Health for a Lifetime

Hypertension

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Don Mackintosh (Host), Victor E. Herry

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Series Code: HFAL

Program Code: HFAL000191


00:50 Hello and welcome to Health for a Lifetime.
00:52 I'm your host Don Mackintosh.
00:53 We're glad you're with us today.
00:54 We're also glad that our special guest, Dr. Victor Herry,
00:58 is with us.
00:59 Dr. Herry is a specialist in internal medicine.
01:02 He's also had schooling in allergy and your immune system
01:06 He practices in Washington, D.C. since about 1982.
01:12 Yes.
01:13 So you've been at this for a while.
01:14 For a long time.
01:15 One of the big concerns in America, you were telling me,
01:20 and the subject for this program is hypertension.
01:22 What exactly is hypertension?
01:26 What is blood pressure?
01:28 What are we going to be talking about?
01:29 Hypertension is a term used for high blood pressure.
01:34 Blood pressure is the force of the heart.
01:39 The heart is a pump and as it pumps through the arteries of
01:42 the body that force is blood pressure.
01:47 So when the heart pumps you get the top blood pressure
01:52 which is the systolic and when the heart relaxes you get the
01:55 bottom blood pressure which is diastolic.
01:57 The blood pressure is written as numbers, one above the other,
02:00 systolic and diastolic.
02:02 Systolic is when the heart pumps and then the other is
02:07 when it relaxes.
02:08 And hyper means - higher than one expects.
02:12 Higher tension than one would expect.
02:14 So what are those numbers that we're looking at there?
02:18 Normal blood pressure is less than 120 over 80 millimeters of
02:23 mercury - that's normal blood pressure.
02:26 So the top needs to be 120.
02:28 If you have a blood pressure of 120 over 80 that's normal.
02:32 Anything above that is referred to as pre-hyper tension
02:36 when it falls between 120 and 139.
02:39 Then of course 140 and above is hypertension.
02:44 And that too has stages.
02:46 You have stage one which is 140 over 90.
02:51 Stage two begins at 160.
02:54 So we have four categories.
02:57 1. is normal blood pressure 120 over 80 and lower.
03:02 Then you have pre-hypertension above 120 over 80 and
03:07 less than 130 over 80- that's pre-hypertension.
03:10 Then you have stage one hypertension which is above
03:13 130 over 80.
03:15 Then you have stage two hypertension which is above 160.
03:20 So these are numbers given to us for hypertension.
03:22 Now usually they say that when you go to a doctor and they take
03:27 your blood pressure it goes up just because you're
03:28 talking to a doctor.
03:30 Well, there are some people who have what is called
03:32 "White Coat Hypertension. "
03:34 That is they go in to an environment to see the physician
03:38 and the blood pressure shoots up.
03:39 and that is an unusual situation.
03:42 Those persons are sometimes asked to check the blood
03:45 pressure outside of the doctor's office.
03:47 That would determine whether that person is
03:50 hypertensive or not.
03:52 What are some of the symptoms of high blood pressure?
03:55 You know it's very interesting that you ask the question
03:57 because hypertension is referred to as the "silent killer. "
04:01 There may be no symptoms at all.
04:04 So the only way you can determine if you are
04:07 hypertensive is that you must have your
04:10 blood pressure checked.
04:11 So you really need to know your numbers,
04:14 know where you stand on this.
04:17 It's important to know the numbers because one can
04:20 not determine if one has high blood pressure except
04:22 one checks the blood pressure.
04:24 What are the causes of high blood pressure - hypertension?
04:27 Causes vary.
04:29 In some cases where there are some diseases
04:32 some blood pressure rises.
04:35 Some of the causes would be increased salt intake,
04:38 for instance, sedentary lifestyle,
04:41 smoking cigarettes, all of these can cause
04:45 blood pressure to rise.
04:47 Even drinking coffee can cause your blood pressure to rise.
04:50 So sedentary, you mean sitting around?
04:52 Yes, people who simply do not exercise at all.
04:54 They sit around and lack of exercise certainly that causes
04:59 the blood pressure to go up.
