The Silent Killer

Well today August 1, 2009 has been proclaimed by me to be the first day on my journey to become a healthier person.  I will even be so bold as to say not just a healthier person but “a healthy me”.  By definition in Webster’s dictionary healthy means enjoying health and vigor of body, mind, or spirit.  If I dig a little deeper in Webster I can find that Healthy is synonyms for …implies full strength and vigor as well as freedom from signs of disease.

So I want to be clear about my goal because I could loose 10 pounds (still be obese) but be healthier than I was.  My goal is to become “a healthy me”!

Is that possible? There is no cure for hypertension.

But can hypertension be reversed??

As I stated in my last Hub shamefully I did not know what Hypertension really was, what my blood pressure should be, or why my doctor called it a silent killer as she tried so diligently to jar my stalled brain into action.  As with any preparation for battle (because that is what this is) I will have to very carefully study the enemy if I will ever have a chance to defeat it.

After studying some information posted by the (CDC) Center for Disease Control I found out that High blood pressure is often referred to as a silent killer because it usually has no warning signs until other more serious problems occur.  High blood pressure can lead to heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure, and kidney disease.

According to the CDC, 1 out of every 3 American Adults has High Blood Pressure.  In addition it has been stated that 1 out of every 4 adults in the world has high blood pressure.  That is alarming to know that if you are in a room anywhere in the world with more than 3 people more than likely one of them has hypertension.

Also amazing the odds would increase if you just happen to be visiting the Chicago’s Black Women’s Expo today because the largest group of people with this disease is African American Women at an alarming percentage of 44% …falling into that category myself, the first question that came to my mind is why?

According to the American Heart Association “Nobody knows why”.  However, they do agree that for African American Women the disease is more common and often more serious.

So now that I am learning what the disease is what will I do about it?