High Blood Pressure Patients, Three Things You Should Absolutely Avoid!

High Blood Pressure Patients, Three Things You Should Absolutely Avoid!Lao Li is 65 years old. After the Chinese New Year, he felt his body wasn't as strong as before and frequently caught colds

High Blood Pressure Patients, Three Things You Should Absolutely Avoid!

Lao Li is 65 years old. After the Chinese New Year, he felt his body wasn't as strong as before and frequently caught colds. Initially, Lao Li didn't pay much attention to it, but after his children repeatedly urged him, he finally went to the hospital for a full physical examination. The results shocked him. His blood pressure was measured, and his systolic pressure was 180, and diastolic pressure was 110, a typical symptom of high blood pressure. From then on, Lao Li started taking antihypertensive drugs.

One day, while chatting with an old friend who had been taking blood pressure medication for many years, the friend earnestly advised Lao Li: You're taking blood pressure medication now; there are three things you must absolutely avoid!"

1. Control Salt Intake

Salt is an essential commodity in everyday life, but excessive intake is harmful. Many elderly people prefer heavy flavors and are accustomed to adding a lot of salt when cooking. They feel it's tasteless without it. This practice is very wrong, especially for high blood pressure patients. Excessive salt intake can lead to decreased blood vessel elasticity and increased blood volume, which in turn causes high blood pressure. It makes lowering already high blood pressure difficult.

High blood pressure patients need to take antihypertensive drugs long-term. If they consume too much salt or eat high-salt foods, it will accelerate blood pressure rise and be detrimental to blood pressure control.

In fact, not only high blood pressure patients, but even young people in good health should consume salt in moderation. Excessive salt intake can not only lead to high blood pressure but also increase the incidence of other diseases:

• Increased burden on the kidneys: Salt contains a large amount of sodium, and excessive intake can lead to an increase in sodium content in the blood. Sodium needs to be excreted through the kidneys, increasing the burden on the kidneys. For those with poor kidney function or older middle-aged and elderly people, if sodium cannot be excreted in time, it will gradually accumulate and may develop into kidney-related diseases.

• Causes edema and water intoxication: Too much sodium buildup in the body can cause thirst, and drinking a lot of water can cause facial and lower limb edema, and even water intoxication.

• Hinders calcium absorption: The body's poor absorption of calcium can easily lead to fractures and osteoporosis. Many elderly people find that they have osteoporosis during physical examinations, and a large part of the reason is due to excessive salt intake.

Therefore, consuming salt in moderation is a sign of health. It is especially important for middle-aged and elderly people or high blood pressure patients to eat a light diet and avoid the extra harm salt brings to the body.

2. Taking Medicines Indiscriminately

As the saying goes, "Long illness makes a good doctor." Some middle-aged and elderly people encounter minor ailments and are reluctant to seek medical advice. Instead, they trust their years of life experience more and often self-medicate. If you've been healthy and haven't been taking other regular medications, occasional self-treatment for minor ailments might be okay. However, patients taking antihypertensive drugs must avoid self-medication.

High blood pressure patients are already taking some regular medications. Many people don't know if the ingredients in these medications will conflict with the ones they are taking on their own. Many high blood pressure patients, while prescribing medication for themselves, often overlook the issue of drug interactions. Not only does it not improve their condition, but it also causes adverse reactions such as dizziness, vomiting, and even fainting.

These are only the adverse reactions that the body can feel. There are also other reactions, such as damage to the kidneys, which are not noticeable. Some bodily damage caused by drug interactions is irreversible. This warns us that drug interactions can cause tremendous harm to the body. It reminds everyone taking regular medications to refrain from self-medication.

For high blood pressure patients taking antihypertensive drugs, if they develop other illnesses, they must seek medical attention immediately and inform the doctor that they have high blood pressure and the medications they are currently taking. In this way, the doctor can prescribe medication based on the patient's condition. Always follow the doctor's advice when taking medication and never take matters into your own hands.

3. Suddenly Increasing or Decreasing Dosage

Among many elders with high blood pressure, there is a saying: "Once you start taking blood pressure medication, you can never stop. Even if your blood pressure is tested high, avoid taking medication if possible. If you have to take it, don't listen to the doctor; take as little as possible." This statement is completely wrong and has even misled many middle-aged and elderly people with high blood pressure.

