High Blood Pressure or Hypertension Wreaks Havoc on our Health

 The pre-industrialization era could be termed as the era before lifestyle disorders messed up our lives. With the advancement of technology, our health did go for a toss. Today lifestyle diseases are household names, with every other family member suffering from one ailment or the other. 

Who does not know about blood pressure?  

Some classic signs of blood pressure include fatigue and a headache. Sometimes hypertensive people may feel nauseated and may even vomit.  

When the blood flows through the blood vessels, it exerts a certain pressure on the walls, which is normal. Sometimes, when the blood moves with great force and the pressure on the walls are increased, the condition is known as hypertension. Hypertension or high blood pressure is a dangerous condition and is often referred to as ‘the silent killer.’ The patient is not aware of the damage high blood pressure can cause to the body. Hypertension is the key driver of many cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks and stroke.  

High blood pressure can cause heart problems, kidney problems, vision loss, cognitive loss, and much more!!  

 

How to prevent hypertension? 

Hypertension is measured by two readings. Systolic and diastolic. The heart relaxes and contracts while pumping blood. The systolic reading is the force of blood against the walls of the arteries when the heart contracts to pump blood. Diastolic reading is the pressure between the arteries when the heart relaxes. The ideal blood pressure should be 120/80 mm hg. Anything above 140/90 mm hg is termed hypertension. The good news is that hypertension can be prevented.  

• The idea is to maintain the blood pressure within the ideal range.  

Maintain your weight. Always try to keep your body weight healthy. A healthy body weight is a normal weight as per the body height. Gaining weight can lead to an increase in blood pressure. 

Get active. Go for a walk, run or engage in some kind of basic exercise to maintain the body weight and blood pressure.  

Eat healthily. Try to include more green and colorful vegetables and fruits in your diet. Avoid preserved and processed foods.  

Eat potassium-rich food like spinach, tomatoes, banana, and potatoes. Potassium eases the tension in the blood vessels and keeps the blood pressure in check. 

Avoid eating too much salt. Salt contains sodium and sodium is particularly damaging as the blood pressure tends to spike after eating it.  

Regular tracking of blood pressure. It is a good idea to measure blood pressure regularly.  

Manage stress. Engage in hobbies, and develop the habit to meditate for some time.  

Quit smoking. Smoking is dangerous, as it directly impacts the blood vessels. If you tend to smoke, try to quit the habit.  

Let’s talk about treatments 

If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure, do not worry! The doctor can manage your blood pressure, with a few lifestyle changes, diet modifications, and anti-hypertensive medicines. 

• You should follow low sodium but high in potassium diet. 
• Exercise more and keep moving around. A sedentary lifestyle is surely detrimental to overall health. 
• Quit smoking 
• Manage the overall body weight and keep it at the healthy best.  
• The most important step is to take the anti-hypertensive medicines on time and keep checking the blood pressure under the guidance of the doctor.  
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Another important thing is to go for regular body check-ups and health screenings. Blood pressure tends to harm the other body organs; hence it is necessary to get a whole-body check-up done at regular intervals. The body check-up would substantially reduce the stress of getting any cardiovascular emergency and any anomaly can be nipped in the bud. The blood tests will also confirm if you are low on potassium and need to alter your diet. A routine health check-up is essential to give your doctor a fair idea about the overall condition of your body and the doctor can accordingly treat the ailments.  

We at Indus health plus have affordable and comprehensive health screening packages. Our packages will provide you with a complete state of mental and physical well-being. As regular screenings help detect a problem in the early stages or even before the disease starts developing, thus helping the doctors to cure it before it becomes large. Our ever-supportive and helpful staff are always eager to help you through the process.  

Lead a fuller and healthier life…. Call us today to book an appointment! 

 

 

What if we told you that PCOS and diabetes are related?

 Our body has an algorithm of its own. Moreover, every individual would have a different one! 

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is something that no woman looks forward to. PCOS can affect any woman of any race or ethnicity after she hits puberty. 

The medical world does not know the exact cause of this, but it is, said that genetics and weight do play an important role. 

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is a problem caused due to imbalance of hormones. The reproductive hormone imbalance causes problems in the eggs the ovaries make. The egg is often underdeveloped and not released at the time it needs to. 

PCOS leads to several problems like infertility and cyst formation in the ovaries. 

 

Symptoms: 

• Irregular menstrual cycles 

• Growth of facial hair (hirsutism) 

• Hair loss 

• Acne 

• Darkening of skin especially around the neck and groin areas 

Like the iceberg, PCOS has a huge set of problems lying underneath. It can manifest itself in any way and could lead to any health problem. Diabetes is the foremost. It is seen that almost half the women with PCOS develop diabetes. It is likely to cause a deep impact on metabolic health, causing further grave consequences. 

 

PCOS often causes insulin resistance. 

 

Although the body makes insulin, it is unable to use it. Cells in our body, take glucose from the blood to be used for energy. Insulin does the work of stimulating these cells to take up glucose. Insulin resistance is a condition when the cells reject the insulin and hence cannot take glucose or sugar from the blood. The result is a high level of sugar in the blood. The endocrine system is disrupted, and the chances of diabetes are very high. Diabetes is a condition where the sugar levels in the blood get elevated. Diabetes leads to several kidneys, eye, nerve, and heart problems. 

Insulin resistance leads to type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes, or even pre-diabetes.  

 

Women with PCOS have an increased level of androgens. Androgen is the hormone that is primarily, responsible for the development of the reproductive system in men. In women, the main function of androgen is to get converted into estrogen, a female hormone. Ovaries produce this androgen. 

In women with PCOS, androgen is, produced in excess leading to acne and excess hair growth on the chin and upper lips. It also causes irregular periods and problems in ovulation. 

Research in Australia found that women with PCOS were 4 -8.8 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than women who did not have PCOS.* 

Women with PCOS can develop type 2 diabetes at later stages of life, as they grow older. 

 

 

So, what can you do? 

 

If you feel you are experiencing some of the symptoms or you are obese, or there is a family history of PCOS; you must visit the doctor. The doctors usually recommend blood tests to establish the cause and treat you accordingly. 

In the manual of prevention and care, the most important thing has always been a preventive health check-up. The thing women should do routinely is to keep diseases at bay. Preventive health check-ups are one of the best solutions for being healthy. Routine check-ups provide an assessment of the body, and the doctor can address the health issues, if any, almost immediately. 

Living with a health issue and not knowing about it can be devastating. The good part is that if PCOS is detected in time, healthcare professionals can help you manage and control the symptoms.  

Making healthy changes is imperative. Medications, along with changes in diet and exercise help to deal with the condition. In case you are overweight, reducing weight is also an important factor to look out for. 

Doctors also routinely check the blood sugar levels because women with PCOS have a greater risk of developing diabetes. 

If you already have PCOS, it is good to go for health check-ups to be sure you are not moving towards the pre-diabetes or diabetes terrain. 

 

Indus Health Plus has a wide range of affordable healthcare packages. 

We believe in healthcare initiatives and encourage people to adopt healthy lifestyles. A preventive health check-up has never been so easy and reasonable.  

Call us to book your appointment. You are sure to be blown away by our services and support staff. So, what are you waiting for? Keep the stress at bay and get that preventive health check-up today!