Could Lian Po, the legendary general in the novel *The Great Case*, still eat? Strength does not equal health; excessive robustness can shorten lifespan.
Could Lian Po, the hero of serious crimes, still eat? - Strong ≠ Healthy
Unconsciously, we often regard physical strength as a sign of good health, and we will recognize and praise someone for being strong, having an amazing appetite, and not being afraid of the cold in winter.
However, when we evaluate "strength" from the perspective of scientific health preservation, we find that it cannot be equated with health and longevity.
Lian Po is old, is his appetite still good? Can he still serve the country in his later years? This story tells of how the King of Zhao was unsure of Lian Po's health and whether he could lead troops into battle. So, he sent people to assess Lian Po's physical condition, and a very important indicator was his appetite.
Interestingly, the underlying logic of this anecdote can withstand scrutiny.
It is reasonable to link a person's large appetite with their strength, since a tall and strong physique with a large appetite is naturally a symbol of strength. However, the story does not discuss the connection between appetite and longevity.
Being able to eat a lot means being physically strong, but being physically strong doesn't necessarily mean being healthy. Eating little doesn't necessarily mean you can't survive. These are different things.
As for later generations equating the ability to eat with health and longevity, that is a misunderstanding.
Generally speaking, being strong and physically capable does not necessarily equate to health and longevity, which may be difficult for people to accept at first glance. However, it is easier to understand when considering athletes' use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Many performance-enhancing drugs have the effect of strengthening muscles and improving physical strength and endurance, but the result of this temporary effect is that they can damage the body and endanger the health of athletes.
What we eat is closely related to our physical strength. Eating more meat can enhance a person's explosive power and endurance, especially beef, which is considered to be the food with the longest stamina.
Maintaining physical strength requires consuming sufficient high-nutrient substances to make people strong and powerful. However, excessive strength gained through diet is relatively safe and slow-acting, and long-term stimulation of metabolism can also harm health and longevity.
Regardless of the purpose, consuming more nutrients than necessary for human health can have negative consequences.
It is worth noting that it is generally true that a robust physique generally has a stronger immune system than a thin person.
However, being overweight and robust can also be seen as a sign of heightened bodily function.
Hypertensive patients generally have stronger sexual function than their peers with normal blood pressure. Men who are unaware of this may even be proud of it, not realizing that this is the result of excessive arousal that is actually depleting their sexual capacity, which will ultimately affect their lifespan.
The most appropriate thing to do is to return to the normal state of your age group.
The theory that strength and health should not be confused emphasizes that exercise for body control is different from exercise for strength enhancement. That is, an important aspect of strength-enhancing exercise is stimulating the body to increase physical fitness, while an important aspect of body control exercise is expending energy to achieve metabolic balance.
Undeniably, the theory naturally leads to the conclusion that ordinary people should not engage in those "devilish" exercises simply to enhance their physical fitness, as such exercises may be detrimental to health and longevity.
The major case is both wrong and fabricated; the patient's high blood pressure requires lifelong medication.
Doctors generally refer to hypertension that cannot be caused by any organic lesions as primary hypertension.
When you discover that your blood pressure is too high and go to the doctor, once you start taking antihypertensive medication, based on the prevailing consensus in the medical community, the doctor will confidently advise you that you will be taking antihypertensive medication for the rest of your life.
When I sought medical help for people whose blood pressure was so high that it was approaching the stroke threshold (120-180 mmHg), I naturally heard the conclusion that I would need to take medication for life.
This is such an unpleasant curse; relying on some kind of drug to sustain life is just awful.
"I must bring my blood pressure down and eventually survive without medication." The reason I dare to make this bet is not out of blind confidence, but because I have successful examples from both inside and outside the body to back it up.
Firstly, I was born into a family with a so-called hereditary history of nearsightedness. Even relatives who didn't receive much education started wearing glasses at a young age. As for me, I held onto this belief since my youth: I wouldn't accept a doctoral degree even if it were free, if you asked me to wear glasses.
By resolutely refusing to wear glasses, even when studying for the college entrance examination that would change my life, I adhered to the habit of looking into the distance for ten minutes after using my eyes continuously for an hour.
Fortunately, even though I'm nearing sixty, I can still go without glasses, and I have my own belief in not believing in superstitions.
Secondly, there is the support of family medical records.
More than two years after my father suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and stroke, I returned to my hometown to visit relatives and found that my mother had stopped giving him antihypertensive medication. When I asked her why she had stopped taking the medication, she said...
The mother said, "Once your blood pressure is better, we'll stop."
My father's blood pressure has been monitored for several months and no abnormalities have been found.
Having a close relative who was able to quit taking their hypertension medication naturally gives one a goal and confidence in achieving the same goal.
So I conducted an epidemiological investigation to find out about my father's medication and diet, and planned to do the same.
After finding out that the medication his father was taking was compound captopril, he abandoned the medication prescribed by the doctor and switched to this medication instead.
Captopril is a widely used antihypertensive drug in Zhejiang Province. It is extremely cheap, costing less than 5 yuan per month for treatment.
I'll just pay for the medicine myself with this little money. It'll save me money and worry, and I'll avoid all the hassle of going to the hospital, queuing up, paying, picking up the medicine, and getting reimbursed by my workplace.
Moreover, the feeling is very different. When a certain ailment can be treated for just a few dollars, the psychological pressure is also very small.
After taking the medication for about two years and seeing that my blood pressure had stabilized, I started with the maintenance dose and gradually increased the interval between doses until I stopped taking the medication. Eight years have passed since then and there has been no rebound – the war has ended in victory.
However, when summarizing the battle and reflecting on where the victory lay, it was discovered that the real reason why the drug could eventually be discontinued was not related to the medication itself, but rather to other causes.
The period when I was trying to lose weight overlapped with the period when I was taking antihypertensive medication. All indications suggest that the return of my blood pressure to normal was due to the dietary and lifestyle changes required for weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight.
Taking medication only temporarily halted the progression to a stroke and bought time for dietary and lifestyle adjustments; after that, medication was no longer necessary.