COMMUNITY HEALTH CORNER With Chief Pharmacist, Lindsay Youd at Thrifty White Pharmacy inside Bethany on 42nd in Fargo May is National High Blood Pressure Education Month High blood pressure is sometimes called the "silent killer as there are usually no symptoms. Understanding your blood pressure numbers is the key to controlling i What is high blood pressure? Blood pressure is the force of the blood pushing against the artery wals. Each time the heart beats, it is pumping blood into these arteries. This results in the highest blood pressure when the heart contracts and is pumping the blood. High blood pressure, or hypertension, directly increases the risk of coronary heart disease theart attack) and stroke (brain attack). With high blood pressure, the arteries may have an increased resistance against the fow of blood, causing the heart to pump harder to circulate the blood. Two numbers are used to measure blood pressure. The number on the top, the systolic pressure, refers to the pressure inside the artery when the heart contracts and is pumping the blood through the body. The number on the bottom, the diastolic pressure, refers to the pressure inside the artery when the heart is at rest and is filling with blood. Both the systolic and diastolic pressures are recorded as mm Hg (millimeters of mercury). Blood pressure is categorized as normal, elevated or stage 1 or stage 2 high blood pressure SYSTOLIC mm Hg upper number) Less than 120 120-129 130-139 BLOOD PRESSURE CATEGORY DASTOLIC mm Hg Normal Elevated High Blood Pressure and Less than 80 Les than 80 80-89 and (Hypertension) Stage 1 High Blood Pressure 140 or Higher 90 or higher Hypertensive Crisis Higher than 180 and'or Higher than 120 Consult your doctor immediately) What are the symptoms of high blood pressure? Often, people with high blood pressure do not have noticeable symptoms. If the blood pressure is greatly elevated, a person may experience the following Headache, Dizziness, Blurred vision. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently, The symptoms of high blood pressure may resemble other medical conditions or problems. Always talk with your healthcare provider for a diagnosis Free blood pressure checks at your local Thrifty White Pharmacy! O Employee Owned THREE LOCATIONS IN RWhieFARGO AND WEST FARGO PHARMACY TO SERVE YOUr Inside Bethany on 42nd 4255 30+Ave S. Fargo, ND 701.478-8122 Store Hours: M-F: 9am-6pm Sat: 9am- 6pm Sun: Noon 5pm Sat: 9am 4pm Sun: Noon 5pm Sat: 9am 4pm Sun: 11am 4pm Inside Family Fare 1100 13th Ave. East West Fargo, ND 701.281.5695 Store Hours: M-F: 9am-9pm Inside Cash Wise 1401 33 Street SW Fargo, ND 701-235-5511 Store Hours: M-F: 9am-9pm BUY ONLNE CilineDrugstoreww.oinedrugtore com