Let's Talk About White Coat Hypertension
Now, this is just a fancy way of saying that your blood pressure is high when you go to the doctor's office. The idea being, when you go and see the white coat, boom, your blood pressure goes up. It is thought to be because patients are nervous. They're anxious when they go to the doctor. They don't know what kind of news they're getting, or perhaps they rushed to get there. Whatever the case, they are often anxious or nervous.
Now, could it be that your blood pressure is only high at the doctors and then it's totally normal otherwise?
Could be. But I would urge you to really look into this and investigate whether this is the case or whether your blood pressure truly runs high.
Our bodies are very smart and it can compensate for periods of extreme stress or anxiety to still maintain a fairly normal blood pressure.
So if you go to your doctor and your blood pressure is high, I would offer two things.
Get a blood pressure cuff at home and take your blood pressure at home a couple of times a day, maybe for two weeks. Write down those numbers and then email them in and see what your doctor thinks. A normal blood pressure is 120 over 80. And for a lot of patients it helps just taking it at home in their own environment, where they are not nervous or stressed.
If your blood pressure is truly different at home and in the office, take that blood pressure cuff that you bought at home and take it to the office. And the next time, when they take your blood pressure at your doctor's office, you immediately retake it with your cuff and see if those numbers match up. Both machines should read the same number. And if they don't, this could be an issue of calibration. Your blood pressure cuff may need to be calibrated to prevent these false readings.. So these are a couple of things to really look into. We do not want to miss the diagnosis of high blood pressure because it can really affect our bodies a lot. It can increase our risk of stroke. It may preclude you from taking certain medications, etc.
So, again, if you think of whitecoat hypertension, get a cuff at your local pharmacy and start measuring your blood pressure at home. And number two, take your blood pressure cuff into your doctor's office the next time and make sure your numbers are actually matching up. I put out two other videos this week on how to take a blood pressure and another one on what high blood pressure really is.
So make sure you watch those and tag a friend who could also use this information!
If you are in California and you are looking for an expert gynecologist, come and see me!
I'm in Lafayette, CA and my number is 925-74-7473 , and I'll be happy to see you for a consultation.
You can set up a coaching session with me, email: thefibroiddoc@gmail.com , and we can set up a time and go over all your questions.
For more educational videos like this, visit TheFibroidDoc’s YouTube channel.
