BRENTWOOD EXTENDED CARE AND REHAB

80107

841 N. 38th Street, Muskogee, OK 74401 918-683-8070

At Home Atmosphere • Caring Staff

Long Term Care Facility With Skilled Nursing

THERAPY Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy,

Speech Therapy and Mental Health Services

By Wendy BurtonPhoenix Staff Writer

Hypertension is an insid-ious condition, quite com-mon, and possibly deadly,a local doctor said.

Not only does high bloodpressure cause heart dis-ease, but over a long periodof time it can cause kidneyand blood vessel damage aswell. Weakened blood ves-sels can lead to aneurysms,which can lead to stroke oreven death.

Weakened heart musclescan lead to congestive heartfailure.

But hypertension is acondition that often showsno symptoms, said localcardiologist Dr. Yee Ongwith Cardiology Clinic ofMuskogee.

“When someone does be-gin to show signs, then theyprobably already havedamage to their heart,lungs, kidneys or brains,”he said.

Over the last few years,doctors have changed someperspective on hyperten-sion, Ong said.

“For one, we used tothink your blood pressurewas only high when (thetop number) was above150,” Ong said. “Now, weknow the ideal blood pres-sure is 120 over 80.”

Many people still thinkhaving a systolic (top) pres-sure of 140 is okay, Ongsaid. However, blood pres-sure in the 121 to 139range indicate pre-hyper-tension and systolic pres-sure 140 and above cancause patients to have ahigh risk for kidney failure.

Additionally, Ong said,doctors have learned thattreating hypertension withseveral medications at low-er doses is far more effec-tive than treating with ahigh dose of a single blood

pressure medicine.“People say, ‘How can this

be when you’re giving me alot of different medica-tions?’” Ong said. “But it’smuch better to have a lowdose of several differentkinds than to keep increas-ing the dose of a single med-icine over time.”

High blood pressure dam-ages the heart by causingthe heart to enlarge, or tothicken.

“That means it makesyour heart work harder, and

eventually, your heart be-comes weaker, doesn’t workas well,” Ong said. “Thatcan lead to congestive heartfailure. And high bloodpressure is also a risk factorfor coronary artery disease,and it affects all blood ves-sels in your body.”

Those with a family his-tory or who are of African-American ancestry are athigher risk for hyperten-sion, he said.

There are two kinds ofhypertension — essential

and secondary.Essential hypertension is

the most common, and oftenthere is no identifiablecause for the high bloodpressure.

Secondary hypertensioncan be due to some otherfactor, such as kidney dis-ease, being born with ablood vessel defect or takingbirth control pills forwomen, he said.

Age is one of the greatestrisk factors, though Ongsaid he does see younger

patients as well.Lifestyle changes are the

first course of treatment.Smoking, drinking alcoholand being overweight arechangeable conditions thatcontribute considerably tohigh blood pressure, Ongsaid.

Salt intake and stress arealso contributing factors.

Diagnosing heart diseasecaused by hypertension in-cludes getting an echocar-diogram.

An “echo” is an ultra-sound of the heart thatshows how well the valvesopen and close and whetherthere is any leakage. Some-times blockages can befound as well.

The thickness of theheart muscle is measured,to determine how profoundthe effect of hypertensionwas on the heart.

Reach Wendy Burton at(918) 684-2926 or wbur-ton@muskogeephoenix.com.

Muskogee Phoenix Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012Living Well

Page 5

E ASTGATE V ILLAGE H EALTHCARE C ENTER

Caring for Generations Through Excellence

3500 Haskell Blvd. (N. Country Club & Haskell Blvd.) • 682-3191

80109

We are searching for the BEST of the BEST nursing professionals to become a part of our family. We offer a great working environment with support from our

entire team of professionals. Benefits and wages are very competitive. Please come by and visit us about a new job opportunity.

Caring for Generations Through Excellence Eastgate Village Healthcare Center is locally owned and operated with over 50 years of Experience,

having proudly earned a Reputation for Quality and Excellence. We are Dedicated to providing Quality Care and Services in a warm, loving environment by People who care to give the very best.

We Are Accepting Applications For ALL Positions

QUALITY CARE & SERVICES • Rehab Services • Hospice Care • Laundry Services

• Medicare Unit • Church Services • Nutritional Services

• Planned by a Registered Dietitian

@2011 Cherokee Nation Businesses

Home Medical Equipment Plus .

