Know your blood pressure numbers. Make sure they are controlled. 

It does not take a blood pressure specialist like me to tell you how important it is that your blood pressure is well controlled.  Recent recommendations from the American Heart Association (AHA) and American College of Cardiology (ACC) have made it very clear that poorly controlled blood pressure is detrimental to your heart health.

We know that people with diabetes do not die of diabetes but rather die of cardiovascular disease. We see examples in our community every day of people who have suffered strokes, so many due to elevated blood pressure.

Recent studies have emphasized how important it is to brain health to keep blood pressure controlled. This evidence brings up dementia as a problem with elevated blood pressure.

Our rates of controlling blood pressure are dismal. The reasons for this are many. One is that healthcare providers are not as aggressive with getting the numbers down. Meaning they need to add more medication. This is said knowing how many patients hate having added meds.

One of the top reasons is that patients are not taking their medications as prescribed. These medications are made to be taken daily. Studies have shown that a large portion of patients do not get their medications refilled as they should and are not taking their medications as prescribed. There is a method to your healthcare provider’s madness as to how and when we want you to take your medicine.

Thank goodness that many of our medical records show when a prescription has actually been filled or refilled.  So, the jig is up, we know.

One of the most helpful things a person with high blood pressure can do is know their numbers. We need you to take your blood pressure at home, in the comfort of your own home. This is where you should be most relaxed, and thus, hopefully, you can provide the best estimation of how controlled your blood pressure is.

We recommend that you use a validated blood pressure monitor that has been independently checked and found to be accurate. Now that is not going to be the cheapest one out there. You can go to www.validatebp.org and make sure the model you are using is considered one that is accurate.  Also, there is an art to taking blood pressure readings correctly. YouTube has videos on this as does the AHA website. If the process is not performed correctly the information will not be accurate. Remember, decisions on medication will be made from these recordings so accuracy is highly important.

Studies have shown that there is even a problem with getting people to take their blood pressure at home even when the cuff is given to them. Some say they do not have the time to take their blood pressure. For it to be done correctly it will take about seven minutes. Five minutes to simply sit there quietly, not on the phone. Let the body settle, then take a minute to measure your pressure on both arms. Ideally, we would like blood pressure measurements to be conducted in the morning and again in the evening.  Hopefully, knowing your blood pressure readings and how important they are to your health is worth 14 minutes a day.

It goes without saying that the cleaner your diet, the better. You should watch your salt content, especially if you are African American. Watching processed and fast food is a must.

Again, we hope you remember how important sleep and managing stress are, but I will save those for another day. Know your blood pressure numbers. Make sure it is well controlled.

Dr. Veita Bland is a board-certified Greensboro physician and hypertension specialist. Dr. Bland’s radio show, “It’s a Matter of Your Health,” can be heard live on Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m. on N.C. A&T State University’s WNAA, 90.1 FM. Listeners may call in and ask questions. The show is replayed on Sirius 142 at 5 p.m. on Wed. Email Dr. Bland at ideas@blandclinicpa.com.