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I (optimistically) imagine an alternative where society collectively realizes that hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and other trendy western "diseases" are

I (optimistically) imagine an alternative where society collectively realizes that hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and other trendy western "diseases" are largely preventable through diet and lifestyle. However, I agree with TrevorJ that it's more likely we'll bankrupt ourselves paying for sick-care instead. There's unfortunately not much money involved in prevention. Personally I find zapping my organs with electricity inferior to choosing better food. :) In the case of hypertension, some of the obvious actions are: Cut out processed foods with high sodium. Get plenty of heart healthy Omega3/6/9 oils (promotes blood vessel elasticity). Reduce caffeine and stop smoking (causes blood vessel constriction and hardening.) Drink plenty of hibiscus tea. Exercise and get to a reasonable body mass.

ComputerGuru 17y ago
I'm 20 and have hereditary hypertension. I've never smoked and I'm a health 160 lbs at 6ft... yet I've clocked in at 180/110 and doctors aren't sure what's causing it. Regular coffee drinkers don't experience any blood pressure fluctuations due to caffeine intake (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2488117.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2488117.stm) Thank god for treatments, because prevention isn't always possible.... and it's not always the person's fault that they're experiencing these issues.
- berntb 17y ago
  Stress can make a big difference for blood pressure. Trust me (and many others) on that. I had problems with burning out when I was young. I realized (after too many years) that I wasn't sensitive to stress -- I just couldn't relax during periods when I worked hard, so I was stressed all the time. Not good. Meditation exercises helped me. Yoga could probably work, too. Disclaimer: You might, of course, have a medical condition. Edit: Some grammar, hopefully clearer.
- absconditus 17y ago
  I don't believe rarrrrrr is advocating ending medical research. Most people with hypertension are not in the situation that you are. Diet and lifestyle changes are effective cures for many people, but they don't come in pill form.
- TrevorJ 17y ago
  Cases like this are exactly why we should have medical research and I applaud it. I am in the same boat you are in, with a genetic condition that a need medication for. The only point I'm making is that people who shouldn't 'need' the technology will get lazy becasue they know there is a safety net out there that can allow them to treat their bodies like crap and still make it to 70. There's nothing we can do about that, but it's just a fact of human nature for some people I think.

ComputerGuru 17y ago

I'm 20 and have hereditary hypertension. I've never smoked and I'm a health 160 lbs at 6ft... yet I've clocked in at 180/110 and doctors aren't sure what's causing it. Regular coffee drinkers don't experience any blood pressure fluctuations due to caffeine intake (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2488117.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2488117.stm) Thank god for treatments, because prevention isn't always possible.... and it's not always the person's fault that they're experiencing these issues.

berntb 17y ago
Stress can make a big difference for blood pressure. Trust me (and many others) on that. I had problems with burning out when I was young. I realized (after too many years) that I wasn't sensitive to stress -- I just couldn't relax during periods when I worked hard, so I was stressed all the time. Not good. Meditation exercises helped me. Yoga could probably work, too. Disclaimer: You might, of course, have a medical condition. Edit: Some grammar, hopefully clearer.
absconditus 17y ago
I don't believe rarrrrrr is advocating ending medical research. Most people with hypertension are not in the situation that you are. Diet and lifestyle changes are effective cures for many people, but they don't come in pill form.
TrevorJ 17y ago
Cases like this are exactly why we should have medical research and I applaud it. I am in the same boat you are in, with a genetic condition that a need medication for. The only point I'm making is that people who shouldn't 'need' the technology will get lazy becasue they know there is a safety net out there that can allow them to treat their bodies like crap and still make it to 70. There's nothing we can do about that, but it's just a fact of human nature for some people I think.