Hypertension, or high blood pressure, may present no symptoms or immediate dangers to your health, but it can become a fatal risk for your cardiovascular health – eventually resulting in heart disease or stroke. If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, it is time to change your lifestyle and commit yourself to a healthy future. Your doctor might recommend medication to lower your blood pressure, and these natural methods could replace or supplement that approach.

• Exercise regularly. Don’t create a complicated plan that you’re unlikely to follow through with. Start small and gradually work yourself up to your grander fitness goals. Initially aim for 30 minutes of activity three times a week.
• A banana a day keeps the doctor away. Prevention Magazine recommends that you try to up your potassium intake to lower blood pressure. Aside from bananas, good sources of the nutrient include sweet potatoes, oranges, kidney beans, dried fruits, and tomatoes.
• Cut back on caffeine. The first few mornings without your coffee habit may be rough, but your body will adjust and your blood pressure will start to decrease.
• Switch up your diet. Start substituting chicken for beef, skim milk for whole, and steamed vegetables for deep-fried side dishes. A healthy diet low in cholesterol is the foundation for healthy blood pressure.
• Find out if you snore. If you do, see a doctor to discover if you suffer from sleep apnea. Approximately 50 percent of people with untreated sleep apnea also have high blood pressure.
• Relax. Easier said than done? Try yoga, meditation, journaling, or regular talks with a trusted friend. Locate what areas of your life give you the most stress, and brainstorm changes you can make to ease the pressure.

To find out your blood pressure numbers, contact Plantation General Hospital. Our free Consult-A-Nurse® service can give you a physician referral or answer any questions you might have. Just call 1-866-442-2362.

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Endoscopic surgery is also called minimally invasive surgery or keyhole surgery. It is a procedure that uses a small incision, a few small incisions, or in some cases no incision at all. It is made possible by a tool called an endoscope, which is a long, pliable tube with an attached light and camera. A physician inserts the endoscope into an incision or orifice to project an image of the site onto a monitor, where it can be viewed as a large image.

Endoscopic surgery can be used to explore a suspicious area or to diagnose a medical condition. It is also beneficial for correcting a medical problem. Endoscopic surgery has become the standard for many types of surgical procedures because there are many advantages to minimally invasive surgery:

· The body experiences less trauma.

· Recovery time is faster.

· There are fewer side effects.

· Scars are smaller.

· Infection is less likely.

· There is little to no blood loss.

· There is little to no hospital stay.

· The patient is able to resume daily life more quickly.

· The cost of endoscopic surgery is usually lower than regular surgery.

In many cases, endoscopic technology allows surgeons to do procedures that never could have been done before this type of surgery arrived on the medical scene. It also makes traditionally risky surgeries safer for the patient, such as some types of endoscopic brain surgery. Additionally, endoscopic surgeries have been successful in the early detection of certain types of cancer because of the ability to see inside the body when biopsy areas are not easily accessible.

At Plantation General Hospital, we utilize endoscopic surgery for a wide range of procedures. To learn more, visit us online or call Consult-A-Nurse® at 1-888-256-7724 for a physician referral.

Sources:

Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons