7 Steps to Healthy Aging in a Fast Food Delivery World

Hypertension and vascular stiffness are inevitable as you get older—or so we thought. But a new study found these problems may not be as present in hunter-gatherer populations that walk and run to get their food from nature. This means there is hope for keeping the vascular system healthy as we age despite living in a society where our food is often delivered to us.

What Every Baby Boomer Needs To Know About Hypertension

I lost my mom at a relatively young age to complications from high blood pressure (hypertension). For as long as I could remember, she took medications for hypertension and its complications. She visited doctors regularly for this problem in her late 50s, was frequently hospitalized in her late 60s and 70s and died in a hospital from its complications at the age of 78.

Depression: Why Is It Not Being Diagnosed?

It is normal to feel down sometimes, be in a bad mood or maybe experience a period of sadness after a tragic life event. However, many people are depressed and although they may suspect they are depressed, they are not being diagnosed or treated.

Lower incomes tied to high blood pressure rates: Why nutrition and education may be key

High blood pressure is a global health issue, affecting over a billion people, and it’s only gotten worse. The number of people with high blood pressure has nearly doubled over the last 40 years. But believe it or not, the United States, Canada and South Korea actually have the lowest rates in the world, according to a new study published in The Lancet, which examined worldwide blood pressure trends from 1975-2015.

Superfood chayote: Why this staple in Jamaica should be a staple on your table

Chayote is a fast-growing, sun-loving, nutritious vegetable that, left untethered, can completely take over a garden, fence or tree in your yard. In fact, that’s what happened to me. I recently found vines of chayotes sprawling across several of my trees! I totally forgot that I had bought one from Whole Foods a few years ago and planted it in my yard. I was able to pick three mature chayotes from the tree to eat -- a little taste of home.

Blood pressure drugs linked to increased falling in patients

If you have high blood pressure, your doctor may have given you a prescription for a blood pressure-lowering medication, called an antihypertensive. Your doctor may have explained some of the side effects to watch for, like lethargy or swelling of the feet and legs, but there may be another side effect you should ask about – falling.

Iyengar yoga: Safe enough for pulmonary hypertension patients to reap big benefits

People turn to yoga for relief from all sorts of ailments – aches and pains, insomnia, headaches, stress and many more. Now, recent research is adding another condition to the list: pulmonary arterial hypertension. Pulmonary arterial hypertension is the medical term for high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs and right heart.

Your Summer Heart Check-Up: Catch early warning signs before they become serious problems

Summer is a good time to think about heart health. Fresh produce is abundant, providing a bounty of antioxidants. And you can enjoy more time outdoors, soaking up some vitamin D from the sun. Perhaps you're more active, taking advantage of the weather and going for a nice bike ride. Or you just got back from a family vacation, where you finally got that much needed rest and relaxation.

Get your beauty sleep or you may be upping your risk for hypertension, diabetes, premature aging & more

Sleep deficiency and poor sleep quality are widely underestimated as major causes of health problems and mortality. They are not only related to daytime sleepiness, poor memory and decreased ability to concentrate, but to more serious outcomes as well, such as increased car crashes (1.2 million car crashes in the U.S. each year are related to drowsiness), and a multitude of permanent adverse health effects such as increased heart problems, degenerative effects on brain function, premature aging and weight gain. Statistics show that at least 50-70 million people in the U.S. have a sleep disorder. A Gallup poll suggests that as much as 40 percent of Americans get less than the recommended sleep time. Sleep times averaged 7.9 hours in 1942. This number has steadily decreased to 6.8 hours in the 1990s and 2000s.

Be proactive and reduce your risk for congestive heart failure

It’s estimated that there are 5.8 million people in the U.S. who have congestive heart failure, with approximately 1 million hospitalizations as a result each year. Most of the hospitalizations for congestive heart failure tend to be for patients who are 65 or older, but the rate of congestive heart failure hospitalizations for males under 65 has been increasing over the years. With millions of people in the U.S. being affected by this condition, there’s a chance you may be at risk. But you've taken the first proactive step by educating yourself about congestive heart failure.

Avoid Overtreatment and Get an Accurate Blood Pressure Reading!

“Woah! I knew I was a little nervous, but I was not expecting my blood pressure to have increased by that much!” Well, it’s possible it didn’t. You may experience a “white coat effect,” where you get a high reading in the doctor’s office, but outside the office, your blood pressure is totally normal. And sometimes a high blood pressure reading is caused by something as small as the way you are sitting, such as when you cross your legs or need to use the restroom. Believe it or not, all these activities can give you a falsely high reading.

What is metabolic syndrome?

Metabolic syndrome, also called syndrome X, insulin resistance syndrome or dysmetabolic syndrome, is a “cluster of conditions” that increase your risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes (Mayo Clinic). Having just one of the conditions does not mean you have metabolic syndrome; typically, it is defined as having three or more of the five common traits: large waist circumference, high blood pressure, elevated triglycerides, low HDL (“good”) cholesterol and elevated fasting blood sugar.