Have you ever wanted to know how many steps you take everyday? Clip a pedometer on your belt loop! Following a low-carb regimen? Keep your fat metabolism in check with ketone test strips.

See All Home Test Kits including drug tests and cholesterol checks.

One of the neatest gadgets to come along are the body fat analyzers and body composition scales. You just hold them, or stand on them and they send a harmless beam through you to see how much fat you have going on. Some of them even calculate your water and muscle percentages too.

See All Body Fat Analyzers and All Scales

Outside of the wide selection of blood pressure monitors and thermometers to help keep you healthy we also have some really neat ways to monitor your heart rate during exercise (or whatever)… I wear one to make sure I’m staying within a good heart rate zone while I’m hiking or doing cardio. It helps tell me whether I’m working too hard, or not hard enough.

See All Heart Rate Monitors

How about an Eye Chart or a Color Blindness Test?

And if you’re wondering what else you can possibly monitor, see All Diagnostic Products. Happy shopping!

If you don’t know what your blood pressure is, it’s important to have it checked periodically because you won’t be able to “feel” that it is high.  That’s why it is often called the ’silent killer’.  You don’t even know you’re headed toward heart attack or stroke.  

High blood pressure is most common in adults over 35 and is prevalent in African Ameriancs, middle-aged and elderly people, obese people, heavy drinkers and women on birth control pills.

An easy way to monitor your blood pressure is with a home monitoring device.  These are not designed to replace those doctor’s visits, but to merely supplement them.  Blood pressure monitirs are inexpensive and easy to use.   I highly recommend you take yours into your doctor’s office to make sure it is properly calibrated when compared to theirs. 

Best Home Blood Pressure Monitors

 Portable Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor- This is my favorite.  It’s automatic, digital and super easy to use.  I had it checked against the one at the doctor’s office and it is accurate.   Very affordable.

See More Blood Pressure Wrist Monitors. 

 Premium Talking Digital Blood Pressure Monitor - This bi-lingual (Spanish & English) cutie sports a large LCD screen so you can hear AND see your systolic, diastolic and pulse readings simultaneously.  It even provides irregular hearbeat detection.

See All Talking Blood Pressure Monitors

Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor with ComFit Cuff – This one has an impressive list of features.  Clinically proven accuracy. Personalized inflation technology. 90 memory recall with date and time. Storage case.  Large LCD panel. AC adapter & batteries included.  5 year warranty.  Very nice.

See All Automatic Blood Pressure Monitors

 Pro’s Combo II Kit – Comes with a color coordinated, calibrated cuff and a Sprague-Rappaport type stethoscope.  Can be used on adults, children and infants.  You need to have training to use this one, though!!  It’s a professional unit.

See some more Professional Sphygmomanometers

To see everything in one spot, check out our special High Blood Pressure Products section in our Shop By Condition area.  

For more on blood pressure, read “I’m off my Blood Pressure Meds” and “Staggering Heart Facts“.  But first, buy a home BP monitor!! 

Thanks for your business.  We love it when you take care of yourself.

A couple weeks ago I had just popped the pill when it struck me that I hadn’t checked my BP in a while.  I took it and it was 91/59.  Woah!  Yikes!  I called my doc and got an appointment for a couple days later, and in the meantime I was told to monitor it and not take the medication if it was too low.  It was mostly normal-to-low the next day.  The night before my appointment it was running really, really low – like 87/54.  Freaked me out a little. 

At the doctor’s office, they took my blood pressure while I was lying down, standing up, sitting up – about 3 times and confirmed it was running normal-to-low.  I showed them the readings from my home wrist monitor which keeps results in its memory.  They were amazed at the readings and said I was officially off the Diovan but I needed to keep an eye on it and see them in a month.   I was totally excited (don’t get too excited, Valerie), but danged if I know what caused the change. 

Four years ago, my blood pressure was consistently in the 160s, 170s and over 90s and 100s.  It was kindof a fluke that we discovered this so I suggest that if you don’t have yours checked regularly, no matter how old you are, you at least get an inexpensive home unit.  I was 42 years old and in good shape.  No family history.  No signs of a problem.  As is my nature, I fought against traditional BP medication and my doc tried salt pills and beta blockers instead – but they weren’t working.  Then, I had to go into the hospital for an unrelated outpatient surgery and my BP clocked in at 207/107 so they had to admit me.  They put me in the telemetry wing to monitor my heart and after a bunch of tests they couldn’t find any reason for such high blood pressure.  So they brought it down with strong drugs, did my surgery and released me with an Rx for Diovan. 

My doctor said it’s called essential or primary hypertension when the they are unable to find a specific cause.  She said it was probably stress and reminded me of my “extreme lifestyle”.  

I pulled out the big guns and resolved to lower my stress.  To see what I did, read 15 Stress Tips that Could Save Your Life.

The only other thing that might be helping are my spinal adjustments.  In fact, my chiropractor, Dr. Mike, is taking full credit for lowering my blood pressure.  At first I just laughed, thinking he wasn’t serious, but he was dead serious.  

I started seeing him to help ease occasional spasms in my back.  No more than 8 treatments later, I’m off my blood pressure meds.  Coincidence?  Maybe, but honestly it is the only really significant change I’ve made in my life recently.  His name is Dr. Mike Henriksen, Spinal Correctionn Center, tel. 480-460-1177. 

He said that lower blood pressure due to his treatments are not uncommon. It has to do with my atlas bone (1st cervical vertabrae) coming into alignment.  In fact, he’s helped people get off all kinds of medications.  I’m sure if you called his office he, or his assistant Kathy, would be happy to explain.  He uses his patented Turbo Drop Table to make the adjustments and doesn’t “crack” your back or neck (he says crack kills).  Dr. Mike is world-renowned and trains chiropractors all over the world so maybe one of his trainees is near you.  Plus, he’s a really nice guy.

But I digress.

All I know is that I must be doing something right.  Whether it’s the yoga, the hiking, the multi-vitamins, the spinal adjustments or the happy, healthy life I’m leading, I can’t say.   Perhaps it is the alien visit I had last month . . . kidding . . .

I’ll be writing a series of stress-relief blogs over the next week, so if you want to take control of your stress - stay tuned!  Don’t know if you’re stressed?  Take the Stress Test.

Did you know?

*  Nearly 2,400 Americans die of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) each day, an average of one death every 37 seconds.

*  Preliminary mortality data for 2006 show that CVD accounted for 34.2% of all 2,425,900 deaths in 2006, or 1 of every 2.9 deaths in the United States.

*  Good news:  From 1995 to 2005, death rates from CVD declined by 26.4%.

* Cardiovascular disease claims about as many lives each year as cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, accidents and diabetes mellitus combined.

*  Half of adults 50 and younger with low 10-year risk of  CVD have high lifetime risk (News Release Jan. 13, 2009).

*  One in three female adults has some form of cardiovascular disease.

*  Since 1984, the number of CVD deaths for females has exceeded those for males.

*  In 2005, CVD was the first listed diagnosis of 3,023,000 females discharged from short-stay hospitals.  Discharges include people both alive, dead or of unknown status.

*  More than 150,000 Americans killed by CVD in 2005 were less than 65 years of age.

*  In 2009, an estimated 785,000 Americans will have a new coronary attack, and about 470,000 will have a recurrent attack.  It is estimated that an additional 195,000 silent first myocardial infarctions occur each year.

*  Each year, about 795,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke.  On average, every 40 seconds someone in the US has a stroke.  Good news: From 1995 to 2005, the stroke death rate fell 29.7% and the actual number of stroke deaths declined 13.5%.

Yikes!!

Are you at risk for heart disease?  Do you know what to do in the event of a heart attack?  Are you up to date on the latest CPR Myths & Tips?

Read 5 Ways to Celebrate American Heart Month for more information on how to prevent cardiovascular disease.

Here’s a Power Point Presentation for 2009 American Heart Org Stats in case you want to present these facts to your family, school or group.

It seems that matters of the heart are quite serious. So serious that every year since 1963, Congress has required the President to proclaim February ‘American Heart Month’.  The American Heart Association helps to draft this proclamation and get it signed.  Who knew?

Even so, after 45 years of ‘proclaiming’, cardiovascular disease remains the number 1 killer (including stroke) in our nation today. Let’s join President Obama and the American Heart Association’s plight to fight heart disease and raise awareness, shall we?

Here’s how:

1. Get Heart Smart. Like the American Heart Association (AMA) says, “learn and live”. Did you know that the death rate from cardiovascular disease (CVD) is higher for females than males? And that the warning signs of a heart attack may be different for men and women?  Read Staggering Heart Facts and Heart Attack & Stroke Warning Signs: Men vs Women.

2. Check yourself. According to the AMA, if you’ve made it to middle age (eg, 50) and you’re a non-smoker without high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes then congratulations!  You can look forward to: a substantially longer life; lower risk for CVD; lower risks for CVD death and non-CVD death; better health-related quality of life in older age; and, substantially reduced Medicare expenditures. Start monitoring your cholesterol, blood pressure and glucose levels now. They’re sneaky and you might not even know you’re in trouble. The good news is, they are manageable with help from your doc. If you smoke, quit it. It’s gross and stinky and stupid and so uncool,  unlike you.  Here is a List of Heart Attack & Stroke Risk Factors and Guidelines.

Products to help you measure and track from home:  cholesterol test kit, blood pressure monitors and diabetic meters & test kits.   Monitor your heart health here.

3.  Get Heart Healthy.  Eating right, staying fit and managing your weight will go a long way to keeping a heart attack at bay.  Learn how here.  Get started with  heart rate monitors.

4.  Spread the Word.  As with all diseases, I believe that awareness is half the battle.  You could save someone’s life by sharing your knowledge about heart disease with your family, friends, schools, social groups, community groups.  Even if it is just in casual conversation, try to work in “have you had your blood pressure checked lately?”  or “did you know that… ”.  The AMA asks you to be part of the cure.  Become an advocate!  Another way to spread the word is to get involved with local heart charities.  You can volunteer at hospitals, deliver leaflets door to door, start your own campaign or attend charity events.  Here are some specific ways to give.

5.  Cover your bases.  Do you know what to do in the event of a heart attack?  Are you up on the latest CPR News? Does your school, home, company and shopping mall have an Automated External Diffibrilator (AED)?  They are so affordable now, there is no excuse.  If you or a loved on is at risk for a heart attack you may also consider getting a 911 Medical Alert System. 

See all Diagnostic Products.

If you’ve read all of these articles and you crave more, visit the American Heart Association website.

Happy American Heart Month!  Please take care of yourself.  We heart you.

-v