May 16, 2023 | News
World Hypertension Day is observed annually on May 17th to raise awareness about the importance of hypertension prevention, detection, and control. It serves as a global platform to increase awareness about hypertension and its associated risks. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, affects millions of individuals worldwide and is a major contributor to heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular complications. Today, it aims to empower individuals to take charge of their cardiovascular health, educate our communities about the importance of blood pressure monitoring, and promote preventive measures to reduce the burden of hypertension-related diseases.
As part of the 2023 campaign, “Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, and Live Longer,” This theme emphasizes the significance of accurate blood pressure measurement, effective control, and the potential for a longer and healthier life.
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a common health condition that affects millions of people around the world. It is often referred to as the “silent killer” because it typically does not have any noticeable symptoms. However, if left untreated, it can lead to serious health complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and other organ damage.
Maintaining optimal blood pressure is crucial for our overall well-being and longevity. ‘Blood pressure is a measure of the force exerted by the blood against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps it throughout the body’. Accurate measurement, regular monitoring, and effective control of blood pressure play a vital role in preventing serious health complications. In this article, we will explore the importance of accurately measuring blood pressure, controlling it, and the health benefits associated with maintaining healthy blood pressure levels.
To accurately measure your blood pressure, it is recommended that you use a reliable blood pressure monitor, such as a digital blood pressure monitor. It is also important to measure your blood pressure under the right conditions. You should be in a quiet and relaxed environment, avoid smoking or drinking coffee or alcohol, and sit with your feet flat on the floor and your arm at heart level.
Measuring your blood pressure accurately is the first step toward treating hypertension. Blood pressure is measured in two numbers: the systolic pressure (top number) and the diastolic pressure (bottom number), measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg). Normal blood pressure is generally considered to be around 120/80 mmHg, and high blood pressure is usually defined as a reading of 130/80 mmHg or higher.
Controlling your blood pressure is the next step toward maintaining good health. Lifestyle changes such as eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, reducing stress, and quitting smoking can help lower your blood pressure. If these lifestyle changes are not enough to control your blood pressure, your doctor may prescribe medication to help bring it down. It is important to take your medication as prescribed and to follow up with your doctor regularly to ensure that your blood pressure is under control.
Living longer is one of the many health benefits of controlling your blood pressure. Lowering your blood pressure can help reduce your risk of developing heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease, which are some of the leading causes of death worldwide. Additionally, maintaining a healthy blood pressure can help improve your overall quality of life. You may feel more energetic, have better sleep, and be able to perform your daily activities with more ease.
Friends remembered that maintaining optimal blood pressure levels is essential to preventing the onset and progression of various health conditions. Uncontrolled hypertension can lead to serious complications, including:
High blood pressure, when unmanaged, puts strain on the heart and arteries, increasing the risk of heart disease, heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular disorders.
Elevated blood pressure can damage one’s kidneys over time, leading to chronic kidney disease or kidney failure. So make sure your blood pressure is within range.
Hypertension can affect the blood vessels in the eyes, potentially causing vision impairment or even blindness. It can lead to eye problems.
Research suggests that untreated hypertension may contribute to cognitive decline and an increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
High blood pressure during pregnancy, known as gestational hypertension, can have adverse effects on both the mother and the baby. So make your health a priority.
Health Benefits of Maintaining Healthy Blood Pressure Levels:
It helps reduce one’s chances of developing cardiovascular-related disease. By keeping your blood pressure within the recommended range, we significantly lower our risk of developing heart disease, heart attack, and stroke, among other complications.
When we maintain optimal blood pressure, it will help our kidneys function properly, prevent avoidable health complications, and reduce the risk of developing cases such as chronic kidney disease.
Healthy blood pressure levels contribute to better brain health and reduce the risk of cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases. That is, maintaining normal blood pressure enhances brain health.
