I monitor my BP at home and my readings are never high. When I visit my doctor at the Texas Tech Internal Medicine building, my readings are always high. I've decided that the measurements taken with the automated cuffs are inaccurate. For one thing, the procedures in the typical hospital or clinic setting break all the rules. Your arm is hanging at your side, you are placed in an uncomfortable chair and typically you have just had your weight taken. I find that when you donate blood the rules ARE followed. Whenever I donate blood my BP is very good. Whenever I take my own BP at home using a wrist cuff, following the rules for use, my BP is never high. I just wonder how many people are diagnosed as hypertensive and medicated based on INACCURATE clinic and hospital pressure readings? A lot, I bet. There is a lot of money to be made, treating people for hypertension. I'm cynical enough to believe that the inaccurate readings in clinical settings are deliberate and are intended to increase revenue. But being labeled hypertensive can be the kiss of death as far as insurers are concerned. Once you are labeled hypertensive, you can never escape the stigma. God forbid you should be treated. I strongly urge people to learn to check their own blood pressure. If necessary bring your own cuff with you and check yourself before your BP is taken by the clinic/hospital staff. If your results are lower, dispute their readings. Don't let yourself be victimized by greedy health care providers. Hypertension is serious business. If you are truly hypertensive you need to be treated. But you can easily be misdiagnosed by nurses using sloppy procedures or deliberately labeled as hypertensive by greedy hospitals and doctors using poorly maintained or poorly calibrated automated cuffs. By the way, most doctors are incapable of taking your blood pressure using a cuff and stethoscope. Ask the nurse to NOT use the automated cuff. Have them take your blood pressure the old way, and insist on proper posture and arm position. Don't be a victim!
