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24 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, March 20, 1990 Hypertension: Beware of the silent killer When was the last time you had your blood pressure checked? Hypertension (high blood pressure) usually has no outward- ly visible symptoms. Unless you have your blood pressure check- ed, there is no warnirg until it's too late! The lack of recognizable Symptoms and it's devastating potential has earned hypertension A combined commitment of 511 years. the name "Silent Killer." Left un- checked, high blood pressure can have very serious consequences. Blood pressure refers to the force exerted against the walls of your arteries by the flow of blood as it drives through your body. It is highest when your heart mus- cle contracts (systolic pressure) and lowest when the heart is resting between beats (diastolic pressure). When the arteries become blocked or inflexible or both, the pressure within the arteries increases, and forces the heart to work harder. Prolonged hypertension can be initially com- pensated for by the thickening of the blook vessel walls, allowing them to handle the excessive pressure. However, this can severely reduce their radius and Thank You from Glenn Willson, President For A Lifetime Commitment therefore compromise blood supply. If these vessels are leading to the heart, a heart at- tack can result. Blindness may occur if the eyes are affected. If it is the kidney's blood supply that is severely reduced, kidney failure can result. Most of these conditions are fatal and all are ir- reversible! If the excessive workload on the heart continues, BACK: Ken Fraser (24 Yrs.), Gloria Judd (20 Yrs.), Hugh Young (25 Yrs.), Harold Grant (26 Yrs.), Lorne Metcalfe (37 Yrs.), Frank Heath (26 Yrs.), Ron Lindsay (30 Yrs.), Jim Leaman (26 Yrs.), Bev Nichols (24 Yrs), Murray Silver (23 Yrs.) FRONT: Pete Pearse (38 Yrs.), Jim Neal (48 Yrs.), L.M. Souch (66 Yrs.), John Horky (53 Yrs.), Art Griffith (45 Yrs.) 725-6501 \ Now that's commitment! CHEVROLET e OLDSMOBILE 140 BOND ST. W. CADILLAC CHEVY TRUCKS heart failure will result. Most cases of hypertension have no known cause. However, we do know that one's risk of developing the disease increases with factors such as age, obesity, stressful or sedentary lifestyle, high salt or high fat diets and cigarette smoking. Research also indicates that family history has a strong influence. The disease tends to affect men more than women and blacks more than other races. However, there is good news. Even though there isn't a cure, high blood pressure can be suc- cessfully treated and controlled. Mild hypertension can often be treated without drugs through diet modifications restricting salt, fats and excess calories and avoidance of stimulants such as caffeine and tobacco. More severe cases are usually treated and controlled with drugs in con- junction with these modifications. Generally, the younger you are, the lower your blood pressure should be. Clinically, you're con- sidered hypertensive if your blood pressure is 130/80 or higher and you are under 18 years of age, if you're under age 65 it should be "under 150/90 and if you are over 65 it should be under 160/95. What's really scary is approx- imately 25 percent of the popula- tion has high blood pressure but only half of them know it! Go get your blood pressure checked! Canada Post supports literacy Canada Post Corporation has launched its annual letter-writing competition, inviting students to participate and join the fight against illiteracy. This is the sixth year that Canada Post has sponsored a na- tional letter-writing competition, which is open to young people bet- ween the ages of 11 and 15. "With 1990 being named Inter- national Literacy Year, the im- portance of written communica- tion has never been more evi- dent," said Allan Skrumeda, Director, Public Affairs, Canada Post. ;'Literacy is an essential life skill most of us take for granted. We hope that this year's contest will help students to develop their own writing abilities and also raise awareness of the problem of illiteracy, not just in Canada, but around the world." The winner of the national con- test will receive an IBM personal computer and will go on to com- pete in an international competi- tion sponsored by the Universal Postal Union, an association of more than 160 postal administra- tions worldwide. The 1989 winner - Kevin Schut of Edmonton, Alberta - came second in the in- ternational contest last year. The theme chosen by the Universal Postal Union this year is, What can we young people do to fight hunger in the world today? Any student wishing to par- ticipate in the contest should speak to his/her teacher or call . Canada Post at (613) 734-7613 for information about contest rules and eligibility requirements. Bows waste S space. Small ads pay! S-- ed RG RNY 5 dvi aa aa Sa ,.---e»- sy SSS SS Teng sagen a pr Bo sii A oa i. TIT A AAA et a oO TT A in A . JIT VE Sl Sugg? vc Sau? in ogo 0% Nall ARN GB Baa