On April 15, 1865, the United States🇺🇸 was thrown into a state of shock when news spread of the assassination of one of the greatest presidents in US history: Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln had defeated the Southern Confederate forces to preserve the Union and abolish slavery, freeing millions of black slaves. A few days after these victorious feats, he was sadly murdered. Unbeknownst to him, his greatest threat wasn’t on the field of battle, but at home…while watching a drama in a theatre, he was shot in his head!
So sudden and unexpected was his death that his plans for the nation were nipped in the bud! This history keeps repeating itself yearly throughout the world. Millions die yearly from a silent, albeit preventable assassin, which prematurely cuts short their productive lives, making their spouses and children’s lonely and dejected souls on Earth.
Hypertension is the greatest assassin the world has ever known. For it kills its victims at the least opportunity and without a moment’s notice! It is estimated that 13% of all deaths globally are due to hypertension; 1.13 billion people have it i.e., 1 in 4 men and 1 in 5 women in 2015 alone.
High pressure in the blood leads to arterial rupture and internal bleeding. This leads to stroke, kidney failure, and heart attacks when it happens in the brain, kidneys and heart, respectively. Hence, all cardiovascular diseases have hypertension as an underlying risk factor.
Although manageable, many patients dread taking antihypertensives due to its side effect of diminished penile erection. This has two effects: increased mortality and/or impotency among men. These two effects both decrease the world’s population and make us lose essential and skilled workers.
Hypertension is real but preventable: if only we can control our unbridled passions and lusts. If only, you’ll be careful about your diet and sedentary lifestyle…you can live long without it. Don’t become a statistic because of your diet. Don’t wait enough to be forced to choose between your manly potency and a certain death…
What causes hypertension? Who are most at risk? The factors below can cause hypertension:
- Being overweight
- Eating fats, milk, eggs, and meat
- Eating too much salt
- Not eating enough fruit and vegetables
- Not exercising enough (sedentary lifestyle)
- Drinking too much alcohol or coffee (or other caffeine-based drinks)
- Smoking
- Undergoing a lot of stress
Generally:
- high blood pressure is considered to be from 140/90mmHg or more if your reading was taken at a GP surgery or clinic (or an average of 135/85mmHg if it was taken at home)
- if you’re over the age of 80, high blood pressure is considered to be from 150/90mmHg or more if your reading was taken at a GP surgery or clinic (or an average of 145/85mmHg if it was taken at home)
- ideal blood pressure is usually considered to be between 90/60mmHg and 120/80mmHg, while the target for people over the age of 80 years old is below 150/90mmHg (or 145/85mmHg if it was taken at home)
The complications of consistently high (chronic) hypertension are scary and dangerously life-threatening. They include:
- heart disease
- heart attacks
- strokes
- heart failure
- peripheral arterial disease
- aortic aneurysms
- kidney disease
- vascular dementia
In order to prevent or scale down on hypertension, you will need to make serious and drastic lifestyle changes as medications alone are not enough to keep you alive. Important lifestyle changes to make are as follows:
- Reduce the amount of salt you eat and have a generally healthy diet
- Stop or drastically cut back on alcohol.
- Lose weight if you’re overweight.
- Exercise regularly.
- Stop or drastically cut down on caffeine.
- Stop smoking.
- Take a lot of fruits and vegetables daily.
- Drastically reduce taking food containing fats, fried foods, animal products (meat, eggs, milk).
- Cut down on processed and canned foods.
- Avoid late suppers; eat at least four hours before bed always.
The secret assassin is hovering over the earth and who shall die next? May God help us to control our diet and live a productive and active life… Happy peaceful Sabbath to all the sons and daughters of God!!
