Hypertension: don’t break your own heart!
According to the NZ Heart Foundation, one in three Kiwis aged over 30 has high blood pressure. One in three! That’s a serious enough statistic to make me grab a calculator.
NZ’s population in June 2024 was 5,287,500 (source: Infometrics).
62.2% of the population is aged 30 or over. That’s 3,288,825 people.
A third of them have high blood pressure—1,096,165 people. Over a million Kiwis at risk of coronary heart disease, strokes, heart failure, kidney problems, eye problems, cognitive problems and memory loss.
The silent killer
What makes it worse, is that 35% of these million people—350,000 mums, dads, partners, brothers, sisters, friends, colleagues—are completely unaware that there’s a problem. That’s why hypertension (high BP) is known as the silent killer.
If you’re 30-plus and it’s been over 12 months since you had your blood pressure taken, for goodness’ sake, get it done. Don’t put it off. I had a friend who had his first heart attack in his 30s. The massive coronary he suffered in his early 50s took his life.
Can herbs help with hypertension?
If you do have high blood pressure and you want to manage it with drugs, fair enough. But if you want to investigate natural means, there are herbs that are scientifically proven to control blood pressure. Hawthorn is the best-known but Linden (or Lime) flowers are also effective, particularly when the hypertension is due to stress. Both herbs are safe enough to take alongside medication, so it doesn’t have to be either/or.
We live in challenging, stressful times. Self-care is more important than ever, particularly when it comes to health issues we can do something about. Get your blood pressure checked! Your big, beautiful heart will thank you for it. So will your family and friends.
