Hypertension: Prevention and Control

According to the Official Gazette of the Philippines, nearly eight million Filipinos suffer from hypertension and thousands are disabled and/or die prematurely from it.

This Hypertension Awareness Month, we have listed some of the ways to help prevent or control your hypertension:

• Monitor what you eat and drink
  
  The food that you eat is a big factor whether your blood pressure will go high or low. Eating a balanced diet including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat and low-cholesterol food can lower your blood pressure.
  
  Reducing salt intake can also help to prevent hypertension. If you can’t cut back on your sodium consumption, you can just boost your intake of potassium (usually found in banana, avocado, potato, camote, etc.). Research shows that potassium can lessen the effects of sodium on blood pressure. Great deal, eh?
  
  Also, if you are a drinker, you may want to limit the amount of alcohol you drink. Although research shows that alcohol taken in small amounts can lower your blood pressure (yep, you read that right), too much consumption will void its good effect. So, drink moderately!
  
  

• Be physically active
  
  Exercising regularly will help you reduce the risk of hypertension. You may also want to be consistent when it comes to exercising or working out because once you stop, your blood pressure might start rising up. Doing this will also avoid your hypertension to develop into a worse case scenario.
  
  According to research, the best types of exercise to lower your blood pressure include walking, jogging, swimming or even dancing to your favorite beats!
  
  In addition, being physically active also helps you maintain a healthy body. Keep in mind that as your weight increases, your blood pressure also does.

• Always be positive
  
  You might wonder what this means, but really, just be positive! We understand that you might be facing some problems in some aspects of your life but you have to keep a positive attitude instead of being stressed all the time. It has been proved that stress is half the contributor to high blood pressure, and your reaction to it is the other half (e.g., stress-eating unhealthy food, smoking, or drinking alcohol).
  
  Reduce your stress by relaxing your mind and doing activities that you enjoy. That’s right, go out and have fun with your family and friends! You can also opt to just relax and unwind in an urban area--lying on a hammock under the tree and breathing fresh air.

Here are just some of the ways to prevent or control your high blood pressure. It is important to talk to your doctor to get a precise medical opinion about your health and get medical assistance if needed.

These helpful tips will surely protect your health, but you have to consider being protected completely by allocating a budget for health maintenance or for hospitalization. Do this by getting yourself and your family a health insurance plan that will provide you cash assistance should the need arises. This way, you and your family will be financially secured and your health is surely protected.