LEYTON: Shoppers given free health advice (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

LEYTON: Shoppers given free health advice

12:31pm Thursday 10th June 2010 in

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ABOUT 200 residents had their pulse checked outside a supermarket as part of Know Your Pulse Week.

This week, June 7-13, is Know Your Pulse week, a week aimed at raising awareness of the simple health check and to see more people diagnosed and treated for abnormal heartbeats.

NHS Waltham Forest trained 30 volunteers to help check the pulses of around 200 Leyton residents.

It took place at Asda in Leyton Mills on Monday.

“Knowing your pulse is one of the most effective ways to identify if you might be suffering from abnormal heart rhythm,” said Dr Ken Aswani.

“We are encouraging members of the public to have a better idea of what their ‘normal’ pulse is and to regularly check their pulse so that they can identify if there is anything unusual about it in the future. If they pick up an unusual pulse then they should talk to their doctor.”

Of the 200 people checked, ten were referred to their GP for further checks, said Afzal Akram, chair of NHS Waltham Forest.