Blog about medicines and adverse drug reactions.
March 12th, 2009 admin
We would all like to remain perpetually young. Since this is impossible, some older individuals at least try to keep their youthful appearance. Many factors contribute to feelings of youthfulness and vigor, and they are at least as important as one’s cosmetic appearance.
When you are overweight, you not only appear less youthful but also find it difficult to engage in activities that will make you feel younger. An active and vital lifestyle and good health practices are more important in making you feel and look youthful and vigorous than the removal of wrinkles from your face. However, you may feel that your outward appearance belies your true feelings of youth and interferes with your activities and interests. You may feel that if you “look” more youthful you will be able to enjoy life more fully. Under such circumstances cosmetic (plastic) surgery might be suitable for you.
Many surgical operations can be done, but the most common one to enhance your features is the surgical facelift. In addition, separate operations can be performed on the eyelids, chin, and nose.
The face-lift consists of “pulling back” the skin and underlying tissues of the face and removing the excess. The scars are usually behind the ear and on the scalp, where they will be less noticeable. During a face-lift operation, small pockets of fat that cause parts of your face to bulge may also be removed. Surgery on the eyelids usually removes excess fat and redundant skin so that your eyes do not appear to be baggy or your eyelids droopy. Some plastic surgeons may also modify the appearance of your nose as part of a facial reconstruction. Sometimes the surgeon also either manually or chemically “peels” away a layer of skin to remove blemishes and fine wrinkles that may make you look older.
Cosmetic surgery is not done for the same reasons that most other surgery is performed. Your health or life is not at risk. Therefore, you should consider it carefully. And in this case a second opinion can be worthwhile. As with all surgery, complications are possible. Very few competent plastic surgeons will propose this type of surgery if your general health is poor and if you have not attempted to lose weight and improve your exercise tolerance. Even with the best surgical technique, some people may suffer from excess bleeding during surgery or have scars that do not heal well. More serious complications occur rarely, and a competent surgeon should be able to anticipate these and avoid them.
The most common problem associated with a surgical face-lift is disappointment with the outcome. Before committing yourself to this type of operating, you should discuss your expectations with the surgeon and ask him for an honest prediction of the result. Sometimes more than one surgical procedure is necessary to achieve a good result. By talking with the surgeon you can avoid the surprise and shock should he recommend another operation.
It is just as important to choose the right plastic surgeon as it is to choose any other kind of surgeon. Most major medical centers have departments of plastic surgery that are staffed by competent surgeons, and your physician and other patients can help you decide on the right one for you. In some areas there are special institutes for plastic surgery, and they usually maintain a good reputation.
After a surgical face-lift, you must do your best to keep your weight under control, because excess fat can interfere with what otherwise would have been a good outcome. Quite often, as the aging process continues, the results of the facelift may disappear. Depending on your personality and desire to appear more youthful, you may require a second or even third face-lift a few years later.
Remember, your outward physical appearance should be only one part of your program of creative and vigorous aging. Your level of physical activity and your emotional and intellectual interests play a crucial part in making you feel youthful.
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March 12th, 2009 admin
Good nutrition is essential for health—growth, development, energy, and good body function. We eat for many reasons other than to satisfy nutritional requirements, and most of us have developed eating habits that reflect our social and emotional needs. Because so much of why and what we eat has little to do with our nutritional needs, many of us suffer from poor eating habits and inadequate diets.
Food is divided into carbohydrates (sugars and starches), proteins (meat, poultry, and fish), and fats and oils (from animal and vegetable sources). In addition, many other substances are found in foods, including vitamins and minerals. These help your metabolism and are as important as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
Unfortunately, many older people suffer from malnutrition, and this is not limited to the poor. In fact, many financially secure older people are poorly nourished, as are many younger people. Poor eating habits as much as the unavailability of food or limited funds account for poor nutrition.
As you grow older, your nutritional requirements for growth decrease, but you continue to need nutrients for body maintenance and repair. The only things that you may need less of are calories. But although you need smaller amounts of food, you still need a well-balanced diet.
