 Living & wellness
Mission Statement: Increase medical knowlege of community members to empower them to lead productive and healthy lifestyle. |
What do the Blood Pressure Numbers mean?
Blood pressure is expressed as two numbers. These numbers represent the pressure against the walls of your blood vessels as the blood moves through them. Systolic pressure is when pressure is highest in the arteries and occurs when the heart contracts. Diastolic pressure is the moment of minimum pressure in the arteries and occurs when the heart relaxes. Normal blood pressure is less than 120 (systolic) over 80 (diastolic), typically written as 120/80 mm Hg (read 120 over 80 millimeters of mercury).
What Your Blood Pressure Reading Means
If your blood pressure is less than 120/80:
- Your blood pressure is normal
If your blood pressure is between 120/80 and 140/90:
- You are considered "prehypertensive" and are at risk for high blood pressure. Lifestyle modifications are important and should be recommended by your doctor or healthcare professional
If your blood pressure is: 140/90 and above or 130/80 and above
AND you have diabetes or chronic kidney disease:
- Your blood pressure is high. Lifestyle modifications and high blood pressure medication are important and should be recommended by your doctor or healthcare professional.
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What things make us gain or lose weight
Based on follow-up of healthy U.S. adults during observational periods lasting as long as 20 years (number of patients observed = 120,877), it has been determined that several common place dietary and lifestyle factors were associated with weight gain. For instance, over a 4-year interval, for every additional daily serving of potato chips, there was a 1.69 lb weight gain. Sugar sweetened beverages were next on the list of items associated with weight gain, lack of sleep has also been shown to cause weight gain. Sleeping 7-8 hrs per day will make you lose 14 pounds in a year. Perhaps, not surprisingly, physical activity, fruits, grains, nuts, and vegetables were inversely associated with weight.
Watch future issue on Calorie counting. |
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