Today I wanted to talk about hypertension or high blood pressure.

The reason I want to talk about it is that it is the number one risk factor for death.  Of all the risk factors that contribute to poor health (which includes smoking, obesity, diabetes &, illicit drug use) untreated hypertension is the most likely to cause death.

To paint a picture of the poor health consequences of hypertension consider the following facts:

• About 1 in 5 Australians adults have it.  That is about 4.3 million people.
• Of these 4.3 million people it is estimated 1.7 million don’t even know they have it.
• It is estimated to contribute to 10 million deaths around the world each year.  That is about 14% of all deaths.
•  Worldwide 40% of adults have high blood pressure. 
• It is the responsible for half of all deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Based on the information above, we know there are about 1.7 million Australians walking around with high blood pressure.  To be more specific, based on population demographics, this means there are 8000 people living within 10km of this pharmacy who have undiagnosed hypertension. This is a ticking time bomb in the lives of these people.

So, if there is one thing you can do that is the most likely to contribute to a long, healthy life, then it is get your blood pressure checked.  And, if it is high, it is critical to get it back down to the normal range.  This can obviously be done with medication but, more importantly, small lifestyle changes can make a massive difference.

We are more than happy to measure your blood pressure here in the pharmacy.  I’m sure your doctor is equally happy to check your blood pressure.  We have home blood pressure testing machines always on special so you can check your blood pressure at home.

But, no matter how it gets checked, the important thing is to get it checked.

If your blood pressure is high the next step is to see your doctor.  It is important that it is treated to bring it back to the normal range.  But there are a number of lifestyle steps you can take to help bring it down.  These steps are good advice for everyone, as they also prevent future high blood pressure and associated cardiovascular issues.  

These are:

Bodyweight – The loss of a few kilos will bring down your blood pressure.  Just as the gain of a few kilos will push your blood pressure up.  A loss to 5-10kg of body weight is as effective at lowering blood pressure as taking a blood pressure tablet.  So, if your blood pressure is up and you know you are carrying a few spare kilos…………

Exercise – This old chestnut is back again.  Exercise is very beneficial for your health and cardiovascular system – you may have even heard this one before 😊.

Although blood pressure may actually rise whilst you exercise, it has a lowering effect at all other times.

Sugar intake – This is a very interesting one.  A direct effect of sugar leads to the elevation of uric acid in your body.  This elevation inhibits the relaxation of blood vessels which pushes blood pressure up.  This is yet another reason why excess sugar intake is simply not good for you.

( On an interesting side personal note: When I first read about the effect of sugar on blood pressure I did a one man research study on it (me).  I found my blood pressure was 10mmHg lower on the days I had no sugar versus the days I did have sugar.)

Stress – It is well know that stress causes the increased release of a number of hormones in the body.  One of these is cortisol and this directly elevates blood pressure.  So, if you live a stressful life or you often feel stressed it is worth looking at some techniques (meditation, mindfulness, remove yourself from the situation where possible) to reduce the stress hormones in your body.

As always, there is much, much more to this topic than can be covered in a brief email.  I am simply looking to bring this issue to the awareness of those who may benefit.  This one is particularly important because it affects so many people.  The key message is that we should all have our blood pressure checked from time to time.  And, if it is high, we must take action.

Please feel free to reach out if you would like to know more.