Increasing Numbers of Seniors are Challenged by
Checking Blood Pressure at Home
Free video by Harvard Heart Letter tells you
how to get a good reading
Automatic Wrist Blood
Pressure Monitor one of the tools being used to measure blood
pressure at home - see more below news story.
Aug. 26, 2008 Senior citizens are more conscious
than most of the dangers from hypertension and blood pressure readings
are a common topic of discussion. Free machines to take your blood
pressure reading are available at pharmacies and increasingly are found
in homes. But getting an accurate reading may not be as easy as many
think, according to the Harvard Heart Letter, which is offering
free help.
Your blood pressure changes from hour to hour,
sometimes minute to minute. Standing up from a chair, watching an
exciting show, eating a meal, or being stressed - perhaps because of a
visit to the doctor - all influence your blood pressure.
Blood pressure readings jump around so much that
you are more likely to get an accurate reading if you check it at home
rather than in the doctor's office, reports the September 2008 issue of
the Harvard Heart Letter.
The idea underlies a new recommendation from the
American Heart Association urging individuals with high blood pressure
or at high risk for developing it to become do-it-yourselfers, for a
number of reasons:
Find your real blood pressure: In some individuals,
the doctors office snapshot tells the whole story and is an excellent
approximation of their usual pressure. In others, it isnt.
Track your progress: Checking your blood pressure
at home lets you know whether your lifestyle changes and medications are
having their desired effects.
Save time and medications: Home measurement may
mean fewer trips to the doctors office. If you have white-coat
hypertensiona rise in blood pressure when you go to the doctorit may
also mean taking fewer medications.
Watch the video
If you choose to measure your blood pressure at
home, technique matters.
A free instructional video from Harvard Health
Publications, online at
http://www.health.harvard.edu/128, shows Harvard Heart Letter editor
Patrick J. Skerrett demonstrating the right way to take a blood pressure
reading at home. This web page also offers tips for choosing a home
blood pressure monitor.
Also in this issue:
Aches and pains from statins
Removing faulty pacemaker wires
Mediterranean diet wards off heart disease
Chest pain (angina) common after heart attacks
Heart disease a leading killer among people with HIV/AIDS
Is there a connection between statins, muscle pain, and coenzyme Q10?
The Harvard Heart Letter is available from Harvard
Health Publications, the publishing division of Harvard Medical School,
for $24 per year. Subscribe at
http://www.health.harvard.edu/heart or by calling 877-649-9457
(toll-free).
This is one example of the units being used
at home to measure blood pressure readings. The Wrist Auto-Inflation unit is activated
with the push of a single button. The large display
simultaneously shows systolic, diastolic and pulse readings. The
automatic memory keeps your last seven blood pressure
measurements close at hand.
Price: $57.88 at the Medical Supply Store
>> For more information or to purchase on
line,
click here
>> For the Medical Supply Store home page, click here
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