Healthy Trucking

Understanding high blood pressure

To all of you Kings of the Highways and Queens of the Interstates, this month I want to talk a little about high blood pressure. Let’s depart from the usual long-winded articles I do monthly for PDMD’s Web site and just give you one “pearl for the road” you can think about. Then you can come by any PDMD when we have “Coffee with the Doc” and ask questions about this article or any of the ones to follow.
Pearl for the Road No. 1
Hypertension is not a good description for increased blood pressure. The proper name should be high blood pressure.
     To understand high blood pressure you need to understand “plumbing.” Let me explain.
1. The body has a pump, the heart.
2. The body has pipes or hoses, the blood vessels known as arteries.
3. The body has water/fluid which runs through the pump and pipes and is known as blood.
     Increase the pump rate and the pressure in the pump and pipes go up.
     Decrease the diameter of the pipes (constrict the arteries) and the pressure in the pump and pipes go up.
     Increase the amount of water/fluid in the pipes, the pressure in the pump and pipes will go up.
     If the pressure remains high, the pump begins to fail and pipes start bursting. While the pump is slowly failing, the water/fluid in the pump slows its flow and begins to stagnate, leaking out of the pipes as the total plumbing system fails.
     Think about this when you get stressed, angry, smoke, dip/chew, use salt in excess or eat in excess. You are affecting the dynamics of the pump, pipes or the fluid/water in the pipes.
     Next month, I will explain the meaning of the BP readings 120/80, 140/90 and 160/100. In the meantime, I want you to think about how you would treat this plumbing system and what pressure would be best for all the parts of the system. Whoever gives me the best answer will be featured on the next “Pearl For the Road.”
     Dr. John McElligott is the founder of Professional Drivers Medical Depots (pd-md.com), a planned nationwide network of medical clinics located at trucking stops and travel centers.