Most of us choose to eat what tastes good to our personal palates, but too often our choices promote neither health nor well-being. A decade ago when the National Consumers League asked its members if they had once been a victim of food poisoning, 44 percent responded yes. And it’s only gotten worse. Even foods that aren’t tainted cause ill effects. Skin irritation, sluggishness, chronic constipation, impatience, and depression all are symptoms of our body’s reaction to food. Think about how you felt the last time you succumbed to a fast food fix or finished off a bag of chips. Were you edgy? Depressed? Angry? Craving more? Sick to your stomach? Or … worse.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Is Nurse Jackie for real? Not entirely
Dianne Martin recalls the time her daughter Kaitlin was getting ready to go out to a Halloween party and her friend showed up in a sexy nurse costume.
She took one look at her friend and said, ‘Well, you might as well come in and have a conversation with my mom.'
There are too many stereotypes in pop culture working against nurses, says Martin, a 31-year veteran of nursing and executive director of the Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario. And TV writers aren't doing much to help the problem, she says.
It's hard enough as a nurse to get treated as a professional. I've been touched inappropriately by a male patient before — I grew up in an era where men believed if you can't get a date, get a nurse,” she says.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
On Smaller Class Size
Via Slate comes word of a new study released in the November 2007 issue of American Journal of Public Health. The study tracked the role of class size on a number of outcomes including projected earnings, welfare payments, crime costs, quality-of-life scores, and mortality.
Remarkably, the authors found that, when targeted to low-income students, smaller class size produced savings of approximately $200,000, and a net gain of 1.7 QALYs.
Notwithstanding my dislike of QALYs, this study concludes that reducing class-size could conceivably have a greater effect on socioeconomic disparities and on mortality than most acute care interventions. I have been beating the drum on this general point for some time now, that increasing access to acute care interventions is not an evidence-based way of improving health and ameliorating illness.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
The Benefits of Vitamin C and Vitamin D
When you’re on medication, whether it’s prescription or over-the-counter. Some drugs, as a side effect, block the absorption of nutrients in our diets, so it’s wise to understand how what you’re taking -- affects what you’re eating.
For example, constant use of aspirin can rob the body of iron and may interfere with folic acid and vitamin C levels. Potassium and calcium are depleted by diuretics. And if you take mineral oil for constipation, it’s likely you’ll require vitamin D.
The problem is especially acute for seniors, most of who are on some kind of medication. Many for example, take aspirin for arthritis – and should eat a diet high in iron to compensate for the loss they suffer. And you’ll probably need vitamin C and folic acid, too. Many elderly also take laxatives, which may decrease vitamin D absorption and it may also deplete phosphorous from the bones which can aggravate the tendency towards osteoporosis.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Province to hospitals: stop threatening $1,800 fees
Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews has ordered Ontario hospitals to stop threatening elderly patients with daily charges of up to $1,800 to “coerce” them to move to the first available nursing home bed.
It is completely inappropriate and unacceptable for any individual in this province in a hospital waiting for long-term care to be charged more than $53.23 per day,” she told the legislature Tuesday.
Hospitals are allowed to charge people $53.23 a day while they are waiting to get into a nursing home, but no more. As the Star has revealed in its ongoing Begging for Care series, hospitals have been threatening patients with charges of up to $1,800 in an attempt to free up hospital beds.
Monday, February 13, 2012
"Hey, That Hurts!"
Every once in awhile I will come across a visitor to my web site who asks me if I can refer a dentist to them who practices something known as Sedation Dentistry, a.k.a., general anesthesia, which basically is sedating the patient without using local anesthesia. Apparently there are some people who are overly sensitive to the least bit of dental pain (poor bastards) and are even known pass out at the site of a dentist's chair.
Types of Sedation Dentistry
Some of the more popular choices in sedation dentistry available are as follows:
Nitrous Oxide Gas - Often referred to as laughing gas, they use nitrous oxide gas in sedation dentistry to make a patient feel extremely relaxed and less tense. The dentist still administers a local anesthetic during sedation dentistry, as nitrous oxide does not stop pain.
Tetracyclic Compounds - An Antedepressant Agent
Type of Drug:
Antidepressant; mood-elevating agent.
How the Drug Works:
The exact mechanism of action is not known. It is believed that tetracyclic antidepressants adjust or balance how the brain and nervous system produce and respond to natural chemicals (neurotransmitters) that elevate mood.
Uses:
Maprotiline: To treat depressive illness in patients with depressive neurosis (dysthymic disorder) and manic-depressive illness (major depressive episode).
Mirtazapine: To treat depression.
Unlabeled Uses: Maprotiline is also effective for the relief of anxiety associated with depression.
Precautions:
Do not use in the following situations:
Friday, February 10, 2012
Treatments for Arthritis: Which are Fact or Folklore?
For the millions of Americans who suffer from arthritis, managing joint and muscle pain can be a daily struggle. There are several methods of treating arthritis, from lifestyle changes to prescription medications to herbal supplements. Choosing the best treatment plan depends on separating fact from fiction. The following guide outlines some of the most common treatments for arthritis.
Analgesics
The Claim: Analgesics are some of the most common treatments for arthritis related pain. Analgesics, like acetaminophen, inhibit the body's pain receptors and reduce the experience of arthritis-related pain.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Daughter copes at home with two ailing parents
Did you know?
On healthzone.ca, you can view a map of walk-in clinics in your area
Ted Bosak was an architect, a father, and a proud, independent man.
At the age of 86, Bosak was living in a Stouffville retirement community bungalow, taking care of his wife Nadia, who suffered from dementia.
Mentally, he was sharp, still in possession of his precise architect’s mind but physically, Bosak was growing frail. His daughter, Susan, liked to say that between her two parents, there was one healthy person.
On May 18, 2009, Bosak awoke early in the morning, as he always did, walked to the kitchen and made himself breakfast. At some point, while his wife slept, Bosak had a severe stroke and fell to the floor.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Desmopressin Acetate Guidelines of Usage
Type of Drug:Human antidiuretic hormone (ADH).
How the Drug Works:
A hormone which makes the kidneys reabsorb (retain) water and increases the concentration/activity of certain blood factors necessary for normal blood clotting.
Uses:
DDA VP: As antidiuretic hormone replacement therapy in the management of central cranial diabetes insipidus and for temporary excessive urination and excessive thirst following head injury or surgery in the pituitary region. This will allow return to a more normal lifestyle with decreased urinary frequency and nighttime urination.
To treat nighttime bed-wetting (nasal solution only). May be used alone or in combination with behavioral conditioning or other non medicinal intervention.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
The Gene That Could Make You Immune to Obesity
An obesity "master switch" has been found that makes it possible to feast on junk food without getting fat.
The discovery in mice could lead to new slimming treatments for humans within 10 years, scientists believe.
A U.S. study found that mice lacking the IKKe gene became effectively immune to obesity.
It meant the animals could eat a super-fatty diet and still stay slim.
They were also protected against chronic inflammation, a condition known as "fatty liver," and the first signs of diabetes.
Deleting the gene appeared to release the "brakes" on energy expenditure, generating heat.
Mice on the "junk" diet were fed a type of lard with 45 percent of its calories derived from fat.