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In a small city, there is a 61-year-old lady named Liu Fang, a senior librarian.
She has always been mindful of her health, but a health check-up revealed that she had quietly developed high blood pressure.
The doctor advised her to adjust her eating habits, especially to drastically reduce her salt intake. Liu Fang was very worried, so she decided to take an extreme approach: from now on, she will not eat salt at all.
This decision turned her life and body upside down. From that day on, Liu Fang began her salt-free life. She completely removed all salty food from the kitchen, and even the bottle of salt that had been used for many years at home was resolutely discarded by her.
In the first few weeks, Liu Fang felt very challenging, and her daily diet became tasteless. To give her food some flavor, she experimented with a variety of herbs and spices, and even lemon juice and vinegar became regular guests at her table.
Liu Fang has become a little culinary explorer, and while these substitutes bring some freshness, it always feels like something is missing. After a year of salt-free life, Liu Fang returned to the hospital for regular physical examinations.
Although her blood pressure did drop, she began to feel tired and weak, and often experienced dizziness. After examination, the doctor found that Liu Fang's blood sodium level was abnormally low, which is a typical symptom of hyponatremia.
It turns out that while reducing salt intake can control blood pressure, the sodium in salt is a key element in maintaining electrolyte balance and neuromuscular function in the body. Completely avoiding salt has left Liu Fang's body deficient in this important mineral.
Faced with this finding, the doctor explained to Liu Fang the importance of sodium, noting that her extreme dietary adjustments were actually not good for her health. Sodium doesn't just regulate blood pressure, it is also involved in the balance of fluids inside and outside cells, affecting nerve conduction and muscle contraction.
Sodium deficiency can lead to a variety of body dysfunctions, and in severe cases, even life-threatening. Liu Fang was very surprised when she heard this, she didn't expect that salt would have so many effects.
She mistakenly thought that salt would only cause problems such as high blood pressure and heart disease, and never thought that the sodium in salt had so many physiological functions. The doctor advised her to add salt to her daily diet in moderation, especially in the hot summer and after sweating profusely.
Although Liu Fang was a little confused by this, she still decided to adjust her diet according to the doctor's advice. She began experimenting with adding some salt to her dishes while watching her body react.
Slowly, she noticed that her fatigue had lessened and her dizziness had ceased to occur as often. She felt more energized than before. During this experience, Liu Fang realized that the key to health is balance, not extremes.
She began to pay more attention to the variety and balance of food, and also understood that each nutrient has a unique role and cannot be generalized. One day a year later, when Liu Fang was sorting out books in the library, a question suddenly came to mind.
She walked to the doctor's office and asked curiously, "Doctor, I want to know, are there any other natural sources of sodium besides table salt that can help us maintain our health?"
The doctor smiled and replied, "Liu Fang, your question is very good. In fact, in addition to table salt, many foods naturally contain sodium, such as seafood, such as kelp, dried shrimp and other seafood, and some vegetables such as spinach and carrots also contain a certain amount of sodium. These foods can help us replenish the sodium we need, but they also provide other nutrients that are ideal for eating in moderation in our daily diet. ”
Liu Fang was inspired and decided to try to increase her intake of these foods when she returned home.
She realized that health is really a long-distance race that requires constant learning and adjustment. And every physical examination, every consultation, is an important milestone in this long-distance race.
What do you think about how to control blood pressure in patients with high blood pressure?