Jeepney Press March-April 2023

HEALTH POINTS

by Marnie Chan

HYPERTENSIVE CRISIS

This is a true story. 56-year old female, 5 feet tall, 103 lbs, not on any medication, non smoker, non alcohol drinker, exercises occasionally, complains of severe headache and dizziness. Blood pressure registered at 173/109. Heart rate [HR] at 64 beats per minute [bpm]. She reported that her heart rate went as low as 44 bpm prior in the day. No typo errors here. You read all those figures right.

Make no mistake, this is a hypertensive crisis. Should this happen to you or a loved one, seek immediate medical attention. Do not delay. This is stroke-level. This is a life-threatening situation.

You will be rushed to the ER. The first goal is to bring down your blood pressure as quickly as humanly possible to prevent further damages to your organs. An IV infusion of sodium nitroprusside is the traditional drug of choice in ERs in western countries like the US.

This is not meant to frighten. It is intended to sow hope. Hypertension, the silent killer, can be averted after all.

Let us mince no words. The next life that could be saved could be yours.

The following interventions are what saved this lady in our story:

1] Acupuncture. It took a total of four 45-minute sessions to nally stabilize her BP and HR done successively in two-day’s time [once, during the night of the crisis and thrice the following day].

2] A concoction that melts plaque in arteries and promotes vasodilation [or opens up your arteries]. Props to Dr. Howie Mendell for sharing this concoction of cayenne pepper powder, turmeric powder, ground black pepper, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, raw honey, warm water. Capsaicin, which is present in cayenne pepper, reduces high blood pressure.

3] A clove of garlic. Garlic has an active compound called allicin that lowers blood pressure.

Long story short… as of this writing, it has been day 6 since this incident and all BP readings done three times a day are within normal limits.

Lesson to take here… Do you know why the monicker “silent killer”? Because we all brush it o as just a headache or just a stomach ache. Unbeknownst, it is a one way ticket to the great yonder. Or worst, to paralyzing stroke.