05:00 So sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise, coffee drinking...
05:06 how does that work?
05:07 Well, that stimulates the heart.
05:09 Anything that stimulates the heart and causes it to beat
05:11 faster can cause your blood pressure to go up.
05:14 Alcohol intake does the same thing.
05:17 A person may go into the doctor's office after having had
05:21 much alcohol and would find that the blood pressure
05:24 is elevated.
05:25 So alcohol drinking can cause your blood pressure to rise.
05:30 Interesting.
05:32 Any other causes you want to bring out?
05:33 Well, there are other things one must consider.
05:36 For instance, depending upon groups - African American,
05:41 for instance, have a pre-disposition to high
05:43 blood pressure.
05:44 So being African American is something that one must
05:48 consider with regards to hypertension.
05:50 So what are the statistics on that?
05:52 Of course I'm not African American but what
05:56 are the statistics on the number of African Americans
05:59 as opposed to white Americans?
06:01 In the United States, for instance, there are 50 million
06:04 hypertensive's, approximately 1 in 4.
06:07 That are diagnosed, is that what you mean?
06:11 Yes, diagnosed hypertensive's.
06:13 So there are maybe those who do not know that they have
06:15 hypertension because they have never checked their numbers.
06:18 Talk to me a little bit about these risk factors.
06:22 Just being African American is a risk factor?
06:25 Being African American is a risk factor.
06:27 Being over age 35 is a risk factor.
06:29 Smoking cigarettes is a risk factor.
06:32 Drinking alcohol is a risk factor.
06:34 Sedentary lifestyle is a risk factor.
06:37 Taking in too much sodium or salt is also a risk factor.
06:40 What it does tell us is that hypertension
06:44 is affected by lifestyle so that if one changes one's lifestyle
06:50 that can influence whether that person may develop
06:53 hypertension or not.
06:54 Regular exercise - if you get regular exercise daily
07:01 that can reduce your blood pressure.
07:03 We need to talk about what to do about this, but you said
07:06 something, you gave me a list of risk factors, but some of
07:10 those are not things you can do anything about with your
07:13 lifestyle.
07:14 Like the fact that I am 35 and a 1/2, or a little bit more.
07:19 I can't do anything about that.
07:20 That's true, because as one ages the blood pressure
07:24 tends to rise.
07:26 However, if your lifestyle is such that engenders
07:33 lower blood pressure if you exercise on a regular basis,
07:37 that makes the arteries more pliable and as a result the
07:41 blood pressure goes down.
07:42 You can't change your age but you can change your lifestyle.
07:46 So you actually, in a sense, change your age through
07:50 behavior patterns.
07:53 What's the big deal?
07:56 So I got a little hypertension!
07:57 I mean you know, Doctor, I mean, it's just numbers, what's the
08:00 big deal?
08:01 Are there any real effects?
08:03 I'm so glad you asked the question because as the
08:06 blood pressure rises the organs of the body are affected.
08:11 Now, stroke is the result of high blood pressure.
08:14 Kidney disease is the result of hypertension.
08:18 Blindness can come as a result of hypertension.
08:21 So it is important to recognize your numbers.
08:24 Not only that, but the heart is also effected.
08:27 The heart can become enlarged because the heart has to pump
08:31 so much against that pressure.
08:33 Now if you think about lifting weights.
08:36 As you lift more and more weights your muscles become
08:40 bigger and bigger.
08:41 That's how you can muscles.
08:43 It's the same thing with the heart.
08:44 As the heart pumps against greater pressure,
08:47 the heart enlarges.
08:49 With high blood pressure the effect on the body is that it
08:55 causes enlargement of the heart which can result in failure of
08:59 the heart - a congestive heart failure, the heart not being
09:02 able to pump properly.
09:03 It get's big for a while and it helps but then it's not helpful.
09:07 That's right.
09:08 It's not healthy.
09:09 So there are some real effects.
09:12 The one person I was talking with said that it even can
09:16 effect your intelligence.
09:17 Is that correct?
09:18 Well, it can effect your intelligence to the extent that
09:22 the blood flow to the brain is compromised.
