London [United Kingdom]: Now paying a visit to barbershop can help men to lower high blood pressure.
Yes, you heard it right, as per new findings from the Smidt Heart Institute published Monday in the New England Journal of Medicine, having pharmacists deliver blood pressure care in barbershops resulted in lower blood pressure readings for many black men.
As per reports, Black men have high rates of high blood pressure – a top reading over 130 or a bottom one over 80.
The study was carried out on 319 black men with high blood pressure who frequented 52 barbershops in the Los Angeles area.
For the study, the men were randomly assigned to two groups. Men in the first group met with barbers who encouraged them to speak with specially trained pharmacists during their monthly barbershop appointments.
In the second group, barbers encouraged the men to seek advice from their respective primary care providers on treatment and lifestyle changes.
After a time phase of six months, almost 64 percent of the men who saw a pharmacist achieved healthy blood pressure, compared to others.
Now, the researchers are studying whether the initial blood pressure reductions can be sustained for another six months. (ANI)