(News Medical) – A majority of patients can’t recall whether their physician mentioned their blood pressure numbers and among patients with high blood pressure, only 56 percent say they talked with their doctor about ways to reduce their high blood pressure, according to a new survey released today by the American Medical Group Foundation (AMGF), the nonprofit education and research arm of the American Medical Group Association (AMGA). The survey results were released at the launch event where the U.S. Surgeon General, Regina M. Benjamin, MD, MBA, talked about the public health challenge of lowering the nation’s blood pressure. The new national healthcare campaign, called Measure Up, Pressure Down, is aimed at preventing, detecting and controlling high blood pressure.
More than 120 medical groups and health systems including the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic and Kaiser Permanente have joined the campaign with the goal to have 80 percent of high blood pressure patients in control of their condition by 2016. AMGF is joined in this effort by supporting organizations including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Million Hearts initiative, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Association of Black Cardiologists, and Institute for Health and Productivity Management.
Despite the fact that according to a CDC study, one in three (68 million) U.S. adults have high blood pressure and less than half have their condition under control, 77 percent of the respondents to AMGF’s new survey said they are “confident their lifestyle choices will help keep their BP in healthy level.”
These findings underscore the fact that high blood pressure is one of the nation’s most significant health issues. CDC says high blood pressure contributes to nearly 1,000 deaths a day and accounts for an estimated $156 billion in healthcare services, medications and lost productivity. One of the most effective ways to control high blood pressure is for the patient to work with a coordinated health care team to get their condition under control. The team-based approach involves physicians, nurses, pharmacists, health coaches and other members of a medical team working together to provide the best level of care to patients.
“By challenging medical groups and health providers to raise the bar on high blood pressure care and control, we can make a radical difference in the health and wellbeing of our population,” says Donald W. Fisher, PhD, CAE, President and Chief Executive Officer of AMGA and Secretary of the Board of AMGF. “AMGA member medical groups are well positioned to successfully lead this critically important national effort. Their team-based approach to care offers a proven model for delivering quality, cost-effective care that improves patient outcomes.”
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Measuring my own blood pressure I found out that it does not stay up, it goes up and down all day long. I could tell when my blood pressure went up when my breathing got shorter so it is important to take long breaths. I cut down on my coffee intake and what I found most important, one has to drink plenty of fluids, water with lemons squeezed in first in the morning does wonders. I showed the results of my readings to my doctor and to my astonishment he claimed I needed a stronger dose of medication. When I questioned his decision he got upset and gave me the regular prescription. I since then got off the medicine Metoprolol 25 mg entirely and only now and then take it when I think it is necessary. Doctors in my opinion are pushing medication. Proof is the Lipitor, before 1987, no one addressed a cholesterol problem and half of the people who die of heart disease half normal cholesterol levels. I view Lipitor as the cash cow for big pharma. I am thinking that hydrogenated oils in our foods are the cause which no one will address.
The medical community defines “normal” cholesterol as anything less than 200 and 35% of all heart attacks occur between 150-200 so a lot of folks are “at risk” and are given a “clean bill of health” by their physicians. Nobody in the Framingham Heart Study had a heart attack with a cholestrol <150. Keep in mind that truly "normal" cholesterol levels are in the low 100's. As far as high BP goes, it's a risk factor but 99% of all heart attacks and 92% of all strokes are caused by the same vascular disease which is too much plaque and cholesterol in the arteries. For those with cholesterol between 150-200, get your Lpa tested as it cannot be altered with diet and exercise. It is inherited and can only be reduce by large doses of Niacin.