[conspire] attempting polite request to keep sodium levels down

[Steve Litt]

Bruce Coston said on Tue, 8 Aug 2023 06:03:08 +0200

>Assuming we meet on the 12th , I will have more need than usual to
>keep the sodium levels down . My family will kidnap me off to
>Stanford's Fresh Choice for a meal Saturday . Thus I expect I will
>have blown through most of a cheat day before going to Rick's fine
>gathering . Lately I'm out of the hypertension levels of blood
>pressure [ the fraction of men in hypertension = ridiculously high now
>with the new standards ] , thank you medications . 

If I went off my meds for a week I'd be up to 220/120. Before the age
of 30 (1979) I registered 160/110. Back then I was 5'9" and weighed less
than 165 pounds, and I could ride my Schwinn Continental 100 miles
any day I wanted to. The insurance companies acted like I was on
death's door. So did my doctors.

Every doctor I've ever seen told me to cut down
the salt and salt containing stuff, so I've minimized my salt since the
1970's. Not everyone's high blood pressure goes up with increasing
sodium, but a lot do. I'm taking no chances.

When my wife wants to use salt in cooking instead of in a salt shaker
at the table, I remind her of all the times she worries I'm going to
get a heart attack, or fall and injure myself, or get killed at a
political demonstration, and then ask her to allow each eater to
determine how much salt they want.

By the way, you're lucky you were diagnosed with hypertension "lately".
Before Obamacare, one bad reading could make you ineligible for health
insurance, or have to pay double, triple or higher premiums. And if it
weren't for Obamacare and Medicare, my blood pressure would be my
deepest, darkest secret like it was before 2014.

SteveT