Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 11, Number 6, 1 June 1994 — ʻAi pono, e ola [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ʻAi pono, e ola

| Eat right and Iwe well

by Dr. Terry Shintani

Hypertension: another word for high blood pressure

by Terry Shintani, M.D., M.P.H. One day while seeing patients in Wai'anae, I was a little startled when 1 asked a patient, "Do you have hypertension?" His

answer was "Yes, 1 have too mueh stress in my life." This episode reminded me how foolish the medical profession is in using such fancy words that ean eonfuse people. No, hypertension does not mean hav-

ing too mueh tension or stress in your life. Hypertension just means high blood pressure. Many people have it but don't know they do because it is almost always without visible

symptoms. Why is it important for you to know about hypertension, or high blood pressure? Because it is a disease that ean kill people, but ean be controlled easily if you learn how.

What is high blood pressure? It is a condition where the pressure is too high in your blood stream as it pumps your blood through your body. The pressure goes up and down in your.bloodstream as vour heart beats.

When the heart beats, the pressure goes up. The highest pressure it reaches is known as the systolic blood pressure. Between beats, when the heart relaxes, the pressure goes down.

The lowest pressure it reaches is known as diastolic blood pressure. When you take a blood pressure reading it is always given as two numbers, for example, 120/80. The first number, the higher one, is the systolic blood pressure, and the second number, the lower one, is the diastolic blood pressure. If the reading is over 140/90, it is considered to be high and you must see your doclor.

Why ean blood pressure be dangerous? It increases your risk of stroke (bleeding or blocked arteries in the brain causing brain damage) and heart attack. These are two of the three leading causes of death in the U.S. It ean also cause kidney damage and, in the long run, ean even lead to the-

need for kidney dialysis. How ean you prevent it? Some high blood pressure is caused by lifestyle choices. Sometimes it is genetic. Some of the following tips will help identify, prevent, or alleviate high blood pressure: First, find out if you have high blood pressure. See your doctor. Or, have yourself checked for free at any fire station as follows: O'ahu — daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. (except during lunchtime); Hawai'i — daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Kaua'i —

daily from 9 a.m. to 1 1 a.m.; and Maui county — Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 1 a.m. Second, follow the advice of your physician. If you do have high blood pressure, your doctor may prescribe medication. Make sure you take it as prescribed because it will help control blood pressure and help reduce your risk of complications such as stroke or heart attack. Third, eat a good diet, a good idea whether or not you have high blood pressure. In general, your diet should be low in fat, low in cholesterol, high in whole foods and centered on starchy

foods such as taro, poi, brown rice, potatoes, etc. and vegetables or fruit. Salt intake should be moderated in persons with high blood pressure. The best way to do this is to limit or eliminate meats, canned goods and certain baked goods. Of course, controlling your weight is important, as is regular exercise. The Wai'anae Diet based on the traditional Hawaiian diet and the traditional foods of many cultures, is one way to start. For information on how to order a

Wai'anae Diet book or the "Eat More, Weigh Less" diet whieh describes examples of a healthy diet, eall 696-1530. If you have further questions about high blood pressure or nutrition, I provide free advice just for the eall every Sunday from 7 to 9 p.m. on radio KWAI, 1080 AM. Dr. Shintani, physician and nutritionist , is director of preventive medicine at the Wai'anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center. A majority of its 20,000 patients and its board are of native Hawaiian ancestry.