Q About Hypertension

My mom has hypertension and before being put on meds for it, her doctor encouraged her to get more exercise, eat better food, and decrease her stress to try to lower the risks for her and her need for meds. My suggestion would be to get him in to the doctor to have a full physical. His doc will be able to better tell you what he needs to do to lower his risks and improve his health. There are some programs he can follow either at weight loss centers or even at a local gym where diet is an intregal part of training, but as always, you should consult your doctor first.
There are some common sense things that you can do in the meantime. I know my mom tried to eat pretty healthily, but she still needed to substitute portions of fruit for sweets, drink water instead of soda/soft drinks, tea, whatever. She also had to cut back more on chips and include more green foods into her meal plans. Breathing exercises or basic yoga can help lower stress and go take a walk nightly after your evening meal. Also, busy people tend to eat later at night. Maybe you could make a "food curfew" for yourselves generally 2 hours before going to bed (no one likes to be alone when they are doing this sort of thing). Ours is 7 pm. So, generally speaking, we have dinner at 6 pm, then we are completely done eating by 7 and in bed around 9 on a good night. Our bodies don't burn calaries at night as well as they do during the day. Also, to get that furnace burning in the morning, have something to eat to start your day. Just a yogurt or even a piece of toast is enough to wake up your sleepy stomach. I personally have lost a lot of weight and greatly improved my health by using these few tips as well as a few others. I balance and limit my portions both in size and in frequency and try not to eat starches at the same time as protiens... sometimes you just gotta have a sandwich, though... ;-}. I hope this is helpful. I know your focus is on his health, not his physique and I agree that THAT is the best focus. It sounds like you guys are a wonderful match and I wish you the best in your future marriage and congrats on your growing family!! Please let us know how things are in the future.

Do your best to make your lifestyle a healthy one. Make sure you have break time at your home business, just as you would as an employee somewhere else. Step outside for 15 minutes together and take a walk around the block while holding hands and talking about non-work related topics (such as baby!). You should be doing this while pregnant, anyway!

Eat light, fresh, real foods rather than pre-packaged, breaded, or man-made ingredient heavy ones. At the beginning or end of each day, take another 15 minutes for prayer/meditation/quiet time with deep breathing. There are more small ways to contribute to overall health, but my point is to take one day at a time and do whatever small things you can that make your life simple, quiet, and only filled with things that bring you pleasure. This will also be a good example and environment for your children. Hopefully medication will not be necessary!
Blessings,
js

My husband has battled with high blood pressure since he was about 21 (28 now) and it is definitely not a permant thing but may be something he will always have to watch. I would definitely recommend seeing a doctor - preferably one with experience with hypertension. But probably what a doctor will tell you is to really work on weight and watching what he eats (the DASH diet will probably come up). But in the mean time before it comes down due to that medicine might be recommended. only a doctor can tell you that. But weight loss and eating well can make a big impact. Oh and caffine - that made a big impact for my husband. Cutting out his caffine brought his blood pressure down quite a bit. Good luck!

If you are one of the busiest people you know, then so is your fiance. For only 22 years old, he has a lot of stress, including an upcoming wedding, two kids to provide for prior to marriage, one more on the way, two businesses, and school full-time. My husband was married to me for several years, he was out of school, and in a steady job before we had our first, and he was still stressed out. Stress CAUSES HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE. I've read the other responses, and for his blood pressure to be THAT HIGH is something more than "White coat." He may have a genetic time-bomb with his liver... or he may just be very stressed. Stress leads to high blood pressure which is a form of Heart Disease which can lead to heart attack. As his woman, you need to take a closer look at your lifestyle and the path you are choosing as a couple. Look for ways to create peace in your home, allow him more down time, make sure his needs are provided for. Do you both need to be in school right now? Are your businesses generating enough income to justify the time they take away from your time with eachother and your kids? Is your man feeling peace about all the major life issues going on in your lives? Is he really ready to get married to you and your kids or is he secretly stressed about it? Serious questions, I know! But important to ask when dealing with stress.

