Charaben from Japan

Micky and Minnie Charaben

Miss Bunny Charaben

Single Reading Can’t Gauge Blood Pressure Control

Evaluating how well a person responds to medication meant to lower blood pressure requires multiple readings, new research suggests.

Blood pressure often spikes at doctor appointments, a condition known as “white coat” hypertension, so readings should also be taken by patients at home, said the study’s lead author, Dr. Benjamin Powers, assistant professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center.

“Collecting just a few, five or six, blood pressure readings from home will help your doctor make much better decisions about whether your blood pressure is in or out of control,” Powers said.

For the study, Powers and his colleagues evaluated 444 U.S. veterans with high blood pressure, about 90 percent of them men with an average age of 64. All had been diagnosed about 10 years earlier. Their blood pressure was considered uncontrolled, even though most took multiple blood pressure-lowering medications. Untreated, high blood pressure can lead to stroke.

The study compared blood pressure readings taken in three settings — at home, in a doctor’s office, and at a clinical research setting — at the study start and again at 6, 12 and 18 months. The findings are published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

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Popovers Recipe from My Clippings

Ingredients

2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt

Method

1. In bowl, beat eggs with milk; stir in flour and salt until blended but still lumpy. Pour into 8 greased muffin cups, filling three-quarters full.
2. Place pan on centre rack in cold oven. Set oven at 450°F (230°C); bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. With skewer, puncture each popover. Turn off oven and let popovers stand in oven until crisp, about 10 minutes.

Nutritional information for each of eight servings

Calorie 90, total fat 2 g, saturated fat 1 g, carbohydrate 13 g, fibre 1 g, cholesterol 49 mg, sodium 171 mg, protein 4 g.

Source: Canadian Living