Do you know your numbers? What’s your blood pressure? How’s your cholesterol?
Most American adults can tell you their salary, their anniversary or their grandchildren’s birthdays, but most adults cannot tell you their blood pressure or cholesterol level. If you want to stay healthy, you’ve got to know your numbers!
It’s important to know your numbers so that you can see if you are at risk for heart disease or have high blood pressure. High blood pressure, or hypertension as it’s called by health care professionals, occurs in 30 percent of American adults and over 40 percent of African American adults. Because high blood pressure is called the silent killer, meaning that it has no symptoms, it’s important to find out as early as possible if your blood pressure is high. Left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to heart disease, kidney failure, vision problems, and other conditions. And, the longer, high blood pressure goes untreated, the more damage it causes.
The good news is that high blood pressure can usually be controlled. Your health care provider may suggest healthy lifestyle changes, such as:
•Lose weight or maintain a healthy weight
•Quit smoking
•Get moving!— Get a moderate amount of physical activity most days of the week
•Limit your salt intake— get the salt shaker off your table and avoid highly processed foods and fast food
•Practice portion control
If your blood pressure is too high or not controlled by healthy lifestyle changes, your health care provider may prescribe a medication for you. It is important that you take the medicine exactly as it was prescribed to you and not skip or cut doses on your own. If you experience any side effects from taking the medication, talk to your doctor about changing to another medication if possible.
High blood pressure or high cholesterol doesn’t have to control you. You can be in control! The first step is to find out if you are at risk by having your blood pressure and cholesterol checked.
Join us at the free University of Maryland Medical System “Fall Back to Good Health” event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, October 20, 2017 at Mondawmin Mall. Experts will be on-site for free blood pressure, cholesterol and vision checks and flu shots. Be sure to also stop by our diabetes awareness and prevention zone. There will also be line dancing and other fun activities, and you can groove to the music on Magic 95.9, which will be broadcasting live.
Nothing is more important than your health and the health of your family. So come out to Mondawmin Mall on October 20— we want to help you take charge of your health!
To learn more, visit the website: http://www.umm.edu/about/community or call 1-800-492-5538.
Get screened. Get the facts. Get healthy.