Healthpharmablog. About Health & Medicine

I would like to plug (yet again) the Mediterranean way of eating. The ideal is to “go Italian”! Italian food is not only among the best in the world, but it is among the healthiest, too. Italians cook mainly in olive oil, eat plenty of high-quality vegetables and fruit, their fish is superb, and they eat meat sparingly.

Pasta is starchy rather than sugary, so that your glucose level rises slowly after a meal, if at all (starch takes longer to digest down to glucose than does sugar). That is all to the good. Even the garlic used in Italian cooking helps. Garlic contains substances that help to prevent blood clotting. Eating garlic every day may not make you popular with close friends (unless they are eating it, too!), but it may help you live longer.

The most important aspect of this change of eating habit (I deliberately do not call it a diet) is that it is a positive one. It is not a question of cutting down on food intake, but of shifting to a more varied, tastier, and healthier way of eating. You can be just as satisfied after an Italian meal than after a burger and fries.

The new tastes you encounter on the way to your new style of living will be a revelation. Experiment with spices, and use less salt, so that you can taste these new flavors. As desire for salt diminishes, your sensitivity to other tastes will be enhanced—and you will not put on weight.

• Not everyone wants to eat Italian-style all the time, though. There are alternatives, such as a baked potato instead of pasta, or onions instead of garlic. Now that you have made fish and poultry your main source of protein, grill them or shallow-fry them in oil. For extra taste and interest, try frying them in oatmeal. However, do not use the cooking oil more than three times: repeated frying can turn unsaturated oils into saturated fats.

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A blood pressure measurement has two readings: the systolic and the diastolic pressures. Systole is the contraction of the heart that pumps the blood into the main arteries, and diastole is the relaxation phase, in which the heart fills up again with blood entering from the veins and the lungs. (Refer back to figure 2 in chapter 3 for an illustration.) during diastole, valves close to stop the blood in the arteries rushing back into the heart, and the arteries tense, exerting a further pressure on the blood inside them, so that it continues on its way.

Pressures are measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). The systolic pressure is the pressure exerted on the blood in systole, the normal being around 110-130 mm Hg, and the diastolic pressure, measured during diastole, is around 60-80 mm Hg. Blood pressures are noted down as the systolic/diastolic reading, for example, 125/80 mm Hg.

As blood pressure rises, so does the risk of a heart attack. The British Regional Heart Study revealed that at a systolic pressure equal to or higher than 148 mm Hg, the heart attack risk was twice normal. There was a raised risk, too, if the resting diastolic pressure was, on repeated measuring, above 93 mm Hg, but even those with diastolic pressures above 72 mm Hg appeared to carry some extra risk. This result was similar to those in studies conducted in the U.S., which suggest that the lower the diastolic blood pressure, the better it is for the heart.

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Angina is simply the medical word for pain. Angina pectoris means pain in the chest, and the two words have slipped into common usage as meaning heart pain.

However, many pains in the chest are not connected to the heart. They may arise from cramping or bruising in the muscles of the chest wall, or from inflammation of the surface of the lung, or from spasm or acid in the esophagus. A common chest pain arises from the ribs, which can be inflamed at the junction between their bony back two-thirds and their cartilaginous front third. Coughing can bruise the muscles between the ribs, causing pain upon deep breathing. Pain in the chest can even come from the stomach, as in indigestion—though it should never be diagnosed as such until heart pain has been ruled out. The precise site of the pain is very relevant. The heart is just left of center in the chest, but heart pain is not confined to this area. It mainly occurs behind the breastbone (in the center of the chest) and around and above the left nipple, but it can spread up to the left shoulder, into the left half of the jaw, down into the left arm, into the back, and even into the upper abdomen. It is less likely to cross over into the right-hand side of the chest, and it is very rare for it to be entirely right-sided. (However, I did once meet a patient with entirely right-sided angina pectoris. He was a “mirror-image” twin, whose organs were on the opposite side of the body as normal, so that his heart was right-sided, and his liver and appendix were on his left side. His twin had his organs on the normal side of the body—they had developed from a single egg that had split early on in the pregnancy.)

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The results of a study involving over 40,000 women at the University of Iowa College of Medicine in Iowa City suggests that older women who are deficient in both vitamin D and calcium have a higher risk of strokes than those who consume adequate amounts. The two-year study found that out of 101 women who suffered strokes, 35 percent were free of cardiovascular disease, a contributing factor. However, when the researchers compared this group of women to another group who did not have strokes they found that the stroke victims consumed less calcium and vitamin D.

Nutritionists say that both deficiencies are easy to avoid—low-fat dairy products, such as skim milk and yogurt, and salmon and sardines with the bones, provide good dietary sources of vitamin D and calcium. In some cases supplements may be helpful, but you should consult your doctor first.

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1) Buy generic drugs. Both over-the-counter and prescription generic drugs can cost considerably less than brand-name products. They also have the same active ingredients as their brand-name counterparts, and are almost always as safe and effective.

Generic drugs that are generally considered to be safe include generic painkillers, congestion/allergy medication, constipation and diarrhea formulas, and antibiotics. Generic drugs considered to be somewhat risky include those for heart and thyroid problems, hormones, blood thinners, and seizure medication. Ask your doctor to prescribe generic drugs when they are available.