It helps improve eye health. When you have your blood pressure under control, it helps protect the delicate blood vessels in the eyes, reducing the risk of vision problems. So you can see why you must measure your blood pressure, among others.
For our women in the house, maintaining normal blood pressure within a safe range during pregnancy ensures the well-being of both the mother and the developing baby. So, get registered for antenatal care and make sure you don’t miss your antenatal days.
Key Messages and Recommendations:
Get Educated! Learn about hypertension, its risk factors, and the importance of regular blood pressure monitoring. Understand the proper techniques for accurate measurement.
Measure your blood pressure regularly by using a reliable blood pressure monitor. Follow the correct measurement techniques, such as sitting quietly for a few minutes before taking the measurement.
Adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Focus on a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. Limit sodium intake, avoid excessive alcohol consumption, quit smoking, and engage in regular physical activity.
Learn to manage stress. Practice stress-management techniques such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, and engaging in hobbies to reduce stress levels. This may go a long way toward maintaining your blood pressure.
The key is medication compliance. If you are prescribed blood pressure medication, take it as directed by your doctor or healthcare provider. Adhere to the recommended dosage and attend follow-up appointments to monitor the effectiveness of the treatment.
Seek medical advice! Consult with your doctor or healthcare provider for guidance on blood pressure management, individualized treatment plans, and lifestyle modifications.
By managing our blood pressure effectively and following our doctor’s recommendations, we can significantly reduce the risk of serious health complications such as cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and cognitive decline. Prioritizing our blood pressure management through lifestyle modifications and, if necessary, medical intervention can contribute to a longer, healthier life.
At the Rays of Hope Support Initiative (ROHSI), we are saying that, for accurate blood pressure, we must not just measure it but make sure that we put the blood pressure in a healthy range, seek medical advice, adhere to our medication, and follow any health tips given by our healthcare provider. Remember that regular monitoring of our blood pressure is crucial to our long-term health and well-being.
Courtesy: Rays of Hope Support Initiative (ROHSI) Board and Management Team
Feb 15, 2023 | Healthy Foods
OVERHEATING COOKING OIL CAN CAUSE HYPERTENSION, STROKE – NUTRITIONIST
By Angela Onwuzoo
A Professor of Public Health Nutrition, Ignatius Onimawo, has said that it is dangerous to overheat cooking oils, warning that eating foods cooked with such oil increases the risk of heart attack, hypertension, and stroke.
Prof. Onimawo, a former Vice-Chancellor, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, said overheating vegetable oil converts it to trans fat, warning that trans fat is injurious to health.
According to him, trans fats are the worst type of fat that an individual can eat, stressing that trans fats have no known health benefits and are a major contributor to cardiovascular disease and stroke worldwide.
Speaking in an interview with PUNCH HealthWise, the nutritionist noted that when vegetable oils are overheated continuously, they get converted into trans fatty acids and cause inflammation.
The former Nutrition Society of Nigeria President explained, “When you reuse vegetable oil or any cooking oil for that matter, and you do it more than twice, the tendency is that, if you are continuously heating the oil, the fatty acid composition of the oil can be transformed into trans fatty acid.
“When you are frying, the temperature of the oil is high. Then after that the same oil, you use it again and the temperature is high.
“By the time you are using it the third or the fourth time, there is going to be a transformation of the fatty acid. They will be converted into what we call trans fatty acids.
“These trans fatty acids are responsible for cardiovascular diseases. They even cause cardiovascular diseases more than saturated fats.
“That is why we normally advise, that if you have used oil more than once or twice, it is better to discard it.”
Mayo Clinic – a medical centre focused on integrated health care, education, and research, says trans fat is considered the worst type of fat to eat.
“Unlike other dietary fats, trans fats — also called trans-fatty acids — raise “bad” cholesterol and also lowers “good” cholesterol.
“A diet laden with trans fats increases the risk of heart disease, the leading killer of adults. The more trans fats eaten, the greater the risk of heart and blood vessel disease,” the clinic noted.
