When your blood pressure stays high for too long, you have hypertension. It can be the result of excess salt, smoking, drinking, obesity, or a combination of factors. Or, as unfair as it is, you might have just inherited high blood pressure. Hypertension is surrounded by myths and misunderstandings. You may hear all kinds of advice from well-meaning friends and family. Let’s sort through so

  What is Blood Pressure?   Blood pressure(BP) is the most important of vital signs (BP, heart rate, temperature and respiratory rate). After your age, gender and smoking history, your BP is the best indication of how long you will live and what percentage of your life you will spend disabled by the damage done to your body by an “unhealthy BP”: Stroke, heart failure, kid

  Story by Ed Yong   · DECEMBER 29, 2020 HEALTH Editor’s Note: The Atlantic is making vital coverage of the coronavirus available to all readers. Find the collection here. The influenza pandemic that began in 1918 killed as many as 100 million people over two years. It was one of the deadliest disasters in history, and the one all subsequent pandemics are now compar

Hubsiino means Ascertainment or know something for sure. It is highly valued in Somali culture and cited in several proverbs such as Hubsiino hal baa la siistaa which means: To know something for sure, one would even give up a she-camel (most precious animal in the Somali animal kingdom). Another proverb “Ma hubsade Hanfade noqoy” states that those who are not willing to know something