Putin’s medical secrets leaked to the media

The
president’s personal physician has told the media that Vladimir Putin is physically
younger than his age and perfectly fit for work. Experts believe that the
statements were made to do away with rumors that the head of state has been
suffering from health problems. 

“He [Putin] is a very athletic
individual. From a medical point of view, Putin is considerably younger than
his years. His sporty lifestyle contributes to an excellent capacity for work,”
said Sergei Mironov, deputy manager of the Presidential Department, Surgeon
General and Honored Doctor of the Russian Federation, in an interview with the
magazine Itogi.  

Putin fishing in Tyva

Photo of the day: Putin fishing in Tyva

Mironov revealed that, once, he and his
colleagues decided to count all the hours Putin spent flying planes in a given
period of time: It turned out that the president “surpassed all the standards for
pilots” in terms of his physical condition; he even finds time to nap on the
plane.

Mironov also noted that the Russian
leader dedicates a lot of time to swimming. “I believe he uses swimming as a
way to deal with stressful situations, more so than anything else,” the
physician said.  

“Mr. Putin is quite skeptical about
taking any kind of medicine, even if it’s your run-of-the-mill cold tablet. He
prefers natural remedies — tea with honey, a sauna and a
massage,” Mironov said.

During the conversation, the doctor also
noted that, despite practicing judo — not the safest of sports — the president has never suffered any serious injuries.

“To be fair, it’s not uncommon for the
media to exaggerate somewhat the medical histories of our country’s leaders.
There were rumors going around not long ago that Putin was having problems with
his back. I don’t see any reason to hide information about the health of our
president, but there is also a thing called medical ethics. If I underwent an
operation on my spine, for example, then I’ll tell you about it myself,” said Mironov.  

Vladimir Putin

Cardiologist Alexander Sharandak said in
an interview with Kommersant that
physical exercise and traditional medicine could only be beneficial for Putin.
“If you are 60 years old and live a healthy and active lifestyle, then that is
a very good thing. It’s only when you overdo it that problems can arise. But if
you engage in some kind of physical activity for an hour or an hour-and-a-half every
day, then that’s very beneficial,” he said.

“I’m sure that his cardiovascular system
is in perfect working order. I see no reason why he should stop,” Sharandak
said about Putin. “There’s got to be a good reason for taking tablets, and some
treatments rely on tablets for them to work. But, looking at his physical
condition, I think that natural remedies are all he needs. He moves like a
young man, and there’s nothing wrong with his gait. How does he look? I’ve not
seen him up close, but I’ve got to agree that he looks younger than 60.”    

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Political PR specialist Andrei Zverev
believes that the appearance of the Surgeon General’s comments was no accident,
and that they were intended, above all, for the elite.

“The question of the president’s health
is of vital significance — especially in Russia, where all the
major political decisions are made by the head of state. We are all aware that
many people are talking about a supposed split among the political elites. This
serves as a definite signal that the center of decision-making still lies in
the presidential administration in the Kremlin, and that the person making
those decisions is in excellent physical condition,” said the expert. “Any
questions regarding his health are nothing more than rumors that have nothing
to do with reality.”

Based
on materials from RIA Novosti and Kommersant.

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