Lowering Your Blood Pressure: The Options

How to Get Your Blood Pressure Checked Even If You Don’t Have a Doctor’s Appointment

Free blood pressure screenings can be very valuable for many individuals not just those with high blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, you might already have a home blood pressure monitor to check your own blood pressure routinely. However, there are other ways for you to get your blood pressure checked without buying a home monitor or visiting your doctor more often than you already do. You just have to know where to go to have your blood pressure checked, and below you’ll find some useful tips for locating free blood pressure screenings in your community.

Check Local Hospitals

Local hospitals in your town or neighboring towns can be a great place to get free blood pressure screenings. Many hospitals devote one day a week to doing this. If your local hospital has a nursing school or offers another training program, they likely offer free blood pressure screenings done by their students. If you plan to routinely take advantage of free blood pressure screenings that your hospital offers, have them write down your reading each time for easy reference. Share these findings with your doctor at your next checkup.

Visit the Health Fairs

Health fairs are another good source to get free blood pressure screenings. Check your local newspaper to see if there are any upcoming health fairs in your community. Most health fairs also offer more extensive testing such as fasting cholesterol and blood glucose screenings in addition to having literature available on many health concerns individuals have.

Go Shopping

Another easy place to get your blood pressure checked is at stores that offer automated machines that test blood pressure. Stores such as Walmart, CVS, and Target are examples of stores that offer automated machines to test blood pressure. Some machines aren’t calibrated as often as others so keep this in mind because accuracy is always a concern. Keep in mind that only your physician is qualified to provide you with an interpretation of your blood pressure readings.

Posted by Henry at 8:38 PM | Permalink

When Is Low Blood Pressure a Cause for Concern?

When most people think of blood pressure problems, they think that high blood pressure in and of itself is a solitary cause for concern. That is not always the case. Low blood pressure can be just as much a cause for concern as high blood pressure. If you’d like to learn more about the potential health risks associated with low blood pressure, read on.

As Serious As a Heart Attack

Low blood pressure, also called hypotension, can be a cause for concern for one very serious reason. If blood pressure drops too low, the results can be dangerous. Blood flow can be compromised to the brain, heart, kidneys, and other important organs.

What Causes Low Blood Pressure?

Low blood pressure can result from several different factors. Some individuals have low blood pressure and so do their parents or other family members. For these individuals there seems to be a genetic component to their low blood pressure. Injections of the vitamin B12 can help to raise low blood pressure. Other causes of low blood pressure can be related to the medications an individual takes. Medications used to treat high blood pressure can sometimes lower it to much. Anti-anxiety drugs or antidepressants can be other culprits in causing blood pressure to go too low. Regardless of the reason for low blood pressure, it is important to have your doctor make recommendations and treat it appropriately.

Be Vigilant

If you are on medication for high blood pressure and you are concerned about it causing your blood pressure to go too low, talk to your doctor about your concerns. Feeling lightheaded or dizzy can be signals that your blood pressure is too low.

A home blood pressure monitor can be a valuable tool to anyone who suffers from high blood pressure. It can help you discover what your blood pressure is on an ongoing basis. Check with your doctor to see if he or she recommends a home blood pressure monitor for you.

Posted by Henry at 1:24 PM | Permalink

What is the Best Way to Take Blood Pressure?

There has been conflicting information about what is the best possible way to get your blood pressure taken. Some studies have suggested that a more accurate reading can only be obtained if blood pressure is taken when the patient is relaxed and seated. More recently some doctors are calling into question the practicality and necessity of those recommendations. Life is stressful, they claim, and getting a truer, realistic picture of a patient’s actual blood pressure does not take any special considerations.

Some Validity to Consider

There is certainly some practical truth to the newer recommendations. Doctors who support the idea of simply taking a patient’s blood pressure without any particular considerations being made feel that it gives a more realistic picture of what a patient’s blood pressure is every day because life is never still.

If you have high blood pressure or suspect you have high blood pressure, then these recommendations affect you. Would you be reluctant to take medication if it was not absolutely necessary? Perhaps, you might benefit from having more blood pressure readings taken.