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March 12th, 2009 admin
Although men appear to be less obviously affected by aging, they also suffer sexual problems. You may not have difficulty finding suitable partners either because you are already married or because, despite being single, many women are available. However, you may discover that your capability for sexual activity has deteriorated. This can be very frightening and frustrating and may lead to a diminished sexual interest.
Many older men who have had surgery on their prostate gland think that they will no longer be able to be active sexually. Your physician should dispel this misconception, however. It is unusual for prostate surgery to affect your physical ability to have sexual fulfillment permanently, although this type of surgery as well as many other physical and emotional stresses can sometimes impair your sexual capacity.
The problem of impotence in elderly men is common. It may be difficult to tell your partner, and you may avoid sex altogether rather than admit your inability to perform. You may not be able to express your problem to your doctor either, especially if you feel he is unsympathetic. Some people try over-the-counter medicines to improve sexuality, but most are ineffective and only postpone finding a proper solution.
Although a few well-known medical conditions can interfere with your ability to have an erection and achieve sexual fulfillment, for the most part these are not the common causes of impotence. You must explain your condition to your physician. Your health should be evaluated so that illnesses and medications that might interfere with sexual activity and sexual feelings can be controlled. An illness, such as diabetes, and certain drugs, such as those for high blood pressure, as well as tranquilizers and sedatives, may interfere with sexual function.
For many men impotence is a psychological problem. You may have developed a fear of failing, perhaps because you have a younger sexual partner whom you suspect may not be faithful to you. You might be experiencing marital problems and have unconsciously responded with impotence. You may have fears about your financial situation, your work, or any number of other things. Sometimes impotence occurs after a major physical illness. If you had a heart attack, you may be terrified of having sex again, fearing that such excitement could bring on another heart attack. This may show itself as impotence, and you should consult your physician. If, for example, physical excitement leads to an attack of angina pectoris, your physician may recommend that you lake a nitroglycerin tablet fifteen to twenty minutes before sexual activity. Such problems should be openly discussed with your physician and your partner.
Some physicians prescribe testosterone (male hormone) tablets or injections for impotence. In some men impotence may be the result of a decrease or lack of this hormone. Until now the degree of success with hormone treatment has not been as great as would be expected. Those who do improve with this medication should take it for only a short time, for it can have adverse effects on your prostate gland.
Some urologists (specialists of kidneys, bladder, prostate) have taken on the additional role of sexual counselor. Psychiatrists or psychologists can also be helpful. Most impotent men respond to proper counseling. Your family physician may be the most appropriate person for this kind of help because he probably knows you better than others, and he may also understand your marital situation. If he is not sympathetic to your needs, find someone who is. Most men suffering from impotence respond to treatment and return to a reasonably active and satisfying sexual life.
During the past few years there has been an increasing use of prosthetic (assistive) devices to treat men with impotence that cannot otherwise be improved. The evaluation for the suitability of such a surgically implanted penile prosthesis is usually done by a urologist. A number of devices are available. For some men and their partners the result of having a penile prosthesis may be very satisfying, allowing them to take part in sexual intercourse that was otherwise not possible. These devices are not without drawbacks. Therefore, discuss the situation carefully with your urologist and your sexual partner before agreeing to the treatment.
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March 12th, 2009 admin
Probably more has been written about vitamin C than any other vitamin known to man. Great quantities are consumed daily by millions of people whose hope is that it will increase their defenses against infection and somehow improve their skin and the function of their heart and blood vessels, among other things.
Vitamin C is found abundantly in fresh fruit, especially citrus fruits. It is found generously in melons, strawberries, and fresh vegetables, such as green peppers, cabbage, tomatoes, and spinach. Other vegetables that contain considerable quantities of vitamin C include broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, peas, and potatoes. When vegetables are overboiled, however, this water-soluble vitamin may leak into the liquid, thereby leaving relatively little in the vegetable. This can be overcome by steaming your vegetables rather than boiling them, or by using a small amount of water, which you can then save and add to soup.
Many studies have attempted to show that adding vitamin C to your diet will increase your level of general health and longevity. A number have tried to prove that large doses of vitamin C improve your resistance to respiratory disease and decrease the effect and duration of some infectious illnesses, particularly colds. Other than some evidence suggesting that it may decrease the duration and symptoms of colds, there has been little conclusive support that vitamin C will improve your general level of health or increase your lifespan. The doses recommended for these purposes are usually ten to forty times the amounts that are known to be necessary for normal metabolism, which is about 50 to 80 milligrams per day. Although excess amounts of vitamin C have few side effects, some people experience burning when passing urine.
Unless you have a specific ailment that interferes with your normal absorption of vitamin C, or you cannot eat enough fruits and vegetables, there is no need to take the vitamin as a nutritional supplement. There is little evidence at present to suggest that large doses (500 milligrams to 2 grams) taken daily are in any way beneficial to your heart, blood vessels, lungs, or body in general. Taking such large doses of vitamin C at the beginning of or during a cold may have some benefit in decreasing the symptoms and its duration, however.
If you are plagued by frequent respiratory infections, it would be prudent to see your physician first about other factors that might be making you susceptible. Certainly it is more important for you to stop smoking than to take a vitamin C pill in order to improve your lung function and prevent infection.
Research is being conducted to determine whether supplemental vitamin C and vitamin E decrease the incidence of gastrointestinal cancer. It has been determined that in countries where little C and E are consumed the incidence of gastrointestinal cancer is higher. In Western countries, large quantities of nitrates (nitrosamines) are eaten; they are used abundantly in preserved and smoked meats, and some researchers believe that they may be carcinogenic (cancer forming) if eaten over many years. It is possible, however, that large doses of vitamin C and vitamin E can inhibit the nitrates from becoming carcinogenic. Until the research is completed, it is probably more reasonable to decrease the amount of nitrates in your diet rather than take excessively large amounts of these two vitamins. A well-balanced diet with ample vegetables, fruits, and juices is more likely to assure your good health than taking large supplements of vitamin C.
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March 12th, 2009 admin
Physicians may have the reputation of “not being interested” in nutrition. This is not quite accurate: most physicians have the basic knowledge to answer questions on nutrition, but over the years they have not used their education and experience to give nutritional advice. Fortunately, today greater emphasis and interest on nutritional problems is evident in medical schools.
Nutritionists and dietitians are nonmedical practitioners who are often consulted by physicians to give advice to patients, particularly regarding diets for weight reduction, high blood pressure, heart or vascular disease, and control of diabetes. Many institutions employ nutritionists or dietitians to assist patients and residents in following appropriate diets. Depending on locale, educational requirements differ for dietitians and nutritionists. A dietitian has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and nutrition, often with postgraduate training. In many places, a qualified nutritionist has postgraduate training in addition to a bachelor’s degree but, unfortunately, many people who refer to themselves as “nutritionists” have no formal training or certification.
Most Western countries have national and local associations that disseminate information on health and nutrition. They may also monitor and make recommendations to governments or other organizations about such areas as food additives or proper product labeling.
One problem affecting all of us which may become more pronounced during our later years is the attraction to unusual diets. It may become very alluring to follow the recommendations of dietary practitioners who claim that their diets can solve problems of aging, cancer, heart disease, or many of the common illnesses that plague us as we grow older.
Certain professional schools train people to diagnose and treat many common disorders as though they were all related to what we eat. Although some of the points may be well founded and glowing results are often claimed by people who have followed these dietary regimens, many of the principles have not been adequately tested or proven and do not coincide with traditional medical teaching. Similar assertions are often made for the innumerable weight-reduction programs that fill the pages of newspapers, magazines, and the shelves of bookstores and libraries. If the foundation of the diet does not contradict the principles of balance, variety, and calorie control, it is probably not dangerous and possibly may be beneficial, although the benefits may be difficult to determine.
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March 12th, 2009 admin
Many of my patients who have been chronic dieters are completely out of touch with their body’s signals. This probably occurs because they learn to ignore hunger when dieting rigorously, and soon they learn to ignore satiety (the feeling of fullness) too. They get so tied up in the psychological side of eating (“I have to have this!” and “I can’t have this!”) that their bodily responses become secondary.
Start listening to your body’s signals again. Try to determine whether or not you’re really hungry. When you feel the urge to eat, if it’s not mealtime, wait 10 minutes. Perhaps the pang you felt wasn’t really a signal that you need to eat. If, after 10 minutes you’re still hungry, snack from your Chitosan bag. If your hunger persists after that, eat. When you do eat, enjoy something that’s part of the plan. Eat the food, then wait 20 minutes. Chances are the hunger will be gone. When eating a meal, chew slowly and try to concentrate on the sensations in your mouth, throat, and stomach. The minute you feel a hint of fullness, stop! You can always come back to the meal later, but right now you’re trying to train yourself to pick up cues. Leave the table for 20 minutes; go get involved in another activity. Then, if you’re still hungry, come back and eat some more. The goal is to be able to rely on your body to tell you when and how much to eat. We were all born with this ability, but many of us have lost it somewhere along the way.
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March 12th, 2009 admin
Dr. Alan Hirsch, author of this diet, argues that we suffer from an overabundance of food, a condition that’s become common only during the last century or so. We must fight our
evolutionary tendency to gain and store weight during the winter and times of plenty, just in case the food runs out and we’re faced with famine. Indeed, the evolutionary chain was able to produce us only because our ancestors were good at storing fat that could be used when the food ran out. But changing our inborn patterns is difficult to do in the modern world when we have consistent access to so much food. So far, so good. He is right that this is the genesis of our problem.
The solution to this problem can be found right in our own noses, according to Hirsch. Simply sniffing certain odors is often all it takes to satisfy hunger cravings. Hirsch recommends that we carry little tubes that contain the scents of bananas, apples, or other foods, and that we sniff them throughout the day. Each time you sniff, he says, inhale 3 times in each nostril. Hirsch suggests that you use different scents during the day so that you don’t tire of the same one. If you like, you can work the program with a smell buddy.
You don’t have to carry the tubes if you’d rather not. You can simply smell your food before you eat it to start stimulating the satiety center in your brain as soon as possible. If you do rely on sniffing your food, rather than using the tubes, you are supposed to eat hot foods whenever possible, for they release more odor than cold dishes. Eat fresh foods, and pour on those herbs and spices. It also helps to blow bubbles with your food in order to release the scent of the food into the air, which you then inhale.
Hirsch feels that sniffing to stimulate the satiety center is all it takes to trigger less eating and weight loss. “You won’t be given a list of foods you must eat at breakfast or lunch,” he says. “You will not be weighing your foods or counting calories.”
Sniffing away the pounds is an enticing idea but I’d like to see some more scientific studies to back this theory up. Even if it really does work, which seems intuitively unlikely, this diet is not a good idea because it teaches nothing about how to balance your diet correctly or achieve anything approaching a lifelong path for good health.
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March 12th, 2009 admin
This “groundbreaking” approach promises that you’ll be able to eat plenty of delicious foods and keep your metabolism humming by having you discard the poor fueling that has been harming you. But first comes the inspirational step of learning to think of food as fuel, not the enemy. Developing the proper mindset and proper goals will help you fuel your future rather than concentrating on dieting to lose weight. Although author Robyn Landis recommends a low-fat diet, she also insists that calories don’t count, so you can eat as much as you like as long as you exercise and use the right kind of mental and dietary fuel. This confusing, unfounded program is best left on the shelf.
Fad Diets, front Atkins to the Zone-I’ve selected these diets for discussion because millions of dieters are using them right at this very moment. You can find many of the books that promote these diets on the shelves of your local bookstore, either in their original forms or in a slightly altered version.
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March 12th, 2009 admin
Your success on the Fat Blocker Program with Chitosan is, of course, ultimately dependent on your attitude toward yourself, toward building healthful eating habits that will last a lifetime, and toward the measured use of Chitosan. If you think that this supplement is a sort of license to overeat, you’ll be very disappointed in the results. What it is, rather, is a license to eat correctly, a license to maintain your appropriate weight, a license to be healthy. If you abuse your body by taking handfuls of Chitosan and then gorging on high-calorie treats, you will end up gaining weight. (Remember: Chitosan only blocks fat, not calories from carbohydrates or protein. And also remember that there is a limit to how much Chitosan you can take, and how much fat you can block.) If you do not eat sensibly, the fat will overwhelm the Chitosan and it will do you little good. Indeed, the whole point of this approach is to cut down on your food consumption a little—an amount you can manage permanently—and let the Chitosan add its effect to your efforts. So, if you use the Fat Blocker Program as a guide for building lifelong eating and exercise habits—using the Chitosan to add to the effectiveness of your program—you will succeed.
