Dr. Silvia Amesty, MD, MPH MSEd, a physician at New York-Presbyterian Hospital’s Young Men’s Clinic talks about why young men need to think about everything they put in their bodies as well as the importance of regular checkups.
Q: High blood pressure (hypertension) is a big problem in Northern Manhattan. Can you tell us how a young man might recognize the signs of this disease and know when to see a doctor to get himself checked out?
A: High blood pressure (hypertension) is a very big issue in our clinic. A lot of the young men we see have problems with it. They may not have hypertension yet, but if they do not take steps to improve their health, they will get hypertension in the future.
The big problem with high blood pressure (hypertension) is that it doesn’t give you many symptoms. Often, the only way to know whether or not you have it is by going to see the doctor. Because of that, we see many men in our clinic who already have hypertension but have not been diagnosed because they haven’t seen a doctor in years. Living with hypertension can do a lot of damage to important organs in your body, so it is really important to make sure young men get checked for it before any damage is done. Hypertension can be controlled with medication and can even be prevented by changing your diet and exercising.
Click here to learn more about how to change your diet and exercise to prevent hypertension.
We also do a lot of research at the clinic, aimed at finding out ways to prevent people from getting high blood pressure (hypertension). We help them with what they are eating, for example using less salt , and adding more exercise into their schedules, to lower their chances of getting hypertension.
Q: What are the most important things a man can do to stay healthy, other than just getting regular checkups?
A: Young men need to think more about everything they’re putting in their bodies, including what they are eating, drinking, and smoking. This may be difficult to do, but it is very important to be aware of how you are treating your body in order to stay healthy. In general, men should find time once a year to go to their healthcare provider or clinic to get a physical exam and discuss ways to take care of their health.
dmitrytouro July 26, 2024 - 2:07pm
As a person in his early twenties, I know from experience first-hand that when I eat junk food, I usually don't feel well afterward, including feeling bloated. I can only imagine how eating fried food or food that's high in sodium and fat on a daily basis can negatively affect one's health. And yet, junk food is plentiful, cheap, and offered at many places, so when I'm walking around Harlem area, I constantly see young people eating it. I agree with the article's point that many people, and perhaps even more true for young people, do not make the connection that eating junk food regularly as part of the diet can lead to a long term problem like hypertension, and discovering the condition on your own is unlikely unless you see a doctor regularly for check-up. More needs to be done to teach young people in particular how their careless dietary choices can have serious health consequences.