Are you fed up with having elevated blood pressure and have tried lifestyle modifications to get your blood pressure down without success?
Did you know that almost half of Americans have trouble controlling their blood pressure despite cheap and even free well-tolerated medications available to treat elevated blood pressure?
We know that hypertension must be controlled to prevent morbidity and mortality, but before the hypertension landmark trials done at Veterans Affairs Hospitals in the late 60’s and early 70’s, we thought that uncontrolled blood pressure was not a problem.
As the story goes, due to our lack of knowledge about hypertension, many died from uncontrolled blood pressure, which is also called the “silent killer.” For example, our president Franklin D. Roosevelt loss his life to a stroke after suffering from uncontrolled blood pressure. Before that, Tuskegee University founder, Booker T. Washington, died from hypertension due to the lack of treatment available.
If you have hypertension or know someone who does, I have some advice for you. But first a disclosure, I am not a medical doctor. I am a hypertension coach who has years of training in resistant hypertension.
What I know for sure is that, for many people, blood pressure can be controlled by routine lifestyle modifications, including a healthy diet and a regular exercise routine. If this does not work for you, you may want to ask your doctor about well-tolerated anti-hypertensive medications that help most people manage high blood pressure.
A small percentage of people have what is called refractory hypertension, which is blood pressure that is difficult to control despite an adequate regimen of blood pressure medication.
Generally, unless you have secondary causes of hypertension or you have refractory hypertension, you should be able to maintain blood pressure control.
So, why. then, are so many people — one in two hypertensive people — walking around with uncontrolled high blood pressure? We really do not know why only about 50% of Americans who have been diagnosed with hypertension have controlled blood pressure.
We do know that lack of access to prescription medication, medication costs, poor medication adherence, physician inertia, and other barriers are reasons to consider.
As a hypertension coach, I believe that not knowing your blood pressure target goal, not understanding the seriousness of the consequences of failing to maintain your target, not knowing what actions to take and when to take actions and the lack of motivation to take action might underpin those barriers.
I tell my patients “You can meet your target and maintain control of your blood pressure with 5 simple tips and tricks.” The tips are listed below and the tricks are in parentheses.
1) Know your BP target goal. (Ask your doctor if your target goal is 120/80 mm Hg, 135/85 mm Hg, 140/90 mm Hg, 150/90 mm Hg, or some other target goal.
Your target goal may vary from that of other people you know based on your individual health profile. Maintain your target goal, and make an appointment to see your doctor if your blood pressure is not controlled).
Use an arm cuff home blood pressure monitor to accurately measure your blood pressure. See link for the one I use and highly recommend. https://amzn.to/2XKiDeD
2) Understand the seriousness of the consequences of failing to maintain your target. (The consequences of uncontrolled blood pressure are serious, including resistant hypertension, stroke, heart attack, kidney disease, and blindness, to name a few.
For insight, talk with someone who has had any of these complications, or talk with someone whose family member has suffered any of these complications).
3) Know when to monitor your blood pressure.(The national blood pressure guidelines recommend that most people with high blood pressure should monitor their blood pressure at home.
Ask your doctor if home blood pressure monitoring is right for you and ask when should you monitor your blood pressure. If your blood pressure is uncontrolled, ask your doctor if your medication needs to be adjusted.
According to the national hypertension guidelines, the average person will need at least 2 medications for blood pressure control).
4) Know what actions to take (Ask your doctor what actions to take for elevated blood pressure, what would be a severe reading, and what actions to take for severe readings.
Take your medication as prescribed, and report any medication side effects as soon as possible to get the most effective and most tolerated medication for you.
Join a hypertension support group to get ideas of how others cope with hypertension. Consult a Hypertension Health Coach to work with you and your doctor to maintain your target goal blood pressure.
I am here for you if you need a hypertension coach. Reach out to me via email, comment below, or social media. I would be glad to help! Use a 30 day pill box to organize your medications as a reminder to take your medication and use a 7 day pill box emergency stash for your desk drawer, purse or locker at work. More on this in future blogs.
You can purchase a pill box at any drug store or see link for my recommendations. https://amzn.to/2EDnmpv https://amzn.to/2EDuWR9https://amzn.to/2EPJMoI
5) Know the Life Simple 7 and adopt at least one behavior at a time every week (Use a health coach who has education and training in hypertension self-management to motivate you to adapt these behaviors over seven weeks to maintain blood pressure control). I would be glad to help!
Resources
1. American Heart Association: American Heart Association backs current blood pressure treatments http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HighBloodPressure/PreventionTreatmentofHighBloodPressure/American-Heart-Association-backs-current-BP-treatments_UCM_459129_Article.jsp#.VkeE4Mqz5e8.
2. American Heart Association: Symptoms Diagnosis: Monitoring of High Blood Pressure http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HighBloodPressure/SymptomsDiagnosisMonitoringofHighBloodPressure/Home-Blood-Pressure-Monitoring_UCM_301874_Article.jsp#.VkeGAcqz5e8.
3. American Heart Association: Life Simple 7 http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/Lifes-Simple-7-Eat-Better_UCM_449577_Article.jsp#.VkeGZsqz5e8)
4. Breaux-Shropshire, T. (2015). What I am working on: 5 tips and tricks to better blood pressure control. Retrieved from http://fastdrafting.blogspot.com/2015/
5. Minority Health and Disparity Research Center HealthSmart Center Hypertension Health Coach http://www.uab.edu/healthsmart/18-news-and-events/72-lower-your-high-bp
6. Publix Free Medication Program http://www.publix.com/pharmacy-wellness/pharmacy/pharmacy-services/free-medication-program
7. University of Alabama Circulation Network Hypertension Support Group https://www.uab.edu/humanresources/home/wellness/prevention-health management/circulation-network 7. $4 Medication http://www.walmart.com/cp/1078664?povid=5431+|+contentZone1+|+2014-11-01+|+1+|+LN-Value+Image+4+Dollar+Prescriptions
Get the most accurate blood pressure monitor at this link: Monitor your blood pressure at least once a week, keep a log, and share your diary with your health care provider. Report any moderate readings soon and report any severe measurements immediately to avoid these mistakes. Go to 30 days to a Better Blood Pressure for a step by step approach to obtaining normal blood pressure.
