blood pressure Archives — Thrifty Mommas Tips

How Did Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor Help Me Tackle High Blood Pressure

Paula — Mon, 28 Mar 2016 03:01:54 +0000

In September of 2014 I had my first high blood pressure reading ever. It was frightening and frustrating too. So I set about fixing it. I worked out more, I went gluten free. I added more exercise. I banished salt, ate differently, walked more..and I did all that consistently for two years and still nothing much changed. My blood pressure went up and down. But sometimes it was as high as 150 over 92. About two months ago a Withings wireless blood pressure monitor arrived. And that’s when things finally turned around for the better. Before Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor: Month after month I used to check my blood pressure at the kiosks set up in various pharmacies. Often it was the middle of the day, or as I was literally fielding a phone call from the kid’s school. One time one of the kids was calling begging to come home and I literally had the cuff around my arm. That reading did not go well. Talk about high blood pressure! You are supposed to remain calm and still and quiet when taking your blood pressure. There were times I raced over to the Rexall pharmacy near my house right after a solid workout, or a yoga class. I assumed yoga would lower my blood pressure. It did not. And so I would return every few months to my doctor and he would do a reading because I reminded him to, and it was sky high. He was never that worried. We will monitor it, he said. Take your blood pressure regularly, he said. And I did. That last visit, I asked him about medication because I know my mother and one of my uncles both had to take blood pressure medicine. My doctor warned me that was not the route he wanted to take. “Once you are on blood pressure medicine you are on it for life,” he said. I am a Mom. I am also a person with a complex health history. As a teen, just entering grade nine I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, an incurable inflammatory bowel disorder also thought to be an autoimmune disorder. At times I have been very ill with that and hospitalized repeatedly. I have been much better since having children. I tell you this because I know what it’s like to have a body that doesn’t work the way you want it to all the time. It’s brutally infuriating. Anyways, when my Crohn’s Disease was very active and acute my blood pressure was so low that I was prone to anemia and feeling faint. So really I had a history of low blood pressure right up until 2014 when some sort of switch flipped and it was high over and over and over. But my doctor was insistent, no medication. He advised me to get a home blood pressure monitor. I had no luck finding one until the Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor arrived for use at home. Up until then, I was stymied. I worked out. I lost five pounds. My blood pressure came down ONE TIME when I had a reading at Rexall last year. I posted how giddy I was after that and shared the print out to Instagram and someone kindly advised me the machine was wrong and I should still worry about high blood pressure. That was not helpful. This is the best blood pressure reading I have had in months. #food #family #fun #health #summer #activity #healthyliving #love #pilates #fitness #healthyeating #happy A photo posted by Paula Schuck (@inkscrblr) on Jul 28, 2015 at 6:39am PDT The Withings wireless blood pressure monitor arrived and I set it up. It connects super simply with your iPhone and iPod. The instructions are easy to follow. Download the Withings Health Mate app, turn on the Withings Blood Pressure Monitor (there’s a silver cylinder that rests near inner arm when the cuff is wrapped and ready to go. The button is there.) Make sure that your Bluetooth connects to the blood pressure monitor and then follow the instructions. The Withings Health Mate app will also track your steps each day and store information, such as what your last reading was so you can get an idea over time of whether your blood pressure is coming down or going up. The Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor will tell you the best times to take a blood pressure reading. First thing in the morning and last thing at night. It reminds you to stay still with feet on the floor and arm resting on a surface so that it is close to your heart. I can’t even tell you how thrilled I was to see my first NORMAL blood pressure reading. The thing is first thing in the morning before I eat and have coffee and put out a million fires at work, then my blood pressure is Normal. At night, right before bed, it is good too. The entire process will take maybe five minutes out of your day. The Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor is medically approved and also monitors heart rate. It has received clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the USA and is compliant with European medical device regulations. It is also medically approved in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. A few words about the packaging of the Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor package. The packaging is brilliant. It’s a sturdy folding green and white box that acts as a storage unit or a makeshift case for the monitor. The Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor was exactly what I needed. My doctor was right that I should get a home blood pressure monitor. His theory was also that everyone’s blood pressure rises just by virtue of being at the doctor’s office. I guess that was clearly true in my case. I almost always had to race from work with kids in tow when running to the doctor’s office, so I was pretty much already always stressed when I got there. Then, in addition to that, I would get more frustrated and stressed out being there because I had a feeling the readings would be high each time. That was a ridiculous cycle that couldn’t be broken. Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor: The Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor works beautifully to help people manage their health. It helped me lower my blood pressure and now I am less worried and stressed and frustrated which frankly also helped me to maintain lower blood pressure. The EXPERTS agree – In an 18-month project with the American Medical Group Association’s Measure Up/Pressure Down® campaign, hypertensive patients using the Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor saw blood pressure control rates improve 30% overall. Doctors shared that the device was useful in helping their patients control blood pressure at home. — American Medical Group Association Playing around with @withings wireless blood pressure monitor today. Sharing a post on how this finally helped me fix the high blood pressure drama here. #love #health #technology #bloodpressure #tech #gadgets #witeless #ldnont #happy #fitness #instahealth #instafitness my steps can always be better and it doesn’t log fitness classes unless you sync fitness pal app and add manually too. But nonetheless the blood pressure part is so worth it! A photo posted by Paula Schuck (@inkscrblr) on Mar 25, 2016 at 12:59pm PDT Oh and I almost forgot one of the best parts about this gadget also is the fact that the app with store your data in the cloud and then you can download it and share it easily with any digitally connected doctor. In fact your doctor doesn’t really even need to be digitally connected because you can just show him or her your data on your app. I received a Withings Wireless Blood Pressure monitor and occasionally work with Withings. My opinion is all my own and this post is 100 % truthful and based on my extremely positive experience with this product. The Withings Wireless Home Blood Pressure Monitor is an example of technology being used to make your life and health better. That is my favourite application for wireless gadgets. You can buy these Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitors at Best Buy, Amazon and in the Apple Store too. These retail for $129.95 US and they are more than worth it! The Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor gets my highest rating of $$$$$ out of $$$$$. In fact I’d like to give it higher because it’s that good. I think it just destroyed my rating system. Get one for a relative who has high blood pressure. Get one for yourself. Use it and take charge. I am including an Amazon affiliate link here in event anyone wants to buy one from Amazon right now:

