WatchProSite|Market|Digest

WristScan

What is normal?

 

LOL! Funny cartoon, Arie!

Well, what is normal and abnormal. Is it completely arbitratry?
A a doctor I can tell you that normality is not a pure question of user-definition altogether. If e.g. your potassium value will strongly exceed 6 mmol/l (normal is 3.8 - 4.8) this will (hopefully) be considered highly abnormal by your doctor and elicit futher investigations, because it puts you at a high risk for severe to lethal heart rate disturbances.

Statistically one has agreed to define values as "normal" that show a variation not greater than twice the mean deviation in the positive or negative from the mean value of a tested group. We often tend to use the more colloquial term "average". But I am sure these values might be obtainable for wrist sizes in different ethnical groups, so this might be an objective hint. But, I do not think you wanted to discuss the topic in that way, did you?

In reality, if you would tell your psychiatrist to be completely normal and report him that you saw a cow hanging head-down in a tree and speaking to you from there  - what do you think would the shrink believe of your mental health?

Kind regards

anaesdoc

This message has been edited by anaesdoc on 2015-08-28 03:14:54

  login to reply