On November 16th, Dr. Cathy Wang joined us to provide practical tips to address the daunting reality that for 1 in 4 adult Canadians, high blood pressure is the #1 risk factor for stroke and a major risk factor for heart disease.
Cathy is a Clinical Instructor in UBC's Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science and the business owner and manager of 360Care Denman Pharmacy in Vancouver's West End - https://360carepharmacy.com.
High blood pressure, or "hypertension" is affected by two sets of risk factors:
- those things we can't control including our genetics, our age and gender; and
- risks we can control or influence, especially our nutrition, level of physical activity, and tobacco and alcohol use.
Pharmacies provide free access to blood pressure readers with simple instructions. So next time you're out and about picking up groceries, prescriptions, or a lottery ticket, take a moment to roll up your sleeve and give your heart a first and second thought!