El Paso Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club
Five Ways to Fight Hypertension Naturally
The good thing is that even though such condition doesn’t have any symptoms, it will nonetheless cause certain manifestations that will enable you to recognize it the moment it starts to reach a certain stage. During this level, you can have your blood pressure tested to confirm whether you indeed have hypertension or not.
Hypertension can lead to aneurisms, heart attack, and even stroke, but do you know that you can cut your risks for these chronic conditions simply by doing some small changes in your lifestyle? Watching what you eat and getting rid of some of your bad health habits can actually help you fight hypertension naturally.
Your diet plays a major role in fighting off hypertension. If you are to stop it on its tracks, you have to start incorporating a healthy eating plan into your lifestyle. To lower high blood pressure, doctors recommend eating more fruits and vegetables, and foods that are low in saturated fat and cholesterol. Whole grains, poultry, fish, nuts, and foods rich in magnesium, calcium, and potassium are ideal for a person who wants to reduce hypertension. In a study done to people with high blood pressure, patients who changed their eating habits were able to reduce their blood pressure in just two weeks.
Reducing your sodium or salt intake will also help lower your blood pressure. Sodium increases a person’s risk for heart disease so even though you need sodium in your diet, you have to make sure you are only getting the daily required amount in order to avoid health risks. Most of us love to eat restaurant food, not knowing that these types of food are loaded with sodium and other salt-based preservatives. To lower your intake of salt, limit your intake of food from fast food restaurants or buying food from convenience food stores.
At the same time, read the labels of whatever product you are buying anytime you hit the grocery store, and pick only those that are low in salt, whether they are cereals or canned vegetables. If you can’t help but eat outside, you can lower your salt intake by requesting the chef to omit salt from your food. In addition, always remember to balance a salty meal by adding potassium-rich foods like fruits and vegetables to it.
There’s been an ongoing debate on the link between alcohol and hypertension. Some claim that drinking alcohol is good for the heart while others say it can increase your risk for high blood pressure. According to scientists, while drinking alcohol may be good for the heart, too much of it can actually hurt. Downing more than two glasses of wine each day can already be considered excessive drinking, and while the heart benefits of alcohol is well-documented, moderation is still the key. Moderate alcohol drinking can increase the levels of good cholesterol in your body by up to 20%, says experts, but it should always be accompanied by a well-balanced diet and regular exercise. So, if you’re asking whether drinking alcohol can benefit hypertension or not, the answer is yes, but only when taken in the right amounts, at about two drinks per day for men, and one drink per day for women.
Perhaps the best and safest way to fight hypertension is to lose weight through exercise. Lack of physical activity is one of the greatest contributing factors to high blood pressure, so if you can incorporate regular exercise to your daily routine, you will have a higher chance of reducing weight and lowering blood pressure at the same time. Exercise doesn’t just strengthen your cardiovascular muscles, it also helps you get rid of stress, another factor that largely contributes to hypertension.
Why let hypertension stop you when you can stop it on its tracks? Start applying these five natural methods and see high blood pressure fly out the window!
WIN THE FIGHT AGAINST HEART DISEASE!
Consider these 5 tips to lower your risk for heart disease:
1) Keep your weight well-managed – Having an appropriate body weight will not only help you feel better physically, but will also help keep your blood pressure under control. If you’re not sure how to lower your weight or manage your blood pressure, ask your doctor for diet tips, or talk to a registered dietician.
2) Engage in regular physical activity – You’ll feel better and it will help keep your heart in good health. By staying active you reduce your risk for a heart attack and stroke.
3) Stop smoking – Smoking is a major risk factor! So, do what you can to reduce or eliminate smoking in our day.
4) Decrease alcohol consumption – Practice moderation when it comes to drinking.
5) Manage your stress – Your blood pressure rises as you experience stress. Take a few deep breaths and remember to keep calm in stressful situations.
Remember these lifestyle tips for future reference.
You always have control over your own health and lifestyle.
A healthy heart is a happy heart!
