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Unhealthy Presidents
Posted by Raven on April 25th, 2009
Fox News has a little section up about our most unhealthy Presidents. A few stood out to me.
Eisenhower:
Eisenhower was a heavy smoker, smoking up to four packs a day. During his presidency, he was advised by doctors to quit smoking and to everyone’s amazement, did so cold turkey. Eisenhower had a heart attack in 1955 and was told to keep his weight down and not to run for re-election, but did so anyway. Six months before being re-elected to the presidency, Eisenhower developed Crohn’s disease and had surgery in May, 1956. A year later, he had a stroke. After serving out his second term, Eisenhower suffered 16 gallstones and had his gallbladder removed. He is believed to have suffered at least four heart attacks before dying at age 78 in 1969.
He smoked 4 freakin packs of cigarettes a day?????????? Whoa.
Kennedy, who I always knew was unhealthy:
To the men and women of America, he appeared to be the epitome of good health. Young and handsome, strapping and athletic, Kennedy gave little indication he had been sickly from a very young age. Kennedy’s health problems began was he was just 2 years old and contracted the measles. Immediately after, he came down with a near-fatal bout of scarlet fever. He also suffered from whooping cough, diphtheria, and other respiratory infections as a child. Before finishing college, Kennedy suffered colitis, appendicitis, Addison’s disease, jaundice, severe back problems and early onset osteoporosis. By the mid-1950s his back problems became so severe, he could barely walk and often used crutches in private. By the time he became president in 1961, he was in constant pain and needed daily injections of pain killers, including Demerol, just to function.
And he used a lot more other drugs, legal and not, to help him cope with his pain. Sad, really- he looked so fit and healthy but was far from it. (Maybe we can apply the same thoughts to our current President: Looks are deceiving)
And BillyBop:
As a boy, Clinton suffered from acid reflux and was forced to eliminate certain foods from his diet and take antacids regularly. As early as 1992, doctors were worried about Clinton’s heart health because of high cholesterol levels. In a 2001 press conference, Clinton announced he was taking Zocor to lower his cholesterol. Standing at 6-feet, 2-inches tall, Clinton’s weight varied between 214 and 236 pounds during his time in office, giving him a body mass index of 29.1, which is considered overweight. In 2004, Clinton was evaluated at New York Presbyterian Hospital for chest pain and shortness of breath. Doctors determined he needed an urgent quadruple bypass, and that his coronary arteries were over 90 percent blocked.
A lot of people don’t know how tall he is; and it didn’t surprise me to hear about his bypass surgery- with all the Big Macs and greasy pizzas he ate he was a walking heart attack- time bomb. Again, looks are deceiving. He was not at all healthy and I dare say he isn’t still, nor is his wife.
The Presidents are always human first- and their health status isn’t always known or seen. Look at FDR- who fooled people for years by hiding his frame sitting in a wheelchair from the public. And being in excellent health as we define it, isn’t always a guarantee for a long life free of disease and heart conditions. The Fox article highlights several other Presidents- do check it out.
April 25th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
I wonder how Obambi will hold up, considering all the smokes he sneaks, and all the taxpayer funded partying he does.
April 25th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
Heck, I’m not worried ’bout Obambi’s health. I’m worried ’bout whether any of US is goin’ to make it to January 2012.
April 26th, 2009 at 10:06 am
He smokes and drinks…I bet he’s a closet lush. He looks it to me and his dependence upon his TP might indicate more than we think………
Heh.