High Blood Pressure Specialist

Why should I worry about high blood pressure?

Your blood pressure is a measurement of the amount of force your circulatory system places on your veins, arteries, and vessels. While some pressure is necessary to help blood get to and from your extremities, too much pressure is a hazard.

When your blood pressure gets too high, components in your blood can start stacking on top of one another, forming clots. High blood pressure also puts so much strain on your arterial walls, they start becoming less elastic. This can decrease blood flow throughout your body.

Over time, high blood pressure puts strain on your vital organs, increasing your risk of:

• Coronary artery disease
• Enlarged heart
• Kidney failure
• Heart failure
• Sexual dysfunction
• Vision issues
• Dementia
• Stroke

Because high blood pressure doesn’t typically cause any specific symptoms, it’s important to regularly monitor your blood pressure and take action if your reading is too high.

What causes high blood pressure?

While the exact cause of high blood pressure isn’t always known, the condition tends to develop gradually over a period of years. Sometimes an underlying health condition causes your blood pressure to spike. You can develop high blood pressure due to:

• Sedentary lifestyle
• Obesity or being overweight
• Family history of hypertension
• Thyroid or adrenal gland disorders
• Poor diet, possibly from high sodium intake

In some cases, you develop high blood pressure because of medications. For example, birth control pills, cold medications, and pain relievers can all cause your blood pressure to surge.

How is high blood pressure treated?

At Premium Healthcare, Dr. Felzer spends time getting to know all about you, your lifestyle, and your family history in an effort to personalize your high blood pressure treatment plan. He usually finds that making lifestyle changes helps improve hypertension, as well as lower your risk of other chronic issues. Your high blood pressure treatment plan can include:

• Dietary and nutrition counseling
• Limiting sodium (salt) intake
• Weight loss planning
• Exercise planning

These healthy lifestyle changes won’t improve your blood pressure overnight though. As part of the concierge service offered at Premium Healthcare, Dr. Felzer regularly monitors your blood pressure and makes essential changes to your treatment plan.

If your blood pressure continues to rise, or if lifestyle changes aren’t enough, Dr. Felzer may prescribe medications. Hypertension medications help flush out excess sodium and water or relax blood vessel muscles, so your blood pressure reading can start improving.

If you have high blood pressure, you can get effective treatment at Premium Healthcare. Schedule your evaluation by calling the office directly.