"People of Mexico! I have good news! I am building a factory that will employ 2000 of you!"
"Good! You can screen us for high blood pressure and cover our health costs when we have strokes!"
"Uhhhhhh. People of Mexico! I have bad news ..."
Bush’s fault, of course.
What they fail to tell you here is that, like the Body Mass Index, the baseline numbers keep falling.
Twenty years ago, normal blood pressure was anything under 140/80. Now, the most desirable BP is 115/72-75.
That’s a worthy goal, but *I’m* left out without medication, and maybe not even then. My BP is controlled at an average of 130/85 give or take, and we’re steadily increasing the meds. I’ve been 140/90 uncontrolled since my late 20s when I worked a very physically demanding job, and was skinny as a rail.
Now that I’m on the business side of 60 (age 57), I’ve lost 16-20 pounds from my peak weight (depending on the day), in the last two months — and its still falling — but I’m considered a near basket-case by the doc. I like my doc, BTW; he’s a nice young guy and very conscientious AFAIC.
In addition, I exercise three days per week (Yoga) and try to walk 30 minutes per day — but I’m sill borderline obese, according to the charts. Yes, I’m overweight, but I don’t think I have a foot in the grave...
So, there ya go...