A yoga instructor was attending a convention of like-minded devotees when one vendor gave him a sample of a natural energy pill. Within half an hour, he became certain that his blood pressure was out of control.
Patients who believe they know when their blood pressure is high are wrong because high blood pressure causes no symptoms. But he was certainly jittery.
In fact, his pressure was higher than I’d like in a 43 year-old man, but he admitted that his family doctor had also found this. He had been trying to control it through yoga.
I read the label on the bottle. Each pill contained a mixture of herbals and vitamins and a large dose of caffeine. I never drank coffee, and my first experience with caffeine – in a wake-up pill in college – was dramatic. I loved feeling super-alert, but I understand why a more mellow personality might not.
The effect was already wearing off, and he had no objection to my explanation. When I suggested that it was time to treat his hypertension, he promised to ramp up his yoga.
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