Berwick Area Heart Support Group
June 2008 newsletter
Berwick Area Heart Support Group Next meeting Wednesday June 4th at the day Hospital, Berwick Infirmary from 7.00pm – 9.00pm AGM from 6.30pm please try to attend the AGM
Guest speaker- a nurse from Well Close Square surgery will explain all about Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
I have varied from the normal format for the newsletter, but as you will see from the following article from Phil we have been busy , and will be busier still on the days of the blood pressure monitoring, so any help from anyone who has time to spare and would like to help us man the information table please let us know.
Terry
BLOOD PRESSURE TESTING – GETTING INVOLVED
Our Heart Group is getting involved with Blood Pressure monitoring.
With the help of the NHS Health Improvement team we will be at General Mills (Jus-Rol) Berwick, in the next week or so to encourage the 400 employees to take advantage of an opportunity to get their blood pressure checked. Later, in late June or early July, some Health Trainers from the south of the County will come to Jus-Rol to do the tests. You will remember that Jus-Rol have been practical supporters of our group. Without them, this Newsletter (as we know it) would not be as successful as it is! You will also remember that Doc Lavender told us that as smoking decreased, blood pressure became his number one ‘public health’ concern - big connections with stroke, heart and kidney disease and important for anybody with diabetes.
Those with hypertension or with borderline high blood pressure are advised to track their pressure with a home monitor, according to a joint scientific statement from the American Heart Association and associated groups.
BLOOD PRESSURE TESTING AT HOME
American official health experts now advise that patients should test their blood pressure at home. We provide below a summary of their advice. The only snag, apart from cost, is that it can become obsessive for some people. If you need the LOAN of a machine, let us know. Of course, you take your results to a PROFESSIONAL for consultation.
AMERICANS CALL TO ACTION FOR HOME MONITORING for ‘pre’ as well as ‘hypertension’.
The "call to action" statement, the first to offer detailed guidelines on home monitoring, appeared online in Hypertension, the Journal of the American Society of Hypertension, and the Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses' Association, and in the June issue of the Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing.
There is strong evidence that the traditional office or clinic measures of blood pressure in adults can be misleading, often caused by the so-called white-coat effect, they said.
It is also believed that people with normal pressure in their doctor's office may have pressures that spike to potentially dangerous levels in other situations. In the past 30 years, home monitoring has become increasingly popular. Many monitors can take multiple readings during each session and can be used at different times of the day. Many devices store and average blood pressure readings over time, and may cost less than £60.
Studies have demonstrated that home monitoring does a better job than clinic office readings, and is especially useful for elderly patients, and those with diabetes or kidney disease, as well as pregnant women.
Defining the target for treatment as <135/85 mm Hg or <130/80 mm Hg in high-risk patients, the statement recommendations include:
Patients should be advised to purchase an oscillometric monitor that measures blood pressure on the upper arm with an appropriate cuff size and should be shown how to use the monitor by their healthcare provider.
Finger models should not be used; wrist monitors are not reliable.
Patients should take two or three readings after five minutes of rest in the seated position, both in the morning and at night, over a period of one week.
No tobacco or caffeine for 30 minutes before measurement; arm at heart level and feet flat on the ground.
A total of 12 or more readings are recommended for making clinical decisions.
Patients for whom the associations recommend home monitoring include the majority of patients with known or suspected hypertension, diabetics, the elderly, pregnant women, and patients with kidney disease.
Phil Harris
Our speaker on 7th. May was Lesley Angel. Lesley who gave a very interesting talk on Gardening and Health, and how one could affect the other. But before we get ahead of ourselves, a little bit of history. Lesley was one of the founder members of this Heart group, and over the years, when other duties permit, she has been a regular attendee. She is a Health Visitor with the Health Trust, and was the person responsible getting me interested in Walking for Health and the Heart Group.
Whilst Lesley and her partner now have two allotments at the Lions house, and are able to grow most of their vegetable needs throughout the year. Initially they only had one, and by trial and error over the years, and assessing their own needs, they took over another, both of which are managed organically. She does also try to eat seasonally, but by freezing surplus crops, that period can be extended.
