Every time you go to the doctor you’ll most likely have your blood pressure read. Your nurse or doctor will provide you with two numbers. The first is your systolic blood pressure, which measures the pressure in your blood vessels when your heart beats. This will be the higher of the two numbers. The second is the diastolic blood pressure, which indicates how much pressure is put on your blood vessels when the heart rests between beats. Ideally, you’ll want your blood pressure as close to 120/80 as this is normal. Anything too high and you risk bursting a blood vessel; anything too long and not enough blood is able to reach your organs.
Although most of us will have our blood pressure taken routinely – you can go to your pharmacy right now and have it measured or even buy your own monitoring kit – blood pressure is a serious epidemic that causes hundreds of thousands of deaths every year in the United States alone. In her book, The Blood Pressure Solution, Dr. Marlene Merritt describes how high blood pressure is a silent killer as the condition is often asymptomatic until a major event occurs. She notes that it is the primary or contributing cause of more than 1,000 deaths per day in the United States. 69% of people who have their first heart attack, 77% who have their first stroke, and 74% of people who have congestive heart failure also have high blood pressure.
Blood Pressure Harms Many Parts of the Body
- It Can Destroy Your Body’s Blood Vessels
- It Can Cause Heart Trouble
- It Can Damage Your Kidneys
- It Can Cause Brain Damage (stroke, dementia, etc.)
- It Can Potentially Diminish Your Vision
- It Can Cause Bone Loss
- It Can Lead to Problems in the Bedroom
Many of these problems are very serious, which is why high blood pressure must be addressed as soon as possible through possible medical intervention and lifestyle changes. We highly encourage you to read more about the subject in The Blood Pressure Solution from Dr. Marlene Merritt and the Primal Health team. Primal Health reviews the latest research from the leading industry pioneers to present pertinent information to health-conscious individuals. In addition to that, we will discuss other topics raised in the book in future posts so you’re more informed on this terrible but potentially preventable and treatable condition.