Continuing, the don said, “Because the body cannot handle them, they are the ones that normally form plagues or deposits along the arteries.
“Sometimes, they form these plagues along some of the organs. So, you find out that these trans fats are more deadly than saturated fatty acids.
“Most of the saturated acids themselves lead to deposition of fats in the tissues. This leads to a build-up of pressure on the arteries and veins.
“They deposit fats inside the arteries where blood passes through and sometimes, outside the arteries. “
Prof. Onimawo said that the build of fats around and inside the blood vessels could lead to hypertension.
“They (trans fatty acids) hardened the arteries which are supposed to be flexible. So, when the plagues are there, that particular blood vessel becomes non-flexible.”
“And therefore, when it is not flexible, it cannot expand to accommodate
pressure and if that happens continuously, the blood pressure begins to increase and sometimes, that is the origin of high blood pressure.
“If this continues, you know that high blood pressure is a precursor to a lot of things that have to do with heart disease,” the nutritionist noted.
The World Health Organisation says there is evidence that heating and frying oil at high temperatures leads to an increase in trans fat concentrations.
According to the WHO, trans fat increases the risk of heart disease and death from heart disease by 28 per cent.
“On average, the level of trans fat has been found to increase by 3.67 g/100g after heating, and by 3.57 g/100g after frying.
“Approximately 540,000 deaths each year can be attributed to the intake of industrially produced trans-fatty acids.
“High trans fat intake increases the risk of death from any cause by 34 per cent, coronary heart disease deaths by 28 per cent and coronary heart disease by 21 per cent.
“This is likely due to the effect on lipid levels: trans fat increases LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels while lowering HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels. Trans fat has no known health benefits,” WHO said.
Dec 20, 2021 | News
HE ALMOST DIED FROM HYPERTENSION; NOW HE HELPS OTHERS LIVE FREE OF THE DISEASE
Benjamin Olorunfemi had strong headaches and felt body weakness amid racing heartbeats. When self-medication did not help, his wife persuaded him to see a doctor. What followed was slightly scary.
“I went as advised, and the doctor that attended to me raised an eyebrow about my blood pressure numbers [198/125 mmHg, way above the healthy average of 120/80 mmHg),” 49-year-old Olorunfemi said.
His condition was hypertension stage 3, the doctor explained further. The doctor prescribed some drugs for Olorunfemi, which he took and, fortunately, became better.
But during his recovery process, Olorunfemi wanted to know more about hypertension and how to control it, so he started reading online articles on the subject. This led him to discover that millions of Nigerians live with hypertension and other non-communicable diseases without knowing it.
His finding was consistent with a World Health Organisation report that says “most people with hypertension are unaware of the problem because it may have no warning signs or symptoms.”
Available data further confirms that at least 31% of Nigerians (66 million) are suffering from hypertension. And most of the 1.28 billion adults aged 30-79 who live with the disease globally are from low and middle-income countries like Nigeria.
Olorunfemi takes action to help others
Inspired by his discovery, in 2017, Olorunfemi started a nonprofit organisation, Rays of Hope Support Initiative or ROHSI, to create awareness about hypertension and diabetes (another deadly disease affecting 5.77% of Nigerians) among rural residents of Oyo State in Southwest Nigeria, where he lives.
Olorunfemi started with a post on Facebook explaining what he planned to do and asking for volunteers. He got several responses, including from a pharmacist and three medical doctors who are now part of his volunteer pool of 19.
Operating from Plot 5. Block C, Oke Bola(CICS) Layout,Ondo Road, Otun Abese in Ibadan, Oyo State, ROHSI also provides free screening, medical advice, and free medications to patients with hypertension and diabetes via biannual community outreaches.
Once every six months, the group holds a health outreach in a rural community in either Oyo or Lagos State. The outreach is done in consultation and collaboration with community leaders, targeting young adults and the elderly.
