By By JESSICA SIEFF / Niles Daily Star
NILES – Living as a society under increasing stress and opting for convenience and leisure rather than diet and exercise is taking a toll on our health.
Doctors say that those suffering from high blood pressure/hypertension are creating a condition harder for medications to fight when they don't take the time to take care of themselves.
"Over a decade," said cardiologist Dr. J. Douglas Huggett, D.O. of Cardiology Southwest P.C. "People are more obese. People are not exercising."
Heredity, race and age are all listed as contributors to high blood pressure, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). The association reports that African Americans are more likely to suffer from high blood pressure than Caucasians and that the condition is more likely in adults over the age of 35 – more prevalent in men than women until the age of 45. Those factors, along with a family history of the condition might not be so easy to avoid – but there are other factors that are.
The American Heart Association highlights a sedentary or inactive lifestyle, heavy use of alcohol and sodium, obesity and stress as those contributors to high blood pressure that can and should be controlled by sufferers or those with a potential vulnerability. And the association classifies a blood pressure reading of 140/90 or higher constitutes high blood pressure. The normal reading is 120/80.
With the country in economic distress, increasing pressures at work and a bad habit of watching more television and being less active – the nation's health is suffering.
"You can do more by lifestyle changes than any medications we have," said Huggett. As the condition worsens, so do the chances of stroke, heart attack, kidney problems and deteriorating eyesight.
Doctors suggest quitting smoking, eating healthier, watching weight and cutting down on alcohol as well as keeping tabs on your current blood pressure and having regular check ups with your doctor.
While this may not sound new to some – but parents may find it a new threat to their children. "This generation of children is the first generation expected not to live as long as their (parents) live," said Huggett. More and more children are developing diabetes, which Huggett says has a "direct correlation" to high blood pressure. And, he says, "certainly the adults are what the children are following."
With a good amount of summer still ahead, now may be the time for adults and kids alike to start making some changes in their daily lifestyle. For their health and for their future.
"We're in a stressful society," said Huggett. "But you know, what some people thrive on, other people die on."
For more information visit www.americanheart.org or www.cardiologysw.com.