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18Jun 2019 by Tonya Breaux-Shropshire

Who’s Taking Care Of Your Blood Pressure?

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Most people say their doctor. Some say their spouse. Others say a family member or someone else. But if YOU are not taking care of your blood pressure, you are missing an opportunity to improve your health. What Gets Measured Gets Managed When you measure your blood pressure at home, you get information to help you look at your health in a new way. If you don't measure your blood pressure then you may not have any idea of your true blood pressure. The Most Accurate Home Blood Pressure Monitoring There have been many studies conducted in the United States, Europe, Japan, and Italy that have shown that home blood pressure monitoring is the as reliable as ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Ambulatory monitoring is the use of a blood pressure…

15Jun 2019 by Tonya Breaux-Shropshire

How To Find The Best Doctor

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It is important to have a primary care provider because it can save your time, money, and maybe even your life. A primary care a health care provider will provide the free preventive services that most insurances allow. When selecting a health care provider, start with your insurance. Get familiar with your health care plan to see which providers are allowed. There should be a list of providers that you can select from. Take a look at the short video below that explains health insurance in less than 6 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-58VD3z7ZiQ Decide what you desire in a health care provider and consider if you want a medical doctor or mid-level provider (nurse practitioner, chiropractor, or physician assistance). Most people may say they want a doctor because a physician would be…

13Jun 2019 by Tonya Breaux-Shropshire

How To Reduce Your Blood Pressure With Apple Cider Vinegar

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Apple cider vinegar helps reduces blood pressure and aid in weight loss. It also helps maintain blood sugar by ushering insulin into your cells. Use one to two table spoons of apple cider vinegar in at least 2 ounces of warm water. Add lemon one teaspoon of juice for flavoring to decrease the pungent taste. The best type of apple cider vinegar to use is the raw, unfiltered, unpasteurized with the mother. https://amzn.to/2XJWVqt Although there are not many studies to show an association between apple cider vinegar and reduced blood pressure or weight loss, many patients have experienced reduced blood pressure. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZtHW2inWYQ

12Jun 2019 by Tonya Breaux-Shropshire

8 Most Important Things You Must Know if You Have High Blood Pressure

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Here are eight most important things you should know if you have high blood pressure. The first thing you must know is how to accurately use a home blood pressure monitor. If you don't know by now, I will tell you a simple fact. Home blood pressure measurements are the most accurate blood pressure measurement if done right with an Omron arm cuff monitor or a similar monitor. Office blood pressure monitoring is inaccurate at best due to the potential for white coat syndrome or masked hypertension. Although blood pressure measurement is an important vital sign, the average medical office is too busy to use the technique recommended by the 2017-hypertension guidelines. https://amzn.to/2KgVZ9S https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFBZWUlUSis The second thing you must know is your blood pressure target goal. You need to know…

11Jun 2019 by Tonya Breaux-Shropshire

Poor Sleep Quality Causes Resistant Hypertension

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Poor sleep causes resistant hypertension. Adults require 7-8 hours of sleep to get good sleep. If you are getting less than 7 hours of sleep a day, you have poor sleep quality. Another way you may have poor sleep quality is if you have obstructive sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is very dangerous. It happens when you are asleep on your back. Your tongue or other soft tissue in the back of the throat blocks your throat, causing you periods of not breathing (apnea), shallow breathing, or frequent pauses in breathing. At this point, your body is not getting enough oxygen causing unnecessary stress on your body while you are asleep. This will increase your blood pressure, and over time this could cause resistant hypertension, heart attack, or stroke. Sleep…

09Jun 2019 by Tonya Breaux-Shropshire

How To Decrease Inflammation In Your Body

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Inflammation in your body is not a good thing and decreasing inflammation is recommended based on research. Inflammation damages your blood vessels that contributes to hypertension. Although we do not know the cause of hypertension in over 90% of the population with hypertension, inflammation may be the cause of hypertension. Research has shown that hypertension stem from dysfunction in the blood vessel from inflammation. Causes of Inflammation Too much iron, fried food, fast foods, and sugar cause inflammation and tissue damage. So, make sure if you are taking multivitamins, it does not contain iron unless your doctor has prescribed. Cook good whole food at home for the best way to avoid fried and fast foods. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3pqjuJ1fJs Chronic inflammation damages to your blood vessels. It is caused by the response of…

08Jun 2019 by Tonya Breaux-Shropshire

How To Select Your Own Hypertension Treatment

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Select your own hypertension treatment to effectively lower your blood pressure. Then, you may likely have good control of your blood pressure. Nevertheless, there are some people who just try to follow what their doctor tells them to do. Then, when it fails to lower their blood pressure, they get discourage and become non-adherent to their treatment. Why Are So Many Non-adherent? Is it due to unmet expectations? Do they know that treatment for hypertension is trial and error? Your health care provider tries different medication to find the best medication for you. Nevertheless, most people do not want to take medication. There are several reasons why this is the case. Some reasons may be that is taking medication is inconvenient, expensive, and unattractive. More than half of people with…

07Jun 2019 by Tonya Breaux-Shropshire

Save Money On Your Prescription

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Save money at the pharmacy when you buy your blood pressure prescription. The biggest secret is that you will have to ask for the discount because it will not be given to you automatically when you get your prescription filled. I asked my pharmacist why he would charge more for the same blood pressure medication if I don't ask for the $4 list. He said it had to do with some disclosure clause given by the federal government. Paying Too Much for Generic Drugs The strangest thing about it is that many pharmacies usually give the generic medication when your prescription is filled unless your doctor orders the brand name. However, they won't give you the $4 price unless you ask for it. Therefore, You will pay more for the…

06Jun 2019 by Tonya Breaux-Shropshire

Resistant Hypertension: Can Coconut Oil Help Lower Your Hypertension?

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Coconut oil improves cardiovascular health. It increases HDL and lowers LDL. I use non-refine organic extra virgin coconut oil. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQPtw7YU44U There are good fats and bad fats. Coconut oil is considered the good fat. Research has shown that it is good for cardiovascular disease and lowering blood pressure. . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pKK4tWfYT4 Dr. Ax recommends coconut milk, but I do not recommend any type of milk but perhaps goat's milk. Resources https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180620130008.htm

05Jun 2019 by Tonya Breaux-Shropshire

Medication Compliance: Are You Taking Your Medication?

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Are you taking your blood pressure medication as your doctor prescribed? This has been a topic that I have been interested in since my PhD dissertation. During this work, I learned that forgetting to take blood pressure medication is a common issue with compliance or adherence, if you will. If you have missed a dose from time to time because you forgot to take your medication, you are still considered compliant with your medication. Can you skip your blood pressure medication? Medication compliance is defined as taking blood pressure medication at no less than 80% to 90 % of the time. Does this mean you can skip your medication 20 % of the time and maintain blood pressure control? Well, according to research, this is the case. However, I would…

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