Get Easy Health Digest™ in your inbox and don’t miss a thing when you subscribe today. Plus, get the free bonus report, Mother Nature’s Tips, Tricks and Remedies for Cholesterol, Blood Pressure & Blood Sugar as my way of saying welcome to the community!
Your doctor could be all wrong about your blood pressure
Hypertension is a killer. Along with high blood sugar, obesity, and high triglyceride levels, it is part of metabolic syndrome, the cluster of physical problems that leads to diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 1 in every 3 adults in the U.S. is hypertensive. And just as many of us have prehypertension, blood pressure that is elevated but not yet high enough to be considered hypertension.
We’ve learned a lot about how diet, exercise and a healthy weight can help us control blood pressure and avoid stroke and heart attack.
But let’s stop for a moment to ask a few questions:
How accurately are you, and your doctor, measuring your blood pressure?
If you’ve been told you have high blood pressure, how reliable was the measurement that led to that diagnosis?
Do you really need medication right away, or should you be taking a second look at the numbers?
Getting answers about your blood pressure reading
I was surprised to learn about a group of physicians that is trying to answer these questions. You may not be aware of them either.
Created in 1984, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is a group of practicing physicians who volunteer to review existing research on specific preventive services, like hypertension screening.
They provide evidence-based recommendations meant to help doctors provide the most appropriate preventive services for their patients. The Task Force reports to Congress each year on areas where more research is needed.
When it comes to screening for hypertension, the Task Force recommends:
- Taking a blood pressure reading outside of the doctor’s office to confirm a diagnosis of hypertension, before starting treatment
- When screening for high blood pressure, a doctor should use the average of two measurements, taken on each arm, waiting at least 25 minutes from the time the patient enters the doctor’s office
The Framingham Heart Study confirmed that a large difference in systolic blood pressure (the top number) between your two arms may be an indication of increased risk for heart attack and stroke.
- The patient should be seated, with their arm at the level of the right atrium of the heart. An appropriately sized arm cuff should be used.
- Since multiple measurements over time are better predictors of hypertension than a single reading, patients should use home measurement as a follow up before treatment begins.
Is your doctor following these recommendations? I know mine isn’t. It’s, slip your arm in the cuff, take a reading, and done. No second arm. And definitely no home follow-up.
«SPONSORED»
Accurate readings happen at home
The Task Force finding that is most important, though is this (directly from their report):
“The USPSTF found that elevated 24-hour ambulatory systolic blood pressure was consistently and significantly associated with stroke and other cardiovascular outcomes, independent of office blood pressure and with greater predictive value.”
Translation: no matter what reading your doctor gets, if your top blood pressure number is high when measured with an ambulatory blood pressure monitor, you are a likely candidate for a stroke or heart attack.
Not only that, but the ambulatory monitor is a better predictor of these events than your doctor is!
An ambulatory blood pressure monitor (ABPM) is ordered by a doctor. The device measures and stores your blood pressure reading every 20 to 30 minutes as you go about your normal daily activities, as well as during sleep.
One reason this may give a more accurate reading is that it eliminates the interference of “white coat hypertension,” the involuntary and temporary rise in blood pressure many people experience as a result of being in a doctor’s office.
How to get the best results
You can increase the chances of getting an accurate blood pressure reading from your doctor. Here’s how:
- Ask them to take your pressure on both arms.
- Make sure you’re sitting correctly. Slouching or crossing your legs can add as much as 10 points to your reading. You should sit in a chair with your back supported and feet flat on the floor.
- Make sure the blood pressure cuff is on bare skin and not on your clothing. Wrapping the cuff over clothing can add as much as 50 points to your reading.
- Don’t talk.
- Empty your bladder beforehand. Needing to urinate can cause an artificially high blood pressure reading.
- Don’t exercise, drink caffeine or smoke during the 30 minutes before testing.
Editor’s note: Have you heard of EDTA chelation therapy? It was developed originally to remove lead and other contaminants, including heavy metals, from the body. Its uses now run the gamut from varicose veins to circulation. Click here to discover Chelation: Natural Miracle for Protecting Your Heart and Enhancing Your Health!
Sources:
- Blood Pressure: 6 Common Errors in Measuring It — berkeleywellness.com
- Screening for High Blood Pressure in Adults: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement — Annals of Internal Medicine
- Prognostic significance of blood pressure measured in the office, at home and during ambulatory monitoring in older patients in general practice — Journal of Human Hypertension
- About the USPSTF — U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
By Joyce Hollman
«SPONSORED»
