Hypertension - A 21st Century epidemic

Hypertension (high blood pressure)

Some time ago an article written by Sheryl Ubelacker, a health reporter for the Canadian Press, indicated that obese children appear to have a blood vessel abnormality similar to that which doctors see in much older adults with high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.   The obese children studied already had stiff blood vessels, aortic stiffness is an early indicator of cardiovascular disease.  Aortic stiffness in adults is associated with heart attacks and stroke that can result in premature death, and this is the reason that many, many of us are on hypertensive medication.

While the obese children studied had normal cholesterol levels, their blood pressure was marginally elevated and ultrasounds of the heart showed arterial health was already compromised.

We know there is an association between unhealthy lifestyles and heart disease.  Poor nutrition and inactivity are threatening their health and well-being. It is obvious that we must rethink the lifestyle standards we have accepted as a society to protect the future health of our children.

This is a very sobering message.  As adults living in the Western world many of us are more or less resigned to the fact that at some point we will have to be on medication for high blood pressure, high cholesterol or both.

On the other hand an article in JAMA in 1997 reports that drugs for high blood pressure may be over prescribed, based on the results of a review of measuring hypertension.  Researchers found that patients, whose blood pressure was measured by ambulatory monitoring where levels are recorded throughout the normal working day with a device strapped to the patient, needed fewer drugs than people whose blood pressure is monitored in the surgery.

Ambulatory monitoring avoids the "white coat effect", when blood pressure is raised unnaturally when a patient gets to the hospital or clinic. It is also more accurate than the standard testing, and is not open to interpretation from the operator.  This is very true and indeed my own experience, having bought a blood pressure machine for use at home is that I really don’t have a blood pressure problem!   The readings throughout the day when I took my blood pressure were much lower than in the surgery.  I had not thought that I was a nervous patient, in fact having worked around medicine and medical people all my life; I felt I was quite happy in a doctor’s surgery but maybe my subconscious knew different! 

There is no doubt that high blood pressure can lead to heart attack and stroke and that we should do all in our power to keep it low.  But it is interesting that without trying very hard one can find many different perspectives on the subject.    I think that if we are to be concerned about any aspect of this it should be the over-prescription of anti-hypertensive medication. 

There are obvious things that we can do to keep ourselves healthy and free of hypertension.  They are the old chestnuts, keep weight under control, don’t smoke and don’t drink.  But also it is important to check that you know what you are dealing with.  Get yourself a home blood pressure measuring kit so that you can find out what your blood pressure is at various times of the day. You can actually have the machine compared to the machines at your doctors surgery so that they are also satisfied that the readings you are getting are the same as they would be in the surgery.

There is no doubt that it is very important to control blood pressure for all sorts of reasons.  Just do your best to make sure that your blood pressure is recorded as accurately as possible so that any treatment you have is accurate too!

Please note that all information and content on UK Health Radio and this blog are provided by the authors, producers and companies themselves and is only intended as additional information to your general knowledge.  It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment. Please do not delay or disregard any medical advice received due to information gathered on UK Health Radio.

UK Health Radio – the health radio station for the United Kingdom, Europe and beyond at www.ukhealthradio.com – is kindly sponsored by www.1-stop-health-shop.com

Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio

Dealing with Grief

Dealing with Grief

Another important date in the Christian calendar has just passed.  At Easter every year, Christian communities all around the world focus on the death and then the resurrection of Jesus Christ.   And all of us, no matter whether we are religious or not, have suffered the sadness of the death of someone close to us.   I thought it might be helpful for us to think about how we live with the only certainty we have in life - and that is death!

At another important time in the Christian calendar last year my own father was very close to death.   The windows of the advent calendar marked down the last days of his life and we who loved him could only watch as he began his final journey.   He lay peacefully in bed as people came and went, crying tears and thinking their own thoughts as they stood beside his bed, holding his hand.  In my case his was the hand that had held mine since the day I was born, the hand that had reached out for me as I took my first faltering steps, steadied me on my first stabiliser free bicycle ride, comforted me when my heart was broken and supported me, my mother and my brother and many, many more people throughout an unselfish life, well led.  As I whispered my goodbyes and the tears fell, the day that I had always dreaded had finally arrived.  

As it often does, death stole my father away in the dead of night.   I stumbled the short distance to his home and thanked God for the quiet efficiency of the people who operated in territory into which my mother and I had not strayed before.   Quiet efficiency and dignity accompanied my father’s last departure from the home he had loved and lived in and had happily also been able to die in.