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High Blood Pressure Facts You Need to Know

Paula — Sun, 07 Jun 2015 00:06:47 +0000

Last year right around the time I left for a big trip with World Vision Canada I got a high blood pressure reading. It was the first time ever and I figured it was a one off. Away I went on the amazing trip, and when I returned, I had another reading done a few months later. Still, it was high. Fast forward two months after that high blood pressure reading. As I often do, I tackled the issue with diet and exercise and it came down a bit. I thought I was managing beautifully. But tackling this health issue was harder than I ever imagined and so I set about trying to uncover all the high blood pressure facts I could find. I am continuing with my diet and exercise approach, hoping also to lose a few pounds and see if that will help. At the same time, I am researching more information about high blood pressure so that I can tackle this and advocate with my doctor if need be. High blood pressure impacts a lot of people so here are the high blood pressure facts you should know. 5 High Blood Pressure Facts You Should Know High blood pressure can be a killer. It directly affects a variety of deadly diseases, so it’s important to know high blood pressure facts to educate yourself. I’ve put together a list of high blood pressure facts that can help you get a better understanding of this deadly condition. Know These High Blood Pressure Facts High blood pressure is no joke. And since we don’t know the exact cause of it, it’s important to know all of the facts, so you can better guard against it and/or treat it with a doctor’s supervision. Causes One of the most important high blood pressure facts to know is what causes it. Although, as I said, the exact cause of high blood pressure is unknown, there are several things that have been clinically shown to drastically increase the risk of high blood pressure including: Smoking Obesity Lack of exercise High salt intake High alcohol consumption Stress Aging Genetics Family history Chronic kidney disease Adrenal and thyroid disorders While you can’t really guard against genetics or a family history of high blood pressure, all of the other known risk factors can certainly be remedied. (I have the family history. I also am 45 so I guess that’s the aging part and I had high salt intake, but I eliminated that back in October. As for the other factors, I have none of them. I rarely drink and I exercise a lot, but have a sedentary job.) Signs and Symptoms This is a sobering addition to my high blood pressure facts list. By and large, high blood pressure has no warning signs or symptoms. Most people don’t even realize they have high blood pressure. That’s why it’s so important to go for yearly physicals. This is the time when your blood pressure will be checked, and you may find that you have high blood pressure. What Makes it so Important It’s important to know your high blood pressure facts, because it is associated with so many terrible, organ crippling diseases. High blood pressure has been strongly linked with a number of potentially deadly conditions such as: Heart Attack: 70% of people who have their first heart attack also have high blood pressure. Stroke: 80% of people who have their first stroke also have high blood pressure. Chronic Heart Failure: 70% of people with chronic heart failure have high blood pressure. Kidney Disease: High blood pressure is a major, major risk factor in developing kidney disease. Age and Ethnicity Age and ethnicity play a major role in the development of high blood pressure. That’s why it’s so important to know high blood pressure facts. High blood pressure can vary significantly across age ranges and ethnic backgrounds. Age: Starting around 45, both men and women see a significantly higher percentage of high blood pressure in the population. The highest instance is in those 75 and older. Ethnicity: Across all ethnicities, black people have by far the highest percentage of high blood pressure, followed by hispanics, and then whites. Prevention Perhaps the most important of my high blood pressure facts is prevention. Almost all of the risk factors for high blood pressure can either be avoided or mitigated by us. Eat a healthy diet full of whole grains, vegetables, and fruit. Keep your salt intake reasonable, don’t drink to excess, and exercise. In addition, limit read meat, and increase your intake of healthy fats from sources such as nuts, avocados, and cold water fish. Protect You and Your Family with These High Blood Pressure Facts High blood pressure shouldn’t be taken lightly, so it’s important to know your high blood pressure facts. Knowing these facts will help you avoid or mitigate your high blood pressure risk factors. If you’re already on a high blood pressure medication, reducing the contributing factors to high blood pressure can only help you. So know your high blood pressure facts, and keep yourself healthy and happy!