2) Be sure to take all of your medication. Often times we begin to feel better before we have taken the entire prescription. Many of us then just stop taking our pills. More times than not, whenever a person stops taking medication short of the number of prescribed pills, he or she runs a very high risk of having a relapse. When that happens, you end up spending more money on a refill. The best advice: do exactly as the prescription and your doctor direct.

3) Be aware of drug interaction. There are some drugs that don’t interact well together. Some cancel each other’s effectiveness and others become dangerous when taken together. Taking incompatible drugs at the same time can not only be a waste of money, it can also be dangerous to your health. You can prevent such a problem, and such an expense, by making sure that your doctor(s) and pharmacist(s) know all the drugs you are taking.

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While it may sound like a strange connection, a new study suggests that exposure to fluoride at levels commonly found in drinking water may lead to hip fractures in elderly people. According to a University of Utah study, fluoride may cause the formation of weak hip bones.

The researchers say the effect appeared in a water system fluoridated to one part per million. Previous studies had associated hip fractures with higher levels of fluoride sometimes found naturally in water supplies.

A $20 Automatic Teeth Flosser For People Who Don’t Like To Floss

Flossing every day is now easier because a new automatic flosser has made “hand” flossing virtually obsolete. The automatic flosser is specially designed to floss between all your teeth—even the hard to reach places, making the routine much more effective. The flosser has a unique head which vibrates thousands of times per minute, flossing your teeth automatically and removing plaque. The new automatic flosser is priced at about $20.00 and is perfect for both children and adults. You can order this automatic flosser.

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This is a fat soluble vitamin, of which the most active form is retinol. Vitamin A is essential for normal growth and for the formation of strong bones and teeth in children, also plays a major role in vision and cell structure, and it provides protection for the linings of the respiratory, digestive, and urinary tracts against infection. It is also essential for healthy skin.

A vitamin A deficiency occurs only in people who have an exceptionally poor diet. The effects of such a deficiency include poor night vision, dry, inflamed eyes, and dry, rough skin. In extreme cases, vitamin A deficiency can result in severe corneal damage that can lead to blindness if left untreated.

Vitamin A is available in many foods, including liver, oily fish, dairy products yolk, margarine, and various fruits and vegetables, such as carrots, kale, broccoli, spinach, apricots, and peaches. The recommended daily allowance for adults is 0.8 to 1 mg.

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Cheese Patties

1 – 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, 6 eggs, sage to taste, 1 c cracker crumbs, 3 Tbls. chopped onion. Put cream cheese in a bowl & add sage & onions. Scramble eggs without any milk & add hot eggs. Mix well. Add 3/4 cup cracker crumbs, mixing well. Cool slightly & form into patties. Roll patties inn remaining crumbs. May be kept in refrigerator over night or longer. When ready to use fry to golden brown. They may be fried immediately if you want to use them right away. Mock Chicken Loaf

1 – 1# box cottage cheese, 1 cup cracker crumbs, 3 Tbls chopped onion, 1 cup quick oats, 1 stick oleo, 2 envelopes Dark brown George Washington seasoning ( may be found in most large grocery stores), 2 cup water, 3 eggs. Boil water & add oats. Remove from heat to cool. While oats cool put the cottage cheese, onion, seasoning & eggs in a bowl. Melt oleo & stir in crumbs. When oats are cool, add oats & crumbs & mix well. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour in a loaf pan.

Spinach cassarole

1/2 stick margarine, 4 Tbls flour, 2 cups milk, 1 pkg frozen spinach (thawed), 1/2 pkg herb dressing. Cook margarine, flour, milk until thick. Place thawed spinach in casserole dish. Pour thickener over spinach. Put layer of 1/2 pkg. herb dressing over spinach. Mix 1/2 cup hot water and 6 Tbls. of butter. Melt butter in water. Spoon over dressing. Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 min.

Oatmeal Meatballs

1 cup ground walnuts, 2 eggs, tsp. poultry seasoning, 1 cup quick oats raw, 4 Tbls. milk, 1 medium onion (grated). Mix all ingredients, Roll into balls. Roll balls in bread crumbs and fry. Simmer in 2 Tbls. oil, 12 oz. water, 2 pkg. Brown George Washington Broth. Simmer meatballs in broth until most of liquid is absorbed. Cover with gravy or spaghetti sauce. Bake at 350 degree for 1/2 hour.

Squash Casserole

4 yellow squash (sliced), 1/3 cup of chopped onion, 2 cooked eggs (chopped),1/2 cup cheddar cheese, 1/3 cup melted margine, 1 cup cracker crumbs.

Cook squash in boiling water — 10-15 minutes, saute onion in margine, combine other ingredients, sprinklee crumbs on top, bake in casserole dish 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Parsnip Patties

1 large parsnip (shredded), 1/2 cup soaked garbanzos beans, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 Tbl. oil, 1/4 cup water.

Blend garbanzos in water till fine, add other ingredients, Drop onto hot oiled skillet, cook 5 minutes til brown, cover and reduce heat for 10-15 minutes. You may also make these into a regular patty.

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