Check Your Blood Pressure

 

Nowadays, people aspire for an increased standard of living which they attribute to the fatness of their bank accounts, the number of cars in their fleet, the massiveness of their mansions, the expensiveness of their meals, clothing and jewelry, etc. Everybody wants an easier version of everything and tends to be
in a hurry. The life we are living is fast-paced; faster than our forefathers lived. The infotainment superhighway is not slowing down any bit.
If anything, it is spiralling out of control. We are so engrossed in making dough that, sometimes, we forget to take care of ourselves. We spend a good spell of our lifetime focused on making money, not bothering to take out some time to evaluate how well we are living. And at the end, many will spend a lot of money managing preventable terminal diseases and dying horrible deaths. Does it worth it? Yes, we have to make money. but that should not come at the expense of our health because health itself is the greatest of all wealth.

The WHO made it clear to all and sundry that health is not just the absence of diseases, but a total physical, mental and social well-being of every individual. It is an inalienable right of everyone. Of course, you have the right to good health. Extrapolating from the WHO definition, that optimum health remains elusive. And I do not think that there is anyone out there without a health issue, not just the physical well-being, one has to take into consideration the social and psychological dimensions, especially as we are weighed down by both economic austerity and terrorism.

Hence, one question I would like to ask everyone (myself inclusive) is when last did you measure your blood pressure? How much do you weigh? And what is your height? It sounds stupid and funny, right? Well, let me bring it to your knowledge that a two-digit percent reduction in mortality will be achieved if these parameters are well-controlled. I am confusing you the more in this discourse! You are damn right. Let us take it slow. Do you know that sustained abnormally elevated blood pressure and body mass index (BMI) above 30 are the hallmarks of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidaemia, etc Together, these diseases cause more than a quarter of the mortality recorded worldwide.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vBwtHoH-7o

Hypertension is defined as systolic blood pressure of 140 mm Hg or more, and/or a diastolic blood pressure of 90 mm Hg or more. Hypertension affects a lot of people worldwide. It is a major risk factor for stroke, myocardial infarction, vascular disease and chronic kidney disease. In some 95% of the population, the cause of hypertension is not clearly understood. By this I do not mean that it has spiritual cause as some of us have been deluded to conclude. What I mean is that the cause is polygenic and multifactorial. Both hereditary and environmental factors come into play. Hence, it runs in families. The environmental factors can be cultural or occupational etc. The remaining 5% are caused by other disease conditions. The pathology involved is outside the scope of this discourse. On the other hand, obesity can be caused by over-indulgence in food and drinks (alcoholic beverages), metabolic disorders like diabetes mellitus, hypercholestrolaemia, enzyme deficiencies and sedentary lifestyle.

The Misconception 

 

For those who have been diagnosed earlier and are currently living with hypertension, regular check of blood pressure cannot be over-emphasized. I see people who tell stories of how their hypertension was cured miraculously. Yes, I believe in miracle, but I would like to have a word with you. Let me explain to you in layman's term how you might have mistaken a pathological process for a miracle. When, for whatever reasons, the heart is no longer able to supply the rest of the body and itself of adequate blood, a cascade of mechanisms set in and ensure that the metabolic demand is met. By so doing, the heart is forced to pump blood at a higher pressure; it practically becomes more muscular (imagine the heart developing six packs like those celebrities and athletes, just saying!). However, this does not go down well with the heart because of the extra work involved. What happens next? Over time, the heart becomes tired (failure). In pathology, we say the heart has failed, and might be pumping blood at a lower pressure than normal. Now let us go back to our miracle. The hypertension ( high BP) was sustained for some time (years) and later, the blood pressure became normal ( failing heart but still strong enough to meet the body metabolic requirements) and finally, the blood pressure became lower than normal (overt heart failure). From the foregoing discussion, if you were originally hypertensive, and after some years you discovered that your blood pressure became normal, just watch your mouth! Of course you can give testimony and thanksgiving. I do not have any problem with that because the fact that you are alive is enough for you to do thanksgiving. However, I would fall out with you when you stop taking your medications! For crying out loud, (and I am literally doing that now) do you know the function of that small vasoprin in your regimen! Do you want to start throwing thrombi up and down, stroking out in the process! Always consult your doctor. He knows what is best for you.

The Way Forward 

Meanwhile, that you are healthy today does not mean that you may come down with one disease or the other. Prevention, they say, is better than cure. The best form of disease management remains at the primary prevention. The aim is for you to know that you are healthy and should be doctored on how to remain healthy or to diagnose the disease early before it starts causing you some discomfort. By so doing, one can be managed of the disease adequately.


So, while you hustle and bustle with your business, maximizing profit and smiling to the bank in preparation for the Yuletide (Xmas) season, remember to take out some time and see your doctor. I know we live in a clime where many view going to the hospital as a taboo (not-my-portion folk have already "cabashed" against it in their prayers). We cannot even go to a doctor just for consultation alone. We only go to clinic when we are heavily weighed down by diseases. But in my opinion, I do not think that God will consider you so wonderful a man if you spend time and money (even loan in some cases) repainting your house, fixing your cars and generators, buying tons of gifts and other "necessities" that you may hardly use during this Christmas season, and forget to take care of your health.

Nonetheless, some families are distraught with the news of sudden death of family members during festive periods.  Others have loved ones who suffered stroke at some point in time. This tends to plant that seed of discord in families where one will be accusing the other of using diabolic means to kill their loved one, not knowing that the wealthy deceased had been living a sedentary lifestyle, indulging in unhealthy food and alcoholic beverages, and had not taking care of his health. No autopsy was done. He could have stroked out and died of hemorrhagic stroke or suffered cardiac arrest and died.

Beloved brethren, I pray that none of us will be involved in any form of road mishap this Christmas. May God give us all the understanding to take good care of ourselves. Let our new year resolution take health into consideration. God bless us all.