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» Could your mobile kill you?

Today, 22 November 2008

» Dead terrorist ad banned

» Grass is greener in SA

» Yengeni 'coverup ordered'

» Copper Penny Salad

» The world is flat

Yesterday, 21 November 2008

» SA gets tough on Zim

» Chicken satay dog?

» 'Springbok emblem must go'

» Week in Quotes

» Cope gets Simon Grindrod

Jimmy: I'm phoning on behalf of my wife. We have a machine that monitors the blood pressure and the pulse. We've been taking it lately and my wife's pulse is over 100 sometimes.

Harry: Is that when she's resting?

Jimmy: No, it's when she's active.

Harry: Well everybody's pulse goes up to 100 or more when you're active. You should always measure the blood pressure and the pulse when the person is in the resting state. That means at least five minutes of rest and preferably ten minutes of rest.

Jimmy: Her blood pressure is on the low side at about 90/60 or 90/70.

Harry: How old is she?

Jimmy: She's about 40 years old.

Harry: Well that is on the low side. Is she complaining of anything?

Jimmy: Yes, she's restless and edgy and sometimes she gets a back pain on the left hand side.

Harry: Well that won't be caused by the low blood pressure. I must tell you that in general low blood pressure is a very good thing to have. It's not a cause for concern but a cause for congratulations. That's because people with lowish blood pressure tend to live much longer than people with normal blood pressure, and certainly much longer that people with high blood pressure.

Jimmy: She also has varicose veins.

Harry: That's also got nothing whatsoever to do with her blood pressure.

Jimmy: And what about the pulse?

Harry: As I said, you must measure the pulse rate after she's been resting for at least 10 minutes.

Jimmy: What should it be?

Harry: It can be anything from say 50 to 80.

Jimmy: And if it's higher than that, should we worry about that?

Harry: If you have measured it in the resting state and it's say 100 then you may just want to check with your doctor because there may be certain reasons for that, which I won't worry you with now.

Jimmy: Okay, thank you.