In an era of increasing rates of hypertension, one doctor remains on a mission to educate the masses about controlling high blood pressure.
In her new book, “Under Pressure: A Guide To Controlling High Blood Pressure,” Frita McRae Fisher, MD., aka Dr. Frita, lays out a plan for managing one’s blood pressure and prevention.
In the text, Dr. Frita says most people with high blood pressure don’t know they have it due to no symptoms, and most of the time, they have no idea that their condition has their health in danger.
A matter she addresses with helpful tips that are “easy” to understand and implement.
“It’s a step-by-step guide on how to control your high blood pressure, and it’s not written in a way that people won’t understand,” Dr. Frita said. “I speak in layman’s terms so people can learn how to advocate for themselves and to take control of their health.”
Hypertension, also called high blood pressure, is blood pressure that is higher than usual that puts you at an increased risk for heart disease or stroke.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly half of adults in the United States (47%, or 116 million) have hypertension, defined as a systolic blood pressure greater than 130 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure greater than 80 mmHg or are taking medication for hypertension.
In 2019, more than half a million deaths in the U.S. had hypertension as a primary or contributing cause.
By race and gender, more men have a high blood pressure than women (50% vs. 44%). In addition, Black adults (56%) have higher rates of high blood pressure than white, Asian and Hispanic adults.
With one in five U.S. adults having high blood pressure, Dr. Frita said it was important to write this book because so many people are affected by the disease, a leading cause of heart disease, strokes and kidney failure.
“In fact, it’s the number-two reason why people end up in my dialysis unit. High blood pressure is something that is preventable or at least manageable,” she said.
Dr. Frita states that she took the layman approach with the book because most people don’t understand how high blood pressure works and the dangers lurking from this “silent killer,” so they never ask their doctors the right questions.
She adds that the book is all about resources – and for “people to have easy access to information about avoiding hypertension in the first place and controlling it if they already have it.”
Along with being an author, Dr. Frita is the president of Midtown Atlanta Nephrology, PC., where she creates programs for patient education and prevention. She also has a YouTube channel with over 380,000 subscribers, where she provides health information on a variety of topics.
Controlling your blood pressure by dietary means can extend your life. Minor changes can bring living longer less medications. The history of African American eating habits are dismal. Fast foods grease and eating swill can be found in our community. People need to get more education by churches and resources by our elected officals to help eradicate this problem.