"Many
people have high blood pressure for years without knowing it. Uncontrolled
high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart attack, congestive heart
failure or kidney failure. The only way to tell if you have high blood
pressure is to have your blood pressure checked. According to recent
estimates, one in four U.S. adults has high blood pressure, but because
there are no symptoms, nearly one-third of these people don't even
know they have it. This is why high blood pressure is often called
the "silent killer." Get the facts on high blood pressure
and how to live a more heart-healthy life. Find out how you can reduce
your risks for heart attack and stroke with proper monitoring by a
physician and simple lifestyle changes, even if you have high blood
pressure." Quoted from the American Heart Association Website
If
you have high blood pressure you should think about having a pet,
such as a dog, or a cat. Some
psychologists feel that having a pet can help lower blood pressure.
In a study at the State University of New York at Buffalo, it was
found that stockbrokers that have the disease, hypertension (high
blood pressure), could adopt a cat or a dog to lower their blood pressure.
Doctors found that
stress-induced blood pressure continued to rise in brokers with NO
pet, even when they were treated with medication to lower their blood
pressure. The brokers with pets also had a rise in blood pressure,
but not as much as the brokers without pets. Based
on this study, researchers conclude that drugs do help lower blood
pressure but having a pet is better at helping to control stress-related
increases in blood pressure.
Some of the people in the study went out and got a pet after they
learned of the benefits. No
one is really sure why this is true.
The feeling is that having someone on your side that you can
count on and does not judge you is a great benefit to those in high
stress jobs.
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