Shake, shake, shake

Never underestimate the value of good instructions.

A fellow I know mentioned he had just picked up his first prescription for “high blood pressure pills”. He seemed pleased with himself, as if he’d won a hard-earned spot on the road to a heart attack.

The whole notion of someone taking medication for hypertension makes me sad. Sometimes hypertension is hereditary, mostly it’s the result of poor lifestyle choices. Some people believe hypertension is just one of those things that happen when you get older. This fellow asked me if I knew what had less salt in it, “a bagel or scrambled eggs?” Personally, I didn’t even know where to begin to answer a question like that.

My mind went into high gear. I assumed that his physician had told him his blood pressure numbers, wrote the prescription and told him to take his medication, as prescribed on the label. The sum and substance of his instruction was, probably, “take one tablet each day”. And, with that, the appointment probably ended. Ten minutes, tops.

To me, the implication is, “I’ll see you when you arrive in the ER by ambulance”. The question about the “salt” was probably something the guy heard from a friend of a friend, or his parents, and he assumed cutting the salt was the most important part of the deal. Everyone knows you have to cut the salt when you have hypertension. Damn the salt all to H E double shakes of the shaker.

Judging by the look on his face, when I gave him the Reader’s Digest Condensed lowdown on his “scrambled eggs or bagel” dilemma, also slipping in a word or two about processed food, hidden sodium and reading labels, I knew his doctor had him at “prescription”.

I’ll bet dollars to greasy donuts his physician might have mentioned “starting” with the amount of sodium in his diet and the fellow took the leap to the salt shaker. I say, I say, “Show me a chicken coop with a salt lick in it and I’ll show you where the salt is in a plate of scrambled eggs”.

I fear the only thing he really learned from his encounter with his physician was there’s probably a prescription medication for just about any medical problem, including hypertension, and that, in and of itself, was the only answer he needed. Problem solved.

I don’t think he heard or wanted to hear anything I had to say about “scrambled eggs” or “bagels” or the rest of what came out of my mouth that morning. He chose the bagel. Slathered the bagel with butter and peanut butter and washed it all down with a coffee or two.

The whole encounter just made me sad and angry. Can’t blame him for not knowing, right?

We seem to be a society hell-bent on pushing ourselves to the edge knowing there’s probably a prescription that will reel us back, or at least to stabilize the condition we’ve created by living the way we do. Why didn’t that physician recommend a diet and lifestyle change when it was high blood pressure? Why wait until it becomes hypertension.

A referral to a dietitian or to a naturopath or suggesting the benefits of physical activity might have spared the guy a prescription for “blood pressure pills”. There are so many alternatives to the chemical shitstorm many doctors recommend, especially for a diagnosis of hypertension. In most cases of hypertension it is about lifestyle choices.

With a couple of exceptions, we can prevent hypertension by making some changes in our lives. If your doctor has prescribed medication to control your hypertension, take it as instructed. Then ask your doctor for instructions, perhaps a referral to a dietitian to help you make healthy food choices that are low in added salt and sodium, saturated and trans fats. Have you got stress?

Ask the good doctor for instructions about dealing with stress in your life that doesn’t include food, booze, cigarettes and television or a prescription.

The better the instructions, the easier it is to deal with high blood pressure or hypertension. Don’t be afraid to ask for better instructions.

theresa@wellingtontimes.ca