Newspaper Page Text
- Health and Wellness at the Crossroads, Wednesday, Aug. 16,1995
Page 2
Beat the heat with a healthy, cheap drink: water
Special to Health and Wellness
WMTith temperatures soaring to
■V nearly 100 degrees daily, this
VV summer’s heat wave makes
drinking the right fluids more important
than ever. The best drink money can buy
costs virtually nothing and is completely
fat and calorie free. The drink is water,
and its health benefits are numerous.
An important component of all body
issues, water accounts for 60 to 70 per
cent of a person’s overall weight. A per
son under normal conditions loses about a
half gallon of water a day through urine,
sweat and moisture which is exhaled
through the lungs. With vigorous exer :
Hypertension is silent killer
Special to Health and Wellness
nigh blood pressure or hyperten
sion is one of our country’s
leading causes of premature
death and disability.
With no warning symptoms, this silent
killer affects one out of four Americans.
While there is no cure, high blood pres
sure is almost always controllable.
Blood pressure is the force of blood
against the walls of the arteries. A healthy
person’s-arteries are muscular and elastic,
stretching and contracting as the heart
pumps blood through them.
Blood pressure is measured with a
sphygmomanometer a rubber cuff
attached to a pressure gauge. This cuff is
wrapped around the upper arm and inflat
ed. As the air is gradually released, the
reading is taken with a stethoscope.
A blood pressure reading consists of
two figures: the top number is the systolic
pressure which tells the maximftm
amount of pressure in the vessels during a
heartbeat. The bottom number is the dias
tolic pressure which tells the minimum
amount of pressure as the heart rests
between beats.
“A safe range for healthy adults 18-45
years of age is 100/60 to 140/90 assum
ing a person does not smoke, is not over
weight, nor-diabetic, nor have a history of
heart disease,” said Dr. Quincy Jordan, a
family medicine physician and member of
the Perry Hospital medical staff.
While there is no single cause of high
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cise, a person can lose at least half that
amount of water in an hour.
To replenish the body with lost water,
a person needs to drink at least eight
glasses a day even more during the
summer or when physically active. Older
individuals and women who are pregnant
or breast feeding an infant require an
extra supply of water.
While food is one source of water, liq
uids such as coffee, tea, soft drinks or
alcoholic beverages are not. Caffeinated
and alcoholic beverages are actually
diuretics which can cause more fluid loss
and the need for even more water.
“While the body has a natural thirst
blood pressure, there are several con
tributing factors. Generally, high blood
pressure is more common among African
Americans, men and those with a family
history of the condition.
Age also plays a part since high blood
pressure generally occurs after the age of
35. The older a person gets, the greater
the chance of developing the condition.
Obesity, alcohol consumption, smok
ing, taking oral, contraceptives and seden
tary lifestyles may also be factors.
Heavy sodium and/or high cholesterol
consumption have been shown to con
tribute to high blood pressure as well.
When cholesterol build-up causes the
arteries to narrow, the heart has to pump
harder to push the blood through.
Pressure on the artery walls increases and
high blood pressure results.
How often a person should have their
blood pressure checked depends on their
current pressure as well ,as their medical
history and any risk factors they may have.
“Generally, if a person’s blood pres
sure is normal and they are not otherwise
at risk, a professional screening every
year as part of an annual physical exam is
sufficient,” said Jordan.
If left untreated, high blood pressure
can result in a Fatal stroke oUieart attack.
By checking your blood pressure regular
ly, following your doctor’s advice regard
ing diet, exercise, medication and risk
reduction, you can help control your
blood pressure for better health.
mechanism, it is not. always a reliable
indicator,” said Dr. Gregory S. Harold, a
family medicine physician and chief of
staff at Perry Hospital.
He added that by the time a person
feels thirsty, he or she may have lost
about one percent of their body water.
Such a loss requires at least two glasses
for replenishment.
One of the most important functions of
water is to keep the body cleared of waste
products. The kidneys, which remove
waste, toxins and chemicals from the blood,
filter about 170 liters of fluid each day.
How much is excreted as urine
depends on a person’s diet. A good supply
of water is needed to keep the system
functioning effectively. During an illness
there is more waste to dispose of and the
need for water increases.
Normally, too much water is not a
problem. The excess fluid is simply
removed by the kidneys. A shortage of
water, however, puts a person at risk of
urinary tract infections or malfunction of
the mechanisms which maintain a stable
balance of body chemicals.
Another vital function of water is to
control the body’s cooling system. This is
essential when exercising or working in
hot temperatures. It is important to drink
a glass of water before exercise and
another glass every 30 minutes.
Acute dehydration is more likely to
occur when temperature and humidity are
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high. With this summer’s record heat
wave, acute hydration is a serious matter
which cannot be ignored. The first signs
are not thirst, but headache, fatigue or
muscle cramping.
Should these symptoms occur, a per
son should stop what they are doing, find
a cool, shady place and drink three to five
glasses of water. Dizziness, fever or nau
sea are even more serious and require
immediate medical attention.
According to Dr. Bruce D. Sampson, a
physician specializing in internal medi
cine at Perry Hospital, sports drinks are
fine but usually are not necessary. One
advantage of sports drinks is they contain
enough salt to keep a person drinking
more. The alternative is to force down a
little more water, whether a person feels
like it or not.
“Water is better than any other liquid
for keeping a person adequately hydrat
ed,” Sampson said.
Whether to drink tap or bottled water
is a matter of personal taste and prefer
ence. Bottled water is usually no safer
than tap water. The major danger in tap
water comes from the lead in the pipes. A
person can avoid most of this risk by run
ning the tap long enough to flush out
whatever water has been standing in the
pipes. Heat makes lead more soluble, so
only the cold water tap should be used for
(See WATER, Page 7)
W'
* 'A
