mio compito

Mio Compito in Italian means My Homework. Unfortunately, studying abroad isn't just a vacation.

Tara Parker-Pope, a well known writer and health columnist, published a piece in the New York Times recently entitled, Rethinking 'Normal' Blood Pressure. The article talks about how "Millions of people who have been told they are on the path to hypertension may never develop life-threatening problems," and that maybe high blood pressure is the new norm.

To back up this argument, the article says:

"The findings, from researchers at the Veterans Affairs Health Care System in Minneapolis and the University of Minnesota, suggest that as many as 100 million Americans who have been told they have a condition called prehypertension may face no added mortality risk and therefore could reasonably be considered to have normal blood pressure."

I don't think this is enough information for an argument. Yes, the author continues into how blood pressure data was tracked and many new and old findings would agree, I do not think that because so many people have high blood pressure should be reason enough for us to change original standards.

I think the author is leaving out the effect this could have longterm. If they have found that high blood pressure is no necessarily an issue, and people become less concerned about lowering their blood pressure, it will only get higher. Eventually, a person will have such high blood pressure that this is a problem.

The author also leaves out the benefits of lowering ones blood pressure. I personally have low blood pressure. Sometimes, it can be dangerous getting too low, which is cause for me to drink more water and get a side of fries with extra salt, but low blood pressure that is not chronically low can be beneficial.

Before I was diagnosed, my worried Italian mother had me to every specialist under the sun. I remember hearing over and over that chances are, I had low blood pressure which on the whole is a good thing.

It can reduce a person's risk of strokes, heart attacks, kidney stones, osteoporosis and many other complications later in life.

I understand the logic of the study, though I do not think it holds true enough for us to change our standards.


http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/rethinking-normal-blood-pressure/