Three days in a mall.

I spent the last three days in an upmarket mall in Cape Town taking blood pressures as part of Pharmacy Week.  This was a drive to make people more aware of the need to check, not only their blood pressures, but cholesterol, blood glucose, hearing and sight.  Many people participated and I enjoyed interacting with them, listening to what they had to say, educating and picking up vibes from them.  I discovered quite a few interesting things during my time there.  Firstly people are generally pretty clueless when it comes to basic measurements and normal levels. They are so used to simply letting a doctor tell them what is what, that they look no further and take little responsibility for their health. On one hand people believe that treatment that does not include drugs is balloney and on the other, people are finally questioning over-medicating without a holistic approach to them as human beings. People were quick to tell me that they had a genetic pre-disposition for disease because "it runs in the family" and many mentioned suffering 'white coat syndrome' as a reason for high blood pressure. I observed a glaring gap in the understanding that illness is, more often than not, caused by lifestyle rather than genetics and that mind and body are connected. Having said that, the trend is leaning toward people trying to live healthier lifestyles which is understood as going to gym and cutting out sugar, salt and carbohydrates. While this trend is positive, it is quite often taken to extremes. Some people asked for basic advice while others were resistant, almost aggressive. I noticed that the banting diet is hugely popular. The healthiest people I interacted with seemed to be relaxed and balanced in mind and body while the ones on the high risk side were either fanatical, anorexic male and female gym bunnies or paranoid hypochondriacs who listed ailments, medications and doctors with a sigh. I noticed that a certain sector of people are more inclined to listen to advice given by misinformed friends than healthcare professionals. My approach has always been to listen between the lines and observe all aspects of the person sitting in front of me. To include the patient in their health issues, I encourage them to answer their own questions. I have no right to assume or judge. One cannot treat one being the same as another. Sadly I met a lot of lonely and stressed people, some of whom had issues that nightmares are made of. Thankfully I was not too busy to make time for a little chat and a hug here and there.