Article by Lisa C Williams

Lisa C Williams Profile | Email | Website My name is Lisa C Williams. Medicine and human health have always been my passion. I am interested in application of botanical (herbal) medicines, TCM and acupuncture, and detox, clinical nutrition and homeopathy. Outside of medicine, my many passions include sustainability, riding my bicycle, cooking and sharing delicious, healthy food with others, practicing yoga & meditation, and eating 85% organic dark chocolate. North Shore New Zealand 0626 +640800267397

Success treating high blood pressure is hard to find. Individuals do find ways to succeed in the face of high blood pressure. By and large, however, medicine has made very little progress solving the problem as a whole. Potentially good news is coming out of Canada.

Compared to other countries, Canada has had consistent success addressing high blood pressure. Perhaps the biggest concern is how many people have this problem and don’t even know. This leads directly to increased cardiovascular incident and strokes. Identifying the problem early is essential for success and management.

A study published in May, 2011 demonstrated that over the last twenty years Canada has passed everyone one in their success rates. The reasons for this success are also helpful on a personal level for those who need to address individual high blood pressure situations.

Education: The effort to education the population of Canada regarding high blood pressure has had huge payoffs. Some years the number of cases of untreated conditions dropped over 15%. With a reputation as the “silent killer” this is a huge advantage. For an individual, education is just as important. Research is constantly underway. It seems new information comes out daily about small, manageable changes that can be made in lifestyle and other arenas to improve high blood pressure. Take some time at least each month to get caught up on the news. When it comes to your health, education really is power.

Vigilance: In Canada this has been handled by publishing to the media annual baselines. Each year, the expectations for what managed or healthy high blood pressure looks like is updates. In places like the United States this only happens every five years. If you or someone you love is struggling with high blood pressure, regular attention makes a big difference. It’s easy to get on a treatment plan and just stop paying attention to the small indicators that need your attention. Don’t get into a rut—be vigilant and really notice how you feel on a regular basis. Small adjustments in your treatment plan can make a huge different for your success and long-term health.

Independence: While the Canadian program made a huge effort to education doctors so patients would get more detailed attention to high blood pressure, you may need to take a different approach. You may need to be more independent. Each person really needs to know their regular blood pressure readings. This is the best way to know if you are tending towards a change or having high blood pressure. For someone who tends have low blood pressure, changes may not get noticed medically when you need. Your awareness of your own readings is needed. The same is true for those who tend to come in near the high side of normal. Don’t assume that leaving this information in your medical chart is enough. You need to know and be independently proactive.

You get the best results when you combine these three aspects to taking care of your own blood pressure and other health concerns. These same tactics can help you explore non-prescription options such as Cordyceps and other supplements. You’ll also get more benefit from the recommended lifestyle changes: you’ll be able to track your own results and find out what really works for you.

When it comes to health and well-being, patient rights are incredibly important. Don’t surrender yours to anyone else. Be involved in your treatments, assessments. Become your own expert about your body and your health to get the best results!

8 Jun 2012

Article/Information supplied by Lisa C Williams

Disclaimer - Any general advice given in any article should not be relied upon and should not be taken as a substitute for visiting a qualified medical Doctor.

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