09:26 What happens with some of the risk factors is they can cause
09:31 the hardening of the arteries.
09:32 As your arteries become harder the blood flow to the brain
09:37 becomes compromised.
09:39 And of course, if that becomes compromised then that can
09:42 effect your thinking over time.
09:44 Hypertension among the African American community
09:50 usually happens after 35 or do we have hypertension happening
09:55 even before that now?
09:56 What we've noticed today, not only in the African community
10:00 but in many of the communities in the United States, is that
10:04 even children are getting high blood pressure.
10:07 Part of that has to do not only with genetics
10:10 but also in lifestyle.
10:12 We notice that children today are not exercising as much as
10:16 they used to.
10:17 With the computers at home, with looking at television, and
10:20 eating a lot, we have increased weight gain - obesity - and
10:24 that's a problem.
10:26 That's one of the risk factors of hypertension.
10:27 We have children getting hypertension, we have older
10:31 people getting hypertension.
10:32 Now talk to me about that obesity, weight gain, and
10:35 hypertension.
10:36 How does that work?
10:37 What's the process?
10:39 If you think about it.
10:40 If you think about the heart being a pump.
10:42 And you think about the arteries being wires or tubes.
10:49 The greater the number of tubes, the greater the distance
10:52 the heart has to pump, the greater the force it uses.
10:56 So that as you gain weight the heart has to pump harder
11:00 to get the blood all over.
11:02 And then the resistance caused by the vessels not being very
11:06 pliable - so increased size causes blood pressure to go up.
11:11 Increased size causes resistance against the heart.
11:14 Someone told me it's about 200 miles per extra pound you weigh.
11:19 Have you ever read anything about how many extra
11:22 miles it is?
11:23 Well, it is some miles.
11:25 The exact number I don't recall at the moment.
11:27 But that's the problem.
11:29 It just overwhelms the pump.
11:31 That's exactly right.
11:33 Ok, detecting this.
11:35 We've talked about taking a measurement with a
11:41 blood pressure cuff, but are there any other ways
11:43 to detect it other than that?
11:45 There is no other way to detect your blood pressure elevation
11:49 but to check your blood pressure.
11:51 Every person who is 35 and over, yet every young person
11:55 even in schools now, we have school nurses checking the
12:00 blood pressure of children, especially of those children
12:02 who are over weight.
12:04 One of the things noticed in France, for instance, there is
12:08 such great increase in obesity and here in the United States,
12:12 that the children are being monitored for their weight.
12:16 So if you have increased weight in childhood we recognize
12:19 that there is increase and problems later on - increase
12:22 in high blood pressure.
12:24 But to know the blood pressure you must have it checked.
12:28 There's no other way.
12:30 You can't say, "Well, I'm feeling dizzy this morning
12:32 my blood pressure is probably up and I'm not dizzy
12:35 today and my blood pressure is down. "
12:36 It doesn't work that way.
12:38 So we really need to know our numbers.
12:40 Yes, we do.
12:41 We've been talking with Dr. Victor Herry.
12:43 We've been talking about hypertension.
12:45 It's a real problem.
12:46 Once you get hypertension many times it lasts for a lifetime.
12:49 But on Health For A Lifetime we don't want it to last for
12:52 a lifetime.
12:53 We want to not just know about the causes.
12:55 We want to have some good news and I think we'll find some
12:58 about the cure.
13:00 Join us when we come back.
13:03 Are you confused about the endless stream of new and often
13:07 contradictory health information?
13:09 With companies trying to sell new drugs?
13:12 Special interest groups paying for studies that spin the facts?
13:15 Where can you find a common sense approach to health?
13:18 One way is to ask for your free copy of Dr. Arnott's
13:21 24 Realistic Ways To Improve Your Health.
13:24 Dr. Timothy Arnott in the Lifestyle Center of America
13:27 produced this helpful booklet of 24 short, practical health
13:31 tips based on:
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13:47 Find out how to:
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13:50 If you're looking for help not hype, then this booklet
13:53 is for you.
13:54 Just log on to:
14:03 Welcome back.
