Nowadays, people aspire for an increased standard of living which they attribute to the fatness of their bank accounts, the number of cars in their fleet, the massiveness of their mansions, the expensiveness of their meals, clothing and jewelry, etc. Everybody wants an easier version of everything and tends to be in a hurry. The life we are living is fast-paced; faster than our forefathers lived. The infotainment superhighway is not slowing down any bit. If anything, it is spiralling out of control. We are so engrossed in making dough that, sometimes, we forget to take care of ourselves. We spend a good spell of our lifetime focused on making money, not bothering to take out some time to evaluate how well we are living. And at the end, many will spend a lot of money managing preventable terminal diseases and dying horrible deaths. Does it worth it? Yes, we have to make money. but that should not come at the expense of our health because health itself is the greatest of all wealth.

The WHO made it clear to all and sundry that health is not just the absence of diseases, but a total physical, mental and social well-being of every individual. It is an inalienable right of everyone. Of course, you have the right to good health. Extrapolating from the WHO definition, that optimum health remains elusive. And I do not think that there is anyone out there without a health issue, not just the physical well-being, one has to take into consideration the social and psychological dimensions, especially as we are weighed down by both economic austerity and terrorism.

Hence, one question I would like to ask everyone (myself inclusive) is when last did you measure your blood pressure? How much do you weigh? And what is your height? It sounds stupid and funny, right? Well, let me bring it to your knowledge that a two-digit percent reduction in mortality will be achieved if these parameters are well-controlled. I am confusing you the more in this discourse! You are damn right. Let us take it slow. Do you know that sustained abnormally elevated blood pressure and body mass index (BMI) above 30 are the hallmarks of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidaemia, etc Together, these diseases cause more than a quarter of the mortality recorded worldwide.

Hypertension is defined as systolic blood pressure of 140 mm Hg or more, and/or a diastolic blood pressure of 90 mm Hg or more. Hypertension affects a lot of people worldwide. It is a major risk factor for stroke, myocardial infarction, vascular disease and chronic kidney disease. In some 95% of the population, the cause of hypertension is not clearly understood. By this I do not mean that it has spiritual cause as some of us have been deluded to conclude. What I mean is that the cause is polygenic and multifactorial. Both hereditary and environmental factors come into play. Hence, it runs in families. The environmental factors can be cultural or occupational etc. The remaining 5% are caused by other disease conditions. The pathology involved is outside the scope of this discourse. On the other hand, obesity can be caused by over-indulgence in food and drinks (alcoholic beverages), metabolic disorders like diabetes mellitus, hypercholestrolaemia, enzyme deficiencies and sedentary lifestyle.

The Misconception

For those who have been diagnosed earlier and are currently living with hypertension, regular check of blood pressure cannot be over-emphasized. I see people who tell stories of how their hypertension was cured miraculously. Yes, I believe in miracle, but I would like to have a word with you. Let me explain to you in layman's term how you might have mistaken a pathological process for a miracle. When, for whatever reasons, the heart is no longer able to supply the rest of the body and itself of adequate blood, a cascade of mechanisms set in and ensure that the metabolic demand is met...

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