Tag: high blood pressure

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3 Things You Can Do Now To Limit Stress

Did you know that constant stress can actually make you ill? Chronic stress can lead to high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, asthma, cancer and a host of other health problems. One way to beat stress is to adopt a positive attitude. This can be challenging but with practice every day it will become a habit.

Here are three things you can do now to limit stress in your life:

1. When you catch yourself saying what-if or imagining the worst case scenario, take control by turning those thoughts into positive ones. Instead of worrying, think of the best possible outcome.

2. Use breathing techniques to keep you centered. When you’re really stressed, take at least three deep breaths to calm yourself before you take action or start overanalyzing the situation.

3. Don’t compare what’s happening now with what happened before. It’s difficult to not compare changes, especially negative ones, with what happened in the past. Don’t wish things would go back to the way they were if you’re facing negative problems. Instead find a positive solution and consider why you’re facing difficulty.

Try those 3 techniques listed above and see if your mood doesn’t begin to lift. If you need more help dealing with stress in your life, why not sign up in the form below for a free session and let’s send that stress packing. Once you sign up, you will be added to my mailing list. Not ready for a free session? Sign up for my newsletter anyway, so you can receive updates and special offers.

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Taking Care of Your Kidneys


March is National Kidney Month. What I like about these special observations is that they make us aware of certain disorders that we should address or get tested for to ensure we remain healthy. There are other disorders that are observed this month, but since the month is almost over, I’ll just focus on the kidney.

What are your kidneys and what do they do

Located on either side of the spine at the lowest level of the rib cage, the kidneys are about the size of a fist and have the important function of filtering waste from the body. The kidneys filter and return about 200 quarts of fluid to the bloodstream every 24 hours. About 2 quarts are removed from the body in the form of urine. In addition to filtering and removing waste from the body, the kidneys also:

a. balance the body’s fluids
b. produce hormones that regulate blood pressure
c. produce an active form of vitamin D that promotes strong, healthy bones
d. control the production of red blood cells

What can cause kidney disease

Diabetes, high blood pressure, genetics or being over the age of 60 can contribute to kidney disease.

Diabetes – a disease in which a person’s body does not produce enough insulin or cannot use it properly. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney disease.
High blood pressure – this occurs when the force of the blood against the artery walls increases. This may lead to strokes and heart attacks.
Genetics – Polycystic kidney disease is the most common inherited kidney disease.
Kidney stones, urinary tract infections, using large amounts of over-the-counter pain meds, street drugs such as heroin and crack can damage your kidneys.

Warning signs of kidney disease:

Tiredness/decreased energy
High blood pressure
Blood in the urine
Frequent urination, especially at night; difficult or painful urination
Puffiness around eyes; swelling of hands and feet
A creatinine and Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) blood test, outside the normal range. When your kidney function is reduced, BUN and creatinine are wastes that build up in the blood.
A glomerular filtration rate (GFR) less than 60.

When it comes to kidney disease, there is bad news and good news. The bad news is that most people will not know they have kidney disease until the disease has already progressed. The good news is that it can be treated successfully. In my next post, I will tell you how you can avoid getting this disease and, if you already have it, how it can be treated.
Until next time,
Stay well.

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Take Control Of Your Health


This morning I had one of those interesting events where I read about something and the next person I speak to brings up the same topic. Was someone peeking over my shoulder? Most likely not. However, when these things occur, I think it’s positive reinforcement for what I’d just read or thought about.

So, what did I read? An article in the New York Times with this title: Under New Guidelines, Millions More Americans Will Need to Lower Blood Pressure . According to this article, under the guidelines formulated by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology, the number of adults with high blood pressure will rise from 72 million to 103 million. And what are these new guidelines? 130/80 is now considered high, down from 140/90. Just FYI, the top number, systolic pressure, represents the pressure on blood vessels when the heart contracts; the bottom number, diastolic pressure, is the pressure as the heart relaxes between beats.

As we all know, high blood pressure is an indicator of cardiovascular disease, which can increase your risk of getting a stroke or heart attack. These new guidelines will lead doctors to prescribe medications to those people who fall within the old 140/90 guidelines. In a study called Sprint, undertaken in 2015, researchers assigned one group of people over 65 to get their blood pressure down to 140 and another group to get theirs down to 120. The latter group was given three drugs instead of two. At the end of the study, the latter group had decreased their incidence of heart attacks by one-third and death by one-quarter. They also had no more side effects than the first group. So far so good. However, although the latter group enjoyed better cardiovascular health, acute kidney disease had doubled because of the increased drug intake.

As a health coach, I am a firm believer in keeping numbers within the guidelines. This can be done through making lifestyle changes – better nutrition, regular exercise and proper stress management. By the way, another article written by a doctor in response to the one mentioned here, speaks of blood pressure being a variable measurement depending on where you are and what you are doing. Most doctors don’t take that into consideration.

So, bottom line, the solution is to take control of your health. If you don’t feel capable of doing it on your own, you may need a coach to help you. Just fill in the information in the form below, and I will get back to you. The consultation is free, and you are under no obligation.

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