14:04 We've been talking with Dr. Victor Herry.
14:06 We've been talking about hypertension.
14:08 Before the break we talked about the causes of hypertension
14:12 and now we're going to talk about what everybody wants
14:15 to know - the cure!
14:16 Is there a cure for hypertension, Dr. Herry?
14:18 You ask about a cure.
14:20 Hypertension - the better word I would like to say is control.
14:26 Now, in some disease states that may cause hypertension,
14:30 such as, if there's a tumor that's causing the
14:34 blood pressure to rise, when you remove that tumor
14:36 then the blood pressure goes away.
14:38 However, most hypertension is called essential hypertension
14:43 meaning that we really don't have any cause for it.
14:47 So, in those cases we talk about the control
14:50 of the blood pressure.
14:51 Now you can control blood pressure by, first of all, some
14:55 basic lifestyle changes.
14:57 1. Exercise daily is very important
15:01 How long, what kind, where?
15:03 20 minutes every day of exercise.
15:07 It could be aerobic exercise, it could be walking,
15:10 it could be swimming, any form of exercise
15:12 20 minutes per day would help to reduce your blood pressure.
15:16 What about weight lifting?
15:17 Weight lifting is part of exercise too but you need
15:21 some other kinds other than weight lifting.
15:23 Ok, 20 minutes a day at of exercise at least.
15:26 At least 20 minutes per day.
15:27 Exercise on a regular basis that helps to lower blood pressure.
15:32 Now let's talk about exercise on one side then you have to talk
15:36 about diet on the other.
15:37 Because exercise without proper eating does not help.
15:41 So one has to eat properly.
15:43 What do I mean by eating properly?
15:45 Look at your salt intake.
15:46 A low sodium diet is important because earlier on we mentioned
15:51 that high sodium causes blood pressure to rise.
15:54 So a low sodium diet is very important with regards to
15:59 lowering your blood pressure.
16:01 I notice you say low but you don't say, "no" sodium.
16:04 That's right.
16:05 I said not no but low.
16:06 Why do you say that?
16:08 Because no sodium is almost impossible.
16:13 You require less than 2 grams of sodium a day.
16:18 In the American diet we have over 3 to 5 grams of sodium
16:23 every day.
16:24 So we need to lower the sodium content of our diet.
16:28 Ok, that's easy to say but how would I do that?
16:30 I'm going to the store and I want something low sodium
16:33 what do I stay away from?
16:34 First of all read your labels.
16:36 That's one thing.
16:38 The other aspect of it is eat differently.
16:40 Fruits, vegetables, greens, those are the kinds of things
16:44 that strengthen the body and enable you to lower your
16:48 blood pressure also.
16:49 What about these salt substitutes?
16:51 They put potassium in it.
16:55 I'm glad you mentioned potassium.
16:57 It has been found that potassium lowers blood pressure
17:01 so that any diet high in potassium would help to lower
17:05 blood pressure.
17:06 So in your diet if you eat high potassium foods, assuming
17:11 however, that you do not have kidney disease.
17:14 Because high potassium foods would be lethal in a person
17:18 who has kidney disease.
17:19 Assuming that your kidneys function very well, then
17:23 your fruits, vegetables, greens are all very important
17:27 in terms of aiding your lifestyle and lowering your
17:31 blood pressure.
17:32 So we've mentioned exercise and diet.
17:35 Those are two very important things.
17:37 Now one of the things you mentioned in the pamphlet
17:40 you've written, "All You Need to Know About Hypertension"
17:44 you mention the DASH diet.
17:48 Is this what the DASH diet is?
17:50 It's a diet that talks about less than a 2,000 calories a day
17:55 diet and you have vegetables, fruits, make sure you drink
18:00 enough water, and lower the sodium content of your eating.
18:06 I sometimes do not like to push people to a specific diet.
18:11 But give them the understanding of how they should eat.
18:16 Fruits, vegetables, grains, those things, then lower your
18:21 sodium, increase your exercise activity.
18:25 Those are things that enable us to have a healthier lifestyle.
18:30 You talk about Health for a Lifetime.
