As we discussed in another recent blog post, one of the medical conditions that Hispanic people are more likely to suffer from than non-Hispanic whites is hypertension, more commonly known as high blood pressure. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than two-thirds of Hispanic people have “poorly controlled” high blood pressure.

At our Gwinnett medical clinic, we’ve found that any people don’t take their blood pressure seriously because they don’t understand the impact that it has on their health and their life. Blood pressure is based on how much blood your heart has to pump and the amount of resistance it encounters in your arteries. Obviously, the harder your heart has to work, the more it wears down.

Monitoring your blood pressure is just one reason why you should have regular check-ups with your Lawrenceville doctor. Otherwise, your first sign of high blood pressure could be a heart attack or stroke.

Controlling High Blood Pressure through Medication

We know that this is sobering information. The good news, however, is that high blood pressure can be easily controlled. Your doctor might prescribe one or more medications. While we all see advertisements advising people to “ask your doctor” about prescription medications designed to help with high blood pressure, that decision needs to be made by your physician based on your individual situation. Your doctor will also want to monitor your blood pressure on a regular basis and/or have you monitor it to determine if the medication is working.

Lifestyle Changes Are Often Essential

While medications today can work wonders, they should not be a substitute for a healthy lifestyle. Whether you have only mildly-elevated blood pressure that doesn’t require medication or your physician prescribes one or more drugs, it will likely be necessary to make some lifestyle changes. Your doctor will discuss these with you. That’s why you must be honest about these things. We all have bad habits. A good doctor will advise –- not judge.

Here are some changes that most people can make to lower your blood pressure and perhaps prevent having to take medication. Again, each person is different, so follow your doctor’s recommendations. However, these are the most common recommendations:

  • Eat a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and potassium. Decrease the amount of fat and salt in your diet.
  • Get at least 30 minutes of exercise each day. Even taking a walk can be a good start.
  • The two above steps should help you lose weight, which can lower blood pressure. If you need to lose a lot of weight or are having problems getting or keeping the weight off, the staff at our medical weight loss center can help provide the support and resources you need.
  • If stress is an issue, work to manage it. We can’t eliminate stress from their lives, but we can change how we deal with it. Whether it’s through meditation, therapy or just taking some quiet time to yourself every day, learning to better deal with stress can indeed lower blood pressure.
  • One decidedly unhealthy way to deal with stress is with alcohol. It can raise the blood pressure (not to mention the weight) of an otherwise healthy person. Men over 65 and women of all ages should have no more than one drink a day. Men up to 65 generally can have two. However, other physical conditions can make any drinking inadvisable.
  • In addition to high blood pressure, excessive drinking can cause a host of other physical ailments such as liver disease. Hispanic people are about 50 percent more likely to die from cirrhosis and chronic liver disease than non-Hispanic whites. Be honest with your doctor if you feel that it’s become a problem so that you can get the help you need.
  • Of course, no amount of smoking is healthy. If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure, it’s imperative that you stop smoking. The doctors at our Gwinnett family clinic know how difficult that can be. We have a variety of therapies, medications and other tools to help people stop smoking once and for all.

The doctors and staff at Rodriguez MD believe in supporting our patients’ overall health and well-being. If you haven’t had your blood pressure checked by a physician in awhile, call or contact us online to make an appointment for a check-up and to discuss any medical needs and questions you have.