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6483. thoughtful - 4/20/2005 7:05:01 PM Concerned, re your bp, one interesting piece of info i picked up somewhere had to do with aging arteries. As we get older, the spread between the systolic (high number) and the diastolic (low number) gets larger. This is because as we age or suffer arteriosclerosis, our arteries become less flexible and less able to contract to keep our blood pressure up on the downbeat. So while the diastolic number may appear in good range with little to worry about, it's the systolic one that needs to be paid attention to.
Here's the latest on the appropriate ranges from the amer heart assn
The new classification – “prehypertension” – describes people with blood pressures between 120-139 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) systolic (the top number in a blood pressure reading) or 80-89 mm Hg diastolic (bottom number).
“We have thought of blood pressures under 140/90 mm Hg as being okay,” says Daniel W. Jones, M.D., the American Heart Association representative on the JNC VII committee and the incoming dean of the school of medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. Jones is currently the executive associate dean. “The evidence is now clear that those in the prehypertension range are at higher risk than those with lower blood pressures and are much more likely to move into the hypertension range where medication is required. But lifestyle changes can help those with prehypertension.”
6484. arkymalarky - 4/20/2005 7:40:59 PM Con'd, Bob eats lots of Kashi Seven Grain puffed cereal, usually mixed with low-fat yogurt, for a snack. It's the best of the cereals, including the other Kashi kinds, that he's found. He also eats kippers, string cheese, and nuts. He will eat things like turnip greens right out of the can (yuck). He doesn't do much wrt sweets at all, and his blood sugar and blood pressure (and heart rate) are all excellent. 6485. arkymalarky - 4/20/2005 7:41:44 PM Bob also eats prunes and bananas, and rarely any other fruit, and no juices. 6486. robertjayb - 4/20/2005 8:02:46 PM Blogger Ezra Klein is doing a series of reports on various healthcare systems. So far he has covered France, England, and Canada with plans for Australia and Germany.
Here's France... 6487. robertjayb - 4/20/2005 8:09:16 PM More Ezra Klein:
The Health of Nations: England... 6488. robertjayb - 4/20/2005 8:16:00 PM The Health of Nations: Oh, Canada! 6489. concerned - 4/22/2005 12:47:52 AM thanks, thoughtful and arky. You've given me a significant amount to consider.
Btw, there's a couple things I didn't notice Klein considering here - relative malpractice insurance costs and patient rights. Could countries with socialized medicine such as France keep their medical expenses so low if their society was as litigious as ours, assuming they allowed similar patient rights? I doubt it.
Also, Klein's math is a little rusty. Two thirds less is not '300%' less; it's 66.66.....6% less. 6490. arkymalarky - 4/22/2005 12:54:27 AM A couple of other things that have really helped Bob maintain low blood sugar and his weight loss: He walks three to four miles a day and drinks a glass of brandy every evening. 6491. arkymalarky - 4/22/2005 12:55:49 AM Got my staples out today. I'm still very restricted until at least Monday. He told me I couldn't start walking, even at one mile a day, until at least Tuesday. No driving, lifting, etc, until then, either. 6492. arkymalarky - 4/22/2005 12:57:00 AM BTW, for my recuperation present I requested a Playstation Personal. I got a pair of Reebok walking shoes. 6493. robertjayb - 4/22/2005 5:10:11 AM Passing the health care buck...(Paul Krugman)
The United States spends far more on health care than other advanced countries. Yet we don't appear to receive more medical services. And we have lower life-expectancy and higher infant-mortality rates than countries that spend less than half as much per person. How do we do it?
An important part of the answer is that much of our health care spending is devoted to passing the buck: trying to get someone else to pay the bills. 6494. alistairconnor - 4/22/2005 9:22:57 AM Could countries with socialized medicine such as France keep their medical expenses so low if their society was as litigious as ours, assuming they allowed similar patient rights? I doubt it.
Patient rights...
You seem to be asserting, Con, that American patients have rights that French patients don't? What rights would they be?
French patients have the right to sue their doctors if they want to, and that's on the increase, unfortunately. But still relatively rare : victims of medical accidents are, in general, adequately, if not generously, looked after by the public system; and courts are not generous in their awards to patients, at least not compared to the US. 6495. robertjayb - 4/22/2005 8:27:07 PM More Ezra Klein:
The Health of Nations: Germany 6496. robertjayb - 4/22/2005 8:41:44 PM Medical Malpractice Policy: France...(Electoral Math) 6497. robertjayb - 4/22/2005 8:47:59 PM Law and Medicine: United Kingdom...(Electoral Math) 6498. robertjayb - 4/22/2005 8:53:54 PM Law and Medicine: Germany...(Electoral Math) 6499. jexster - 4/23/2005 2:31:58 AM The United States spends far more on health care than other advanced countries. Yet we don't appear to receive more medical services. And we have lower life-expectancy and higher infant-mortality rates than countries that spend less than half as much per person. How do we do it?
By Passing the Buck - Krugman 6500. Magoseph - 4/26/2005 9:29:06 AM Have you ever heard of such a remedy for a Charlie horse?
The Olympics organizers used to teach their athletes the following method to almost immediately stop the pain of a Charlie horse. My family and I have been using it for over fifty years and I guarantee you that it works.
When the pain begins pinch your upper lip between your thumb and index finger. By upper lip I mean your upper lip including the bit of flesh between your two nostrils. Pinch it hard while simultaneously pulling down. This will hurt a bit but you will begin to almost immediately feel the Charlie horse subsiding. The only expanition I have for how it works is that it may be akin to Chinese acupuncture. But how it works is not important. What is important is that it does work.... 6501. Macnas - 4/26/2005 9:49:13 AM What is a charlie horse? 6502. Magoseph - 4/26/2005 9:56:01 AM Here's a Google's explanation, Mac.
Charley horse: A cramp in a muscle in the leg, usually caused by a strain or injury. A charley horse can last anywhere from a few seconds to a quarter of an hour, and occasionally longer. It is not uncommon for one to recur repeatedly before it finally goes away.
The term "charley horse" is generally believed to be American baseball slang. One story involves Charley (Old Hoss) Radbourn (1853-1897) who was rounding third base when he developed a cramp in his leg. As he limped home, a player asked, "What's the matter, Charley Hoss?" "My leg is tied up in knots." Charley replied. From then on, when a baseball player's leg cramped, he called it a charley horse.
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