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Dr. Thomas Horton Presents Public
Health Lecture On Hypertension
“Hypertension” (often referred to as the “Silent Killer”) was
the focus of a public health lecture at Northeast Alabama
Community College (NACC) on February 18 as part of a series of
free public lectures on health issues for people in the
College’s service area. The lecture was presented by Dr. Thomas
Horton. Approximately 250 people were in attendance.
Dr. Horton was introduced by NACC President, Dr. David Campbell,
who said, “We appreciate your being here today for our series of
presentations on health issues. The origin of these
presentations is in the name of the building that we are in –
the health education center, which houses our health care
programs.
“In addition to housing our health care programs and providing
training for our students, we also want Northeast and this
building to be a center for information on health care issues
that affect our students, faculty, staff, and the community.
This is another way that we hope we can improve health and the
quality of life for all those which Northeast serves.” He
thanked Susan Barron for putting the lecture series together.
“We are very pleased to have Dr. Thomas Horton with us today as
our speaker,” stated Campbell. “He will discuss a very important
health care concern – hypertension.
“Dr. Horton is one of our outstanding local physicians. His
office is Family Practice in Rainsville. This is a family
practice medical clinic that he established. He also is on the
staff of DeKalb Regional Medical Center.
“He is a native of Mississippi and graduated from the University
of Mississippi Medical Center. He completed his family practice
residency at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Horton is board
certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and is a
fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians.”
Horton, formerly a professor at the University of Mississippi
Medical School, used a PowerPoint presentation to discuss
facts and statistics on many topics including the definition,
complications, risk factors, prevention, and treatment of
hypertension. Following the presentation, he answered several
questions from the audience concerning the topic.
Horton explained that most people really can’t tell they have
high blood pressure. There are no early warning signs or
symptoms. The normal blood pressure reading has been 120/80, but
new studies show that a more desired reading should be 100/60.
Readings are supposed to be variable. There is no defined stroke
range and there is no magic number for a pressure reading. The
size of the cuff matters; it must cover two-thirds of the upper
arm area. Blood pressure will usually affect the kidneys more
than the heart.
Risk factors include congenital anomalies, smoking, obesity,
cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obstructive processes (kidney
stones, tumors, etc.). Prevention includes maintaining optimal
weight, exercising, stopping smoking, controlling glucose,
controlling lipids, and checking blood pressure regularly.
Treatment involves one or more of the following: limiting
sodium, diuretics, beta blockers, alpha blockers, ACE
inhibitors/ARB, calcium channel blockers, and centrally acting
agents. Medications for high blood pressure, he noted, are like
any others in that they can have side effects, but the key is
finding the medication and dosage that is just right for the
person. When administered properly, these medications can be
highly effective.
Horton advises limiting the use of salt; it is usually a habit
to consume it. He also advises a look at lifestyles. “Get into a
regular exercise program to lose weight and tone muscles,” he
suggested. “Stay away from the bad lifestyle of excessive
alcohol and tobacco use. Get plenty of rest and do nothing in
excess. Doing things in moderation just makes good sense. Take
good care of yourself.” Horton noted that our area, like many
parts of the South, does have a higher than average hypertension
rate. He attributed this high rate to the types of foods
southerners eat, as well as problems with obesity, and lack of
exercise.
Following numerous questions from students, Dr. David Campbell,
President of Northeast, stated, “We thank Dr. Horton for being
with us today. He has given us some very valuable information
and put a lot of work into this presentation. Thank you all for
being here.”
For more information about the Health Care public lecture
series, contact Susan Barron, Director of Events Planning, at
barrons@nacc.edu or phone
ext. 248.
Welcoming Dr. Thomas Horton to the NACC
campus are, pictured left to right, Susan Barron, Director of
Events Planning at NACC; Jacob Holcomb, NACC Student majoring in
the health care field; Dr. Horton; and Dr. David Campbell, NACC
President.
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