18:33 Those are the things we want to put in so that over your
18:36 lifetime you can have a lower blood pressure.
18:39 Now we mentioned earlier that you already have hypertension.
18:42 These lifestyle changes help in lowering blood pressure,
18:47 getting rid of obesity, lowering the fat content of your diet,
18:52 lowering your cholesterol.
18:53 Now those are important.
18:55 And then of course having done all of those things
18:58 then we can talk about medications.
19:01 Ok, so lifestyle things first then talk about medications.
19:06 But before we get there, the lifestyle approach... let's say
19:11 someone goes out and starts to adopt this.
19:14 How soon will their blood pressure go down?
19:16 It's difficult to give you any specific time but after
19:21 exercising for at least 3 months you will notice that
19:27 there is a change in your blood pressure.
19:30 Now if you were to exercise.
19:31 Five minutes after you exercise you will notice that your
19:37 blood pressure will drop from
19:38 your exercise blood pressure to your resting blood pressure
19:42 and will even drop below your normal resting blood pressure.
19:45 Now how does that work?
19:46 What is the physiology of that?
19:51 Now you've put me to the test! - laughter -
19:54 What happens here is this.
19:56 During exercise the vessels, the arteries of the body become
20:02 pliable.
20:04 So the smooth muscles of the arteries as they become pliable
20:10 when one exercises the arteries expand and the expansion of the
20:17 arteries cause the blood pressure to drop.
20:19 Those are some of the things that really help us here.
20:24 Now, one other thing.
20:25 You said exercise and then you said diet, fruits, nuts, grains,
20:29 vegetables, in other words foods as grown, but the real
20:34 issue with people many times... ok they got their
20:36 collard greens but then they add butter or other toppings.
20:41 What do you tell your patients about the toppings?
20:44 Let's remember that increased cholesterol causes hardening
20:50 of the arteries.
20:51 Therefore, your diet should be one that would tend to lower
20:55 your cholesterol.
20:56 Because high cholesterol causes hardening of the arteries
21:00 resulting in higher blood pressure.
21:02 Ok, now here's another dilemma as I listen to you.
21:04 You say, "Wait a minute, try the lifestyle first. "
21:07 But let's say you have what you term malignant hypertension
21:10 You're 160 in your systolic, the top number and you're in danger.
21:16 Would you give them medication and then have them do the others
21:18 until it got down?
21:20 Certainly, medication comes first in such a case.
21:23 Now, if you are in the pre-hypertensive stage
21:27 which we mentioned earlier on, it would be a blood pressure
21:30 of 130 over 80- pre-hypertension
21:33 That's where lifestyle changes become very, very important.
21:37 It's important throughout the gamut, the spectrum, however,
21:42 if your blood pressure is already high 160 over 100 or
21:46 160 over 90, medication becomes important.
21:49 Let's talk about the medication.
21:51 There are up sides to it and down sides to it.
21:53 I'm sure you might mention both of those.
21:55 What are the up sides, what are the kinds of medicines you give
21:58 people and what can be some of the down sides?
22:00 There are various categories of medications
22:01 that physicians use.
22:03 There are diuretics and those are fluid pills, so to speak,
22:08 that causes reduction in volume.
22:10 Reduction in blood volume reduces blood pressure.
22:14 Then there are medications like calcium channel blockers
22:17 that prevents calcium from entering into the cells.
22:21 As calcium is stopped from entering into the cells
22:25 these vessels dilate and cause the blood pressure to go down.
22:31 Then there are beta blockers.
22:33 Beta blockers are those medications that slow the
22:37 heart down.
22:38 And as they slow the heart down, that decreases the force and
22:42 decreases blood pressure.
22:43 Then there are other newer medications such as
22:47 ACE inhibitors.
22:48 Those work in different ways but they all work to lower your
22:52 blood pressure.
22:54 It's your job to figure out what's the best for that person.
22:59 For that particular patient, yes.
23:00 That is probably just a fine balancing act depending on
23:05 what's going on with them.
23:07 One has to balance it very carefully because every
23:10 medication may have some side effects.
