Central California Alliance for Health | Living Healthy | December 2020

HEALTHY LIVING HEALTHY is published for the members and community partners of CENTRAL CALIFORNIA ALLIANCE FOR HEALTH, 1600 Green Hills Road, Suite 101, Scotts Valley, CA 95066, telephone 831-430-5500 or 800-700-3874, ext. 5505, website www.ccah-alliance.org. Information in LIVING HEALTHY comes from a wide range of medical experts. If you have any concerns or questions about specific content that may affect your health, please contact your health care provider. Models may be used in photos and illustrations. 2020 © Coffey Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Editor Erin Huang Quality and Health Programs Supervisors Desirre Herrera and Mao Moua Quality and Health Programs Manager Deborah Pineda www.ccah-alliance.org WIC is open! WIC continues to provide vital nutrition and breastfeeding support for pregnant and postpartum women, babies, and young children throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. WIC is providing services via telephone and remotely loading WIC benefits to the WIC card to minimize in-person contact and keep families and clinic staff safe. Contact your local WIC office to make an appointment or for any questions about WIC services: High blood pressure is a serious health threat. If yours is too high, your doctor may suggest medicine to help lower it. It is really important to take it. But there are other changes you can make right now to help bring it down too: Cut down on salt. Aim for less than 1,500 milligrams a day. How much is that? There are 1,725 milligrams of sodium in ¾ teaspoon of table salt. Get physical. Regular exercise can help lower blood pressure. Ask your doctor how much is right for you. Limit alcohol. Health experts suggest no more than one drink a day for women and two for men. Don’t smoke. Smoking raises blood pressure, among its many other health risks. Your doctor can help you quit. Here’s what else you can do to take control of your blood pressure: ● Know your numbers. For most people, normal blood pressure is less than 120/80 mm Hg. Ask your doctor what your numbers should be. ● Check it regularly. Many pharmacies have machines that can take your blood pressure. Or you can buy a blood pressure monitor to use at home. If your blood pressure is often high, talk to your doctor. ● Keep a record. Write your blood pressure readings in a journal or keep track with your phone. You and your doctor can review patterns together. When you manage your blood pressure, you can also lower your risk of heart attack, stroke and other serious health problems. Sources: American Heart Association; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute How to bring down high blood pressure Santa Cruz County: 831-722-7121 Monterey County: 831-796-2888 Merced County: 209-383-4859