May Newsletter
Hypertension: the silent killer
Hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure, is a chronic medical condition that affects millions of people worldwide. It is a serious health concern that can cause several complications, including heart disease, stroke, and kidney damage. Unfortunately, in South Africa, the prevalence of hypertension has been on the rise, especially in young people, making it a significant public health issue.
Hypertension affects everyone, regardless of age, race, or gender. However, some factors increase the risk of developing the condition, including being overweight, having a family history of hypertension, living an inactive lifestyle, consuming a high-sodium diet, and smoking. Certain medical conditions, such as diabetes and kidney disease, can also increase the risk of developing hypertension.
Precautions against hypertension include:
- Maintaining a healthy weight: Being overweight or obese puts added pressure on your heart and blood vessels, increasing the risk of developing hypertension. Maintain your ideal weight with regular exercise and a healthy diet.
- Reducing sodium intake: Sodium, a mineral found in salt, can cause the body to retain fluid, increasing blood pressure.
- Eating a balanced diet: A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats can help prevent high blood pressure and maintain overall good health.
- Quitting smoking: Smoking damages blood vessels and increases the risk of developing hypertension, among other health issues.
In addition to watching your lifestyle choices, treatment may also include medication such as diuretics, ACE inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, and beta-blockers may be prescribed by a healthcare provider to control blood pressure.
Let us take a proactive approach to preventing and managing hypertension by encouraging and demonstrating overall wellbeing to the young people of tomorrow. Please reach out to a health counsellor, Dietician or Biokineticist at LifeAssist to answer questions and help build a sustainable eating and exercise plan that suits you or your family member.
Going on a diet? Think twice…
While the idea of going on a diet might seem appealing to many people who want to lose weight quickly, the truth is that most diets are not sustainable or healthy in the long term. [...]
Supporting your teenager through depression
Teenagers are facing an increasing number of stressors in their lives, including the pressures of social media, academic stress, and the challenges of navigating relationships with their peers. These stressors can contribute to depression, anxiety, [...]
Improve your relationship with Money… here’s how
Did you know: your relationship with money could be the root of your money problems? You could be your own worst enemy. Our self-esteem, friends, upbringing by our parents, and more influence our feelings, attitudes, [...]
DECISION FATIGUE: The Disadvantage of Too Much Choice
What exactly is decision fatigue? Struggling with ‘brain fog’, tiredness, indecision, or anxiety? The real culprit could be decision fatigue; a real (and rather debilitating) phenomenon that prevents us from making good decisions when we’re [...]