Daily helping of avocado helps keep cholesterol down

Researchers have revealed that consuming one avocado a day can help improve bad cholesterol levels. Known as the ‘avocado’ diet, the fruit is said to improve blood fat scores linked to heart disease, including significantly lowering cholesterol. Read more

How could exercise during pregnancy protect your child against high blood pressure?

A newly published American study has found that children of mothers who were physically active during their pregnancy, have significantly lower blood pressure when they reached ten years of age. Read more

Epilepsy ‘cure’ surgery features on BBC Newsnight

About 1% of the UK population have a form of epilepsy, and whilst many epilepsy patients manage to live perfectly healthy and safe lives with the condition, there are still 1,000 epilepsy-related deaths per year – 600 of which are attributed to SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy). Read more

Man taking a selfie in shallow water

101 Things to Do When You Survive: Down Under Update

At the end of last year, we caught up with Greig Trout on his second leg of travels fulfilling his 101 Things To Do When You Survive anti-bucket list. Insurancewith have been sponsoring him since he started travelling to fulfil this list in 2013. Since the end of last year though he’s been on a few more adventures – this time around New Zealand, so we thought we’d catch up with him again. Read more

Travelling with high blood pressure

As with many chronic health conditions, high blood pressure can make planning a holiday more stressful than normal; especially for an activity that’s supposed to be relaxing in the first place. However, with the correct preparation, you can still have an enjoyable and fun time on your holidays even if you have hypertension.

Take a look at the travel tips that we have gathered below, to ensure that you get the most out of your holiday.

    Check with your GP

  • Before you do anything else, it’s crucial to understand the effect that travelling abroad may have on your high blood pressure, and no one is better suited to inform you of how to best manage your particular case of hypertension, than your GP.
  • A pre-holiday consultation with your GP will be able to refresh your knowledge of any triggers to your hypertension, allowing you to take the appropriate precautions, even when out of your normal comfort zone.
  • Your GP may also be able to recommend a change in medication to better suit the climate that you are travelling to, or the seasonal weather you are expecting at your destination; particularly extreme heat or cold may necessitate stronger medication, or greater care on your part.
  • (Source: http://traveltips.usatoday.com/airline-travel-high-blood-pressure-15651.html)

    Establish your medication requirements

  • A few useful tips to keep in mind when travelling abroad with any kind of medication; always carry more than you need, and ensure that your supply is spread across the different luggage that you’re taking. This way, if a piece of luggage goes missing, you can be sure that you have access to at least enough medication to get by.

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