understand the nature of the disease or the importance of their treatment. Some common misconceptions about this chronic illness can lead patients to the wrong conclusions about their high blood pressure. K you have high blood pressure you should know the facts about it. Patients who take their medication and follow their doctor's advice bring their high blood pressure back to the normal range. They may think that they have been cured. The truth is that the medication acts as a blood pressure regulator. The medication controls your blood pressure only as long as you continue taking it. If you stop taking your pills, your blood pressure will go up again. As long as a patient remains faithful to the treatment, high blood pressure can be easily controlled. In most cases high blood pressure has no cure. For the majority pf patients, treatment must continue every day, usually for the rest of their lives. A second misconception is that some people peo-ple think that they can tell when their blood pressure is up. They think the condition produces pro-duces clear-cut symptoms such as dizziness and headaches. Because of this mistaken belief, be-lief, patients sometimes neglect their doctors' instructions to take their medicine every day. Instead, they take their medicine as if it were aspirin, for the relief of symptoms. The fact is, the only way to know if your blood pressure is up is to have it measured by someone specially trained to do so. High blood pressure is painless; pain-less; it has no symptoms when it begins doinn aamage. And, the only way to treat high blood pressure is to follow treatment every day. A third fallacy is that people think hypertension hyper-tension ihe medical term for high blood pressure pres-sure is related to nervous tension. Staying calm and relaxed is no guarantee against having high blood pressure. Patients should take their medication every day, whether they feel nervous or relaxed. Finally, many patients believe that their doctor has given them a choice about treating their high blood pressure. The fact is, for most patients high blood pressure therapy requires daily medication throughout the rest of the patient's pa-tient's life. In addition to medicine, the doctor may recommend some other changes such as cutting down on salt, losing weight, and getting more exercise to help the medicine work more effectively. These recommendations are not substitutes for medication. It is important to do everything the doctor advises. If you have high blood pressure, don't let these dangerous misconceptions lead you into a disabling illness or early death. By following your doctor's treatment program, you can bring your blood pressure into the normal range and can continue your normal activities for the rest of your life. Snuill BiixinehK Week From 1968 to 1976, the Biihim-sK Vi'rrk nation's 1,000 largest cor- The total number of porations created 75,000 businesses in the U.S. is new jobs. The nation's 13 9 million, and 10.4 small businesses created million are considered 6 million new jobs. The sma11 y u s- Govern-contributions Govern-contributions of ment standards. These America's small sma" businesses are bo-businesses bo-businesses are being ing honored during Na-recognized Na-recognized during Na- t'onal Small Business tional Small Business Week, May 11-17. Week, May 11-17. |