Posted on 10/27/2010 12:58:17 AM PDT by thecodont
A little off the top, some spirited sports commentary, neighborhood gossip and a bit of man-to-man advice on domestic affairs: it’s all there at the barbershop, an institution that plays a beloved and central role in the African American community. Increasingly, in recent years, the black barbershop owner has become an influential source of health advice too. Public health officials and researchers have been actively enlisting his help in an effort to narrow gaping disparities in healthcare access and uptake that put black men at a deep disadvantage compared with whites.
And deputizing the barber—an already respected figure in many black men’s lives—to dispense solid health advice and steer his patrons toward medical care is a strategy that works, according to a study out Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The most recent study to find barbershops an effective place to address African American health issues looked at what works best. It found that for black men with high blood pressure, a barber can make some inroads just by offering to take a customer’s blood pressure and urge action if it’s high. But he can have twice the impact if he shepherds his clients toward a doctor’s care and rewards them for going.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
A bit interesting in the fact that I agree that going to a Doctor (and their high prices) is a real problem. I tend to think that these barbers have just as much information as the Doctors ever would and could provide better solutions.
Actually, today, the Internet provides just as much information as any Doctor does and so much cheaper. Maybe it is time to call Doctors online and forget about all but catastrophic problems - ie., Hospitals.
I know, wrong by almost all here or anywhere else, but I am anti-Doctor and anti-Hospital unless things are just too bad to ignore...
Doctors and Hospitals seem to either increase the problem or cause additional problems (my experience). Despise them all...(yes, I’m sure that will draw some ire)...
Narry a bit of mercy from the mercenaries?
Just how much do you have to pay someone to make them care?
Not just mercenary attitudes...
Doctors offices have a high degree of passing along other infectious problems due to poor hygiene.
Hospitals also have poor hygiene problems which cause a high rate of infections that we did not have when we entered.
All in all, it seems to be a crap shoot if you go the the hospital.
Seems to me, the best idea is to stay away from Doctors and Hospitals unless absolutely necessary.
Avoiding blood pressure checks is very dangerous.
Yes... it is always something. I stand by my previous statement...stay away from Doctors and Hospitals, you will be better off in the long run. Get information from the internet and proceed cautiously - only if it is an emergency, then see a Doctor or go the the Hospital.
That is my recommendation and it will not change. Have seem too many of my friends and relatives killed by these folks...
It is not that it is intentional, it is just simply that diseases flourish in theses places and their precautions are simply inadequate - it is best to stay away.
This can't be good, especially for younger people (under 50). I'm nearing that age of 50 and I've only had a couple of prescriptions my entire life, no more than a week or two, one was an antibiotic for a sinus infection and another was a painkiller for a strained back (that I only took for a few days and threw the rest out).
I walk several miles a day, every day (having a dog helps motivate you to get out there) and while I'm not a zealot about my diet, I do eat well and avoid fast food and junk food as much as possible.
I realize I'm more fortunate than most but I truly believe in staying away from the doctor as much as possible and avoiding getting caught up in the prescription drug merry-go-round.
Yes, I understand that I’m at odds with most here...
I think you have the right idea though - stay away unless absolutely necessary - my idea actually. It is unfortunately factual that you will have much more likelihood of catching something at the Doctor’s office or the Hospital than you would if you stayed at home...
So yes, go if you have to but remember that you increase your chances of catching other infections or diseases.
It's clearly the 1st step in a leftist ploy meant to justify step 2 (which is guaranteed to follow) another REDISTRIBUTE of the wealth (tax payer's money) to the black barbers & beauticians - and justify it as health service.
Keep your eyes open for the grants and community programs to fund such a "vital part of health care service in the black community." To do any less would clearly be "racist."
You are 100% correct. This has “government program money” written all over it, especially as it has a “cool” story attached to it which drone-cog, office robots can discuss around the water cooler. I can hear them now... “Hey, did you hear about black barbers? Yeah, they did a study...”
The article assumes that the trusted relationship of the black man with the barber will remain intact when the barber becomes just one more public service announcement.
Not counting the true criminal element, there are a lot of black men who don’t want a nanny state, either. They rightly resent plantation-style paternalism. More than we think are potential allies.
This is the most condescending story I think I’ve ever read. The fact that they can print this with no criticism amazes me. Imagine if this story were about us; that we are too stupid to get medical care when needed but our barbers have enough influence on our lives to convince us to. I don’t even entirely trust my barber to cut what’s left of my hair, much less for medical advise.
ObamaCare for the masses.....all the way forward to the 16th century...medical advice from your barber!!!
So then what? A new government program to give blood pressure devices to Black barbers? Every Black barber is required to give a talk about the evils of fast food?
After the first law suit, barbers will be required to go to forced training on how to use the blood pressure gauges?
What if a White barber cuts a Black’s hair? Still do the blood pressure?
What if a Black barber cuts a White’s hair? Still do the blood pressure?
If this is done only for Black barbers, it is discriminatory and unconstitutional.
How does the barber reward the customer for going to a doctor? Free eyebrow trim?
You don’t need a crystal ball to tell you why black men suffer from high blood pressure and diabetes. Two words: DI-ET
I think that extrapolating to all sorts of possibilities misses the point.
All the barber needs to do is to buy an automatic blood pressure cuff and make it available. That’s all that is necessary. Any one who wants to and given the opportunity, many if not most will check their blood pressure.
The problem arises in what to do once the fact of hypertension is learned. It is then probably necessary to get real medical help to make it lower.
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