February 23, 2009
Volume 2 Issue 4

Thought of the Day
"Words and hearts should be handled with care... for words when spoken and hearts when broken are the hardest things to repair" - Author unknown

HYPERTENSION NEWS

Coffee May Cut Women's Stroke Risk
(Reuters Health) Female coffee drinkers can enjoy their java in good health -- at least when it comes to stroke risk, new research from Spain shows. Dr. Esther Lopez-Garcia of the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid and her colleagues found that over the course of more than two decades, women who drank coffee several times a week were actually somewhat less likely to have a stroke than those who drank coffee less than once a month. But coffee didn't seem to affect stroke risk for women with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or type 2 diabetes.
The study published in the British Medical Journal showed that postmenopausal women who had the highest resting heart rate were 26 percent more likely to suffer a heart attack or die from cardiovascular disease than those with the lowest rates
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A Pinch of Salt
(The New York Times) ) - The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, a leader in promoting public health, has embarked on a campaign to persuade the makers of processed food to reduce its salt content by more than 40 percent over the next 10 years. The goal is commendable: to prevent strokes and heart attacks. And the premise is logical: if people eat less salt, they’ll have lower blood pressure, and this could translate into better cardiovascular health.
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ASK DR. ROWENA

Q:: I usually have severe reactions to most medications which is why I don't really want to take blood pressure medications. I would like to know your opinion of diuretics. I also would like to know what a natural diuretic would be. Please advise.
A:Diuretics are the mainstay of high blood pressure treatment. They have been around a long time and most people don’t have a significant problem taking them. Although there are natural diuretics, such as green tea and dandelion, the action of prescription diuretics for high blood pressure is more than just encouraging the body to lose fluid. Foods with diuretic properties are not a substitute for prescription drugs. Since you are looking for an alternative to pills, discuss use of the Resperate with your doctor. It has been clinically proven to lower high blood pressure and has no side effects.

Q:: I just read the study about the resting heart rate in women being a determining factor in heart disease. I have a high resting heart rate. I am exercising a lot these days but am still overweight. Aside from exercise and good diet, what other methods help to lower the resting heart rate?
A:A high resting heart rate is a risk factor for heart disease in both sexes. Average resting heart rate is 70 beats per minute in men and 75 beats per minute in women. Ways to lower your heart rate include regular exercise, maintaining a normal weight, and controlling stress and anxiety. Keep in mind that all exercise isn’t the same. To help protect your heart, it is important to reach your target heart rate during exercise. For a website showing target heart rates for women click here.

Q:Is there any difference between high blood pressure and hypertension?
A:Your blood pressure can be high but still not be in a range where medication is needed. This is known as pre-hypertension. With pre-hypertension, your blood pressure is not normal but you are not yet hypertensive. When blood pressure is high enough for medical treatment, it is known as hypertension. For more details about the difference, go to an article discussing the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7): click here.

For a shorter version showing treatment guidelines, click here.

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DID YOU KNOW?

What is your REAL age?

Are you biologically younger, older, or the same as your chronological age? The Real Age Test measures how fast (or slowly) you are aging based on your responses to a series of health questions. The questions are based on 125 different factors that can influence rate of aging. The test was developed by Dr. Mehmet Oz (a regular on Oprah) and Dr. Michael Roizen. The goal of Real Age is to provide "the best health information possible in order to empower you to live a younger and ultimately a healthier, longer life."

Find out your Real age!

RESPeRATE USERS SAY

Josie

At the beginning of January my GP [general practitioner] advised that my BP was 170/85- I did not want medication - after the inital panic I purchased a Resperate and after two weeks of using it every day I feel a miracle has happened - it is now 130/80 my GP cannot understand it -thank you Resperate!