Your Blood Pressure: Getting To The Heart Of The Matter

A recent study by The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute revealed that lowering our systolic blood pressure can improve our overall health and prolong our lives. 

Systolic blood pressure is the top number indicated by the sphygmomanometer, or blood pressure gauge, and it measures the amount of pressure on your arteries when your heartbeats.

Diastolic blood pressure measures the pressure in the arteries in between beats, that is when the heart muscle is at rest between beats and the heart is refilling with blood.

A third of American adults have high blood pressure, which, according to the American Heart Association puts them at risk for heart attack and stroke. It has been recommended that the systolic blood pressure for people with hypertension be 140 or lower.

This new study recommends that this goal be lowered to 120; the results indicated that the risk of death is reduced by a quarter when the systolic blood pressure is lowered to 120. 

Do you know your blood pressure status? Do you suffer from hypertension? 

If so, you can make a fresh start to lower your systolic blood pressure and increase your chances of living a longer life. 

How? By partnering with your doctor:

• to discuss the best maintenance medication for you to take;
• to develop a set of realistic goals concerning your diet;
• and to determine a safe level of exercise for you to undertake.

Reduce your salt intake. If you're a smoker, seek help to cut tobacco out of your life completely. Minimize your alcohol consumption. Eat more organic fruits and veggies and fewer processed foods, particularly those containing white sugar and white flour. 

Avoid saturated and trans fats. Eat lean meats and skinless poultry. And twice a week incorporate into your diet fish that are rich in Omega-three fatty acids, such as salmon, trout, and herring. 

You're the most important advocate for your own health, so be deliberate and methodical, and enjoy the fruit of your efforts, which should be a much healthier, more active and fulfilling life. 

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Reviewed By:

Founder Ray Spotts has a passion for all things natural and has made a life study of nature as it relates to health and well-being. Ray became a forerunner bringing products to market that are extraordinarily effective and free from potentially harmful chemicals and additives. For this reason Ray formed Trusted Health Products, a company you can trust for clean, effective, and healthy products. Ray is an organic gardener, likes fishing, hiking, and teaching and mentoring people to start new businesses. You can get his book for free, “How To Succeed In Business Based On God’s Word,” at www.rayspotts.com.