Heart Check
Listen to your heart! If it’s telling you to look after its best interests, then you should probably listen!
The best prevention is early detection. Your heart is the sole organ in your body that does not rest, unlike any other. That’s why keeping it in check will benefit you greatly in the coming years. Instead of wondering about ways to keep your heart healthy. Get a heart health check-up and feel great about prioritizing your future well-being. The heart check will check if you have a normal blood pressure; in some cases your blood pressure can be too high or too low.
What is High Blood Pressure?
High blood pressure means your blood is pumping with more force than normal through your arteries. The added stress to your arteries can damage them over time. Healthcare providers call high blood pressure a “silent killer” because you usually don’t have any symptoms. So, you may not be aware that anything is wrong, but the damage is still occurring within your body.
It can put you at risk of cardiovascular problems including
- Heart attack due to atherosclerosis; where your arteries are narrowed by plaque deposits, meaning blood cannot flow to your heart as easily as it should.
- Stroke, because the high pressure weakness the walls of the arteries in your brain
- High blood pressure can also cause vision loss, kidney failure and sexual dysfunction.
What causes High Blood Pressure?
We’re still learning about the causes of high blood pressure but we know it is influenced by your family history, age, certain medications and your lifestyle. Lifestyle causes include:
- Alcohol intake
- Fitness levels
- Weight
- Stress levels
- Smoking habit
How to be proactive about your blood pressure?
Regular blood pressure checks are important at monitoring your blood pressure. The doctors and nurses at Parkhill Medical Centre can do a blood pressure check for you and tell you how often you should get a blood pressure check.If deemed necessary, they can discuss home blood pressure monitoring for you to check your blood pressure at home.
Getting your blood pressure checked regularly means you can catch it while it’s prehypertension (or high-normal blood pressure) range, and prevent it from developing into high blood pressure. Depending on the results of your heart check, a variety of tests can be conducted to assess the health of your heart. Some of them are electrocardiograms, blood tests, echocardiograms (heart ultrasound) and exercise stress tests.
How can you treat High Blood pressure?
To protect your vascular system, you need to find ways to lower your blood pressure. That requires lifestyle changes, and possibly, medication.
Lifestyle:
If an unhealthy lifestyle contributes to high blood pressure, learning healthier habits can help you control it
Try to
- Eat a healthy diet, reducing salt and fat
- Exercise regularly
- Cut down on alcohol and stop smoking
Medication
If lifestyle changes alone are sufficient, your doctor may prescribe medication to help control your blood pressure.
Low blood pressure
While high blood pressure (hypertension) is much more common in our society, there are those who suffer from lower blood pressure, also called hypotension. What’s considered low blood pressure for one person might be a normal blood pressure for another. This is determined by asking two questions:
- What is your blood pressure when you are feeling well and healthy?
- Do you have symptoms that may be attributed to lower blood pressure?
Symptoms of low blood pressure:
- Blurred or fading vision
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Fainting
- Fatigue
- Trouble concentrating
- Nausea
If you are experiencing symptoms of low blood pressure, it is important that you see take charge of your heart and see your doctor to be assessed!
We encourage you to stay on top of your cardiovascular health to maintain an optimal physical health and wellbeing.