An observation on Hypertension: we have a very good friend, an elderly retired German surgeon, his brain packed with 50 years of practical observations. A year or so ago he said that in his opinion, a moderately elevated blood pressure which had been constant for most of a patient's adult life posed no threat to one's health in old age provided it didn't increase, in contrast to a varying blood pressure. Quote: "It is YOUR blood pressure and your cardio-vascular system has developed in accordence with that blood pressure". This has now been confirmed by a UK medical study.
On the other hand, my own GP flies into a frenzy if one's BP goes over 150/90 which is why I'm on betablockers. It's true that they do smooth out the peaks in heart rate as well as blood pressure under stress, but I've put on a lot of weight due to my reduced metabolism. Even such activities such as shovelling snow for six hours a day for five days the week before last didn't cause much of a weight loss (although it was fun in retrospect and made me happy that I could do it with no aches and pains afterwards).
And right, I don't propose stopping the beta-blockers. At least I now have an excuse for my paunch !