Know Your Blood Pressure Numbers

Decorations for the third Sunday in May, are Academy, Bug Scuffle, Cemetery Hill, Cox, Dutch Mills, Eighty-Six, Garret Creek, Howell, Illinois Chapel, Lewis Liberty, Lincoln, Rhea, Shady Grove, Sharp, Wickwire.

Has the “virus” also affected our weather? One day the fog rolled in suddenly, in the late afternoon! It remained all night, still so heavy the next morning we couldn’t see the sun rise. When we could see it, it was a huge red ball that we could see without it hurting our eyes.. Really unusual!

With all the Spring colors we have enjoyed, we now have the roses, to enjoy the next months, so —

When the Roses Bloom

In Spring we are blessed with beauty

When many plants abound;

But each one soon fades in the brightness

As from all the color has flown.

Now, roses, they are different

Though they might come late in season.

We wait so them,

Looking for this rhyme or reason.

They continue

Spring to Autumn,

Even though hot days,

Braving heat and stormy weather,

Windy gales and morning haze.

Spreading happiness

In their persistence bringing cheer,

As we continue them

Through most of the year. flowering patiently sunny cheer to for from and enjoy

Then when cause fading,

Predicting and gloom,

We look praise God

For when the roses bloom. Life is a lot like roses As each will come and go, And each sees light and darkness,

It has been determined so. But look ahead for love and happiness.

Some of which we can’t now see,

The time of blooming of roses

With God in eternity.

By Marie M. Roy

Happy birthday to Joye Ryan-Jones, Rocky Murray, Tim Rich, Marie Roy, Dawn Myers, Bob Munyon, Ann Smith, David Tate, Willis Cheatham, Lauren Roeder, David Spear, Doug Stumbaugh, Roland Bailey, Bayli Standifer, Jack Thompson, Heather Beatty.

Happy anniversary to Lonnie and MaryAnn Cantrell, Millard and Joann Matthews, Keith and Karen Lipford.

Happy years, all! winter’s up the snows and dark daily

We all have a friend or loved one who suffers with high blood pressure. Labeled the “silent killer,” high blood pressure often exhibits no warning signs or symptoms. For that reason, it is very important to get your blood pressure checked on a regular basis, according to Teresa Henson, Extension specialist – nutrition outreach coordinator at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

May is National High Blood Pressure month. The observance will bring awareness about the impact of hypertension on individuals and communities and aim to reduce death and disability related to high blood pressure through direct and indirect education, Henson said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 68 million people in the United States have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. People who have hypertension increase their chances for heart disease and stroke, making it the first and third leading cause of death in United States, she said.

“The CDC also recognizes women as more likely than men to develop high blood pressure and reports that it is more prevalent among blacks than whites,” Henson said. “Forty- four percent of black women have high blood pressure and 28% of all adults 18 years or older have prehypertension.”

High salt intake is a contributing factor to high blood pressure. The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that adults consume no more than 2,300 mg of sodium each day.

“There are some groups, however, who should consume no more than 1,500 mg of sodium a day,” Henson said. Those groups include individuals 51 years of age or older, African Americans, individuals who have high blood pressure, individuals who have diabetes, individuals who have chronic kidney disease.

People need to understand how blood pressure readings are read, Henson said. There are two number readings that are especially important.

The Systolic (top) number represents the pressure when the heart beats and Diastolic (bottom) number represents the pressure when the heart rests between beats.

People can be proactive and maintain a healthy blood pressure by adhering to the following:

checked regularly.

weight ( body mass (BMI) of 18.5-24.9. index

- ing, cycling, strength training, jogging or running).

rich in fruits and vegetables and low sodium. Limit the amount of processed foods.

in moderation (no more than two drinks per day for men and no more than one drink per day for women).

pressure and take medication(s), take the medication as directed.

any blood pressure concerns.

For more information about high blood pressure go to the American Heart Association website: https://www. heart.org/en/ health-topics / high- blood- pressure/ the-facts-about-high-bloodpressure.

DEBBIE ARCHER, EXTENSION ASSOCIATE-COMMUNICATIONS, UAPB SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND HUMAN SCIENCES.