Odds and Ends

Odds and Ends for the week's end:

Seen and heard: At the store today, a couple was reading out loud the ingredients of a dog chew. You know, the rawhide chews people give their pets. I heard the woman reading from the label that one should be careful to wash their hands after handling the product. She turned to the man with her and noted that this didn't really sound like something she wanted her dog to chew on. "How safe can this be?" she asked. Indeed. I wonder if they read their own food labels with the same discerning eye!


I was looking for chrome polish during the same shopping trip and saw a can of Acetone.. to remove rust...Acetone, I recalled is one of the chemicals found in tobacco smoke.


From the doctor: Okay.. so today is a week since my last great act of stupidity.. running when I felt a new pain in my foot. In fact, a week since I have run. When meeting with a doctor who knows me well (on Friday), I was admonished to start low and go slow. Ah, that is what we always said on the psych unit regarding medicine. It makes sense in fitness too. Goodness, isn't it advice I myself give in these pages. I was out of running because of an abdominal strain so I did some aerobics (step and floor). I took three classes, increasing in intensity in one week. Doc asked, "When was the last time you did that type of activity"..." um" I replied, "... six years." He shook his finger at me in the mock Italian way, "take it easy!! start low go slow." He then caught me in the hall about to take the stairs and personally escorted me to the elevator, pushing the button himself. Stubborn me.

Newton's Fruit Crisps: They really are that good. I have been waiting for the sugar free PopTart, and well, I still am, but this new product, in two flavors comes darn close. I wasn't buying them however because of cost. I checked the UPC on the shelf today however, and they are cheaper than most of the 100 calorie snacks.. they come eight to a box. So I bought some! Another reason I like them is because they come two to a pack but each piece is 50 calories, so it isn't one of those tricks.

Other Eating Disorders: A friend and blog reader asked me about discussing eating disorders such as Anorexia and Bulimia in this blog. I defer, and you all should know, not because I think that they are not serious but because as sensational as they are, they are rare. The most generous numbers put them at 10% where as overweight and obesity are over 60%. To be clear, of psychiatric illnesses, Anorexia Nervosa has the highest death rate. Overweight and Obesity at this time have been accepted as medical diseases, but not a mental illness.

Letter to the Editor: Today I read a letter in the Wall St Journal that I wish I had written, but alas, my letters don't get printed so I guess it is better that I did not write it. The letter from a physician in CA proposes that healthiness be rewarded while people who maintain excess weight and who smoke be required to pay higher insurance premiums. His letter is a little harsh, but when he implies that people will change when their bottom dollar is affected I can hardly argue. After discussing this with a Facebook friend, however, I had this thought. As higher cigarette prices DO lower rates of tobacco use, perhaps lower prices on health foods would increase their consumption.

Preventing Colds: Lastly. I overheard some coworkers talking this week as they felt they were coming down with various ailments. Someone mentioned the herbal supplement Emergen C as a way to thwart the malaise. I decided to look that up after having read disappointing results on some other herbals and supplements recently. I found two very good pieces of information to share. Both are from Web MD. The first link will be12 things that you can do to be healthy and maintain a strong immune system. The second is information on the herbal supplement itself. This is an awesome link. Web MD has medical oversight and therefore I trust its content. On this page, the evidenced based effectiveness of this supplement for several conditions is listed. For the common cold the evidence is not concrete but more supportive than I expected. Please note, the page has several tabs and includes info on ingredients and interactions. Be cautious too because supplements are not regulated by the FDA and unfortunately, many a time the product you actually buy does not have the same ingredients or same amount or same combination of what was found effective.

http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/12-tips-prevent-cold-flu

this link is natural ways to prevent a cold

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/brandmono-655-Emergen+C+by+Alacer.aspx?brandedProductId=655&brandedProductName=Emergen+C+by+Alacer&source=0

this link shows Emergen C as maybe effective for common cold prevention