23:12 One has to choose the patient and choose the medication
23:15 for that particular patient.
23:18 What are some of those side effects?
23:20 Because lots of people in this culture... you watch the news
23:24 and you notice that usually on the nightly news
23:27 the companies that buy those slots before or during the news,
23:33 which is when lots of people watch television,
23:34 are drug companies.
23:36 They're talking about their medications and it's almost
23:39 as if I've got that problem there's got to be a drug for it.
23:42 Are there down sides?
23:44 There are side effects of every medication.
23:47 However, it is the physician's responsibility to determine
23:51 which medication has the minimum effect
23:55 on that particular patient.
23:57 So it is an individual thing between the physician
24:00 and the patient to determine which medication is best
24:04 for the patient.
24:05 In dealing with blood pressure one has to,
24:09 as we mentioned before, lifestyle changes become
24:11 very important.
24:13 I would mention that because prevention is better than cure.
24:18 Since when you develop hypertension there is no cure
24:21 but there is control.
24:23 Lifestyle change in the pre-hypertensive state is
24:27 extremely important.
24:28 So prevention for a lifetime is important in controlling
24:33 your blood pressure.
24:34 We've talked about exercise, diet, medication.
24:40 Is there anything else in trying to get a grip on this in terms
24:45 of education that needs to happen?
24:47 The patient must be educated as to the danger of hypertension.
24:53 Because hypertension is a very dangerous disease
24:56 and it is a disease.
24:57 Let us not forget it.
24:59 It is a disease that has its toll in billions of dollars on
25:04 this society and world wide.
25:07 It is responsible for many heart attacks, strokes,
25:13 congestive heart failure, blindness, debility where people
25:22 are unable to carry out their function.
25:25 It is the disease that in the early stages that one can get a
25:34 grip on before the body's effected totally
25:37 by that disease.
25:38 We've been talking with Dr. Victor Herry.
25:41 We've been talking about hypertension and we've
25:45 got a really good picture from you of what the problem is
25:48 and some solutions.
25:50 Now you also are a Christian physician.
25:53 Are there spiritual aspects to blood pressure control
25:58 or disease that you bring in as you talk to your patients?
26:02 One of the things that may cause blood pressure to continue to
26:06 stay high is stress.
26:09 Now we all live in a world of stress.
26:12 We can't get away from stress.
26:13 But as a Christian one of the things that we are taught
26:17 is to take it and lay it at the feet of the Master,
26:21 isn't that correct?
26:22 That's right.
26:23 When we learn to do that, we learn to elevate
26:26 and reduce our stressors.
26:27 And reduction of stress is a very important factor in the
26:31 control of blood pressure.
26:32 Do you pray with your patients?
26:34 With those who request it.
26:35 Wonderful!
26:37 We've been talking with Dr. Victor Herry.
26:38 We've been talking about blood pressure, its causes, and
26:43 not its cure but rather it's control.
26:46 I really encourage you if you've been watching, to know your
26:50 numbers.
26:51 We've heard this message again and again from Dr. Herry,
26:53 isn't that right?
26:54 Let's go out, get your blood pressure taken.
26:56 Secondly, know your family history.
27:00 We haven't talked a lot about that but if you're from a family
27:03 history of hypertension make doubly sure you get it checked
27:07 and then know how you can control it through lifestyle,
27:11 what you eat, how you exercise, your relationship with God,
27:15 and of course medication may be something you need.
27:19 Check in with your physician about that.
27:20 Dr. Herry, we're really thankful you've joined us from that busy
27:24 practice there in Washington, D.C.
27:25 Glad you could be with us.
27:27 Thank you kindly.
27:28 And we're also glad that you could be with us today
27:31 on Health for a Lifetime.
27:32 You know, with such a significant problem
27:36 like hypertension we're aware of some of the
27:39 things we can do but most importantly what God can do.
27:42 We're thankful that God has inspired people to go into
27:45 medicine like Dr. Herry.
27:47 But he also can inspire you to take charge of your life
27:52 to get that blood pressure checked and to find out how
27:57 to have health that lasts for a lifetime.


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Revised 2014-12-17