Diplomate, Board Certification of Emergency Medicine
More letters about cholesterol. I will just review the points
I have made in the past on this subject.
Cholesterol is necessary for making many hormones in the
body, but if the regulation of these compounds is out of
whack than it can be deposited in walls of blood vessels and
cause narrowing. HDL cholesterol is the good cholesterol
which counters the effects of bad ones -- meaning LDL, VLDL
and triglycerides, the latter being fat in the blood.
Niacin reduces cholesterol and increases HDL. It is a natural
vitamin, but it causes flushing and makes people feel
uncomfortable. There are various resins, but the newest drugs
remain the statins which reduce the levels nicely.
A few points: You can eat cholesterol and you will find it in
eggs, but you will most likely excrete this. The problem is
one of regulation of the amount of cholesterol your body
makes and you need to eat fats to get there. Diet and
exercise can reduce cholesterol levels. Ever see someone with
yellow hot dog shaped growths under their eyes? That is a
sign of high cholesterol. High cholesterol is a risk for
heart disease, stroke and blood vessel disease.
Please -- all my readers -- stop feeding your kids chocolate
sandwiches. They make kids fat and have no nutritional value.
Need a chocolate fix? Cover bananas, apples or strawberries
in chocolate. It is not that good for you, but at least they
will eat fruit.
Dehydration is not usually a winter disease, but in Israel it
is a real danger, especially among tourists. We have spoken
about this before, but I will mention dehydration in other
scenarios: vomiting and diarrhea can cause dangerous
dehydration, especially in kids. Diabetics can easily get
dehydrated, as can the elderly, especially in fever.
The best drinks are the ORT fluids endorsed by the WHO, in
Israel called Hydran. In the States it is called Pedialyte.
Fruit drinks are also good if they are natural. Water and
petel are not good alternatives.
I am asked about walking in the heat of the day. You should
do 20 minutes of vigorous exercise daily, five days a week.
Walking can be a good exercise if done fast. It is better to
do a constant speed than to increase and decrease speeds.
Better not to do it in the heat of the day. Wake up early and
do it when the day is cool. A stationary bike or a jump rope
is a good form of exercise in the house, but indeed, in our
community, swimming is probably the best bet.
A word on Tay Sachs. Many diseases are inherited, although
none are 100 percent. Even if both parents have the disease
there may still be children without it. Since women carry two
X genes and males only one, hemophilia and color-blindness
are rare in women as it is only on the X gene and women need
two abnormal X genes. Tay Sachs needs two parents who are
carriers and, due to an enzyme missing, those who have it die
before age seven of brain problems. Many people test for this
before they get married. Write me in care of the
Yated.
A message from GlaxoSmithKline, sponsor of this
column. Lamctil is a medication that succeeds in the
treatment of seizures where others fail. This drug allows
epileptics who were hard to control to live normal lives and
even drive again.