Because Lesley has two allotments, obviously the time committed to maintaining them is high, ie digging, weeding, planting etc. but the rewards are equally as high, ie satisfaction of producing what you are eating, taste of your food, and knowing that you only picked it or dug it up just a little while ago along at the end of the street, and knowing that it has not travelled half way round the world to get to our table makes it all worth while.
Lesley accepts that we are not all in the position, or may not be fit enough, to garden on a big scale, but stresses that there is also a lot of satisfaction to be gained by doing things on a small scale, the rewards are equally as good. You may only achieve a couple of boilings of tatties from a pot on the patio, or a couple of plants amongst the roses, but they will taste just as good as if you had a field of them.
Whether you have a big or small space you will get many rewards from gardening. Mainly through EXERCISE whilst tending to it,(for our health, we need 30 mins. moderate exercise a day in any shape or form) this leads to a feeling of MENTAL WELL BEING (Satisfaction and achievement) because of this the body produces ENDORPHINS (The bodies ‘feel good’ hormones). The same ones that are in that bar of chocolate you have hidden.
Also whilst busying ourselves with any aspect of gardening (including weeding) time can slip by and some of life’s problems can fade into the back ground for an hour or two, which can also be a comfort.
Even if you only have a window box you could try a few herbs. Choose ones that you use most often, you know what they cost in the shops.
Lesley did leave copies of two leaflets; one is entitled “Growing food on a budget” which is self explanatory. The other was a fact sheet about growing potatoes in containers. If you would like one get in touch with Terry, I’m sure one can be found to send to you.
With that last thought in mind she did also leave everyone with a Sharps Express ‘chitted’ (I’m starting to learn the lingo) potato. This is an old variety of early tattie that takes 12 weeks from planting to harvest. The hope is that everyone could find some thing to plant it in, and see how they get on. The results should be ready for the August meeting.
First prize was to be a two week cruise on the QE2, but funds wouldn’t run to it. Someone suggested the Titanic instead, but remembered it could have its own dangers, so we decided that it would all be just for fun, and we can eat our own results.
Another suggestion Lesley made was, try and get your grand children involved. If they help grow things, and see where they come from they may be more inclined to eat them, I don’t know about the sprouts though.Thank you Lesley for your time.
Wally
Appreciation
We appreciate very much those of you who enjoy this Newsletter, even if you cannot come to meetings. (We would like to see you some time, nevertheless.) Thanks to Alec, who is one of these persons, for getting in touch. He also sent us a donation to help the NL keep coming.. Also thanks to Jean for her second very generous donation. Do you have a personal story that we could put in the Newsletter?
With the donations received over the last months the newsletter is now back in full production. We have not heard any news from the applications for funds that we have applied for, but no news is good news
Wallys Yarn
Paddy's pregnant sister was in a terrible car accident and went into a deep coma. After being in the coma for nearly six months, she wakes up and sees that she is no longer pregnant. Frantically, she asks the doctor about her baby.
The doctor replies, 'Ma'am, you had twins.... a boy and a girl. The babies are fine, however, they were poorly at birth and had to be christened immediately so your brother Paddy came in and named them.
The woman thinks to herself, ' Oh suffering Jesus, no, not me brother, he's a clueless idiot...
Expecting the worst, she asks the doctor,' Well, what's my daughter's name?'
Denise' says the doctor. The new mother is somewhat relieved, 'Wow, that's a beautiful name, I guess I was wrong about my brother', she thought....'I really like Denise '
Then she asks, ' What's the boy's name?'
The doctor replies ' Denephew '
The following a night out with a few friends to celebrate his sisters recovery, Paddy brought them back to show off his new flat. After the grand tour, the visitors were rather perplexed by the large gong taking pride of place in the lounge.
'What's that big brass gong for?' one of the guests asked.
'Why, that's my Speaking Clock' Paddy replied.
'How does it work?'' I'll show you', said Paddy, giving the gong an ear-shattering blow with large hammer. Suddenly, a voice from the other side of the wall screamed,
'Hi you idiot, (I hope the translation is correct) it's twenty to two in the morning!!'
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