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Measuring Your Blood Pressure Without A Doctor’s Visit
By M. A. Fulmar
Many people are ready and willing to have their blood pressure checked regularly, but they are uncertain about where to go to have it measured. If you visit your doctor a few times each year, you shouldn't have any trouble monitoring your blood pressure. Most doctors will check your blood pressure at every office visit.
Many doctors even encourage their patients to stop by the office for
blood pressure measurements anytime during office hours without having to make an appointment. The nurse can take your blood pressure and record it on your chart. However, not everyone has a family doctor or goes to a doctor regularly. Fortunately, you don't need to go to a doctor's office every time you want to measure your blood pressure.
Many sports centers, pharmacies and supermarkets have blood pressure monitoring machines that you can use free of charge. It only takes a minute or two to get your blood pressure reading.
Although these devices might not be quite as accurate as the blood pressure cuff at your doctor’s office, they work fine for a rough estimate. Try one the next time you visit your pharmacy or supermarket.
In addition to supermarkets and pharmacies, many fire stations have personnel and equipment for measuring blood pressure. The firemen or emergency medical technicians are usually more than happy to measure your blood pressure. In fact, some fire stations actually advertise this service to the public and encourage anyone to stop by for a quick check. County health departments also are perfect places for regular blood pressure measurements for anyone in the county. These services are usually free of charge for county residents.
People with busy schedules or strange work shifts often find it difficult to make special trips for blood pressure readings. In those cases, it might be easier or more practical to purchase a blood pressure device to use at home. Your doctor or pharmacist can tell you where you can buy a standard sphygmomanometer for home blood pressure measurements.
Most medical supply stores even carry electronic blood pressure devices. These electronic measuring devices are usually battery operated and are a bit easier to operate than the standard sphygmomanometers.
With electronic devices, you don't have to inflate and deflate the cuff and try to listen with the stethoscope all at the same time. The machine does all that for you. Either way, standard or electronic, home devices allow the convenience of quick and frequent blood pressure checks without ever having to leave your home.
Author Details:
M. A. Fulmar writes about medical matters for a number of sites including Simply Top Articles and Information Junkie.
Source: The A to Z of Blood Pressure
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