In This Instance, Your Doctor Knows Best

Most experts recommend that it is most beneficial to ask your doctor about getting a 24-hour blood pressure cuff. You then wear the 24-hour cuff all day long while you are going about your daily activities. Each half hour your blood pressure will be recorded automatically. A 24-hour blood pressure cuff can provide a much more accurate idea of your actual blood pressure is. Using a 24-hour blood pressure cuff is especially beneficial if you do suspect you have white coat hypertension. Some doctors don’t even believe in the existence of white coat hypertension: the syndrome that some patients only have elevated blood pressure in the doctor’s office.

Essentially, in order to get a more precise diagnosis about whether or not you have high blood pressure, the more documented blood pressure readings that your doctor has to go by the better.

Even if you’ve already been diagnosed with high blood pressure, it is not too late to benefit from the temporary use of a 24-hour high blood pressure cuff. It can enable you get an idea of what your blood pressure is on an average day and can provide you with an idea of what type of activities tend to elevate your blood pressure.

Posted by Henry at 10:15 PM | Permalink

If You Have High Blood Pressure, Do Your Homework Before Buying a Monitor

If you have high blood pressure, your doctor might have recommended you monitor your blood pressure at home by checking it daily. There are many blood pressure monitors on the market, and before purchasing one, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the different types of monitors. If you are one of the 50 million Americans who suffer from high blood pressure, the following information will be very beneficial for you.

One Size Does Not Fit All

There are blood pressure monitors that are worn around your arms and ones that can be worn around your wrists. The high blood pressure monitors that can be worn around your wrist are less accurate than the arm-cuff monitors. The reason is that arm-cuff monitor covers larger blood artery compared to the wrist.

There are basically two main types of blood pressure monitors: aneroid blood pressure monitors and digital blood pressure monitors. Most physicians’ offices have aneroid blood pressure monitors: the kind with a round dial to display your blood pressure. Digital blood pressure monitors provide an easy readout for the user, but accuracy is dependent upon the person being very still.

Seek Professional Advice

Make sure you get recommendations for your doctor or your health insurance provider before purchasing a home unit to monitor your high blood pressure. Certain models might be covered by your insurance or eligible for reimbursement if you have a medical spending account. Consult your Human Resources representative for details about your specific plan if you have coverage through your employer.

If You're Going To Do It, Do It Right

Your goal for taking your blood pressure at home is to get the most accurate readings. You must take your resting blood pressure rate. Performing a small household chore, such as taking the garbage out, may increase temporally increase your blood pressure just prior to your reading. Also, be certain that you follow the manufacturers’ instructions for you blood pressure monitor.

Monitoring your blood pressure at home can improve your high blood pressure by making you more aware of your blood pressure, but you definitely want to do your homework and purchase a home blood pressure monitor that fits your needs.

Posted by Henry at 10:51 PM | Permalink

High Blood Pressure Requires Extra Planning When Traveling

If you have high blood pressure and rely on medication to control it, you should keep some of the following information in mind this holiday season -- especially if you plan on traveling far from home. Traveling during the holiday season will require extra planning if you take medication daily.

Proper Storage Is Critical

One important consideration if you are traveling this holiday season is where you should store your high blood pressure medication. It is a good idea when you are doing any traveling to keep your medication on you. This is very easy for females who can carry their medication in their purses. Males might want to consider wearing a hip pack and carrying their medication in that. It is almost never a good idea to carry your medication in any luggage that you plan to check in at the airport. In the event that your luggage is lost, you will be without your medication until you can get a prescription filled.

Set a Timer

If your doctor recommends that you take your blood pressure medication at the same time every day, make sure you keep this in mind if you are changing time zones this holiday season. Check with your doctor before you leave about what your best course of action is. If taking your pill at the same time despite a time zone change will ensure that you remember to take it, then that might be the preferred choice.

Bring Enough

Make sure that you take enough pills with you when you go on vacation. Large corporate pharmacies maintain a nation wide database to keep track of your prescription information. If you don’t get your prescriptions filled at a national pharmacy, you might want your doctor to write out a prescription in the event that you are away from home and lose your pills.

Take Care of Yourself

It is very important to take your medication throughout the holiday season. It is within modern etiquette guidelines to remind your host of any diet restrictions or daily medications. This may appear awkward, but most likely your host will truly understand. It’s much more polite to let your host know ahead of time so she knows you will have to excuse yourself from dinner to take your high blood pressure medication.

Posted by Henry at 8:49 PM | Permalink