For various reasons, men visit the doctor or seek medical advice less than women, especially young men. As this week is Men’s Health Week, we want to encourage our silent men to visit their doctor or pharmacist to speak to them about a silent killer, high blood pressure. Here’s how one of our pharmacists encouraged a young man to take his blood pressure medications.
A Story Straight from the Pharmacy
A young man came into the pharmacy with his partner for a blood pressure medication. It was clear that his partner had made him go to see the doctor and to fill in the script. Needless to say, he was not very serious about controlling his blood pressure.
Seeing this, the pharmacist took the young man aside and before giving him the blood pressure medications, spoke to the young man about how important it was to keep his blood pressure low and controlled. The pharmacist told him that high blood pressure increased the risk of complications including stroke which in turn could lead to paralysis or even death.
Whilst this conversation took only around 5 to 10 minutes, it was enough to give the young man a scare. Having a better understanding of why it was important to control his high blood pressure now, even though he felt fine and had no symptoms, he promised the pharmacist and his partner that he will take his blood pressure medications and get his blood pressure checked at least once a month at the pharmacy until it was controlled.
Why men need to control their high blood pressure
Ischaemic heart disease, also known as coronary heart disease, was the leading health issue and cause of death amongst Australian men and includes angina, heart attacks and blocked arteries of the heart. Some men are at higher risk than others due to their age, family history and ethnicity, none of which can be modified. Other risks which we can control include high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and overweight and obesity.
Blood pressure is one of the easiest of these modifiable risk factors to have checked. Besides booking in to see your doctor to get it measured, you can also get your blood pressure taken and recorded at the pharmacy. Alternatively, you may wish to monitor it yourself at home with a blood pressure monitors.
Men, if you are at risk of high blood pressure, take action now, get your blood pressure measured and get it under control. Women, encourage and support the men in your life to have their blood pressure measured and controlled.
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You may be interested in:
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Australian Government Department of Health
Australian Bureau of Statistics