‘Since hypertension today can easily be controlled by living a healthy lifestyle and taking pills, it does not make sense for us not to avail ourselves of the modern progress in medical therapeutics…’
SINCE blood pressure was measured for the first time by Stephen Hales in 1773, hypertension (high blood pressure) has, to this day, remained one of the most common diseases in the human race and continues to be a silent killer of man.
More than 100 million people in the United States have high blood pressure (140/90 or higher). About 20 percent (one in five) of people who have hypertension do not know they have it. Thirty percent have pre-hypertension. This is an important personal, family and public issue because of the morbidity, complications, and mortality associated with hypertension.
This illness is a modifiable health risk, and the power is within us and our attending physicians, because modern medicine has available for all of us effective drugs, and pill combinations to help control our blood pressure to prevent heart attack and stroke. If not treated properly and promptly, hypertension could lead to severe, and even fatal, complications like heart failure, end-stage kidney failure, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease. Besides the pills, daily exercise, low-cholesterol, low-carbohydrate, low-salt diet, abstinence from cigarettes and moderation in alcohol intake are fundamental parts of the effective regimen for blood pressure control.
The classification of blood pressure readings for adults aged 18 and older, based on the recommendations of the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee of Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC VII) is as follows: Normal – Systolic lower than 120, diastolic lower than 80; Prehypertension – Systolic 120-139, diastolic 80-99; Stage 1 – Systolic 140-159 or diastolic 90-99; Stage 2 – Systolic equal to or more than 160 or diastolic equal to or more than 100. This is based on the average of two or more readings taken at each of two or more visits, after the initial screening.
Since hypertension today can easily be controlled by living a healthy lifestyle and taking pills, it does not make sense for us not to avail ourselves of the modern progress in medical therapeutics and end up with a heart attack or stroke. More often than not, as far as our health is concerned, the ball is in our court. How we play the game will determine our future score.
Cloned ‘food’ safe
The US Food and Drug Administration reported that milk and meat from some cloned animals (cattle, pigs and goats, but not sheep) in the US are safe to eat. The FDA has not found any risk or danger to humans for consuming these “cloned” food products, and most likely not to require any special labeling for them.
Remedial therapy
Individuals taking Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) pills for gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), like Nexium, Prilosec, Prevacid, etc., reduce stomach absorption of Folic acid and Vitamin B12. Given this, physicians prescribing PPI medications also add Folic acid and B12 in the treatment regimen. Another sample of remedial therapy is co-prescribing CoQ10 for those on cholesterol-lowering drugs, statins, because statins also act to lower the body’s natural CoQ10 as a side-effect. The other is adding a beta-blocker (like Bystolic) to protect the kidneys for those taking Metformin for diabetes.
Low carb diet is in
The current trend in medicine when it comes to diet is an extreme reduction in carbohydrate intake, like rice, bread, desserts, and sweets (candy, ice cream, etc.), and total abstinence from any forms of soft drinks, because they increase the risk for the development of Metabolic Syndrome, among both adults and especially children. Protein, more on wild-caught (not farmed) fish, like salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines, shrimp, crab, lobster, scallops, and oysters (preferably cooked), chicken, lean red meat, oatmeal, grains, nuts (almond, walnuts), avocados, green leafy vegetables, broccoli, asparagus, various spices, and moderation in fruits (organic berries).
Drug discontinued
Drug maker Pfizer, which introduced the wonder drug Lipitor, the world’s biggest selling medication, was about to come up with a new kind of anti-cholesterol pill (Torcetrapib), “better” than any other anti-cholesterol medication available today when it decided to scrap its development. The reason: some adverse side-effects of torcetrapib. This bombshell on Pfizer eliminates the threat to other good cholesterol-lowering drugs like Zetia and Vytorin (Merck and Schering-Plough), and Crestor (Astra Zeneca Plc). In the meantime, Pfizer’s exclusive US patent on Lipitor expired in 2011, and this pill is now the generic drug atorvastatin.
Good drug combo
Researchers found that among hypertensive (high blood pressure) patients, the combination of the anti-hypertensive drug Norvasc and cholesterol-lowering pill Atorvastatin (Lipitor) “significantly reduced their risk of suffering a heart attack “within 90 days of starting treatment.” The study involved 19,000 patients, where the combo regimen lowered the risk of fatal and non-fatal cardiac events by 53%, “three times more effective at preventing heart attacks than Lipitor and a beta-blocker, an older type of blood pressure drug.” This report was published in the European Heart Journal.
Eye test to predict stroke
Can a simple peek at the eyes help in making a diagnosis? A new Australian clinical study reports that “a simple eye test (fundoscopy) might predict the likelihood of stroke. Persons with “retinopathy,” a condition where the arteries of the retina of the eye become weak or damaged by high blood pressure or diabetes, which is a tell-tale sign of an increased risk of stroke development. “People who have tiny lesions on the back of the eye are two to three times more likely to suffer a stroke or stroke-related death, within 7 years, independent of other risk factors,” according to research published in Neurology Journal. The eye findings correlate well and are a reflection of the blood vessel changes in the brain.
Drug interaction
A new warning from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was issued, informing healthcare professionals and the public that “taking ibuprofen for pain relief may interfere with the benefits of aspirin taken for heart disease.” This non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) ibuprofen could render less effective than the desired anti-platelet effect of low-dose aspirin (81 mg once a day) for the cardio-protection and stroke prevention, warned MedWatch, the FDA’s safety information and adverse event reporting program. Other NSAID pills should be regarded as having the same effect on aspirin as ibuprofen. Occasional use of this NSAID may have minimal risk. The FDA recommends that even in this situation, the NSAID should be taken at least 8 hours after aspirin is taken to avoid interaction. Acetaminophen and narcotics do not interfere with aspirin’s anti-platelet effects, says the report. We suggest persons who are now taking these two drugs consult with their physicians.
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Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a cardiac surgeon emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, health advocate, medical missionary, newspaper columnist, and chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States. He is a decorated recipient of the Indiana Sagamore of the Wabash Award in 1995 presented by then Indiana governor, US senator, and later presidential candidate Evan Bayh. Other Sagamore past awardees include President Harry S. Truman, President George HW Bush, Muhammad Ali, Astronaut Gus Grissom, scientists, and educators. (Source: Wikipedia). Websites: www.Today.SPSAtoday.com, www.feuMedAlumni.org, Amazon.com: “Where is My America?” Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com