Dr. Frita is the founder and president of Midtown Atlanta Nephrology PC. She is a vibrant, witty and striking 6-foot-tall Atlanta physician who is triple board-certified in nephrology, internal medicine and pediatrics. She is a philanthropist, businesswoman and a dynamic, humorous speaker. Dr. Frita is also a soon-to-be-published author.
Why did you title your book Under Pressure?
I wrote it during this time in particular because we’ve all been living in this pandemic, which we thought would be over by now. So we’re under pressure in many ways. Many of us have lost loved ones and lost jobs and lost relationships. But just because the focus has been COVID-19, other problems are still occurring. High blood pressure is still a leading cause of heart disease, strokes, kidney failure or going on dialysis. So when you’re under pressure, and you have that stress, it can cause those stress hormones to surge. So you have high cortisol, high adrenaline, the blood vessels tighten and you have high blood pressure. So now you’re under pressure from hypertension, which can lead you out of this life where you’re no longer able to be here for your family or to be here for yourself.
How will families be able to use this book?
I talk about real experiences with patients and I put things in layman’s terms. I bring up real barriers and real scenarios that I’ve experienced with people as far as controlling blood pressure. I’m glad that you mentioned family because a lot of times when there’s one identified patient, like the person with high blood pressure, then that person’s like, “Okay, I’ll cook this for my family. I’ll have a low salt diet, and I’ll let them eat pork without eating something plant-based.” But that’s not the way to go. Even if everyone does not have a diagnosis, that’s the perfect timing you want for the family to approach it.
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