New Blood Pressure Guidelines, Part 1

Modern living seems like it is about getting more done in less time. The phrase "multi-tasking" is part of our everyday lexicon. What often suffers in the quest for a more efficient life is how we take care of ourselves.

There's usually barely enough time to eat and sleep; who's got the time to do things like check blood pressure or go see a doctor?

It often feels like, as we move through our lives faster and faster, that there are some things that are beyond our control. We ignore things completely or tell ourselves we'll deal with them later. Our everyday lives zoom along and healthcare gets closer to the bottom of the priorities list. Meanwhile, the health and medical professions have been discovering new information that points out the importance of taking a more pro-active role in our own healthcare.

The new blood pressure guidelines are a case in point. It used to be that 140/90 was considered borderline high blood pressure and anything under that was within a normal range. There is now a new classification called prehypertension. The prehypertensive range is blood pressure readings that fall in between 120/80 - 139/89. A study published by the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure concludes that people in the prehypertensive range are at higher risk than those with lower blood pressures to move into a hypertensive range where medication is required. The good news here is that prehypertension responds well to healthy lifestyle changes in diet, exercise, and stress reduction.

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• Next: New blood pressure guidelines, continued...