Chitosan can help us accomplish a world of good. But, like most powerful substances, it must be used carefully and prudently. By following these rules, you can make Chitosan work for you, not against you.
♦ Use Chitosan to help you get started. Start gradually. Don’t try to do more than you know
you can manage in the long run.
♦ Follow the Fat Blocker Eating Program for good nutrition and good health.
♦ Recognize that an occasional splurge will occur. But do not substitute splurge foods for the
nutritious foods outlined in the Fat Blocker Eating Program, and keep your splurging as
modest as you can (i.e., one piece of cake, not the whole cake).
♦ Do not use Chitosan as an excuse to binge or engage in other unhealthy eating practices. If
you do binge in spite of your best efforts, Chitosan can partially mitigate the effect of your
transgression. But if you use Chitosan to permit yourself to binge, you will have allowed it to
do you a lot of harm.
♦ Do not take fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, or E) at the same time that you take
Chitosan. (They may be less available for your body’s use.)
♦ Do not overuse Chitosan.
♦ Do drink 8 glasses of water a day.
♦ Remember: There is no substitute for nutritious eating and a regular exercise program.
Chitosan can help you stay with your eating plan but it can’t nourish your body, increase your
physical fitness, or cause you to lose weight.
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March 12th, 2009 admin
Caution: Before you begin any new exercise program, see your physician to discuss any health concerns you may have, especially if you are over 35 or have heart trouble, high blood pressure, any other health problems, concerns, or risk factors. And consider these tips:
♦ Don’t overdo it, especially at the beginning. Start slowly, increasing the intensity, time, or
number of repetitions gradually over a period of weeks or months. Overdoing it can lead to
injuries. If you injure yourself, you’ll be more likely to abandon the program for good. Less
dramatically, but just as bad for your long-term health, overexertion at the start can teach you
that exercise is painful and unpleasant (which it doesn’t have to be) and can convince you not
to do any.
♦ Expect to feel a little tired, out of breath, or slightly sore at first. But again I emphasize that
these symptoms should be minor. Remember, your initial objective is to do a little more
exercise, partly to make absolutely certain that you are not falling into the trap of doing less
(perhaps because you have less weight to cart around), and partly because even a little bit of
extra exercise will speed up your BMR and help you lose weight and get into shape faster. In
any case, even if you inadvertently overdo it slightly at the start, don’t worry. That’s normal.
Soon, your body will respond to the exercise, quickly learning to tolerate greater amounts
of exercise. It’s amazing what the human body can do in a brief period of time.
♦ Stay with it. Try to exercise at least 4 days a week. Frequency and consistency are more
important than quantity when it comes to exercise—especially if you are just starting out.
As the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle pointed out, “We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Your consistent effort will pay off, sooner than
you think. Gradually, if you remain steady, the amount of exercise you do will increase.
Within a few months, people will say to you, “I don’t know how you do it. I certainly
couldn’t.” Take the compliment, even though you and I both know that, with just a little
effort—and Chitosan—your admirer could do just as well.
♦ Keep breathing as you exercise. You need plenty of oxygen, especially during aerobic
exercise. Holding your breath can defeat your purpose, raise your blood pressure, and prompt
increased muscle soreness.
♦ Tune in to your body’s signals. Learn to distinguish between the mild pain of exerting
unused muscles and the true pain of injury. If you feel dizzy, short of breath, tight-chested,
or nauseated, stop and immediately see your doctor. In fact, if you occasionally reach the
point where you just don’t feel like continuing, pack up and go home. Better to miss one day
of exercise than to put yourself into such a negative frame of mind about the whole thing that
you give up exercising altogether.
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