What is Normal Blood Pressure?
The definition of normal blood pressure is likely to vary according to who you ask. It will vary according to age, the physical condition of the person being tested and other factors.
What Is A Normal Blood Pressure Range?
This is a good question. Dr. David Williams, highly regarded author of Alternatives Newsletter, recently stated,
Not long ago, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute reported that the long-established health rate of 120/80 is no longer considered healthy. Overnight, as many as 45 million Americans acquired a new disease called "pre-hypertension"..and a new prescription medication to go with it.
Following is a blood pressure chart which will give you a good idea of how you stack up.
|
High Blood Pressure |
|
| Systolic | Above 140 |
| Diastolic | Above 90 |
|
High Normal Blood Pressure |
|
| Systolic | 130 - 139 |
| Diastolic | 85 - 89 |
|
"Pre-hypertensive |
|
| Systolic |
120 - 129 |
| Diastolic | 80 - 84 |
|
Optimal |
|
| Systolic | Below 120 |
| Diastolic | Below 80 |
Take the above chart with a grain of salt. Dr. Williams says that one size does not fit all when it comes to normal blood pressure.
"As we age, our blood vessels lose some of their elasticity, which often leads to higher systolic (top number) blood pressure. So, While a systolic pressure of 140 or even 120 may be characterized as risky for a very young person, a systolic reading of up to 160 is perfectly normal blood pressure for someone 60 years or older.
Also, researchers have shown that as many as 30% of all patients diagnosed as not having normal blood pressure are actually misdiagnosed due to sloppy and inaccurate testing procedures."
Who is the worst person to take
your blood pressure?
Your doctor.
Two doctors from the Mayo Clinic,
Drs. John W. Graves and Sheldon G.
Sheps, in the American Journal
of Hypertension, argue that
doctors should stop measuring the
blood pressure of their patients.
Why? Because they don’t do it
right.
The best person to determine whether you have normal blood pressure. A well-trained nurse or a validated blood pressure-measuring machine.
In all of the clinical trials for blood pressure therapy, the measurements were made, not by doctors, but by nurses or machines. These measurements were made according to strict standards that require up to 15 minutes to get an accurate reading.
Unless your blood pressure has been measured according to these standards, the wrong number might be obtained and you might be given the wrong treatment.
The standard measurement protocol requires a five-minute resting period, two measurements in the right arm, one in the left, and at least one minute between measurements.
Gene
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