June is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and EPBSMC would like to help in educating people to take steps to prevent skin damage and recognize potential skin cancer. Early identification and treatment of skin cancer helps reduce the risk of advanced disease and complications and, in some cases, may result in cure. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, more than one million new skin cancers are diagnosed each year – that’s more than all the new annual cases of breast, prostate, lung, and colon cancer combined. About 20% of Americans will develop skin cancer at some point during their lifetimes, so it’s important to know what to look for: If you have any of these conditions, you can have your skin examined by your physician, who may recommend you to a dermatologist, which is a physician who specializes in treating the skin. As with any potential cancer, it’s important to know what you can do to reduce your chances of developing it. In the case of skin cancer, protecting yourself from the sun’s damaging ultraviolet rays is recommended as your best protection. So practice good sun safety, avoiding sunburn, protect your skin to help prevent skin cancer. For more information on skin cancer, ask your physician or visit The Skin Cancer Foundation.
Skin Cancer Awareness
On The Job Workout
The Wooden Leg
For lower-body strength: Sit in your chair, extend one leg out straight in front of you and hold for two seconds. Then raise it up as high as you can, and hold it again for two seconds. Repeat with each leg 15 times.
Health Habit Challenge
Exercise for better Health!
According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention more than 60% of Americans do not get enough regular exercise. Advantages to exercise include: weight control; maintain healthy bones muscles and joints; reduce high blood pressure risk and diabetes; promotes psychological well-being; reduces risk of heart disease and premature death.
So get out there and MOVE IT, MOVE IT, MOVE IT!!
Health Habit Challenge
Get Enough Sleep!
According to the National Sleep Foundation, more than 2/3 of older adults suffer from sleep problems and many Americans do not get the minimum amount to stay alert! Sleep is vital to good health, mental and emotional well-being. Adults should get at least 7-10 hours of sleep each night. Kids need more sleep depending on their age.
Lung Cancer Prevention
Inhale your Fruits & Vegetables!
Most of us associate lung cancer with being caused by bad air that we inhale into our lungs - cigarette smoke, air pollution, radiation exposure, and toxic chemical. While reducing inhalation exposure, especially smoking, is clearly the best defense against lung cancer, there is increasing evidence that proper diet and nutrition may play a protective role in reducing lung cancer risk as well, whether or not you are a smoker.
While everyone knows that cigarette smoking is the major contributing risk factor for lung cancer, it is also true that more than one in ten people who get lung cancer are non smokers. Lung cancer is one of the most lethal types of cancer - while it accounts for only 13% of cancer, lung cancer is responsible for nearly one third of all cancer deaths.
So what role can diet play in prevention against lung cancer? A World Health Organization report suggested that lung cancer incidence could be cut by 12% if everyone ate at least four cups of vegetables and fruits per day. Studies have linked diets high in carotenoid fruits and vegetables with a lower risk of lung cancer, even among heavy smokers (Oranges, tangerines, papayas, peaches, red peppers, and carrots). Diets high in pytoestrogens such as soy, flaxseed, and beans also are linked to lower incidents of both lung cancer and breast cancer. Having adequate selenium in the diet seems to be important, too (found in whole grains, beans, poultry, seafood, sunflower seeds, Brazil nuts). Taking supplements of the above nutrients don't seem to have protective benefit - the nutrients have to be consumed as fruits and vegetables.
The best prevention against lung cancer is to stop smoking and avoid secondhand smoke and toxins. But whether or not you smoke, go for a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables in your regular diet. Fruits and Veggies are 'smokin'!
Taking Control of Your Diabetes
Improving Self-Management! It's important for people with diabetes to be proactive when living with diabetes. For example, you may have to wear protective shoes to avoid inadvertent cuts or abrasions to your feet because wound healing may be delayed. Or you may have to take extra care to obtain an annual flu shot because complications of flu can be severe in diabetic patients.
According to the American diabetes Association (ADA), approximately 21 million Americans have diabetes, and more people are being diagnosed every year. Diabetes is associated with many health problems, disability and premature death. Knowing how you can improve your lifestyle to better control diabetes is the key to reducing related complications, such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease and amputations.
Actions you can take include:
