One of the many age-related illnesses a senior must contend with is hypertension. Actually, with lifestyle changes we all are experiencing nowadays, the age bracket for hypertension has become significantly lower—that is, you can easily find a 40-year-old dealing with hypertension already, 30-year-old even. Due to its somewhat “common” nature, add to that the number of people who talk about how they have dealt with the condition and how they were able to control it, myths about hypertension sprouted like mushroom, enough to scare a senior suffering from hypertension.

Here are some of my favorite hypertension myths which I think seniors must also be made aware of:

Myth #1:  Hypertension is a heart condition. Hypertension is not a heart condition but it certainly leads to illnesses and conditions which involve the heart such as heart attack and stroke. Of course, there are many contributing factors aside from hypertension that triggers heart attack but it is one of them. With that said, a senior must be really careful and vigilant of his heart if he is suffering from hypertension.

Myth #2:  If you don’t feel anything, you don’t have to cure anything. Hypertension, in its early stages, is hard to detect especially if you are not very fond of visiting clinic for annual exams and diagnostic tests. Contrary to popular notion, it is not asymptomatic. It certainly has symptoms and it shows, only its symptoms are very common that most people fail to detect it as hypertension.

Myth #3:  Blood pressure is age-based. Forget the 100+age myth! That just isn’t true. Your best bet is to submit yourself for a test and have your doctor tell you your own desirable blood pressure range. Yes, it is based on your person but not your age.

Myth #4:  There’s no way around medications, you just have to take it whether you like it or not. It’s a frightening thought, isn’t it? That you life may have to depend on medications alone, however, it is not true. Lifestyle changes can improve your condition dramatically and you don’t have to depend on medications for the rest of your life once you’re diagnosed with hypertension. Medications may help stabilize your blood pressure but it doesn’t have to be a lifetime of drugs to get you by.

Myth #5: Your salt-intake causes hypertension. Yes, it will be IF your salt-intake is very high and not at all balanced with the rest of the substances you are taking. I would say that it is a direct result of poor diet that is high in salt.