By Karen Kier
Pharmacist on behalf of the ONU HealthWise team
Tom Hanks starred in the 2019 biographical drama about Mr. Fred Rogers titled A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was a television staple for children from 1968 until the last episode in 2001. The program was filmed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania near Fred Rogers’ hometown of Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
Fred Rogers was a shy, overweight child who was frequently bullied by classmates. Fred took these life experiences, both good and bad, to try and develop a deeper understanding of people. Journalist Tom Junod became a friend of Rogers after being assigned an interview with him for Esquire magazine. Tom was amazed at how quickly the relationship developed out of pure kindness from Fred Rogers. He was noted to say that Mr. Rogers really wanted to know what you had to say and how you felt. Junod noted the authenticity of Fred Rogers.
Mr. Rogers’ wanted to be your neighbor, he wanted to be your friend, and he was proud of you (listen to his songs)! He made you feel special right through the television. Tom Junod commented in an interview years later that “he (Mr. Rogers) used that power to do good”.
Why all of this chatter about being a friend and doing good? Because it is good for your health!
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A study published on March 27, 2023 in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science demonstrated the benefits on your physical health with strong and steady friendships. Researchers from the University of California at San Francisco designed a study to measure emotions, stress, and physical changes though an app downloaded onto a smartphone. The app used an optic sensor to measure heart rate, systolic blood pressure (top number), and diastolic blood pressure (bottom number) in the over 4,000 participants in the study.
Each participant was sent a notification three times per day to place their finger over the sensor for 30 seconds to get accurate readings. After each sensor reading, the study subjects were asked to provide answers to questions relating to stress and coping. Every third day, they also received an additional set of questions relating to relationships both good and bad.
The questions prompted them to think about the people in their life whom they were closest to including a spouse, friends, and family members. Questions were directed at both positive and negative experiences including conflicts.
For study subjects with greater levels of negative relationship experiences, the researchers noted they had more stress, poor coping skills, a greater stress-to-coping ratio, and higher blood pressure readings. Both the systolic and diastolic blood pressures were elevated with the highest increase in the diastolic pressure.
Those participants with positive relational experiences showed the exact opposite with lower stress, better coping, and lower blood pressure readings. Interestingly, those subjects who fluctuated between positive and negative relationships had a lower overall effect than those with primarily negative relationships. The researchers believed those who fluctuated between the two experiences received some benefit in the positive relationships and were able to overcome some of the negative aspects.
An elevated blood pressure has some serious effects on our health. The American Heart Association provides a list of consequences to high blood pressure. These include stroke, heart attack, heart failure, vision loss, kidney failure, and sexual dysfunction. The American College of Cardiology in conjunction with the American Heart Association considers a normal blood pressure to be less than 120 mmHg for systolic and less than 80 mmHg for the diastolic.
In recent years, experts have revised blood pressure goals back to the 120/80 with more study evidence proving better control has significant health advantages. A March 20, 2023 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Neurology demonstrated more intensive blood pressure lowering with medication can significantly reduce the risk of stroke and recurrent cardiovascular disease.
Develop those strong positive relationships and follow the advice of Mr. Fred Rogers. Be a kind and caring good neighbor! Use your power to do good! It will help your blood pressure and your health.
ONU HealthWise can help too! We are always happy to measure your blood pressure to make sure you are at the goal of 120/80 mmHg. Ask us how to enroll in a telehealth blood pressure study with take home devices. Maybe you need help with your blood pressure medications. We can do that too!
It is important to develop strong relationships with your healthcare professionals so they can keep you healthy.
One final quote from Mr. Rogers. “You’ve made this day a special day by just your being you. There’s only one person in the whole world like you and people can like you just because you’re you.”
ONU HealthWise is offering COVID-19 vaccines as well as flu shots Monday-Friday from 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Bivalent COVID-19 vaccines are available. Clinics are Monday-Friday from 4:00-6:00 p.m. Please call the pharmacy for information.
ONU HealthWise Pharmacy
