By Penelope A. Domogo, MD
Life in the Cordillera used to mean daily physical work from dawn to dusk – farming on the terraces or in the plains, walking long distances, carrying produce home or to the market. Today, many of us spend more time sitting. We work at desks, sit in a store, drive motorcycles or cars or jeeps for hours, stay indoors, and relax with our cellphones.
At the same time, our eating habits have changed.
Meat is now common on the table. When before, we could only eat a little meat when there was a wedding or a “senga” (“honga”), nowadays dressed chicken and pork are available in the corner store anytime we feel like eating it. What more, we eat in large portions. It’s easier to by fast food than cooking. See how popular and easily affordable fried chicken and lechon manok is in Bontoc and Tabuk and Lagawe. Processed foods like hotdogs, canned goods, instant noodles, chips, sugary drinks, milk tea, and sweet snacks are everywhere. These foods are tasty and convenient, but eating them often can slowly harm our health. This is the problem. This sedentary lifestyle plus overeating SLOWLY harms our health so akala natin okay lang.
One major result is high blood pressure, also called hypertension.
High blood pressure happens when the force of blood pushing against the walls of your blood vessels is too strong. Meaning the force of your heart beating is strong. Bakit? One, kasi malapot ang dugo mo so the heart has to pump hard to it can push the blood to reach all parts of your body. Why is your blood sticky or thick? Too much sugar and fat and other artificial chemicals in our modern diet. 2. Your blood vessels are narrowed down because of smoking, too much fat and sugar and stress. 3. Too much salt so your body retains water thus increasing the volume of fluid running in your blood vessels. 4. Sitting for long hours slows down circulation and weakens the heart over time.
Over time, high blood pressure can damage your heart, brain, and kidneys. It can lead to stroke, heart attack, or kidney failure. Many of the dialysis patients in Mountain Province got kidney failure from high blood pressure.
The problem is that you may feel perfectly fine. Most people with high blood pressure do not feel sick. No pain. No warning. That is why it is called a “silent” killer.
The only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to check it. Visit your barangay health center, rural health unit, clinic, or pharmacy. Blood pressure gadgets are now easily available, there are even watches that measure blood pressure.
You can start protecting yourself today with small but powerful changes:
1. Move more. If you sit most of the day, stand up and stretch every hour. Walk around your neighborhood. Use stairs when possible. Aim for at least 30 minutes of movement daily.
2. Eat foods in their natural state as much as possible. Eat less processed food. Limit instant noodles, canned meats, chips, and fast food. These are high in salt and unhealthy fats.
3. Control sweets. If you can avoid sugary drinks like soda, milk tea, cakes, and candies, your body would be happier. Choose water.
4. Eat vegetables. Half of your food should be veggies.
Watch your weight. Even losing a few kilos can lower blood pressure.
If your doctor prescribes maintenance medicine, take it regularly. Do not stop without medical advice, even if you feel well.
Modern life has made many things easier — but it has also made us less active and more dependent on processed food. Our bodies were designed to move and to eat natural foods. We cannot always control stress or busy schedules. But we can control what we eat and how much we move. Nothing new but how else? ***
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“Above all, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23