• Oxygen • Hospital Beds • CRAP Machines • Electric, Manual & Custom Wheelchairs • Scooters-Walkers • Bathroom Safety Aids • Lift Chairs • Commodes

Free Delivery • 24-Hour Emergency Service • Respiratory Therapist on Staff

We Bill Medicare/Medicaid and Most Insurance

79689

Staff photo by Wendy Burton

Technician Jamie Laster demonstrates performing an echocardiogram on Brandon Noahr at Cardiology Clinic of Muskogee. Dr. Yee Ong withCCOM said hypertension is the most common cause of heart disease he sees. An echocardiogram can show if a heart has been damaged byhigh blood pressure.

Thub-dub, thub-dub,thub-dub — approximately100,000 times a day, a per-son's heart expands andcontracts, making the char-acteristic “thub-dub” sound.Each of these “thubs” and“dubs” is your body's way ofreceiving and sending outlife-giving blood, saturatedwith oxygen and nutrientsthat the cells in our bodyneed to survive. The fourchambers ofthe heartwork in uni-son to pumpthe equiva-lent of 2,000gallons ofbloodthrough ourbody in a 24-hour day.That’s a bigworkout forone small,fist-sizedmuscle!

With allthat is required of it, weneed to do everything wecan to ensure that our heartstays healthy. The first andmost important thing to en-suring a healthy heart is toknow your risk factors.Some risk factors for heartdisease cannot be con-trolled. These includemales, people who are older,post-menopausal women,and those who are African-American, Native Ameri-can, and those with a His-panic heritage. Other fac-tors that greatly contributeto the chances of develop-ing an unhealthy heart canbe changed and managed.These include smoking, obe-sity, uncontrolled diabetes,and uncontrolled high bloodpressure.

Lowering your bloodpressure, keeping bloodsugar in a healthy range,and stopping smoking allhave an immediate andwonderful impact on yourheart. People who smokehave more than twice therisk for a heart attack thannonsmokers. High bloodpressure, which affectsmore than 60 million people

in the United States, is themost common risk factor.High blood pressure makesit more difficult for theheart to do all of the pump-ing that it needs to do eachday. This results in a con-stant strain on the musclesof the heart and can causeit to enlarge and eventual-ly not be able to pump as ef-fectively. If not properly con-trolled, diabetes can lead toheart damage, heart attack,and even death.

Other ways to stayhealthy include having alow-fat, low-cholesterol dietand exercising. Being over-weight causes a real strainon your heart. By eatingright and exercising, youcan lose weight and reduceyour risk of heart disease.Even mild or moderate ex-ercise, under the supervi-sion of your physician ifneeded, can provide greatbenefits to your heart. Peo-ple who don't exercise at allor very infrequently havehigher rates of heart dis-ease and death than thosewho perform some sort ofphysical activity on a regu-lar basis.

Poorly controlled stressand anger can also be a riskfactor for heart disease andlead to heart attacks andstrokes. Managing stresslowers your risk. Practicingrelaxation techniques,learning how to manageyour time, setting realisticgoals, getting involved inhobbies and activities thatyou enjoy, and mild exerciseare great ways to reducestress.

Each of us has only oneheart, so we need to do allwe can to keep it healthy.Eat right, exercise, let go ofstress and anger, and seeyour doctor on a regular ba-sis so that you can main-tain a heart-healthylifestyle. If you don't suc-ceed with these ideas today,try again tomorrow, and thenext day and then the nextday. Each thub-dub, 100,000times a day, means anotherchance to get it right, foryou and for your heart.

Rebecca B.Smith

MuskogeeCouty EMS

Your heart works hard– take good care of it

High blood pressure can be deadlyDoctor: Treat

hypertension toreduce risk ofheart, kidney,

other problems

205 North Lincoln 918-485-2203

Sue Mooney, Administrator Visitors Always Welcome

Wagoner Care Center Is a care facility that provides medical nursing service. Also, Wagoner Care Center is a skilled nursing facility providing skilled nursing care and related services for residents who require nursing care.

Wagoner Care Center now has a specialized unit meeting Alzheimer’s patient needs.

Wagoner Care Center

80144