Do you need to take medicine for life if you suffer from high blood pressure? Doctor: Doing 4 things will help you stop taking the drug completely
Untreated high blood pressure is tantamount to “bullying the heart”! The kidneys, brain, and eyeballs may all be affected?
According to the 2017-2020 National Nutrition and Health Status Change Survey by the Taiwan Health Promotion Administration, the prevalence of hypertension among Taiwanese over 18 years old exceeds 26%, and reaches 38% among Taiwanese over 40 years old. Dr. Shi Yizhong, director of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Lian An Clinic, said that despite the high prevalence of hypertension, many people in clinical practice often ignore the harm caused by high blood pressure because they have no obvious symptoms.
Dr. Shi Yizhong pointed out that the so-called “blood pressure” refers to the pressure generated in the arteries when blood is sent out from the heart. The greater the pressure, the higher the burden on the heart. “The average person’s heart beats about 100,000 times a day. If the blood pressure is as high as 180 mmHg, it’s like the heart is carrying 80 kilograms and beating 100,000 times a day. Compared to a person with a blood pressure of 110 mmHg, you can imagine the burden on the heart. !”
Ignoring the consequences of high blood pressure for a long time is like “bullying the heart”. It may cause arteriosclerosis, lead to myocardial hypertrophy, reduce the blood output of the heart, and form “hypertensive heart disease”. In addition, myocardial hypertrophy can easily cause the heart to lose elasticity and cause abnormal diastolic function, leading to a decrease in the heart’s contractile capacity. In severe cases, it may lead to heart failure. What’s even more frightening is that high blood pressure not only increases cardiovascular risks, but may even affect the kidneys, brain, and eyeballs.
Is it possible for middle-aged people to suffer from high blood pressure? It is recommended that people over 45 years old follow the “722 Rule”
Dr. Shi Yizhong reminds the public that regardless of whether they have heart discomfort or not, as long as they are over 45 years old, they should develop the habit of measuring blood pressure regularly, and measure it at least 1-2 times a week; if they find that their blood pressure is high, they should develop the habit of measuring blood pressure regularly. The habit of “checking blood pressure every day”. It is recommended that people take the measurement before breakfast or before going to bed at night. Each measurement should be taken twice, and the two values should be averaged to facilitate objective comparison of differences in blood pressure values.
Dr. Shi Yizhong explained that a single blood pressure measurement may occasionally show signs of rising, which are related to the environment and personal psychological or physiological conditions. However, if a series of blood pressure measurement values tend to be on the high side, you should seek medical treatment at this time. assist. Measuring blood pressure is only the first step. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, people will be advised to actively adjust their lifestyles, such as controlling their diet, eating less oil and salt, and actively exercising regularly to improve obesity factors and other active intervention measures.
Does suffering from high blood pressure require “lifelong medication”? Doctors refute rumors: Actively improving life is the key
Do you need to take medicine for life if you have high blood pressure? Dr. Shi Yizhong explained that he once met a patient with long-term hypertension in the clinic. Due to his busy work and no time to control his diet and weight, his blood pressure was always high. Even after taking three kinds of antihypertensive drugs, his blood pressure was still as high as 140 mmHg. One day, I was accidentally diagnosed with lung cancer, and finally learned the lesson and changed.
After undergoing surgery and treatment for lung cancer, this patient not only adjusted his eating habits and exercised actively, but also actively reduced external stress. His blood pressure medication was reduced from three to two, and soon to one. Finally, he was completely relieved. No blood pressure medication is needed. It can be seen that it is not impossible to get rid of blood pressure medicine. The most important thing is to be aware of it consciously and change your behavior.
“Many elderly people worry that they will have to take high blood pressure medication for the rest of their lives after starting to take it. This concept causes many people to be reluctant to seek medical treatment. Even if they seek medical treatment, they may be unwilling to take medication!” In fact, it can be seen from the above cases that in patients, When your blood pressure gradually stabilizes, you may have the opportunity to reduce your medication or even stop taking it entirely. However, the main help of taking medication is to stabilize blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease. For patients who have difficulty losing weight and cannot get rid of work stress, taking medication is still one of the most effective methods at present.
Dr. Shi Yizhong said that blood pressure-lowering drugs can help prevent high blood pressure from bullying the heart, kidneys, brain, blood vessels, eyeballs and other organs. Therefore, the public should not hold misconceptions. Seeking medical treatment too late or not seeking medical treatment will not help alleviate the disease. The key to successfully controlling high blood pressure lies in measuring blood pressure. Only by actively preventing the disease before it develops can we truly stay away from the harm caused by high blood pressure.
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