2 BOCNEWS.com JANUARY 2018 "For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord..." — Jeremiah 30:17 It is vitally important to be aware of the fact that hypertension, or high blood pressure has come to be recog- nized as a critical health issue. It may seem surprising to accept this, but this is a reality we must accept. After personally seeing hundreds of peo- ple with hypertension, I am alarmed and concerned about how serious this health problem can be for individuals and the community. It is a significant threat to the African American com- munity as I will elaborate on below. For the most part, you can not feel high blood pressure, although I have talked to people who think they can. You can have severe blood pres- sure elevation even for years, and be unaware of this, until there is a catastrophic illness. I have met many people who believe that they can just take things like herbal medica- tions and control their blood pressure. There are some who will say they have a secret cure for hypertension. I have not seen one single individual who has been helped by such things. Instead I see the harm that results. I have lost count of the many people I have seen who suffer permanent injury and dis- ability from strokes and heart attacks, and other ailments related to hyper- tension. When a group of us go into the community to do health screen- ing, we have seen people who have not seen a doctor for years, and we discover they are at risk due to severe blood pressure elevation. There are far too many people around and on kidney dialysis large- ly due to uncontrolled hypertension. Some knew their blood pressure was out of control, but chose to ignore it. We have met people who say I don't want to know what my blood pressure is! Others say, they know their blood pressure is high, bit "don't have bother me to check it! " If someone offers to check your blood pressure, just get it done, especially if you know you could have a problem. You could be doing yourself a big favor. If you are on medication for your blood pressure, it is important to take it correctly. Please write down the name and dose of the medication. Do not identify your pills just by color or shape. Do not be shocked if you have to take more than one medication to help control your blood pressure. If you have side effects from the pills, please call your medical care provider. Medication is one way to control your blood pressure, but it is not the only thing. You also want to cut down on the salt in your diet. Avoid sprinkling salt and speak with a dietician about how you can eat more healthy re: salt intake. Eat less fast food, and more fruits and vegetables. Cut down on alcohol use, and some have said limit alcohol use to two drinks daily for men and one for women. But believe me no drinks at all is just fine! If you need to work on weight loss. Keep your waist measurement less than 35 inches for women and less than 40 inches for men. You can purchase a portable self-inflating blood pressure cuff from a local store and measure your blood pressure yourself at home. Just know that now medical authori- ties are advising a blood pressure less than 130/80, and the discus- sion will likely go on about this. If you smoke, Quit and do not just Cut Down! Exercise is also important and you can just start off with walking at least 30 minutes daily, if not more. Please remember to see your medical care provider at least annually, and get all the needed check-ups. You may need to be seen more often than once a year. Remember if you also have dia- betes, you need to control this as well, and speak with your doctor about this. Please remember that hyperten- sion is a major public health problem among African Americans as noted: African Americans develop hyper- tension at a younger age than other groups in the US. African Americans are more likely to develop severe complications such as: stroke, heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, and dementia I would like to encourage you to please pay close attention to the facts presented above. If you know you need to make some changes in your life, do this. Get the medical attention you need, and may God bless you and help you to live longer and better. Blood Pressure andYour Health Dr. Conner By Byron E. Conner, M.D. HEALTH Eat less fast food, and more fruits and vegetables. Cut down on alcohol use, and some have said limit alcohol use to two drinks daily for men and one for women. But believe me no drinks at all is just fine! The Christmas Boogie Bringing joy this Christmas season to those in the community is what Solomon Temple Missionary Baptist Church was all about. The church, according to Evangelist Mary Tellis, provided the Boogie Bus, for individuals to take a tour of the city of Denver and enjoy all the downtown Christmas lights. “It was two-fold because the Christmas lights are so beautiful, but also a time for people to fellowship and come together as one in the body of Christ,” she explained. The Boogie bus tour took place on Dec. 22. The church’s senior pastor is Dr. John L. Tellis. Solomon Temple Missionary Baptist Church is located at 3880 Elm St. in the Park Hill area of Denver. Sunday services are at 10:45 a.m. and weekly prayer and bible study on Wednesdays starting at 6:30 p.m. For more information call the church at 303- 377-2249. COMMUNITY