One BP reading can't determine if has hypertension. If he's overweight, and or inactive, then it is in his best interest to lose weight. Being a healthy weight and at least moderately active will bring his blood pressure into the healthy range or at least closer to it. Since he has a genetic history of hypertension, he may just run high and need to be treated. He should really see his doctor about it. Since he's wanting you to go with him, why not plan every-other-daily walks/runs/workouts as a family?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_pressure Copy and paste this link and it will give you a little info. I think googling it and reading about it with a follow up to the doctor would be a good idea. There are many websites that will give you some insightful information. It seems he's borderline for prehypertension and 1st Stage hypertension. It's genetic as well as lifestyle choices. My mom is 120 lbs and has to take blood preasure meds and cholesteral and she's in good shape! I'm 28 and mine is 160/90 so there are certain things they told me to take (will be the different for everyone) like garlic and then things they have me cutting out. Most doctors present a diet plan for both hyper and hypotension and refer you to a dietician. I'm struggling with getting rid of an extra 15 pounds for the high cholestrol and blood preassure and started walking a lot. It seems to me that I know it's tough, but the healthier life style the better off one is with these type of medical issues; diet, nutrition, and exercise can definetly help. Good luck, do some research, and recommend he see a doc for a check up. I don't even have to take my cholestrol meds anymore since I've switched eating and lifestyle ! It went way down from making a few changes.

He could have white coat syndrome, or in this case the drill syndrome. Some visits with some people just naturally triggers the ol' blood pressure to rise, rise very high. Dentists are on the top of the list. Monitor his blood pressure at different times, drug stores and supermarkets often have those free machines. Sit down and take a look-see. Make an appointment with his doctor, let them know of your concern. They'll probably want to keep a chart of daily readings at different times of the day. High blood pressure is not something to mess with, but you want to make sure that's the problem at hand.

Hi C.,

First of all, it may be nothing. If he was nervous at the dentist's office that can raise his blood pressure. But it is something you'll want to start tracking. Use the arm cuffs at the grocery store whenever he's there and just track the numbers. If they seem to be recording on the high side then have him visit the doctor. For me, after a few years of trying to regulate my blood pressure without medication I finally agreed to be medicated for it. Truth is I probably dont need the meds right now because I have lost some weight but I enjoy not having to worry about how my blood pressure could effect me. Best wishes to you both.

Some peoples blood presure tends to run high at doctor's offices. I know that mine does. A while ago my doctor had me monitor my blood presure for a few days and see. Most drug stores of free monitoring. I would write them down along with the date and time.

I would have him monitor his blood presure for several days and see what their like then if most/all of them are elevated I'd have him at least call his Dr.

Good Luck!

Hi C.,
There are a lot of factors in BP. The cut-off points for hypertension are 155/90; obviously your DH is ok on one and the other is over. And none of it matters, if it was only a one time thing. If he is high on a second check, they will get concerned.
The issues about strokes and heart attacks come up if it becomes chronic. Chronic hypertension causes permenant damage to the the walls of the arteries that encourage the formation of clots. And if his cholesterol is high that can narrow the arteries. Fortunately, when it is caught early, the damage can be prevented/reversed. The classic cures are lowering sodium intake (Watch your lables, it is in a lot more than table salt. Canned foods, processed foods, cheese, and condements are big offenders.), getting closer to your ideal weight (Which will lower cholesterol as well.), and exercise, especially aerobic exercise (Which improves arterial health, as well as the whole body, and helps with weight loss.), and decreasing stress. If they can't get it under control, then they will start with the mildest medication. Only when it is way high will they be concerned about an immediate stroke. (His isn't close to that.)
Hope this helps a bit.
L.

IS your husband nervous when he goes to the dentist? I work in the dental field and that is common when people are having dental work. He should see his physician to see what it really is. Good luck!!