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Show Released by Western Newspaper Union. HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE Just as appendicitis was formerly the main subject for discussion when health or medicine was mentioned, now the main subject appears to be blood pressure that is, high blood pressure. pres-sure. In fact, some physicians, in their natural desire to prevent heart or brain strokes in their patients, often take blood-pressure readings read-ings every time the patient with high blood pressure consults con-sults them. The pa- I Dr. Barton tient usually asks the physician as to his blood pressure each time it is taken and if it is a few points higher high-er than at the previous visit he begins be-gins to worry about it. Now it so happens that a blood pressure a few points above or below be-low that of the previous visit does not mean any real change in the condition of the blood vessels, because be-cause food, emotional disturbances and other factors enter into the condition con-dition of the blood pressure. In the Boston number. Medical Clinics of North' America, Dr. Norman Nor-man H. Boyer in an article on the treatment of high blood pressure (hypertension) says: "Those who concern themselves chiefly with blood pressure readings are doomed to frequent fre-quent disappointment. While reduction reduc-tion of blood pressure is desirable and in some cases can be accomplished, accom-plished, it can be said that there is available today no specific single remedy for the reduction of high blood pressure." Now this statement state-ment does not mean that these patients pa-tients with high blood pressure cannot can-not be helped, as relief of symptoms and postponement of the dire results of high blood pressure brain stroke and heart stroke and congestion of the kidneys can often be accomplished. accom-plished. And because so much can be done for these patients, Dr. Boyer states that undue emphasis should not be placed on blood-pressure readings. How should high blood pressure be treated? By trying to find the cause and treating the patient from the standpoint stand-point of the cause. The causes of high blood pressure are disturbances disturb-ances in the brain, gland system, kidneys and blood itself. The treatment is therefore directed direct-ed toward the correction of abnormal abnor-mal conditions in so far as this is possible plenty of rest, moderation in eating, avoiding overweight, removal re-moval of infections, use of quieting drugs and kidney extracts and surgery sur-gery (nerve cutting) in extreme cases. |