A Physical is Never Just a Physical

“A physical is never just a physical here at Birmingham,” repeats our nurse daily. A large number of people first attend the clinic for the sole purpose of getting a physical needed for a job or a driver’s license. More often than not, it seems, these individuals leave with numerous diagnoses, referrals, and a long list of medications. Ahead of depression, substance use, diabetes, and asthma, high blood pressure is the primary diagnosis for more than a quarter of Birmingham Clinic patients. New patients are often in a state of shock or denial upon learning that they have it. “I think your machine is broken” is a common first response to this news.

“Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood” (National Institute of Health). Normal blood pressure is “120 over 80,” written 120/80. The “top number,” or systolic pressure, is the force of blood against the arteries when the heart beats. The “bottom number,” or diastolic pressure, is the force of blood against the arteries when the heart is at rest between beats (NIH). High blood pressure, also called hypertension, occurs when the force of the blood pushing against the walls of the arteries is higher than normal. Numerous factors contribute to it, including other medical conditions (such as diabetes), family history (including genetics, age, and sex), and everyday behaviors (diet and exercise). The month of May has been recognized as High Blood Pressure Awareness Month since 1972 (NIH).

One of the many reasons our patients may not know they have high blood pressure is because they do not experience any signs or symptoms from it. However, the effects of the condition can be extremely serious. They include increased risk of heart attack and heart failure as well as increased likelihood for stroke, aneurism, kidney disease, and eye damage (NIH). Thanks in part to blood pressure awareness campaigns, public knowledge, treatment, and hypertension management among people with high blood pressure has increased since the 1970s. However, the prevalence rate remains staggering. 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. has high blood pressure, and hypertension is a contributing factor for 1,000 deaths each day (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Between health visits, medications, and time taken off from work, the economic costs of hypertension are $46 billion annually (NIH).

There is no quick and easy solution to lowering your blood pressure, but there are community resources available to begin addressing it. At Birmingham Clinic, we provide free on-site medications with extensive pharmacy counseling on proper use, DASH diet information (see below to read more about Dietary Solutions to Stopping Hypertension), and nutrition education counseling. The first step to lowering your blood pressure, however, is to find out that your blood pressure is high. So get it checked, and tell the people you care about to get theirs checked too.