Wine Making
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Cr Bobs Newsletter - December, 2004
   
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Crystal Cruises: An Air Of Elegance, Presence Of Beauty
On a Crystal cruise it is not difficult to find what you seek. In fact, your search for a place beyond ordinary is over. "Splendidly Uncommon"! Ablaze with intoxicating color .....
On a Crystal cruise it is not difficult to find what you seek. In fact, your search for a place beyond ordinary is over. "Splendidly Uncommon"! Ablaze with intoxicating color .....
------------Topics-----------
#1 Don't Ignore High Blood Pressure - Do You
Know Yours?
#2 Anti-Oxidants, An Update
#3 Baby Teeth -Pacifiers and Thumb Sucking
#4 Tablet Splitting
#5Grape Juice and Cholesterol
High Blood Pressure And You
Did you know that nearly two
thirds, yes 66% of Americans under sixty have or are on the
verge of high blood pressure and at least 1/3 do not know
it. Having this 'silent killer' not only
increases there risk of heart disease or stroke but puts them in
a higher risk category for hospitalization and death according
to a recent study.
There are new guidelines for high blood pressure
that have been agreed upon over the last several years and you
need to know about them. First the new guidelines are that
normal blood pressure is when the systolic ( top number) is 119
or lower and the bottom number is 79 or less. In the recent past
we felt that abnormal blood pressure was anything that was 140
or above over 90 or above. Now, people who have this are
definitely hypertensive or have high blood pressure.
When the reading is 120 - 139 for the
systolic and / or 80 - 89 for the diastolic we are to be
considered 'pre- hypertension. Each of needs to know what
our blood pressure reading is, so don't be shy, ask your doctor.
Also, it makes
good sense that if your blood pressure is not normal get a blood
pressure cuff in the drug store and have your spouse, partner or
children take it periodically and jot down the numbers for your
doctor. There is such a diagnosis of 'white coat'
syndrome' where blood pressure rises when you go to the
doctors office.
Dr Bob's Take: It is so important to know
what your blood pressure is and if it is pre-hypertensive or in
the category of high blood pressure (hypertensive) get it
treated and you can make a dramatic difference in your
life.
Anti-Oxidant
Update
Last
month we talked about Vitamin E and the potential for increasing
the risk for heart disease. Initially when the first studies
came out about 10-15 years ago it was felt that Vitamin E was
going to be a panacea for 'preventing' heart disease.
Well, there are
more studies that are being released which is showing that the
herbal remedies that are being touted as anti-oxidants are not
proving very effective in preventing diseases like cancer. These
are substances like beta carotene, vitamin C, and
selenium. The researchers in France have been looking at this
and have concluded that there may be a small benefit for men
(none for women) but that the benefits can easily be derived
by eating a balanced diet. This study was recently reported
in the November issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
Dr Bob's
Take: as an American I like you are looking for the
'holy grail' which in the US is 'take a pill and
cure it' is not the answer here. We need to really eat
right and exercise and this will lead to a healthy
'us'.
Pacifiers and Baby's
Teeth
A
study in the Archives of Disease in Children this month, shows
that there is a difference in the formation of 'baby
teeth' when a baby breast feeds or uses their thumb to suck
or is given a pacifier during the first 3 months of their life.
The study took place in Italy with 1000 children aged 3-5 years
old. It found that 1/3 of all children who used pacifiers or
sucked their thumb had malocclussion, where the teeth did not
line up properly. 89% of had an open bite, where the front
teeth do not meet. Whereas only 11% of those with an open bite
were breast fed.
This study took place when the children were 3-5
years old and based on information about how they were fed and
the use of pacifiers or thumbs. It also is based on the 1st set
of teeth - the baby teeth. It is felt by the researchers that
the pattern for the teeth is set by how the 1st set is treated.
Dr Bob's
Take: although this may have quite a bit of significance for
our children's future and their biting and chewing abilities I
don't see many of us changing what we are doing or what we have
done. But, you know the orthodontists will continue to flourish.
Prescription Tablet
Splitting
Some of you may have remembered the articles in
the papers about 3 years ago when it was suggested by some
health plans that members cut their tablets in half with some
medications. Well in Florida a pharmacist has noted that with
cholesterol lowering medication a savings of about $850 could be
It Was A God Thing
People who know I'm religious might be surprised to learn that I sometimes doubt there is a God.
Then I think of the events leading up to my mother's death, I .....
saved per year by splitting the tablet. He goes on to say thatPeople who know I'm religious might be surprised to learn that I sometimes doubt there is a God.
Then I think of the events leading up to my mother's death, I .....
this is one way to fight some of the escalation in prices for
medications. It was found that with patients of the Veterans
Affairs Dept there was a savings of $46 million when eligible
patients split their Zocor.
Dr Bob's Take: before you go and do
this you first need to check with your doctor. Bring in a sample
of the medication so he/she can judge whether or not it would be
wise to split the tablet.
Grape Juice and
Cholesterol
Yes, the studies are in, grape juice does have a
positive effect on raising the HDL part of cholesterol. Dr Jane
Freedman, associate professor of Pharmacology at Boston
University studied a group of 17 men and 3 women with a grant
from Welch's. The participants were 63 years old on average and
were 2 weeks on the juice, off for 2 weeks than given a placebo
(non-juice) for another 2 weeks.
The outcome showed that the
grape juice drinkers elevated their HDL on average from 45 to
50mg, about a 10% rise. This group also lowered a chemical in
their system that shows the presence of inflammation in the
blood vessels. It is felt that yes grape juice can work like red
wine in humans. And for those who don't drink red wine there
is an alternative.
With that good news I will close for this year
and talk with you again next year.
Happy New
Year everyone!
About the author:
I have several websites, physician-on-health.com and
orchids-plus-more.com. A physician by training with 20 yr
expereince as a family doc. Developing these websites has been
an interest for many years.