Cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of death in the developed world. In America alone, about 600,000 people die every year from heart disease. This is a troubling statistic because in some cases, cardiovascular diseases can be prevented.
We’ve got a few ideas that we share with our patients on how to avoid debilitating cardiovascular diseases, and they all have to do with keeping your blood pressure at optimal levels.
One of the leading causes of cardiovascular diseases, especially heart disease, is high blood pressure. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is where the force of blood against artery walls and blood veins is higher than normal, which is around 120/80.
People with high blood pressure don’t typically have symptoms, which make it hard to regulate and control. Unless you know how to monitor it yourself, or if you schedule regular wellness evaluations with your physician, you won’t be able to notice if you have high or low blood pressure. Regardless, as long as you maintain fitness levels, eat right, and reduce your alcohol intake, your blood pressure should stay near normal levels.
How to Prevent High Blood Pressure?
Preventing high blood pressure is easier than you might think. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, there are quite a few differing causes to high blood pressure. In order to prevent hypertension, you need to maintain a healthy lifestyle. People with optimal blood pressure levels exercise regularly to maintain a healthy body weight, they limit alcohol consumption, they maintain a healthy diet of potassium rich foods and avoid foods high in sodium, and they refrain from smoking.
Preventing High Blood Pressure with Functional Medicine
The functional medicine ideology is considered to be more effective than more traditional ideologies because functional medicine aims to find the root causes of what is ailing you. Traditional medicine only aims to quell your symptoms, which can be troublesome if you have high blood pressure, as it typically is symptomless.
Preventing High Blood Pressure at the Grossman Wellness Center
We determine the overall health of our patients through one of our wellness physical exams. In these exams, we gather your body’s blood cell count, body fat percentages, caloric needs, and more to obtain a comprehensive view of your overall health. Once you have completed all tests, we will present you with a wellness report based upon your results.
You don’t have to enroll in one of our wellness programs like POW™ or BAM™ or WAP™ to understand how your lifestyle contributes to your actual blood pressure levels. All you need to do is schedule a wellness evaluation, and we’ll help educate you.
