The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-11-04

three or four letters asking me for
my secret cure for high blood pres
sure. These letters are almost all
distinguished by three character
istics-first, they are all written
in a lather Of hurry and the writer
wants something done about his
high blood pressure right away:
Second, each one seems to think
he is a rare, or at least unusual,
case. that he is abused, a victim OF
bad luck. And third, they always
speak about curing" the high
blood pressure.
All Of these are based on what
| believe TO be false assumptions.
To take the last one first-there
is no such thing as a cure for high
blood pressure. There are plenty
of measure by which your doctor
can reduce your high blood pres
sure temporarily. But generally
YOU feel worse when it is down and
il comes right back up again, and
anyway reducing the blood pres
sure is not curing" the under
living cause. do not even like TO
speak of the treatment of high
blood pressure. 1t isn't the blood
pressure that is to be treated 1t is
the person who has it. So ! speak
of the management Of the patient
with high blood pressure.
With this idea in mind the other
assumption largely takes care of
itself. The management OF a per-
son is not going to be the work of
a moment-it isn't like giving a
hypodermic and then all is well.
Far from being rare, high blood
pressure is found in more people
after the age of so than low or
normal blood pressure is found In
them. A few years ago | asked a
number of my doctor friends TO
take the blood pressure of the tlrst
hundred patients over fifty years
old who came in their Offices. | got
about 1900 replies and to my
establishment abour $3.50 Of these
people had pressure over $50.
High blood pressure, in my opin.
ion, is a natural adjustment to the
hardening of the arteries. For
most people it carries no more
hazard than is involved in getting
to be so years old. A very few
cases (about half of one per cent?
are caused by a kidney condition
(Goldblatt kidney and can be
remedied, but these are in the
minority.
In order to show my readers that
this conservative attitude of mine
is not confined to myself | abstract
below the means of treatment ad-
vocated by one Of the most modern
doctors, a specialist in the subject,
who has many of such patients in
a special hospital for chronic pa
tients in a large eastern city. Here
is what he advocates:
1. Rest. Mental and physical.
Slowing up of the arduous sctivi-
ties of younger days. Eight good
hours of sleep at night, by soda
ton, if necessary. Hard exercise
and hard work to- be avoided.
2. PsychotherGpy. For those pa
tients who have abnormal fear Of
the condition, reinsurance. Do not
take the blood pressure oftener
than once a year.
3. Diet. The older ideas Of a
strict diet, especially cutting down
on proteins. such as meat and eggs,
are discarded unless severe kidney
damage can be proved. Keep the
patient nourished on good diet
and few restrictions.
4. Alcohol and Tobacco. Alcohol
in moderation is a good sedative
and is to be encouraged. Tobacco
is more harmful, but can be used
in moderation.
5. Drugs, TO reduce blood pres
sure. To be used only in extreme
crises and emergencies, not as a
regular thing.
6. Massage and hydrotherdpy.
Conl &c Al, aHaofa ara ynnd