Blood pressure

[scottw]

Usually 120 over 75 or so. I weigh in around 250, so I am not lean and mean anymore!
Now, orthopedically----------------?lol

[MaryAnn]

I don't think it has anything to do with playing brass. Oboe, yeah possibly. My BP is "always" about 102 / 60. Always.
My diet is extremely free of chemicals; I don't buy or eat packaged foods of any kind because they all make me feel bad in one way or another. And I monitor my potassium, zinc, and magnesium levels as well as other minerals. A huge proportion of Americans are extremely deficient in magnesium, but has your doctor ever checked your Red Blood Cell Mg level? Eating grain will cause your arteries to become clogged with cholesterol because the lectins in grains irritate the arteries, and the cholesterol is put there by your body as defense. So....since this is so damn far from what your doctor will tell you, if you really want to look into it I suggest you get on the internet and do a search on lectins, grain, cholesterol, etc. In the US we are conditioned to eat poisons as a matter of course. Many European countries will not import US wheat. Did you know that all wheat is killed prior to harvest with RoundUp and that roundup not only is a carcinogen but also will kill off your microbiome? And I'm just getting started. I wouldn't be here if I followed the SAD (Standard American Diet.)

[Donn]

Snopes on Roundup wheat dessication

I'm no fan of the standard American diet, to the extent there is such a thing. Organic agriculture is a good thing for sustainability reasons, and organic food is good way to steer clear of stuff like Roundup. But ... while for some reason of late there do seem to be a lot of people with real gluten related health problems, on the other hand, the anti-wheat and anti-grain crusades are led by hucksters.

[Heavy_Metal]

But they don't differentiate between the various brass instruments- for example, do trumpet players see more of this than tuba players?

[Three Valves]

But they don't differentiate between the various brass instruments- for example, do trumpet players see more of this than tuba players?

Of course they do.

Tuba players are chill!!

[roweenie]

Snopes on Roundup wheat dessication

I'm no fan of the standard American diet, to the extent there is such a thing. Organic agriculture is a good thing for sustainability reasons, and organic food is good way to steer clear of stuff like Roundup. But ... while for some reason of late there do seem to be a lot of people with real gluten related health problems, on the other hand, the anti-wheat and anti-grain crusades are led by hucksters.

My sister-in-law's father was a wheat farmer back in the day, and she tells me that at one time, the seed "manufacturers" (aka Monsanto) monkeyed with the genetics so it would be easier to harvest via combine.

Growth hormones in our beef is making us huge. For example; when I was in high school (35+ years ago), my brother and I were both on the wrestling team. My older brother, who was one of the biggest (and strongest) kids in his class, wrestled at the largest weight class below unlimited (188 lbs.). Today, if you weigh 188 lbs. in high school, you're just considered "normal".

You "are what you eat".

Our diet has NO resemblance to that of our ancestors.

I was diagnosed with celiac disease a few years ago, quite by accident (I was having no symptoms - it was discovered during a procedure for another problem). As a result, like it or not, I'm now on a gluten-free diet for the rest of my life. The alternative? Anemia, osteoporosis, and possibly, intestinal cancer.

As far as the hucksters are concerned, I say let them continue; the more they "huck", the more options I have......

[Three Valves]

Our diet has NO resemblance to that of our ancestors.

Neither do our teeth!!

[Donn]

My sister-in-law's father was a wheat farmer back in the day, and she tells me that at one time, the seed "manufacturers" (aka Monsanto) monkeyed with the genetics so it would be easier to harvest via combine.

Wheat has been the subject of a lot of breeding and research, for sure. There isn't any GMO wheat outside experimental plots and accidental release, though, all the monkeying has been done via normal breeding. The semi-dwarf varieties that I guess have taken over don't fall over as easily, which sounds like good news for combine harvest.

I was diagnosed with celiac disease a few years ago, quite by accident (I was having no symptoms - it was discovered during a procedure for another problem).

Celiac is no joke, it's surprising how long it can go undiagnosed. One of my band colleagues just discovered this, in her 60s, after a fair amount of ill health that in retrospect probably could have been avoided.

If there's one "eat like our ancestors" path that I'd recommend, and I believe it follows MaryAnn's too, it's stay away from packaged food. I think that often happens when people turn to some fad diet - all the packages of garbage in the cupboard, and bags of garbage at the fast food window, are now off limits, because of all the gluten or carbohydrates or whatever, and now that they're off the garbage, they're healthier. Commercial food is packed with an amazing amount of non-food stuff, and they're increasingly able to pitch it straight to your innate sense of taste. Eat what you want, but whomp it up yourself.

[tofu]

If there's one "eat like our ancestors" path that I'd recommend, and I believe it follows MaryAnn's too, it's stay away from packaged food. I think that often happens when people turn to some fad diet - all the packages of garbage in the cupboard, and bags of garbage at the fast food window, are now off limits, because of all the gluten or carbohydrates or whatever, and now that they're off the garbage, they're healthier. Commercial food is packed with an amazing amount of non-food stuff, and they're increasingly able to pitch it straight to your innate sense of taste. Eat what you want, but whomp it up yourself.

+1

It really is a telling tale when you look at the ingredient list on the label. The same goes for some of the stuff they stick in pet foods. If folks occasionally took a few seconds & read the labels they would be a lot more hesitant to buy the stuff.

[Donn]

And lots isn't on the label. Take that weirdly incorruptible hot dog bun. They can put a lot of stuff in there with enzymes, which don't need to be listed because the heat of baking denatures the enzyme and it's just an inert protein; the chemicals created by the enzyme weren't exactly added by the manufacturer ("baker" if you like), so they don't need to be listed either. Dupont has a handful of enzymes under the Danisco label for example, that promote "freshness" and stuff like that, that you'll never see in a label. Then there's emulsifiers and a variety of other additives that may or may not be listed, I wouldn't know. Could gluten intolerance be caused by exposure to this stuff alongside gluten? Who knows, but at any rate, with some flour, water and yeast you can make bread in as little as a half hour, and while it might take a couple tries to get the hang of it, I guarantee it will taste better.

[Virtuoso]

Easy way to avoid most unhealthy eating: don't go in the aisles in the center of your supermarket. Stay around the perimeter.

Also for an added data point, BP 130/55 for me, resting HR 40.

[Virtuoso]

Yes, a lot of things go wrong in the body to produce higher blood pressure, and so it is difficult to produce one exhaustive treatment for it. Unfortunately, it's a big problem in the US, with 29% of adults affected.

[bort]

Another thing that's been said to help with a LOT of problems: cut out the sugar. Plus, cut out the things your body converts to sugar, and stay away from diet sodas.

BTW, I'm probably the LAST person who can call anyone out on eating too much sugar. But I hear it's a good idea.

(PS -- normal blood pressure, pulse, and weight for me)

[MaryAnn]

I don't trust Snopes, and I don't eat grains and my BP is 102/60. There is "information" out there everywhere that is someone's spin on everything. As far as I can tell, unless I know the person reporting personally, it is suspect. A real shame that things are at this point where you basically cannot believe anything you read no matter the source.