Don’t be your own “Health Disparity”

As many of you are aware I am on the front line of medicine daily. I have a busy family medicine practice and see 99% African American patients (females 55% and males 45%). Most of the folk I see have some sort of insurance so that is not an issue.

Recently I evaluated a young AA female who came in for questionable hypertension. She thought she was leading a healthy lifestyle but had not connected the dots regarding her weight, her daily trips to the fast food restaurant and her infrequent exercise. She ate very little fruits and vegetables. She liked salt but did not use it often. She did not smoke or drink. She has a strong family history of hypertension and in fact her father already had experienced a stroke. Her blood pressure was up and down but she was not sure if her high blood pressure readings were associated with her headaches. She went on to tell me that she did not have hypertension and, if she did, she only wanted to take medications for a short period of time and not the rest of her life. Besides, she felt that she was healthy and not much was wrong with her lifestyle. She saw the physician for GYN examinations only.

By now you should have noticed a few attributes of denial that this lady has about her lifestyle and hypertension.

Your health is your responsibility. Lack of wellness can lead to early medical problems that sometimes can be prevented or delayed. Denial can kill you.

I am Dr. Thaddeus John Bell, closing the gap in health care.