Months before the outreach, the group runs physical and social media fundraising campaigns to raise money to buy drugs and handle other logistics during the one-day campaign.
On the day of the outreach, people come to a designated location. Medical experts in ROHSI’s team brief the attendees about hypertension and diabetes mellitus, the risk factors, dangers, symptoms, preventive measures., and what to do if they have symptoms of the diseases.
After that, each participant can proceed to see a doctor for testing. Those with positive results are directed to see another doctor who counsels them privately and sends a list of prescribed drugs to the pharmacist, who hands the medications to the patient for free.
“We test for their blood pressure, blood sugar level, as well as their weight. We offer medical education and treat them where necessary,” said Charles Fajonyomi, a volunteer medical doctor with the organisation.
“Our mandate is to reach out and impact the lives of Nigerians in our rural communities who are not aware of the life-threatening effects of hypertension and diabetes and the preventive methods,” adds Olorunfemi, who studied Banking and Finance but works as a security expert for a private security firm in Oyo.
Olorunfemi said the organisation had its first outreach in August 2017 at Irewumi community in Oyo State. Since then, it has reached about 10,000 people with information about hypertension and diabetes mellitus, including nearly 3000 people (across six communities in Lagos and Oyo states) it has screened and provided with health advice and free medications.
“At first, we thought it was a joke, but they treated us free of charge when they came to our community,” said 50-year-old Imam Ibraheem’, who benefitted during that first outreach in Irewumi.
For 59-year-old Taiwo Odukoya, a November 2019 beneficiary from Otun Abese community in Ido Local Government Area of Oyo State, “They checked my blood pressure, and it was high. They also told me my sugar level was high. “[Then] I was given drugs, and they followed up on me from time to time to be sure I was sticking to my medication and recovering well.”
As a means of follow-up on its beneficiaries, the organisation created a WhatsApp group where beneficiaries can always ask questions about their health and get advice from its volunteer doctors in the group. The group now has 256 members.
“We ask questions and talk to doctors [on the group] when we need to,” said Ibraheem’.
Fajonyomi, the doctor, said ROHSI is trying to change rural dwellers’ attitudes toward their health. And that is because “people’s attitude to their health is poor in our part of the world. Once people are not very sick, they don’t care about going for medical check-ups.”
According to Olorunfemi, the nonprofit conducts just two outreaches per year because, for now, its funding and funding sources are limited, mostly from family, friends, and colleagues and whatever they get from their social media calls for support per outreach.
He said none of the group’s regular calls for support from pharmaceutical companies, local authorities and donor organisations had yielded any significant fruits.
“Getting support isn’t always easy. Most times, we write to pharmaceutical companies seeking drugs, but that support never comes, and we have to purchase the drugs ourselves,” he said.
He said in the future, ROHSI hopes to build a medical centre in Oyo State, where people could have access to healthcare when they need it for free.
“Our primary healthcare system is not there yet, and it is supposed to be the first point of call for the majority of these preventable ailments in our communities, but that’s not the case. Also, the cost of accessing treatment and medication is so high that it discourages a lot of people from visiting health facilities when they have symptoms of these ailments,” Olorunfemi said.
First Published By Prime Progress https://primeprogressng.com/posts/he-almost-died-from-hypertension-now-he-helps-others-live-free-of-the-disease-55
Sep 29, 2021 | Events
As we celebrate World heart day 2021, we need to know this; cardiovascular disease (CVD) claims 17.9 million lives globally each year. Also, that, over a lifetime, our heartbeats about 2.5 billion times. That is a hard-working muscle!
In honour of the day celebration, we must have the following tips at the back of our minds to keep our hearts healthy:
• Stop smoking. It is the number one way to improve your heart health.
• Talk to your doctor about your Body Mass Index (BMI), a percentage of body fat.
• Maintain your healthy weight- Even a loss as small as 3% to 5% body weight can help lower blood pressure if you are overweight.
• Staying active daily — even just a brisk walk — can help keep the pounds off.
