Ask Dr. Salada: Can Exercise help get my blood pressure down?

Featured on Total Gym’s website: view original article here

Q:  I just saw my doctor and my blood pressure was found to be “borderline high.” What does that mean and can exercise help get my blood pressure down?

A:  High blood pressure is very common, especially as we age. If left untreated, high blood pressure could lead to strokes and kidney disease and can contribute to cardiovascular disease, which can lead to heart attacks.

Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure,  is defined as blood pressure that is consistently found to be higher than 140/90. Recent research has determined that the best range for blood pressure is actually 110-120/70-80. If your blood pressure is higher than the range mentioned above, you should meet with your doctor as soon as possible to discuss your options and to determine whether or not it is safe to exercise.

Lifestyle management is key to lowering blood pressure, such as achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, limiting sodium in your diet to less than 2000 mg in a day, limiting alcohol to less than 2 ounces per week and doing regular cardiovascular training. Studies have shown that individuals, who spent a total of 150 minutes exercising per week in equally divided increments, were 14% less likely to develop coronary heart disease. In fact, just 15 minutes a day of low intensity activity can decrease mortality and lengthen your life!

The best plan is shoot for a minimum of 30 minutes of aerobic activity on most days of the week. Stay away from heavy weight training until your blood pressure is better controlled as it can actually aggravate hypertension by raising the resistance of blood flow through your muscles. Total Gym users with high blood pressure – stay at a lower incline level to continue to strengthen and stretch muscles at a lower intensity. If your blood pressure remains elevated beyond the ideal ranges after being consistent with lifestyle changes for 4-6 weeks, you should meet with your doctor to discuss what other options are available to you in order to maximize your health.

Exercise will temporarily raise your blood pressure, so exercising when your blood pressure is high and not controlled is not safe. Always talk to your doctor if you are not sure if exercise is safe for you.

So, until next time, stay healthy, KEEP MOVING and enjoy your Total Gym!

Elizabeth Salada, MD

Dr. Salada is board certified in Internal Medicine and has been in practice in San Diego since 1996. She attended medical school at Wake Forest University where she received high honors in Family Practice and Internal Medicine. Her final training was obtained from Pennsylvania State University where she completed her residency in Internal Medicine.

Total Gym Addresses Exercise Woes of Seasonal Allergy Sufferers

36 million Americans suffer from seasonal allergies*. Total Gym delivers an effective total body workout from the convenience of your home.

West Chester, PA (PRWEB) October 25, 2011

To some, the crisp autumn air and changing leaves may be a welcome invitation to get outside and exercise, whether it is hiking, biking or just strolling through the neighborhood. However, for the 36 million seasonal allergy sufferers*, fall exercise is no walk in the park! Symptoms like runny nose, itchy eyes, headaches and congestion can keep fitness enthusiasts from enjoying their favorite activities.

The Total Gym offers the allergy-free exercise solution.

Total Gym delivers a total body workout—offering the benefits of cardio, strength training and stretch—all on one machine without leaving the allergy-controlled environment of your own home. Just 10-20 minutes a day will give you a full-body workout with functional exercises safe for ages 8 to 80. Seasonal allergies are also said to affect as many as 40 percent of U.S. children*. With Total Gym, your child can get their daily exercise with safe, non-compressive bodyweight training that protects their growing joints.

Read full press release >>

 

FLU SHOTS

Flu season is fast approaching and many patients are inquiring as to when they should get their flu shots.  Dr. Salada recommends that patients get their flu shots during the mid-to-late October timeframe.  In fact, Dr. Salada will be holding her  flu shot clinic at her office on:

DATE:   OCTOBER 12 & 14, 2011

TIME:    1:30 to 4:15 PM

Patients can call Dr. Salada’s office now to reserve a time on October 12th or 14th.

In addition, many local pharmacies and supermarkets are administering flu shots.  Patients should check with these establishments as to the specific dates and times they will be giving flu shots.

 

 

 

 

 

Important Patient Information

Through the highest standard of compassion, respect, knowledge, and teamwork, our team strives to promote the greatest quality of care to our patients.

SCHEDULING
Most of our initial visits for new patients are designed to allow you to establish care with us, assemble paperwork, order labs, refill prescriptions, and attend to urgent medical matters. Please arrive at least 15 minutes before your appointment to fill out paperwork. In order to meet your needs quickly, we may request that you see our family nurse practitioner (FNP) for this initial visit. After that you may be set up for a physical or follow-up appointment with your doctor. We do this in order to accommodate you quickly.

HMO patients must have Dr Salada listed on the health insurance card in order to be seen by this office.  If you arrive at the office and Dr. Salada is not listed as the Provider on the insurance card, you will be personally responsible for paying for the office visit at the time of the office visit and subsequently responsible for obtaining reimbursement from your health insurance company.  Otherwise, you will not be seen and will be charged a cancellation fee of $25 for a scheduled 15 minute appointment or $50 for a 30 minute scheduled appointment.

REFERRALS
If you have HMO insurance and require a referral to a specialist, you will need to see one of our medical providers for proper documentation. From that point, please allow several days for the referral to be processed. Most referrals are only good for 90 days. If you need a follow-up visit with the specialist, another referral may be required, and it is up to you or your specialist to let us know.

