www.simplesharebuttons.comPssst...pass it on!00000

Hi Everyone!

I am so excited to introduce you to our newest edition to the team, Dr. Ivan Edwards!  He is a board certified Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialists (the fancy dancy name is a Physiatrist) that has interest in electrodiagnostics, musculoskeletal medicine and minimally invasive pain management.  Now that’s a mouthful…bottom line, this guy looks at all of you “medically, socially, emotionally and vocationally” (to quote the AAPM&R website) and treats accordingly.  He also has a deep interest in overall health and wellness.

I met him during my time as a Air Force Reserve nurse working at Lackland AFB here in San Antonio.  He’s is one of the most diverse and interesting people I have met.  Just some fun facts: he has a passion for martial arts (he used to own a martial arts business and has a blackbelt); he was a pastor; he is a doctor in the Air Force Reserves; and he’s just a really great person.  With his views treating the whole person and practicing what he preaches, it was no surprise we clicked right from the beginning.  TruPrevention scored again, first with Mandy our Registered Dietitian, and now Ivan.  It doesn’t get much better than this!  Feel free to ask him any questions on health, wellness and prevention…he is always more that willing to answer.  Below is an article he wrote on the prevention of hypertension.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Prevent the Onset of High Blood Pressure by Combating Prehypertension.

Hypertension is a serious problem. It increases your risk of stroke, myocardial infarction, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, peripheral vascular disease, and renal disease. It is also a risk factor for cognitive impairment.  And prehypertension is what precedes it in most cases.

Worldwide, high blood pressure is regarded as the most important preventable risk factor for premature death (1).  The World Health Organization (WHO) also regards high blood pressure as the leading cause of cardiovascular mortality, with more than 50% of the afflicted population worldwide unaware of their condition (2).

Today, normal blood pressure is regarded as lower than 120/80 mmHg. Prehypertension is 120-139/80-89. Stage 1 hypertension is 140-159/ 90–99, and stage 2 hypertension is ≥160/ ≥100.

Prehypertension, a precursor to hypertension with readings of 120-139/80-89, is a condition that over 59 million people in the US have– according to the American Heart Association. Left ignored and unattended to, prehypertension leads to the development of full blown hypertension.

To avoid having prehypertension, you must adopt some lifestyle changes.

The lifestyle changes are not hard to adopt; they involve diet, exercise, weight loss, moderate alcohol consumption and smoking cessation. These lifestyle modifications are most often talked about in the initial treatment of high blood pressure (stage 1) as well.

We’ll start with diet. If remembering the various foods is cumbersome, then remember this: a predominately plant based or vegetarian diet is crucial in lowering blood pressure. More specifically, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, low saturated and total fat, does help in reducing blood pressure. Studies reflect that the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet–rich in nuts, whole grains, fish, poultry, fruits and vegetables–is very helpful in achieving optimal BP, even for people who already have full blown hypertension. Moreover, a low sodium diet, consisting of less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium daily (about 1 teaspoon of table salt), has also been deemed beneficial in lowering blood pressure.

Now, exercise is next. This is what we clearly know…cardiovascular exercise reduces weight, strengthens the heart muscles, improves circulation and decreases blood pressure. The goal, here, is to put in at least 30 minutes of physical activity in a day to benefit from exercise.

Next is weight loss. Losing weight can lower high blood pressure. Some studies show that modest weight loss can prevent hypertension by 20% in overweight people with prehypertension.

Now, let us look at the tough one—alcohol. It is well known now—in the scientific community–that excess alcohol consumption tends to cause elevated blood pressure. If you have to drink—moderate consumption is recommended, i.e. one drink a day for women of all ages and men older than age 65, and up to two drinks a day for men age 65 and younger.

Lastly, we’ll have to say a definite “no” to cigarette smoking. There is really nothing good about smoking anyway. The nicotine in the cigarettes gets into your blood stream and not only causes decreased oxygen delivery to tissue and, most importantly,  to the heart—but also hardens and damages the endothelial cells lining your coronary arteries and other blood vessels. The heart ends up working more—thus the increase in blood pressure and heart rate. When you stop to smoke, you will not enable these deleterious effects to occur.

Avoid getting prehypertensive, and you won’t then develop full blown high blood pressure.  The latter comes with an increased risk for stroke, myocardial infarction, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, peripheral vascular disease, renal disease and cognitive impairment. Adopt the forgoing life style changes, and you could effectively offset prehypertension.

1. “Global health risks: mortality and burden of disease attributable to selected major risks.”. World Health Organization. 2009. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
2. Chockalingam A (May 2007). “Impact of World Hypertension Day”. Canadian Journal of Cardiology 23 (7): 517–9. doi:10.1016/S0828-282X(07)70795-X. PMC 2650754. PMID 17534457.
3. 3.      Lloyd-Jones D, Adams RJ, Brown TM et al. (February 2010). “Heart disease and stroke statistics–2010 update: a report from the American Heart Association”. Circulation 121 (7): e46–e215. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.192667. PMID 20019324.

Google+

Donna Hoffmeyer