The main manifestation of high blood pressure is elevated blood pressure in the systemic arteries, often accompanied by symptoms such as dizziness, headache, and palpitations. It is more prevalent in middle-aged and elderly people, long-term alcohol consumers, and obese individuals. If high blood pressure is not treated promptly, it will further exacerbate the disease progression. For example, increased blood pressure can prevent the coronary arteries from maintaining normal perfusion.

If left untreated, the elasticity of blood vessels will decrease, leading to coronary atherosclerosis, which further leads to coronary artery narrowing, commonly known as coronary heart disease.

Furthermore, if high blood pressure is not controlled, the blood pressure in the body remains uncontrolled for a long time, leading to cerebral vascular sclerosis, which can further lead to a stroke. These are all consequences of high blood pressure patients not taking antihypertensive drugs, causing their blood pressure to be uncontrollable within normal limits.

In addition to the above consequences, high blood pressure can also lead to high blood pressure eye disease, uremia, and heart failure. Any of these consequences are very serious conditions for ordinary people and can be life-threatening.

Therefore, high blood pressure patients must strictly follow their doctor's instructions, take medication regularly and in correct dosage, strictly control their blood pressure, and avoid causing more severe consequences.

Some people, due to misreading medication names or other reasons, have taken excessive amounts of antihypertensive drugs. Overdosing on antihypertensive drugs is also a very serious situation. If the amount taken is only slightly higher than usual, there may not be a significant impact. However, if a large amount of antihypertensive medication is taken at once, seek medical attention immediately.

High blood pressure patients must strictly follow the doctor's advice and instructions, avoid adjusting the drug dosage on their own, and even stopping medication. If they experience adverse reactions or their high blood pressure symptoms worsen significantly, seek medical attention immediately. After the doctor's diagnosis, listen to the doctor's advice and adjust the dosage.

What Does High Blood Pressure Mean?

High blood pressure no longer only occurs in middle-aged and elderly people. According to case investigations in recent years, high blood pressure has gradually increased in younger populations, and even some children are beginning to show signs of high blood pressure.

• According to the China Cardiovascular Health and Disease Report 2023, the prevalence of high blood pressure in adults is currently 31.6%, and the number of patients has reached 245 million. High blood pressure has always been a major risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. In China, the number of deaths from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases each year accounts for nearly 50% of all causes of death, making it the leading cause of death among Chinese residents.

Therefore, for individuals, controlling blood pressure is an important way to maintain health.

So how can you keep your blood pressure within a normal range? How can you detect abnormal blood pressure in a timely manner?

• Control salt intake: Even people with normal blood pressure should pay attention to controlling their salt intake.

• Control weight: Maintaining a healthy weight is essential for preventing and controlling high blood pressure.

• Engage in regular physical exercise: Engaging in more outdoor aerobic exercise helps lower blood pressure and improve blood vessel elasticity.

• Quit smoking and drinking: People who smoke and drink regularly should reduce the frequency of smoking and drinking, and ideally quit altogether. For those with high blood pressure, quitting smoking and drinking is essential.

• Maintain a good mental state: Long-term mental stress or anxiety can easily cause fluctuations in blood pressure, leading to high blood pressure. This is common among young people. Work pressure is high, and young people often face difficulties in venting their inner pressure and negative emotions. Therefore, friends must maintain a positive and optimistic attitude, do more things that make them happy during their rest, and keep a cheerful mood. They should also spend more time in nature, as nature can broaden one's horizons. When necessary, you can actively seek help from a psychologist.

In Conclusion

High blood pressure is becoming more frequent and prevalent in everyday life. However, many elders have prejudices about high blood pressure, causing our understanding of this disease to gradually deviate from the correct path. In reality, if high blood pressure is not well-controlled, it can have very serious consequences, even life-threatening ones.

This necessitates that we pay close attention to blood pressure, take high blood pressure seriously, and seek timely treatment through medication and control. We also hope that younger friends will educate their elders about the dangers of high blood pressure. We hope that all our friends will be healthy and happy!

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