PHARMACY
For refill requests, please contact your pharmacy at least one week before you run out of medication and have them fax a refill request to our office.  Once we receive the refill request from the pharmacy, your provider will sign and return the prescription refill to your pharmacy. You should allow 48 hours to have the medication in hand. If you need a “mail-in” prescription, please allow two weeks for your medication to arrive once you have mailed the prescriptions. It is best to schedule an appointment to allow a provider time to write these out. Patients needing certain drugs, such as narcotics, corticosteroids, and antibiotics may also require an appointment prior to their prescriptions being authorized.

PHONE CALLS
For maximum efficiency, your phone call will be triaged by our nursing staff. They will in turn run issues by the providers and then return your call. If you are calling about an issue that you wish to discuss with your provider personally, please schedule an appointment. This allows us to have time set aside specifically for you. Non-urgent calls will be returned within 24 hours. Please call again if you do not receive a return call within that time frame.

LAB RESULTS
When you are given a lab slip during your office visit, your provider will specify how you will receive your results. Be sure you go to the laboratory that is required by your health insurance organization; otherwise you will personally be responsible for this laboratory expense.  Once we receive your lab results, one of the medical assistants will call you to either give you the results, or schedule an appointment with you to discuss the results with one of the providers. If the medical assistant is not able to answer all of your questions, if you would like more details on your results, or if you would like to discuss your results personally with the provider, you will need to schedule an appointment. If you do not receive your results, please contact the office; do not assume they are normal.  Please allow at least one week for your provider to receive your lab results from the attending laboratory.  On occasion, the lab will fail to send us the results, in which case your provider will not have been able to review them.

WALK IN’S
We do not take walk in patients, unless there is a dire emergency, in which case, we recommend you go directly to the ER. We will do our best to triage your needs by phone.   The one exception to this is urinary tract infections, for which we do encourage patients to come in immediately for treatment.

HOSPITAL CARE
Dr. Elizabeth Salada will be actively involved in your admission. She will not however, be your admitting or attending physician. If you are admitted, a hospital physician will be attending to you during your stay. Dr. Salada will assist you and your family in providing information to the emergency room and admitting physician, and in formulating a plan. It is their intention to be involved linking patient care, family involvement, and physician involvement. They will work to provide continuity of care between your out-patient and in-patient care. The hospital doctor and your doctor will work together to assure optimal care for you. Please make sure to schedule a follow-up appointment with a provider here within one week of your discharge from the hospital.

ARRIVING LATE FOR AN APPOINTMENT
If you are going to be late for an appointment, it is recommended that you call the office.  Arriving 15 minutes or more late for an appointment will require that you reschedule the appointment.  Additionally, you will be charged a fee of $25 or $50, depending on the length of the scheduled appointment, (see No Show and Cancellation Fee below) for the appointment as that time had been set aside for your personal visit.

NO-SHOW AND CANCELLATION FEE
It is imperative that you give us 24 hour notice if you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment. There is a $25 fee for patients who have scheduled a 15 minute appointment, and a $50 fee for patients who have scheduled a 30 minute appointment, who do not show up for their appointment and/or have not called to cancel or reschedule the appointment within the 24 hour timeframe. You will receive a bill in the mail for the office visit if you no-show or do not cancel your appointment the day before you are schedule.

FEES FOR COPIES OF MEDICAL DOCUMENTS

LAB RESULTS
Patients should make sure they have their labs (blood work or x-rays) completed at least two weeks prior to their visits for routine purpose. This will allow time for the results to be sent to the Doctor’s office prior to the visit, and will allow the Doctor or Family Nurse Practitioner to discuss the results with the patient at the time of the office visit. This will also allow patients the opportunity to get any questions they have answered at the time of the visit. Copies of the lab results can be obtained free of charge at the time of the visit if the patient wishes to maintain a copy.

When patients request copies of their lab results to be mailed or faxed after an office visit, there is a small fee of $1.00 for each page copied and given to the patient. Payment can be made via credit card over the phone.

MEDICAL RECORDS
A copy of your complete medical records can be obtained for a fee of $25.  Payment can be made via a credit card over the phone.

Please let us know how else we can be of service to you. We will do our very best to provide you with excellent patient care.

 

Movement: Good Medicine For Joints

EXERCISE MAY HELP PREVENT AND TREAT OSTEOARTHRITIS

A body in motion tends to stay in motion.  That’s a lesson you might have learned in physics class, and it’s true for human biology as well.  It’s certainly a statement worth heeding when it comes to osteoarthritis (OA).

You might think OA is inevitable as you grow older.  But it’s not.  Light or moderate activity is one way you can lower your risk for this degenerative condition.

Joints contain fluid that lubricates them and makes it easier for them to move. Exercise increases joint fluidity the same way keeping the right amount of oil in your car helps the engine run smoothly.

Exercise has also been shown to:

• Strengthen the muscles that support your joints
• Keep you flexible
• Help control your weight, which is important because excess weight is a risk factor for OA.

Even if you develop OA, exercise can help reduce your pain and increase range of motion.  The challenge is fighting the urge to avoid activity.  Some people feel activity will make their arthritis worse, but you actually want to move a little bit each day, because it’s going to help.

Of course, you must carefully choose how you’ll move.  Long-term, repetitive-motion exercises, such as running and tennis, can be hard on your joints.

Better options include walking, stretching, range-of-motion exercises such as tai chi and yoga, and water exercise.  These are simple activities that can make a difference in your quality of life.

 

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