About two years ago, my doctor saw a pattern in my
blood pressure readings that indicated a problem. The readings were
consistently higher than previous readings in the past. I wasn’t worried
because I’d always had low blood pressure, so I figured that my readings had
moved in the right direction. How uninformed I was. I couldn’t have been more
wrong. The American Medical Association (AMA) recommends checking your blood pressure
every two years. A reading of 140/90 is categorized as hypertension ( a
systolic pressure — the top number — of 140 or above or a diastolic pressure —
the bottom number — of 90 or above). Since HBP is a problem for many African Americans, get your own blood pressure monitor and check you pressure at WalMart, drug stores and other outlets that have the necessary equipment.
