Once Upon a Time...

...when I was a baby doctor (not to be confused with a pediatrician) at Washington D.C. General Hospital, I had a patient from whom I learned a life lesson. He was in his forties and had moderately severe hypertension. Back then there were only a few meds available, and I was unable to get his pressure down. I presented this to my Chief who told me to put the patient in the hospital. "And do what?", I asked. "Just admit him," was the reply. I did, and within 36 hours the man had a normal blood pressure. Excited, I told the Chief who, in turn, said I could now discharge the patient. When I asked what would happen to the patient, the Chief told me that the man's pressure would quickly rise again and he would eventually die of a stroke.

Why, I asked, had I bothered to admit him. The Chief's answer still stays with me.

"So you could learn that the cause of high blood pressure is life."

Since then, there have been studies that have shown that blood pressure can be lowered in patients who give up TV, radio and newspapers. That is, pressure goes down when people have less exposure to the troubles of the world and all the angst around us. As someone once said (I paraphrase), "Life is too much with us."

You can keep your eye on the national debt for me today while listening to the newscasts on world economic disasters and the rest. Or, you could go for a nice paddle, even if it's just for an hour after work.

Paddle safe...
DS