I work on the Workplace Fitness feature here at That's Fit, so I read all the time about health at work, and how employers can have major impacts on peoples lives when they make the efforts towards health and wellness programs. Case in point: a new study found that employees who participated in a health program through their job improved their blood pressure and diabetes management by 9% and 15% respectively. There were also other benefits for both employers and employees, such as decreased numbers of absenteeism and fewer and workplace accidents.

With the health care situation the way it is these days, and since healthier people cost less money, I should think employers would be all over this like white on rice. It is slowly catching on, though, so do ask about it at your work. If you have a program available to you then by all means take advantage! And if you don't, well then let your voice be heard that you'd like to see one.

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You may assume that if you're within the suggested weight range for your height and have a healthy BMI you're good to go in regards to certain weight-linked health issues like high blood pressure, but that might not necessarily be the case. New research shows that the risk for developing high blood pressure as a person ages is directly linked to weight -- the greater the weight the greater the risk -- even if you're within a "healthy" range.

But other known risk factors such as obesity, smoking, diabetes, and level of physical activity continue to be the biggest players in the development of high blood pressure. It's such a challenge to get to and stay at a healthy weight for most people that news like this is not fun to hear. I say you can only do so much -- if you're trying to live healthy, are within the recommended weight range/BMI, and you feel good then what else can you do?

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May is National High Blood Pressure Education Month! Yeah, it's not the most exciting theme, but it's still an important one. High blood pressure affects more than 65 million adults in the U.S. alone, and can lead to other deadly health conditions like heart disease, kidney failure, and stroke. Hypertension is generally defined as anything consistently above 140/90mm Hg, and is usually successfully treated with lifestyle changes, medications, or a combination of both.

The month just started, so there's still time to plan something in your area to help educate people about the realities and risks of high blood pressure, or at the very least take a close look at your own and your families health.

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High blood pressure, or hypertension, is commonly treated with diet and exercise, or medications, or both. But new research suggests there may be yet another option when all the "old stand-bys" fail. A new pacemaker-like device is still undergoing evaluation, but so far the results look promising -- through small electrical shocks into your carotid artery it "tricks" your body into thinking your pressure is higher than it really is, and so your system takes action to lower it.

I'm all for life-saving technology, and people who suffer from drug-resistant hypertension have very few options, but I can't help but be really creeped out by a device that sends electrical shocks through the blood vessels in a person's neck. I keep envisioning Frankenstein.

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