His funeral was a full house and the minister who had been a personal friend gave a truly personal and memorable address.  Anyone who has ever lost anyone will identify with the dread of the day of a loved ones funeral and the death of a parent is something that marks the passage of time more than anything else.   This is someone we have known since we were born and now they have gone.  My father had achieved a ripe old age and had a great life and we are all grateful for that, but it is still very hard to be without him.

Any death causes pain to those left behind but when the pain has subsided and we can look back and be grateful for all the good times, then we might understand a bit better.   For the people we have lost there will be no resurrection for us to marvel at in the same way as Christians did with Jesus Christ, but in every day there will be something of them to see in those of us left behind; a son’s expression, a daughters smile, a wife’s remembrance, a grandchild’s mannerism. 

I think the words of a poem by Mary Frye sum up the way that we can best remember those we have lost.  I hope you agree and I hope you have a peaceful and happy Easter.

Do Not Stand At My Grave and Weep

Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there.
I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn's rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there.
I did not die.

Mary Frye

Symptoms - When to seek help

Symptoms – When to Call the Doctor

I used to work in a hospital, in administration in an Oncology department.   As I read one after another of the patient’s notes by the end of the first week I was convinced that I had everything from skin cancer to cancer of the pancreas.  It is said that medical students are the same.  Being made aware of diseases and conditions that they had no prior knowledge of could make them worried by every little twinge or headache they had, and attribute it to some dread disease.  But joking aside there are some symptoms that should never be ignored and should always send you beating a path to your doctor’s door. 

Among symptoms that always need checking out are:

·       Chest pains

• Abdominal discomfort
• Any unexplained bleeding 

Those may seem pretty obvious but there are other symptoms that are not so obvious but that also need to be checked out by your doctor.  These include any unexplained weight loss. Experiencing weight loss of 5% over the period of a month or a 10% weight loss from six to 12 months could be a warning of conditions such as

• hypothyroidism (an overactive thyroid)

• depression or other mental illness
• some liver diseases
• cancers
• malabsorption
• diabetes

A persistent fever should always be taken seriously. Any fever of over 100 f (37.8c) degrees should be investigated if it persists for more than a week. Fever can be an indication of  underlying infection and  is also sometimes a presenting symptom for some cancers and other medical conditions. Any fever that causes violent chills (rigors) or which is greater than 103f (39.0c) needs immediate medical attention.

Shortness of breath -  A persistent feeling of being short of breath on exertion can be a gradual hardly noticed symptom that can often be explained away easily, (you’re tired, are recovering from a cold, affected by pollen) However it is always best to take this type of symptom seriously, if it persists for any length of time see your doctor and of course any incidences of severe wheezing or gasping for air should be considered a medical emergency. Causes for breathlessness and wheezing are many and may include

• asthma
• heart problems
• anxiety
• panic attacks
• embolus (blood clot) in the lungs

Unexplained changes in bowel habits. Any change in bowel habits might indicate an infection, either bacterial or viral, hepatitis, possible inflammatory bowel disease (IBS) or even colon cancer. You need to see the doctor is you have any of the following:

• severe diarrhoea that lasts for more than two days
• chronic diarrhoea that lasts for a week or more
• constipation lasting two weeks or more
• unexplained and urgent need to have a bowel movement
• diarrhoea that contains traces or frank blood
• black stools or stools that appear tarry
• white stools

Finally symptoms that demonstrate any alteration in mental status. Unexplained changes in thinking, behaviour or demeanour may be due to:

        infection

        head injury

        stroke

        low blood sugar

        side effects of medications

In this area, immediate medical help should be summoned if any of the following symptoms are present:

        sudden confused thinking 

        gradual confused thinking

        disorientation  or panic

        sudden unexplained aggressive behaviour

        hallucinations in someone who has no previous history of this.

While it is important to keep an eye on your health and to know your body so that you recognise when things are not right, it is also important to keep things in perspective.  After all there is a fine line between being self-aware and becoming a hypochondriac, (one obsessed with his own health).   Just making sure that all is well and that any symptoms you have are checked out should ensure that you keep healthy and ensure that you get prompt treatment for any condition or disease that you do develop.   Remember that the earlier a disease is identified the better the chances of a good recovery for you.

