Reason for this blog

First I want to thank you all for caring. Not only about me, but hopefully after understanding me you will look more into yourself and care more about your health.

The reason that I started this blog in the first place was to be a young advocate of high blood pressure in the young African American male community.

I was 26 when high blood pressure was even a word that came out of my mouth. I first noticed when I saw a flash of light in my eyes, sort of like the aftershock you see when a bright light is put in your face and taken away. I didn't know anything about high blood pressure so I went to the eye doctor to see what was up with my eye game. When they told me that I needed to take a cat scan I just headed home to Chicago for a second opinion. When I got there they did the same tests and got the same results that I got in Mississippi, but before I left the clinic the nurse took my blood pressure. That was the first time I knew that it was high blood pressure that gave me certain symptoms like waking up with a head ache, hot flashes and the blurred vision. That really explained a lot to me, but it also made me aware of my own health showing me that I'm an adult and can't eat things like burgers every day.

I started taking blood pressure pills daily but to no avail, my pressure remained high. After tracking my pressure readings for over a month, but getting no positive results I decided to look at my lifestyle. I had already stopped eating pork after raising some with my grandfather they were disgusting animals to me, I slowed down drinking liquor, started eating salads and started jogging every other day.

The doctor changed my pills three times, and the last time that my dosage was upped, I came to the conclusion that maybe man made medication isn't the answer to solve high blood pressure for everybody. I started to seek other solutions to resolve my health issue, all that I've researched and tried will be featured on this blog along with the data I recorded from myself for all to read and hopefully together we all can boost the awareness and verity of this epidemic.

WHAT IS BLOOD PRESSURE: Blood pressure is the force in the arteries when the heart beats, and when the heart is at rest. When blood pressure is high, there is an increased risk of heart disease (which leads to heart attack) and stroke. It is most common in adults over age 35, and is especially prevalent in African Americans, the middle-aged and elderly, obese people, heavy drinkers, and women who are taking birth control pills. Those with diabetes, gout or kidney disease are also prone to suffer from high blood pressure.

The reason that I am so concerned about this in me is because I'm neither of the above, well except being black. But is that enough for me to have high uncontrollably high blood pressure? Oh yeah and maybe the drinking part used to be a bit excessive, but that slowed down a whole lot since I found about my health problem.