Reading Blood Pressure Machine Results

Video Transcript

"Alright. So, apparently, if we want to zoom in tight here, I have a blood pressure of 148 over 93 and a pulse rate of 78. Now, the standard for normal blood pressure is 120 over 70, with 140 over 90 being the upper range of that. Now, what I can tell you personally is my blood pressure tends to run a little higher than most anyway and there's something about being in front of a camera under a big light that tends to make people just a little nervous. This is akin to the effect I mentioned in a previous segment, white-coat hypertension. People who aren't even very nervous at the doctor's office or have no reason to be, sometimes just get a little tense get high blood pressure. And again, a home blood pressure reading is something that you're going to take as part of an overall comprehensive viewpoint on your blood pressure and you take the results to your doctor and he or she will help you to interpret them as part of a larger view of your health care. I think the most important thing to remember about a home blood pressure is there's many factors that can effect your blood pressure during the day. One set of readings isn't anything to be upset, uptight, or tense about. And, again, like I say, it's part of an overall, comprehensive view of your health care and your doctor or other medical professional will help you make the choices you need to make about you and your health. "