• Limit salt. The Heart Foundation recommends less than 2,000 mg of sodium daily. Too much salt can lead to high blood pressure, which can cause a stroke, heart attack, and more.
• Eat your fruits and vegetables. Eating more fruits and veggies can never hurt you — unless it is fried, of course.
• Eat more chicken (and fish). Chicken and fish often have less saturated fat than red meat, which is better for your heart.
• Limit red meat to once a week or less. Red meats have more cholesterol than other meats like chicken or fish. Since cholesterol can make your heart disease worse, try to limit it and choose lean cuts like sirloin.
• Soluble fibre lowers cholesterol and helps manage blood sugar. So, eat more soluble fibre like whole grains, berries, flaxseed, and beans to avoid the “crash” of eating less fibrous foods.
• Increase Omega-3 fatty acids in your diet. It may help reduce blood pressure, lower triglyceride levels, and protect the heart by slowing plaque growth and reduce arrhythmia.
• Oatmeal is fibre rich and contains omega-3 fatty acids, folate, and potassium. Eating oatmeal may also help lower levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol.
• Follow your health plan and take your Medications. Work with your doctor to create a plan that works for you and stick with it. This includes taking any prescribed medications for health conditions like high blood pressure.
• A minimum of 40 minutes 3 to 4 times a week is ideal for the best cardiovascular health results. Exercise Regularly!
• Keep your body guessing. Mix up your fitness routines with cardio, strength training, and stretching. All are important for good health.
• Limit alcohol. Too much alcohol can raise triglyceride levels.
• Limit your sugar intake. The recommendation is no more than 6 teaspoons a day for women and 9 teaspoons a day for men. Excess sugar intake is linked to certain cancers, heart disease, and obesity.
• Switch to olive oil. Olive oil is full of monounsaturated fats, lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol. It may help reduce the risks of developing heart disease.
• Monitor your cholesterol. Have your cholesterol checked at least every five years. You’ll want to do this more if your doctor has discovered any issues like high cholesterol in the past.
• High blood pressure can cause heart disease, kidney disease, and it has been linked to dementia. Check your blood pressure regularly.
• Work with your doctor to manage blood sugar levels to protect your heart health.
• Stress can raise blood pressure and lead to elevated levels of the hormone’s adrenaline and cortisol in the body. Mitigate Stress
• Eat Some Soy. Soy is low in saturated fat and can potentially lower cholesterol. Consuming 25 grams of soy protein daily can lower LDL by up to 6%.
• Practice good oral hygiene. Good dental hygiene includes brushing and flossing your teeth daily. Those who have gum disease often have risk factors for heart disease.
• Donate blood. At least every six months, consider donating blood. Studies have shown that people who donate regularly suffer fewer heart attacks.
• Be social. Studies show that people who stay in regular contact with family and friends have fewer heart problems.
• Adults typically need 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night. Sleep deprivation is not only bad for your heart and blood pressure, but it also raises risks for obesity, diabetes, and depression. Catch some sleep
• Read and understand Food Labels. Just because a food product is labelled as low-fat or healthy doesn’t mean it is. “Partially hydrogenated” or “hydrogenated” means trans fats, which aren’t good for the heart. Monitor sugar and salt amounts per serving and know how many servings are in the package.
• Choose natural over-processed. In general, the less processed a food is, the healthier it is. Think of “whole foods” as foods that are naturally grown like sweet potatoes, bananas, and spinach.
• Choose baked over fried. Think baked buffalo wings, baked fries, and crunchy baked chicken instead of automatically tossing those food items into a fryer.
• Sitting for too long can lead to blood clots. You’ll want to be mindful of the length of time you sit every day and also when you travel. Try to get up and stretch to avoid a blood clot forming.
We believe that you and I have much work to do regarding our lifestyle; and what we do to enjoy a healthy heart. We care for you as friends and community members! That is why we are #ROHSI3
