Photo (loa bacon)
What is "normal" blood pressure? This seems to be an obvious question until you look into the finer details. Is normal and average the same?
It is said that "normal" blood pressure (BP) is 120/80 mmHg, found by measuring a lot of peoples' blood pressure with no history of hypertension and then calculating the average, this is then said to be normal BP and this has some obvious flaws which I will now demonstrate.
First of all what if the whole population is unhealthy, wouldn't the ones that gets measured for the "normal" simply be less unhealthy?
Secondly if you go for a run and then measure your BP it would be higher than the above mentioned "normal", if you sleep or meditate it would be lower. This does not mean it is abnormal it is simply appropriate to the situation and this is what I would call NORMAL. Normal is simply an expression of what is (Whatever your body does to adapt to its environment). Some might say that this is a ridiculous example because the variables are different. What if the appropriate BP for you at rest is 100/70, if average was normal then you would be abnormal. What if when your arteries harden as they do with aging you need to pump the blood with more force to get the same level of oxygen and nutrients to the parts of your body and therefore your BP goes up, again this demonstrates a normal response given the nature of what is happening in the body but would be classified as abnormal compared to the average.
Normal might not always be optimal and might require some intervention but who are we or anyone for that matter to decide when that point of intervention is required. If our body functions intelligently which we have to assume it does, then everything that it does is for a reason. Then we come in with a finite educated ideal and make your body match it. Which do you think is more intelligent the wisdom that runs our body or the intelligence we gain by going to school, I most certainly trust the former. Our body can literally make any drug known, it has Blood pressure chemicals, diuretics, antidepressants; anything that you can think of. So if your BP is high it is so not because of the lack of BP chemicals; it is simply the most appropriate thing the wisdom of your body can do given the hand it has been dealt (given the environment someones body is in). Whatever your BP is at a particular time that is 100% appropriate to the situation of what is happening in your body. I use blood pressure as an example but this goes for any symptom your body produces; fever, pain, vomiting, diarrhea etc.
I am not telling people what to do, I just want them to ask why? What is the point of bringing what is normal up or down to match an average. There is most definitely a time and a place for intervention but when we make that decision we have to take the responsibility of using our Educated Intellegence to override our bodies Innate Intelligence. Sometimes this might result in a life saving surgery(or any other intervention), other times it is life sparing or even life threatening, unfortunately you will only know what outcome you will get after the intervention is done.
The point of this post was just to bring to your attention to the fact that Average is not Normal.
Is there necessarily a problem with not being average, that is a question we each have to answer for ourselves...
Terms Used
Innate Intelligence - Individualized intelligence which runs all the functions of our bodies during our wakeful and sleeping ours. The superconscious coordination of your body. As evidenced by the signs of life (Growth, Assimilation, Reproduction, Excretion and Adaptability).
Educated Intelligence - Educated thoughts such as, reasoning, will, memory
Finite - limited or bounded