T.J. Samson | Destination Health | February 2019

●  ● Adopt a healthy diet that in- cludes fruits and veggies, low-fat dairy and reduced amounts of saturated and total fat. ●  ● Cut back on salt and sodium, which is often found in frozen dinners, canned soups and other prepackaged meals. ●  ● Get some exercise—walking is often a good place to start. ●  ● Take your blood pressure medicines as prescribed. Do this even when you feel fine and your blood pressure readings are good, West says. That means the meds are working. Your provider also may have you check your blood pressure at home. Share those results with your provider. It’s a more reliable indicator of how well your treatment is working over time. DID YOU KNOW? “Some people think that, as long as they don’t have a headache or feel sick, their blood pressure must be OK,”West says. “That couldn’t be farther from the truth.” West has been a nurse practitioner for 18 years. She sees patients 13 years and older and is cur- rently accepting new patients. can hurt you Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Platteville, WI Permit No. 7 T.J. Samson Community Hospital 1301 N. Race St. Glasgow, KY 42141 FEBRUARY 2019 H ow’s your blood pressure? If you don’t know, you may be putting your health at risk. And you wouldn’t be the only one standing on potentially perilous ground. “A lot of people in this community who have high blood pressure may be unaware they even have a problem,” says Paula West, MSN, APRN, ANP-C. “They feel fine.” That’s the reason high blood pressure is often called a “silent killer.”The condition can lead to life-threatening complications, even though it typically has no symptoms, says West, a nurse practitioner at the T.J. Health Cave City Clinic. Even among people who know they have high blood pressure, many don’t have their condition under control. And that’s just as dangerous. This is why West wants to get the word out to as many people as possible: Check your blood pressure regularly. If it’s high, take steps to lower it. It could save your life. SO WHY SHOULD YOU CARE? Over time, even mildly elevated blood pressure can damage blood vessels throughout your body, causing them to become stiff and narrow, West explains.The result? It can raise your risk for: ●  ● Stroke. ●  ● Heart attack. ●  ● Kidney failure. ●  ● Vision loss. ●  ● Sexual dysfunction. ●  ● Some forms of dementia. Paula West, MSN, APRN, ANP-C, T.J. Health Partners High blood pressure What you don’t know And if you’re thinking only people with lots of medical problems or unhealthy habits get high blood pressure, you might want to think again. Even people who appear healthy may get high blood pressure, perhaps because they are predis- posed to it due to their genes, West says. She’s even seen the condition in people in their 20s. TIME TO FIND OUT There’s just one surefire way to know if your blood pressure is too high: Have it checked regu- larly, which is something your health care pro- vider can help you with. “I encourage everyone to find a primary care provider that they see at least once a year, regard- less of whether they have any medical issues that they know of or not,”West says. “That’s the big- gest takeaway.” A blood pressure reading has two numbers. A normal reading is less than 120/80 mm Hg (spo- ken as “120 over 80”). If your provider says your blood pressure is high, changes like these may help you bring it down: T.J. Samson’s Cave City Clinic offers preventive care, same-day appointments and care for chronic conditions. Call 270-773-2111 for an appointment.

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