How to help cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure

High blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, oh my!

*Let’s first get this out of the way……Disclaimer – I am not a health care professional, nor should this information substitute seeking treatment from your Primary Care Physician.  Also, there are many causes to the following health issues – in this blog I am addressing poor diet and exercise as possible cause and related treatment option.

High blood pressure

Blood pressure is the pressure of blood that pushes against the walls of your arteries.  Arteries carry blood from your heart to other parts of your body.  High blood pressure puts more pressure on your arteries which can lead to greater chances of heart attack, heart disease, and/or strokes.

Symptoms:  Most people are symptomless but can experience severe headaches, shortness of breath, nosebleeds, severe anxiety, or feeling of pulsations in the neck or head. 

Cause: Again, there are multiple possible causes but two common are sedentary lifestyle and poor diet.

Prevention:  Maintain a healthy weight, get regular exercise, reduce salt intake

Diabetes

Diabetes affects how your body uses glucose.  Gluocse is your body’s source of energy and your brain’s main source of fuel.  Pre-diabetes, borderline, and diabetes Type 2 means your body is not processing effectively and you have too much sugar in your blood. This can lead to cardiovascular disease, nerve and kidney damage, eye and foot damage, skin conditions, hearing problems, alzheimer’s disease, and depression.

Symptoms:  increased thirst, frequent urination, extreme hunger, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, irritability, blurred vision, slow-healing sores, and frequent infections.

Cause: Being overweight is highly linked to developing type 2 (however not everyone with type 2 is overweight)

Prevention: Eat foods lower in fat and calories, higher in fiber.  Exercise.  Lose weight. 

High Cholesterol

Cholesterol is found in your blood, and is needed to build healthy cells.  If your cholesterol is high you can develop fatty deposits in your blood which grow and make it difficult for blood to flow through your arteries.  This can cause heart attack or strokes.

Symptoms: There are no symptoms.  A blood test is the only way to detect. 

Causes:  Although high cholesterol can be inherited, often it is a result of unhealthy lifestyle choices.

Prevention: Healthy diet and exercise.

As you can see, if you suffer from any of these, you can help your body reverse these conditions by making changes to your lifestyle. Talk to your doctor on recommendations.  

You can fix your health issues!!! 

Just start implementing small changes daily and improve your wellbeing.

·        Start working on following a healthy diet - low salt, emphasize fruits, vegetables and whole grains.  Limit animal fats and limit alcohol. 

·        Lose extra weight and maintain a healthy weight.

·        Regular exercise on most days for about 30 minutes.  Start off slowly as to incorporate new habits.  Begin by walking for 10 minutes – just for today.  Get out.  

·        Add greens for your dinner or change one of your snacks of processed foods to something with better nutritional value. 

I understand that it is not “easy” but it is certainly doable and will benefit your quality of life.  You don’t have to get from where you are to “perfect” – you just need to make a few adjustments here and there and over time your health will improve.