Started on May 17 2005, World Hypertension Day is observed to enhance the people’s awareness on hypertension. Many myths and realities are prevailing about the blood pressure problems and there is dire need to monitor it at intervals to mitigate the risks of complications arising later on.
Are you a routine checker of your blood pressureIJ If you are above 40 years, start doing this exercise at fixed intervals, say the doctors. May has been declared as the measurement month worldwide by the doctor fraternity so that there is more awareness among the people about this silent killer which has afflicted as many as 200 million adults in India.
One must understand at the outset that hypertension is not inherited; it is acquired through sedentary lifestyle and it is largely psychosomatic, related to mind. Stress and imbalanced mode of life increase the blood pressure and its related disorders.
The ideal limits stated by World Health Organisation for blood pressure is 130-80 mm Hg for all age groups. This borderline of systolic blood pressure of less than 130 and diastolic less than 80 is considered ideal for human beings, while the Indian doctors define Hypertension as anything over 140-90 mm Hg. The WHO categorises hypertension as one of the most important causes of premature death worldwide and the problem is growing each passing day which is a matter of concern. In 2025, around 1.56 billion adults would be living with high blood pressure, says a WHO report.
The Allopathic practitioners say that as high blood pressure has no symptom one must not keep waiting for the disease. The only method to know if one has hypertension is to regularly monitor it. When asked about the frequency of monitoring, Dr Sanjay Shah, a local physician said, “One must get it checked once in a month after one reaches 40. Without monitoring it cannot be detected or controlled.”
As diet has a minimal role in checking hypertension one has to take medicine to control it. Healthy and active lifestyle can definitely reduce the dosage of medicine but one cannot do away with it altogether, added Shah.
Awdhesh Puri, a local trader, said, “I have been maintaining my BP between 137-140 mm Hg and lower limit as 90-95 mm Hg. I do not take any medicine for hypertension, but a baby aspirin tablet of 0.5 mg which is recommended by doctors after I reached 60 helps keep my blood circulation constant while thinning the blood.” About diet regime, he said, “Earlier I used to take rich food, but for the past five years, I have regulated my intake of rich, creamy food especially processed cheese items like Pizza and Burger. This has helped me a lot in keeping by BP intact.”
The yoga and naturopathy experts have considered it mainly a min related disease. Relaxation techniques like meditation and breathing exercises help in balancing the raised blood pressure, say the experts. A senior Ayurvedic consultant V K Agnihotri said, “In Ayurveda, there is no such word as hypertension. There is concept of ‘Vyan Vayu Vaishamya’ which means from tip to toe of our bodies, there is circulation of ‘vayu’. It may get disturbed due to the cardiac, cerebral, mental or renal disorders. Right diet and practices can alter these disorders. After 35 years, one must regulate salt, sugar intake and control fried foods. Preservatives used in fast foods are to be strictly excluded from diet.”
The raised blood pressure leading to any kind of haemorrhage in body, it is a must that our body gets oxygenated air through blood circulation, said Agnihotri. Society must take care of its senior citizens by keeping them happy by keeping these age- related disorders at bay.
Giving a thumb rule of seven restraints, the Ayurvedic practitioners advise to keep stress, strain, salt, sugar, spicy foods, saturated fats, smoking and scotch away from life and to live healthy. Regular monitoring of the BP can definitely help manage hypertension in a better way, they say.