Low salt diet may not be good for your heart

Another example of expert advice becoming dubious...

WEDNESDAY, June 4 (HealthDay News) — Surprising new research suggests that a diet low in salt may be worse for your heart than eating lots of salt, but don't start eating potato chips just yet.

"No one should run out and buy a salt shaker to try to improve their cardiovascular health. But we think it's reasonable to say that different people have different needs," said study author Dr. Hillel W. Cohen, an associate professor of epidemiology and population health at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.
The study, published online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, doesn't confirm that a low-salt diet itself is bad for the heart. But it does say that people who eat the least salt suffer from the highest rates of death from cardiac disease.
"Our findings suggest that one cannot simply assume, without evidence, that lower salt diets 'can't hurt,' " Cohen said.

For the rest, see www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=90010

Finally, the FDA Warns about Mercury Fillings

NEWS ITEM: Silver-colored metal dental fillings contain mercury that may cause health problems in pregnant women, children and fetuses, the Food and Drug Administration said today after settling a related lawsuit.

COMMENT: It's about time! Health advocacy groups and holistic dentists have been saying this for years. Unfortunately, the American Dental Association has tried to silence the protests because they fear that lawsuits will follow.

Even worse, having the fillings removed carries hazards because mercury is released when the old metal is drilled out.

I had my silver fillings removed over ten years ago, a few at a time. The dentist worked carefully, using a dental dam and administering oxygen to that I wouldn't breathe in too much mercury. I still got really ill though, and didn't feel well for several months.

Warning about CFL Light bulbs

Parents and others should read the Maine Compact Fluorescent Lamp Breakage Study Report. It's from the State of Maine; their waste management bureau did extensive tests on breakage of compact flourescent lightbulbs. They still recommend using the bulbs, although after reading the warnings, I don't understand why.

After cleaning up a broken bulb, tests show "all types of flooring surfaces tested can retain mercury sources even when visibly clean."

Never vacuum up pieces of a broken CFL bulb. "Vacuuming tends to mix the air within the room such that the one foot and five foot heights are similar immediately after vacuuming. A vacuum can become contaminated by mercury such that it cannot be easily decontaminated."

Mercury is dangerous. So what do you put a broken CFL in? Turns out that plastic bags won't do; use a glass jar.

Read Maine Compact Fluorescent Lamp Breakage Study Report and its attachments for details.

Uh-oh, Getting Older

Last week I got results from a Dexascan and learned that I have osteopenia, that is, low mineral content in my bones. This can lead to osteoporosis. The nurse said I need to take more calcium and vitamin D.

Then yesterday the podiatrist said I have arthritis in my toes. I was a bit shocked. Arthritis, me? I'm not old enough...

Oh, wait. I am. Getting older is rough. And how do you age gracefully when your body stops cooperating?

PSA Still GoingUp

My husband went back to the urologist for a follow-up appointment. He had his prostate removed last summer and although his PSA dropped almost to zero, it soon started creeping back up. This indicates that the cancer had already left the prostate and may eventually become a problem.

The urologist said that when his PSA reaches 10 he should start hormone therapy. At the present rate, this will take about a year.

The doctor also prescribed Viagra, since Cialis caused severe leg pain. When we picked up the prescription for Viagra, we experienced sticker shock. The pills cost $12 each AFTER the insurance company's discount. Husband did not want to pay that much, but I insisted that he try it. Not because I am anxious that he "perform" but rather because the operation took away just about all feeling "down there" and he is a bit depressed about it.

The doctor prescribed that he take 3 pills a week until circulation returns to the area, but at the high price for the medication, he probably won't take that much.

A Pun I can Relate to

I've had an allergic reaction to something in novocaine so I've had my dental work done without it for the last 15 years. This included numerous fillings (not too painful) and a couple of root canals (painful and unpleasant). Most of the time, I try to relax in the dentist chair and when things get uncomfortable, I grip the arms of the chair and try to channel my pain into the chair.

So when I read this pun, I had to smile:

Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal?
His goal: transcend dental medication.

What the Doctors Ordered

I take three prescription medications every day, each in a different form:

1. Armour Thyroid tablets for hypothyroidism
2. Topical Hormone Cream, prescribed by a doctor and prepared by a compounding pharmacy
3. Pilocarpine eye drops for a tonic pupil.

Items 1 and 2 are prescribed to my needs as indicated by blood tests. The hormone cream contains estrogens and a bit of progesterone. The eye drops were prescribed by my opthalmologist to shrink my left pupil which no longer contracts by itself. If I forget to use the eye drops and then go out in the sunshine, my eye gets very uncomfortable and eventually I feel pain behind the eye.

Fell on the Asphalt

I fell last week. There was a bit of black ice on our front walk and I didn't see it. Landed on one leg, scraped and bruised.

After my husband helped me back in the house, he fetched the bandages. The pack for sensitive skin had a warning on the box that the wrappers contained latex. Huh! Many of us with sensitive skin are allergic to latex. So why not wrap them in something else?

I decided to skip the bandages. My scrapes are healing okay and the bruises are faded now.