The good news is that heart related death statistics in women are completely unreliable as they are based almost entirely on death certificate diagnoses. Same for men. Risk of stroke is probably only marginally related to blood pressure and probably not at all to weight or mild to moderate obesity. That being said, in forty years of medical practice the only remedy that worked for weight reduction was a low carb diet. I recommended it to every patient that expressed a desire to lose weight. Those that stayed with it invariably were able to lose weight and keep it off. Those with hyperglycemia (often labelled as Type 2 Diabetes) were able to reduce their glucose levels quite well with the same regimen.
By the way, nice hibiscus photo. I have grown exotic hibiscus for about 25 years and have about 300 varieties in the ground here in southern California.
Yes, a half acre lot in Orange county. The exotic hibiscus are more temperature sensitive than the traditional garden variety. You can only grow them in the ground in semi-tropical climates. A freeze would kill them. The hybridization activity that produced the exotics really took off in the 1990s and early 2000s.
The bushes on the exotics vary all over the place---some large, some small. Some grow laterally and some are straight up vertical. Mine vary between 2-18 feet tall and 2-6 feet wide.
Hot flashes are interesting. Some people have them until they die. It's been about 20 years for me so far (age 71).
Some people might not realize that it isn't just that you *feel* hot—you *are* hot. Once in the middle of a haircut, my barber commented that suddenly there was heat radiating from my head. It was a hot flash, yes.
My personal theory is that for some reason your capillaries and things dilate suddenly, dumping heat. I know I would always feel a little tingle all over right before a hot flash struck. We know it's caused by hormones, and it might be worth a deep dive at some point to see if anyone's ever looked into the actual mechanism.
The good news is that heart related death statistics in women are completely unreliable as they are based almost entirely on death certificate diagnoses. Same for men. Risk of stroke is probably only marginally related to blood pressure and probably not at all to weight or mild to moderate obesity. That being said, in forty years of medical practice the only remedy that worked for weight reduction was a low carb diet. I recommended it to every patient that expressed a desire to lose weight. Those that stayed with it invariably were able to lose weight and keep it off. Those with hyperglycemia (often labelled as Type 2 Diabetes) were able to reduce their glucose levels quite well with the same regimen.
By the way, nice hibiscus photo. I have grown exotic hibiscus for about 25 years and have about 300 varieties in the ground here in southern California.
Thank you! Glad you like the hibiscus! I love to take walks in my neighborhood and take pictures of the flowers!
That’s a nice hibiscus! I was a landscape designer also in SoCal but never looked into them enough to realize there were so many varieties!
Almost like roses! You must have a large space to grow that many. 👋🏿
Yes, a half acre lot in Orange county. The exotic hibiscus are more temperature sensitive than the traditional garden variety. You can only grow them in the ground in semi-tropical climates. A freeze would kill them. The hybridization activity that produced the exotics really took off in the 1990s and early 2000s.
The bushes on the exotics vary all over the place---some large, some small. Some grow laterally and some are straight up vertical. Mine vary between 2-18 feet tall and 2-6 feet wide.
Wow! I rarely see a hibiscus tree with canopy!
Thank you all so much for your comments!
It seems like we have matching interests with womans health? I just wrote about my 2.5 years without bras or panties, and why I’ve never been calmer👙👋
Sounds insane? Maybe.
Read the madness 👇
https://calmfeed.substack.com/p/why-i-stopped-wearing-underwear-benefits
Hot flashes are interesting. Some people have them until they die. It's been about 20 years for me so far (age 71).
Some people might not realize that it isn't just that you *feel* hot—you *are* hot. Once in the middle of a haircut, my barber commented that suddenly there was heat radiating from my head. It was a hot flash, yes.
My personal theory is that for some reason your capillaries and things dilate suddenly, dumping heat. I know I would always feel a little tingle all over right before a hot flash struck. We know it's caused by hormones, and it might be worth a deep dive at some point to see if anyone's ever looked into the actual mechanism.
Maybe in order to warm up small grand babies on the lap? Seems there ought to be some plausible, evolutionary reason, eh?
Great article April, thank you for writing it. Nothing tastes as good a being thin feels!