Please note that all information and content on UK Health Radio and this blog are provided by the authors, producers and companies themselves and is only intended as additional information to your general knowledge and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment. So please do not delay or disregard any medical advice received due to information gathered on UK Health Radio.

UK Health Radio – the health radio station for the United Kingdom, Europe and beyond at www.ukhealthradio.com – is kindly sponsored by www.1-stop-health-shop.com

Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio

Blind Brothers Test Drive the Successor to the ‘White Stick”

Blind Brothers Test Drive the Successor to the  ‘White Stick”

This week we heard a fascinating story about two brothers, Dan and Michael Smith, 21 year old twins went blind within months last year are helping to promote the use of a navigational device that could see the traditional white stick consigned to history. Michael and Dan, from Barnet, North London, both suffer from a rare condition known as Leber’s Optic Neuropathy that results in a sudden and rapid loss of vision caused by the death of cells in the optic nerve.

Michael, a Paralympian footballer said he faced an uphill struggle to find information and advice that would help him avoid the acute embarrassment he faced when his failing sight caused him to bump into objects and other people. As a result of their experience in dealing with blindness at such a critical age in their young lives, tapping the ground with a white stick, as the blind have done for 800 years was not an option. They are now taking an active role in helping other young people with failing sight to move forward with confidence.

University students Michael and Dan put themselves forward as ambassadors for the UltraCane after testing its unique obstacle detection capability on the streets of Bristol and North London. In contrast to the standard long cane, the device uses ultrasound technology to give the user early warning of obstacles ahead and at head height through vibrating buttons in the handle. Michael is a third year geography undergraduate at Kings College, London and he said “When you lose your sight suddenly, you are plunged into a horrifying world. As a young person your safety, your image and your confidence are compromised and this is very hard to come to terms with. I am really looking forward to promoting the UltraCane to the many talented blind people I meet in schools, universities and business. They need to know mobility technology has progressed since the 1930s when the standard white cane became the accepted tool. As soon as I started using the UltraCane I realised how much information I was getting about what is ahead, to the side and around
me. I felt my confidence grow because I knew I was safe and could anticipate obstacles. The self-consciousness that comes when you crash into a bicycle or a bin left on the street has been completely eliminated.”

 Although they can only make out shadowy shapes both young men have succeeded in making rapid adjustments and have mastered new skills in order to continue their studies, their sporting interests and their charity fundraising. Last year the brothers completed a tandem bike ride from London to Amsterdam in aid of Blind in Business, raising in excess of £17,000 for the charity that helps blind and visually impaired graduates compete equally with sighted candidates for jobs. Even more ambitious cycling challenges are now in the planning stages.

Julie Davies, head of sales and marketing at Sound Foresight Technology, the company that developed the UltraCane said: “Michael and Dan are fantastic role models and we are very pleased and proud that they are promoting the UltraCane to other young, blind people and demonstrating how it could make a real difference to their lives too.” Dan, an engineering student in his third year at Bristol University said: “Even though I am an engineer and I understand the concept behind this device, I was initially quite doubtful that it could be made to work in practice, but I realised as soon as I tried it that it does live up to its promise and is an amazing aid to everyday life.”

Dan was recently featured riding an experimental UltraBike as part of the BBC 1 series Miracles of Nature. The programme showed how the UltraCane helps blind people develop a ‘mind map’ and demonstrated how the same technology could be used to help a blind cyclist negotiate his way along a woodland path.

The UltraCane mimics the way bats use echolocation to send out electronic pulses. By measuring the time from emission to receiving the echo they are able to build a picture of their environment that allows them to safely find their way around obstacles in the dark. In order to imitate this process the handle of the UltraCane is a handset fitted with transmitters and sensors. Buttons in the handle vibrate when the sensors detect that an obstacle is near. The strength of the vibration indicates the proximity of the obstacle, helping the user to walk around it easily and independently. This kind of tactile feedback stimulates the mind mapping ability of the brain. Over time, users find they no longer need to focus their full attention on the tactile information and can use their other senses when they walk around, much as sighted people do.

Please note that the authors, producers and companies themselves provide all information and content on UK Health Radio and this blog that is only intended as additional information to your general knowledge and not as a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment. So please, do not delay or disregard any medical advice received due to information gathered on UK Health Radio.

UK Health Radio – the health radio station for the United Kingdom, Europe and beyond at www.ukhealthradio.com – is kindly sponsored by www.1-stop-health-shop.com

Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio

For more information on ultra crane please visit the website:  www.ultracane.com