Category: Medicine Hat News

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High Blood Pressure

Hypertension (high blood pressure) is one of the diseases of mass destruction.

World Health Organization says that hypertension causes 7-million premature deaths worldwide each year.

It is estimated that 25 percent of the 42 million people with high blood pressure in the United States are unaware that they have hypertension.

Hypertension affects 22 percent of Canadians.

If untreated, hypertension is deadly.

Hypertension can damage your heart, brain, kidneys, and retina. You may have high blood pressure but may have no symptoms. It is a silent killer.

For close to 100 years, it is known that hypertension causes premature death. That is why it is important to have blood pressure checked on a regular basis.

Why is hypertension on the rise (pardon the pun!)? Partly because we are eating more and moving less. And we are living longer. Our blood vessels become harder and less compliant with age. When the blood is pumped out of the heart into less compliant blood vessels, the blood pressure goes up. So the heart has to work harder – and eventually it becomes tired, weak and fails.

Normally, systolic blood pressure should be less than 140 mm Hg (mercury) and diastolic pressure of less than 90 mm Hg. It is written as – systolic over diastolic (for example 120/80 mm Hg).

Blood pressure is lowest in the early morning, rises as the day progresses, and then dips down during the night and earliest hours of the morning.

Blood pressure also varies from minute to minute, depending on levels of stress and physical activity.

“White-coat hypertension” means a person’s blood pressure is up in the doctor’s office but not elsewhere.

Hypertension can be prevented and treated with lifestyle changes – with or without medication.

Eat a healthy diet, lose weight if you are overweight, do not smoke, limit alcohol intake, eat a low salt diet, minimize sugar intake, do regular exercise, relax and learn to manage stress with laughter and meditation.

Here is a medical joke to reduce your blood pressure. It was published in Stitches, a humor magazine for doctors.

A motorcycle mechanic was removing the cylinder head from a Harley Davidson’s engine when a well-known heart surgeon came into the shop. The doctor was waiting for the service manager to have a look at his bike.

“Hey Doc, can I ask you a question?” the mechanic called out. The surgeon was bit surprised but walked over to the mechanic.

The mechanic straightened up, wiped his hands and said, “So, Doc, my job is just like yours. Look at this motor, I open it up and take out the valves, fix them or put in new parts, and when I’m done it will run like a new one. So how come I work for almost nothing and you get the really big bucks when you and I are doing basically the same work?”

The surgeon thought for a moment, then smiled, leaned over and said, “Try doing it while the engine is running.”

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Alcohol

“The premier now knows, or has been reminded, that misery is real and can and does happen to anyone. No matter how hard you work, how smart you are, how right you think, bad things happen”, writes Paul Sullivan, a columnist with the Globe and Mail and a reformed alcoholic for 21 years.

By the time this column appears, Gordon Campbell may still be premier of British Columbia. But almost every Canadian now knows who he is and what he did.

Was it a momentary lapse of judgment while under the influence of alcohol? Or an act of irresponsibility (while under the influence of alcohol) which could have endangered his and other people’s lives?

Let us briefly remind ourselves of the good, the bad and the ugly side of alcohol.

What is good about alcohol?

-Alcohol reduces sickness and death from coronary artery disease
-Makes the blood thinner
-Reduces the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia

What is bad about alcohol?

-Alcohol causes fetal alcohol syndrome in the new born
-Causes cirrhosis of liver, liver failure and pancreatitis
-Causes gastritis and bleeding
-Causes cancer of the esophagus, breast and other cancers
-And is very heavy in useless calories

What is ugly about alcohol?

-Alcoholism is considered a disease
-It is a compulsive addictive behavior
-It is a drug with complex behavioral effects
-It causes traffic or work related accidents
-It is a major cause of death and disability
-It destroys a person’s personal life, family life and capacity to earn a decent living

The good side of alcohol is sometimes abused by individuals who get addicted to it. Therefore physicians are reluctant to encourage or promote alcohol as a panacea for major health problems.

Critics of alcohol use say that much of the protective effect gained from alcohol use in coronary artery disease can be achieved by other means – exercise, diet, avoiding smoking, and control of cholesterol level.

What is moderate drinking? Is it one, two, or three drinks a day? It depends on how much you are used to drinking. Moderation for a non-drinker is different than for a habitual drinker.

What is alcoholism?

The term alcoholism first appeared in 1849 in an assay written by a Swedish physician, Magnus Huss, titled “Alcoholism Chronicus”.

Alcoholism means excessive and repeated use of alcoholic beverages. Ten percent of the population is dependent on alcohol.

“Alcohol is like love: the first kiss is magic, the second is intimate, the third is routine. After that you just take the girl’s clothes off” – Raymond Chandler (1888-1959).

So, let us be smart and say, “No driving after more than two drinks of alcohol!”

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Preventable Diseases

I call them the diseases of mass destruction!

What are they?

They are preventable conditions that are killing millions of people prematurely.

Why?