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Operation Banish High Blood Pressure

Paula — Tue, 02 Dec 2014 02:42:43 +0000

It’s time for fresh starts. December 1st. What could be a better time? I’m not waiting for New Year’s resolutions this year because I need to tackle this new health challenge head on. I have high blood pressure and it’s not going away. It started in September and I assumed it was because I was hyper about taking a trip with World Vision Canada and I assumed that the high reading was a one off. But in October it was high again and then this past weekend when we went for flu shots it was astronomical. So it’s time to kick it to the curb. First here’s a bit about me. I am in my 40s. I don’t like to share my age and that’s my own little vanity but the reality is that I am 45 and at a point where health doesn’t improve without Herculean efforts to change something. Metabolism is such a fickle thing. She was my friend for most of my life and then I turned 40 and she started vanishing, taking long holidays even. Now I have to kick her to wake her up and that’s on a good day. On a bad day, well she’s still in bed at 3 p.m., and I’ve been up for a good nine hours by then. Weight loss is harder after 40. That’s reality. I’m not that worried about shedding a few pounds. I have typically been slender because I also have Crohn’s Disease, an incurable inflammatory bowel disease that means wild swings in weight and then periods of time with severe stomach pain which usually keeps you from eating. I have traditionally never had issue losing weight. In fact, I have had trouble keeping weight on, so weight loss is a strange concept for me. But I have gained some this past two years since I started my own business. Business is good, great even, but I am sedentary for long periods. I work for long hours on my computer. I have ended up with blogger butt. In fact most days, I blog and run my consulting business on an 8 a.m. to 11 p.m schedule. That’s stressful and I eat poorly sometimes when I work long hours like this. So I know I have some changes to make. I need to eat lunch again. Dumbest thing in the world – I work right twenty feet from my kitchen, but still I rarely break to eat it and then I am ravenous by dinner. And there are a few other things I know need to change. I also know this past year with both of my kids needing extreme increases in therapy appointments and educational meetings and so forth that this been incredibly hard on my health. I know and can feel the stress that never goes away when you parent kids with special needs. It is chronically exhausting and it damages your health. But that has got to slow soon. We’ve been doing intensive therapy for anxiety for one of the kids which ironically is making me sick. If it helps her, and we get through this period of time, by 2015 she might be better able to manage her anxiety symptoms. That’s the goal. Then my schedule will lighten a bit. I lose a day a week to their appointments right now. This isn’t a rant but a fact. And I am fully aware I can’t save anyone if I don’t apply my oxygen mask first. I started reading about high blood pressure immediately this weekend and I am ready to make the changes I need to in order to fix this because I plan to be here for a long time writing and, you know, parenting my kids. So here’s what I have to do. (I started today. See the picture above – that’s me being really happy to be planking): 1. Low sodium diet. 2. Watch weight and maybe drop 5 to 10 pounds. 3. Increase physical activity. Exercise more. 4. Monitor and fix stress in my life. 5. Get better at taking breaks. Stop working 15 hour days. 6. Monitor caffeine. (It’s hard to say cut back on caffeine because I think you all know I love my coffee.) 7. Food journal. I started one today after I tweeted that I have high blood pressure. 8. Less packaged food and more yummy home cooked items. 9. Oh yeah and that estrogen I take because I was prescribed it when I had a hysterectomy has now been reevaluated. Cut in half and the goal will be to taper off I think. But I will do that with doctor’s help. I can do this! I hope. Have you ever had high blood pressure? What did you change and how did it work?

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