healthnut

At a Christmas party last year, I had a chance to chat with a weight loss specialist. She explained that most blood pressure taken from the obese population are inaccurately measured. “What?” I asked. She said that most blood pressure in the obese population are inaccurately measured because of the incorrect cuffed size used. The width of inflatable bladder of the cuff should be about 40% of the upper arm’s circumference (the part above the elbow), and the length of the inflatable bladder should be about 80% of the upper arm’s circumference.

Incorrect cuffed size? Inaccurate readings can lead to inaccurate medication….How are patients supposed to know this?…Who’s checking?

Apparently, no one. Ever been to a local free health fair where they offer to take your blood pressure for free? That’s where the interns go to practice their blood pressure skills. Do you ever see them carrying multiple cuff sizes? It’s “one size fits all”, right?

Interesting enough, according to the Bates’ Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking, the “Holy Bible” for physicians, PA, and nurses, not only does cuff size matter but so does proper usage.

“Cuffs that are too short or too narrow may give false high readings. Using a regular-size cuff on an obese arm may lead to false diagnosis of hypertension”.

“The blood pressure cuff may be either the aneroid or the mercury type. Because an aneroid instrument often becomes inaccurate with repeated use, it should be recalibrated regularly.”

“If the brachial artery is much below heart level, blood pressure appears falsely high. The patient’s own effort to support the arm may raise the blood pressure”.

“A loose cuff or a bladder that balloons outside the cuff leads to false high readings.”

So is it POSSIBLE to get a more accurate reading? Maybe….

1) Make sure that whoever takes your blood pressure measures both the left and right arm. The readings will differ because the right side of the heart pumps slower than the left side. But because the heart circulation is a closed system, the readings should be close.

2) Don’t wear any tight clothing on the day of your measurement.

3) Refrain from smoking or drinking caffeinated beverage 30 minutes prior to your measurement. Both of these bad habits will boost your blood pressure.

4) Your cuff should be leveled with the heart. In other words, when you position your arm at a 45 degree angle, the cuff should be at the same height as the heart. Adjust your chair up or down if necessary.

For further Info, read the Bate’s Guide to Physical Examination, which you can get access to at a local college/university.

Dieting can be a healthy integral part of life. The incentive for being within the BMI range of 18-24 is a lower risk for heart disease, blood pressure, and diabetes. Unfortunately, many diets today are created for pure profit, not for your safety. Unless you have some understanding about the human body and about nutrition, you maybe setting up for some serious dangers. Sometimes these dangers are not immediate and may take years to develop. Symptoms, as I have learned, do not always show up early enough for prevention and sometimes maybe too late, ie. osteoporosis and heart attack.

Below is a list of some of the things dieters should be aware of:

1) CALCIUM - We’ve all heard that a lack of calcium will lead to osteoporosis but many of us do not know that about 99% of our calcium is stored in the bones. When your body needs calcium when there is none, the parathyroid gland (located in the neck area) will signal the osteoclast (bone cells) to release calcium from the bone. Osteoclast are like “calcium termites” that “nibble” onto the bone for calcium. Over time, over stimulation of the osteoclasts will lead to osteoporosis.

2) LOW CARB or NO CARB - When you deprive yourself of carbs, you are essentially depriving your brain glucose. It is when the body enters into the ketosis to convert your stored fat into glucose. While ketosis initially may sound like the perfect secret to getting rid of excess fat, ketosis will imbalance the body’s electrolytes. Your body needs carbs, protein, and fat at all times to function properly. These three macronutrients work together and a lack of one will put the body out of balance.

3) LOW FAT – While saturated and transfat should be avoided, your body does need some good fat to produce hormones, ie. monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. A female on a low fat diet can easily suffer from amanaria (a loss of period) if her weight drops below 110 lbs. Not sure how nature works, but the human female cannot have a period unless she weights at least 110 lbs. It is also the required weight at many blood donating centers.

4) NO TRANSFAT - “No Transfat” does not mean “no transfat” but less than 1/2g of transfat per serving. Look for signs of “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” on the label. The danger of consuming too much transfat is that transfat accumulates and clogs the arteries and one will not feel any of the symptoms (ie. shortness of breathe or chest pain) until the arteries are at least 70% CLOGGED!

5) DIET PILLS – While diet pills will suppress hunger, they will make one forget about eating. If the cells do not get the proper nutrients, the immune system will be too weak to fight infectious diseases 24/7. The result is that one will get sick more often.

6) NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS - Because OTC nutritional supplements are not regulated by any agency, little is known about the absorbency factors and potency potentials on these supplements. There is no guarantee that what is stated on the label is what is inside the bottle.

7) LAXATIVES - A favorite trick among female dieters, laxatives not only get rid of the body weight but also water and electrolytes (the potassium and sodium). When one is low in sodium, one can die from hyponatraemia by drinking too much water. When one is low in potassium, one can suffer from heart arrhythmia.

LIPOSUCTION - Not a diet but case on decides to resort to liposuction, one should be aware that while the skin may heal, the tissues will be permanently scarred! This means blood vessels, which carry nutrients, oxygen, carbon dioxide, hormones, etc., will never be able to reach those areas again.

TO BE CONTINUED….