Women's clinics planned

Waimarino Bulletin, Issue 7, 2 September 1988, Page 26

Women's clinics planned

The Waimarino Community Health Watch Committee is planing to hold two "Well Women" Clinics in the Waimarino in September. One in Ohakune and one in Raetihi. The clinics will offer such health screening services as blood pressure checks, height and weight, blood glucose (for diabetics), vision

and hearing, breast examination and cervical smear testing. Information on topics such as contraception, s e x u a 1 1 y transmitted diseases (STD's), breast self examination (BSE), alcohol and smoking, premenstrual tension (PMT) and menopause will also be available. Everyone has blood pressure, which rises with exercise, excite-

ment, fear or anger. However, these rises are only temporary and are quite natural. High blood pressure, or hypertension, means that a person's blood pressure is always above the normal range, even at rest. Many people who are cairn, unrattled, and even tempered suffer from hypertension. About one adult in five has raised blood pressure and most feel perfectly h e a 1 t h y . Headaches, giddiness, and fatigue can be caused by high blood pressure, but more often are nothing to do with it, but related to anxiety. In most sufferers the cause of hypertension is unknown. It can run in families or be caused by certain kidney and glandular diseases. Being overweight increases the risk of high blood pressure, as does drinking alcohol excessively and smoking. A high salt-intake is also a factor. The higher the blood pressure, the more work your heart has to do. The extra load may lead to enlargement of the heart which causes no problem for a time, but eventually the heart becomes weaker and fails to function efficiently. High blood pressure is a major cause o f hardening or narrowing of the arteries. If you also have high blood fats or smoke cigarettes the chances of artery trouble are even greater. The body organs most at risk of artery damage are the heart and brain, eyes and kidney s. There is only one way to know whether you have high blood pressure. That is to get your blood pressure checked every five years until you are 40, every three years after 40, or more often if it is raised or borderline. If detected, successful control of blood pressure can be achieved in most cases.