don's report archive

by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.

Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

To what extent is the absence of a wellness lifestyle a risk factor for high blood pressure (hypertension)? Very strong. While looking for links between a self-managing approach to lifestyle artistry and some disease is not as exciting as pondering the search for intelligent life somewhere in space, it does deserve a bit of reflection. Hypertension IS a serious matter, given that 24% of the adult population or about 43 million Americans now endure this “silent” (asymptomatic) killer.

There are obvious links between hypertension and the foundation dimensions of a wellness lifestyle, namely, fitness, nutrition and stress management. People who are overweight and under fit suffer disproportionately from the condition. Does this mean high blood pressure is caused by sedentary lifestyles? Not necessarily. Many sedentary people do not have the disease and a few highly fit individuals do.

Nutrition is a key factor, though here, too, the associations are more intuitive than the causation evidence. Sodium reduction is usually recommended and calcium, magnesium, potassium, dietary fats and protein recommendations are offered in varied intervention strategies.

Bad habits are another lifestyle factor -- most doctors make a point to look closely at alcohol consumption patterns in understanding causation, treatment and prevention. Also, drug usage and coffee consumption along with stressful lifestyles are all implicated.

Basically, hypertension is a multifaceted disorder. Some people who think, feel and do all the right things suffer due to their genetic make-up. Life’s not fair. In this case, the quality of a person’s medical care, the drugs chosen to moderate its effects and other non lifestyle matters also play roles.

Yes, without question, a balanced, artful lifestyle matters. Choose sound practices in fitness, nutrition and stress management for the positive gains and you most likely will avoid or mitigate the negative risks, such as this disease. A wellness approach automatically entails no harmful practices like smoking and alcohol abuse.

Thus, the pursuit of the attractive gains of wellness will, as a side benefit, reduce your chances of suffering from high blood pressure or, if you have it anyway, help you deal with it most effectively. Other self-management variables make a big difference, such as how much fun you are having most of the time, how excited and pleased you are with your work and/or avocations, your sense of connectedness, the quality of your emotional skills and other transformational matters along these lines.

Do you agree?

(Note: This essay will be filed in the archives in the PHYSICAL DOMAIN under the skill area of adaptations and challenges. Additional articles related to this theme may be found there.)

(Ed. Note: Views expressed in this and other columns are those of the author and not necessarily those of the SeekWellness Editorial Board.)

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