Everyone has a Blood Pressure.
It is needed to make your blood flow around your body. The heart produces pressure, like a pump, and away it goes, just like water in a pipe!
It goes up and down during the day, depending on what you are doing. Exercise, pain, illness, stress, sleep, all affects blood pressure in different ways.
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) is when your blood pressure stays higher than needed, even when you are relaxed and sitting quietly.
High Blood pressure is quite common in NZ.
Nearly 1 in 5 people have it.
Almost half are not even aware of it because high blood pressure usually doesn't have any symptoms, until it causes damage.
It is important to treat high blood pressure, before any symptoms occur.
The Heart Foundation of NZ say an ideal blood pressure is 120/75 or less, some people naturally sit slightly above or below this.
High Blood pressure is classed as 140/90 or higher consistently.
Continued high blood pressure can cause damage: Stroke, Heart attack, Heart failure, Kidney damage and eye damage are all common with uncontrolled high blood pressure. Even if you feel fine with high blood pressure, we urge you to get it undercontrol, because it is all fine and dandy, until it isnt.
Blood Pressure checks are important as you age (over 40s I'm Talking to you)
Especially if you:
All these things push your blood pressure up, and can contribute to the problem. You can even purchase blood pressure meters which are easy to use, push button, and you can have at home!
High Blood Pressure must be controlled, this means a healthy lifestyle. And for some people, medicines.
Luckily, there are things you can do to help reduce your blood pressure.
Medicines can control high blood pressure, but they will not cure it.
Take them at the same time each day, and do not stop taking them suddenly. If you want to come off them, or change them in any way, chat to your doctor or pharmacist first, so we can give you a safe way to do it.
They should not make you feel rubbish, so if they are, speak to your doctor or come in for a chat. Some medicines can suit your friend or family member but not suit you. Everyone reacts differently. There are sooooo many types out there these days, which is what we are here for! No question is too small . So ask away!
Some natural remedies can also be beneficial to reduce your blood pressure and support your circulation.
If you are already on Blood Pressure medication and want to look at natural products, come in for a chat just so we can reccomend products that will not interfere with your current medicines. There are heaps to choose from! Ginger, Co-Enzyme Q10, Fish Oil, Garlic and Magnesium all show promising results in respect of High Blood Pressure.
Overall, blood pressure can be managed, lived with and controlled with excellent results. Just look around! So many of your freinds, family members, and work colleagues are all living with it, and you probably don't even realise!
When it is ignored or uncontrolled, that is when devastating health outcomes are all too common.
Knowledge is power people.
Ever had a cold, flu or chest infection, and just when you are feeling better, BANG, you are hit with an annoying, dry, unproductive cough?
Shouldn't you be better by now?!
Not to mention the looks you get when coughing in this day and age!
Bad news is, this cough is caused by irritated airways after being sick, and to make it worse, it is even worse with cold air and cold drinks, which can set off a coughing frenzy!
Kids and adults all suffer from it, and at worse, it can stick around for 3 to 8 weeks, (some call it the 100 day cough!), if the coughing fits are especially bad, they can occasionally (especially in kids) result in vomiting.
The good news is that you can treat the symptoms.
If you are concerned about your cough, or your kids coughs, come in for a chat, we can point you in the right direction and give you some tips to help combat this annoying cough.
Yep it's that time of year again parents! All the kids playing inside with heads together is a perfect "super spreader" event for headlice!
Forget the Covid Protests, if they want to see something spread quickly, watch 1 kid with headlice playing with all the others in the class, in winter with thier heads together!!
Luckily we can help. Pop in, we do this all the time!
There is everything from Super Potent to All Natural, hit it anyway you like.
We even have some pretty nifty new machines that vacume up the headlice, straight off the hair!
Incredible.
Still, rather not have them at all aye, thats where repellants come in handy. You can buy these or you can add a few drops of Tea Tree Oil to conditioner, or a spray bottle with water. Those pesky Kutus will be running the other way. Spray into the hair once or twice a week to keep them at bay.
We are an independently owned pharmacy in the heart of the Hauraki Plains. A small but bright, bubbly and cheerful team of people who can help you with prescription services, as well as over the counter medicines, gifts, makeup and so much more!
