UT Health Lindale physician shares health tips for National Blood Pressure Education Month

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - Kendra Hoyle is physician with UT Health in Lindale. Hoyle says it’s crucial to keep your high blood pressure low because it can lead to an increased complications of heart problems, kidney problems, or stroke.

“Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is one of the more common chronic medical illness that people can be unaware of. We call it a silent disease for that reason. If the pressure is very, very high, 200/100, someone may experience a headache,” said Hoyle.

Hoyle says it’s crucial to keep your high blood pressure low because it can lead to an increase complications of heart problems, kidney problems, or stroke.

She says a lower scale of high blood pressure may often go unnoticed.

“Chronic obesity, even just being an extra 10 pounds overweight, can contribute to hypertension. We also tend to eat a high salt diet in our country, lots of fast food and processed foods containing high amounts of sodium,” said Hoyle.

Eating a whole foods-based diet, not processed food, is much healthier for you and can lower blood pressure.

“So for example, eating a potato as opposed to a chip would be a healthier option. Eating a chicken breast as opposed to packaged or processed meats would be a healthier option. Even drinking water instead of sodas or things contained in a can, a box, or a package would be much lower in sodium lower in calories and contribute to a healthier weight,” said Hoyle.

She recommends taking your own blood pressure at home regularly for a more accurate blood pressure measure.

“If someone’s nervous and we give them blood pressure medicine cause we think it’s high and then they drop too low and they have a passing out spell at home, that’s not something we want to see happen. And so often we will ask people to track their own pressure at home before initiating treatment have a passing out spell at home,” Hoyle said.

There are small steps you can take to reduce your high blood pressure or to decrease your chances of getting it, such as physical exercise.

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