Going to your doctor always starts with a blood pressure check. Blood brings needed nutrition and air to all the cells in our bodies, but blasting blood like a high-pressure washer can cause damage.
Even a bit of high pressure over time causes damage that can not be reversed – no different than blowing up a balloon. This is why it is so important to have your high blood pressure in a healthy range.
Keeping your arteries and vessels clear with a tuned heart, will help control blood pressure. However, blood pressure does naturally increase with age, and at least one in four Canadian adults requires antihypertensive medication. Do you know your average resting blood pressure? Are you tracking this regularly?
Did you know that high blood pressure contributes to the highest causes of death, hospitalizations, and medications in Canada?
Uncontrolled high blood pressure leads to cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, and stroke. But this is preventable if high blood pressure is caught and treated.
Regular monitoring can address problems early enough to treat easily and prevent irreversible damage to essential organs such as the kidney, liver, and heart.
Do not discount the damage that high blood pressure can do. You can’t feel or see the damage, so tracking and treating high blood pressure is the trick.
Blood pressure can be well controlled before damage is done. Unfortunately, many of us check the air in the tires of our cars more frequently than our blood pressure. You can easily turn that around!
If you do have high blood pressure, preventing further damage requires daily medication and regular monitoring. Small routine maintenance will keep your body working optimally and feeling great. Did you know that it just takes a couple of minutes per day to monitor your own blood pressure?
Your pharmacist can help you select a home blood pressure machine. Your pharmacist can also provide advice on how to take your medication properly, and review diet or lifestyle changes that can be easily managed. Preventative maintenance does mean keeping your arteries clear by staying active and eating healthy.
Blood pressure monitoring at home, alerts you to changes early, and helps you maintain your health. It’s a habit you want to get into. Home blood pressure machines are inexpensive, small, and portable. It’s so important to monitor blood pressure that even wearable devices are starting to offer solutions.
However, it is important to ensure you have an accurate measure of blood pressure – always verify the accuracy of your device. Your doctor and pharmacist will point you to proper high blood pressure measurement.
Remember, self-monitoring can not replace regular visits to your physician. Your pharmacist is always there to help you understand your blood pressure, monitoring, and medications.
