The vast majority of US adults have been recently screened for high blood pressure. The bad news is that an increasing number are being diagnosed with the condition.
High blood pressure is a major contributor to heart disease and stroke -- two leading causes of death among Americans. Because high blood pressure is both preventable and treatable, US public health recommendations state that adults age 20 and older should have their blood pressure checked at least once every 2 years.
And most Americans appear to be doing just that, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia.
National survey results show that, throughout the 1990s, about 95% of adults had recently undergone blood pressure screening. And nearly all respondents said they had had their blood pressure checked at some time.
But while blood pressure screening remained steady during the 1990s, high blood pressure diagnoses increased. In 1991, about 23% of adults said they had been diagnosed with high blood pressure, compared with 25% in 1999.
The ever-increasing prevalence of obese and overweight Americans could mean that more people are actually developing high blood pressure.
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report May 31, 2002;51:456-460
It is no surprise that high blood pressure is increasing in the US. It's exactly what you should expect when people follow a high grain, low fat approach.
So what exactly causes high blood pressure in most people?
If you have been reading this newsletter for any length of time, you know that insulin levels play a large role here. Sugars and grains that break down into sugar, such as bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, beans, cookies, cakes, cereals, oatmeal, toast and rice will raise insulin levels.
Raised insulin levels cause blood pressure to go up in most people. For more details please review the food choice program.
Omega-3 fats are also very important, especially the omega 6:3 ratio.
Nutritionally, it appears that vitamin D may be very useful in normalizing high blood pressure.
One hour of exercise a day seems to be an important contributor to the long-term benefits of those currently suffering from high blood pressure.
When using exercise as a drug, it is important to set a goal of at least one hour per day, every day. Obviously, depending on one's current condition, one may need to slowly work up to this level.
My experience is that weight-bearing exercises, such as walking, jogging, running, Nordic Track, and Health Rider are better than cycling and swimming. If you have access to a health club, my favorite piece of equipment is the elliptical machine.
Cycling and swimming take far longer to produce the same benefit and each have negative aspects. If you are cycling outdoors, you run the risk of being killed or injured by a motor vehicle. Swimming is usually done in chlorinated pools, which has its own problems.
However, if you are able to swim in the ocean, the salt water provides an incredible synergism that far exceeds the value of the exercise.
It is very important to note that insulin is not the only cause of raised blood pressure. Emotional stress also plays an important role. Emotional stress causes excessive output of the adrenals that respond very favorably to normalization of these stresses.
Fortunately, EFT seems to work quite well for these stresses. You can check the EFT Resource Page for further information on how you can learn this technique.
It is important to realize that uncontrolled high blood pressure can cause a stroke and potentially kill you. Strokes rarely occur if the systolic (upper number) is below 170. The diastolic (lower number) is not as important for developing strokes, but it does relate to long term problems. If you have high blood pressure, do not stop any medication unless you are professionally supervised.
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