Because too many of us are living dangerously. Around the world, 56 million people die each year. About 40 per cent of these deaths are due to top 10 preventable conditions. These conditions have been identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its report released last year. Here is the list:

1. Childhood and maternal underweight rates
2. Unsafe sex
3. High blood pressure
4. Tobacco use
5. Alcohol use
6. Unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene
7. High cholesterol levels
8. Indoor smoke from solid fuels
9. Iron deficiency
10. Obesity

The World Health Report 2002 represents one of the largest research projects ever undertaken by the World Health Organization. In collaborating with experts worldwide, WHO has collected and analyzed evidence that will have implications for global health for many years to come, says the report.

What is the goal of the report?

The ultimate goal is to help governments of all countries to raise the healthy life expectancy of their populations – from the poorest to the richest. Everybody stand to gain another five years or so of healthy life, says the report.

Here are some other important points from the WHO report:
-Health problems of developing countries are worse. For example, at least 30 per cent of all disease burden occurring in many developing countries, such as those in sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia, results from fewer than five of the ten risks listed above.
-Underweight alone accounts for over three million childhood deaths a year in developing countries.
-In the most industrialized countries of North America, Europe and the Asian Pacific, at least one-third of all disease burden is caused by tobacco, alcohol, blood pressure, cholesterol and obesity.
-More than three-quarters of cardiovascular disease — the world’s leading cause of death — results from tobacco use, high blood pressure or cholesterol, or their combination.
-High cholesterol causes more than 4 million premature deaths a year.
-Tobacco use causes almost 5 million premature deaths a year.
-High blood pressure causes 7 million premature deaths a year.

If preventive measures are undertaken to combat these diseases of mass destruction then the life expectancy can be increased on average about five years in developed countries and 10 years in developing countries.

In Canada, healthy life expectancy could increase by 6.5 years, from their current 69.9 years to 76.4.

The WHO report says that the cost of inaction is serious. If nothing is done, then most of the premature deaths will probably double by the year 2020.

Inaction should not be on our agenda this year.

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What are we really like?

Do we really have to make New Year’s Resolutions?

Studies have shown that people understand their health risks but do not necessarily change their lifestyle. Then why make resolutions and then suffer from sense of guilt?

Surveys have shown that 57 per cent of people are not motivated to stay healthy. Thirty four per cent of people have no time and 30 per cent have financial barriers to pursue a healthy life style.

What I really like to do today is to share with you an interesting column I read recently.

“What are we really like” is the title of a column written by Murray Campbell in a recent issue of The Globe and Mail. By looking at surveys done by different Canadian pollsters, he came up with one hundred items that reflect “what the nation’s prevailing neuroses are in a given year”.

From his list I have picked few health related items. See which item applies to you and whether you need to do something about it in 2003.

-8 per cent of Canadians report at least one major episode of depression in the past year

-15 per cent of Canadian men and 20 per cent of women say they have been under so much stress that they contemplated suicide

-20 per cent of children live up to Canada’s Food Guide and consume at least five portions of fruit and vegetables daily

-25 per cent of Manitobans smoke, the highest rate of tobacco use in Canada. Just 17 per cent of B.C. residents smoke.

-27 per cent of Canadians say they shun prescription and non-prescription drugs

-28 per cent of smokers say there should be a law preventing parents from lighting up at home if children are present

-34 per cent of Canadians take work home with them

-40 per cent of Canadian Forces members consider themselves fat

-48 per cent of children seven to 12 years old eat junk food for an afternoon snack

-50 per cent of Canadians are overweight or obese and 70 per cent of them are satisfied with their weight

-52 per cent of Canadians take vitamin supplements regularly but only 17 per cent say they eat the recommended daily servings from Canadian Food Guide

-59 per cent of adults say that gardening is their prime leisure activity.

-66 per cent believe family is more important than work

-71 per cent of British Columbians have signed an organ donation consent form, compared with 48 per cent in Manitoba and Saskatchewan

-73 per cent of Canadians are satisfied with their household income and 82 per cent are happy with their job

-75 per cent of Canadians work more than 40 hours a week with one in four clocking 50 hours

-83 per cent of drivers make sure their passengers are wearing their seat belts

-86 per cent of parents, guardians and other caregivers say they are overwhelmed by the amount of information on children’s health that is available; 46 per cent find the information is inconsistent, conflicting or out of date

-88 per cent of Canadians say there is no need to raise taxes to improve the medical-care system

-91 per cent of Canadians over the age of 40 say they are sexually satisfied, but only 73 per cent reported having sex in the past 12 months

-93 per cent of Canadians know that car exhaust affects air quality, but only two per cent are prepared to use their own vehicle less

-96 per cent of parents think their children are happy and well balanced

-97 per cent Canadians say they suffer from intestinal gas and about 15 per cent say they have cancelled a date or a meeting because of it

What puzzles me is why 91 per cent of Canadians over the age of 40 say they are sexually satisfied, but only 73 per cent reported having sex in the past 12 months – what about the rest of them? Do they suffer from intestinal gas? Or are they more interested in gardening?

Have a happy healthy new year – who cares whether it is with or without intestinal gas – Eddie Murphy never worried about it in The Nutty Professor!

Start reading the preview of my book A Doctor's Journey for free on Amazon. Available on Kindle for $2.99!