Cholesterol may be the most misunderstood substance in most people’s minds. And it’s all wrapped up with fat.

For years our mothers have been telling us to eat a diet low in fat, with lots of fibre-rich fruits, vegetables and whole grains. The problem with fat is that it has high calories (bad for most urban Canadians) and in the old days we believed that eating fat was a serious cause of heart disease.

In the old days we thought that eating fat boosted cholesterol in the blood, and cholesterol deposits in the bloodstream cause narrowing of the arteries. In the heart’s supply arteries a blockage causes a heart attack. We know that is bad. So we existed for many years with this view: eating fat causes heart attacks.

It’s understandable that people are a bit confused right now, because the view has become a bit more complicated. But it’s not so complicated that you can’t understand it. Just think about it a bit.

There are two types of cholesterol: HDL (we’ll call it good cholesterol) and LDL (we’ll call it bad cholesterol). Having lots of good cholesterol is good, because it cleans up bad cholesterol. You want more good than bad cholesterol, and preferably lots more. If your good cholesterol cleans up the bad cholesterol, then it doesn’t deposit in your arteries, and so you avoid a heart attack.

The evidence for the benefit of good cholesterol is getting stronger every day, to the point that today it was reported that keeping good cholesterol high is important even if you take drugs that artifically lower your bad cholesterol. In other words, it may have benefits beyond just cleaning up.

So where does this leave us with fats? Well, we need to realize that there are four broad classes of fat (for our purposes) and they have different effects on the good and bad cholesterol.

The worst fats are trans fats. They raise your bad cholesterol and lower the good cleaning-up kind. Most are in convenience foods. I try not to eat artificial trans fats at any time, and don’t worry about eating the trace amounts in milk and meat products.

Then comes saturated fats. They raise your bad cholesterol, but also raise the cleaning up good cholesterol. Best to limit them where possible, but I don’t declare war on them.

Unsaturated non-trans fats are the key! Eating unsaturated fats lowers your bad cholesterol and increases your good cholesterol. By doing so they reduce your risk of heart attack.

Of course, unsaturated fats are still high in calories, but as long as you don’t overeat, replacing trans fats with unsaturated fats is the way to good heart health!

 › health     2007-09-27 14:38   ...0 comments

By now this will not be news to most readers, but I carry a lot of stress around with me. About a month back, Jen had a little intervention with me on the topic. She pointed out that since she has known me, my stress levels have been on the rise. It’s a bit of a two steps toward the stress one step back kind of scenario, so it hasn’t been a direct trip to stressland… still it’s been adding up.

I did a bit of research into stress manuals and came up with The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook. It turns out to be a bit of a bible on the topic, and it’s been around for more than 25 years. It’s in its fifth edition, recently revised. This is a great book. One that I heartily recommend to pretty much everyone.

It all but says Don’t Panic in
large friendly letters on the cover.

Here’s how the book is laid out. The first two chapters have background information on stress that are common to everyone. The meat of the book follows, in the shape of a chapter with instructions for virtually every known stress reduction technique.

The real value of the book comes in a large chart that lets you match the effects of stress in your life (e.g. back pain, chronic worrying, irritability) to the specific chapters known to help with those effects (e.g. breathing, meditation, refuting irrational ideas, worry control).

The book gives you enough background on each technique to let you understand how and why it will work, and whether it’s for you. It suggests picking 3 or so chapters and trying them out. As with all these kinds of books there is a point where the rubber meets the road and you actually have to work on your issues; the great thing with this book is that by directing you to things that will work you ideally get good results without flailing around too much.

In any case, I’m still at the early stage of this process, but I am hopeful. Several chapters in this book describe me to a tee. I’ll keep you posted.

If you think it sounds like you should read this book, you should. I am seriously thinking about giving these out to people as gifts. No offense, but I know a lot of people like me who could use it.

 › health     2006-07-13 21:17   ...0 comments

I have been sick for like 10 days now. This is the one period of the year when I really can’t afford to be sick. Pub carols was last sunday and tonight, and I need a clear and strong voice to lead those… I didn’t have it either evening. Yesterday there was a lovely brunch with my cousins, the Finest Kind christmas concert at the black sheep, and dinner with folks after. Then I stayed up until 1:30 getting my radio show ready. Then I woke up early (why, body, why?). Today I did the radio show, two hours of SOCAN paperwork, then pub carols. I am shot. I have been pushing myself hard for even a healthy Colin, so I’ve been masking the cold with a pharmacopœia (yay, ligatures)… now I need to really give myself a rest, let myself be sick, so I can get better. Earlier this week I thought I had licked the cold, but then I had to push start my car in the freezing on Wed night and the cold came back with a vengeance. I took two days off work this week, and I don’t think that after this weekend I’ll be going in tomorrow, either. Whoa. Wah. Poor me. This concludes this whinging missive about my health.

 › health     2005-12-18 19:47   ...3 comments

Well, I’ve come down with a fall cold this week.

It all started Monday night when I had a huge sneezing fit while watching a movie with Jen. Luckily we were at home so I only had her to shower with my microbes.

Anyway, it’s the stuffy nose head cold type of jobbie. I actually thought it was allergies at the start, but 2 Benedryls did not stop the stuffy action… it went all night long. So I have concluded that it is a cold¹.

I decided on Tuesday that I wanted decongestant. You may think that after hundreds of years we, the human race, could have located more than one substance to use as a systemic decongestant. But no, it is not true, we have not. The only thing we have discovered are ephedrins. These compounds basically stimulate the adrenal system to give you an adrenaline high. This high causes your blood vessels to shrink up, and that helps your congestion for some reason.

Adrenaline, what a great thing to give to someone who is prone to anxiety attacks these days and who can’t sleep because of a stuffy nose. Hmph.

So I went to the pharmacy on my way to work and talked to the pharmacist about this problem. She recommended Sinusalia. This is a homeopathic drug whose active ingredients (albeit in infinitesimal quantities) are: Belladonna (a notorious neurotoxin), Bloodroot (causes heart failure) and Wormbush (also causes heart failure). So I bought and ate a few doses.

As you might imagine for a sinus draining pill which is a blend of three powerful poisons diluted over and over and over again until the quantities are too small to be poisonous — and whose potency is accounted for by “potentiation through succusion” (shaking the diluted poison in a tube) — it drained nothing except for my pocketbook.

I went back to the pharmacy after work and talked to a different and better pharmacist who suggested the topical option of using Otrivin. I have never used Otrivin in the past because I have heard that your nasal system can become dependent on it. That means that your problems come back way worse when you stop. The pharmacist explained that you should taper your usage off to avoid this problem. Also, he said three days is enough to build a dependence but my favorite drug information site says 2 weeks is the accepted time. I bought the Otrivin.

All success was not assured, however, as the bottle I bought was the you-squeeze-it-through-the-hole-in-the-top-of-the-bottle-to-make-a-mist type. I got it home. I positioned my face according to the directions on the bottle. I squeezed the bottle, expecting a soothing moisturizing spray of decongestant goodness…

I don’t know if my bottle is defective or what, but when I tried to use it it squirted a strong stream of Otrivin right up my nose (probably 10 times the normal dose), and down the back of my throat. Damn, Otrivin tastes bad. And you know what? It stimulates the adrenal gland when absorbed through the stomach. So I got a nice little buzz off of that — and avoiding that is why I bought the damnèd Otrivin in the first place. Argh.

The Otrivin, however, did work wonders on the congestion front. Today I’m going to go to the pharmacy and buy the kind of Otrivin that delivers a metred dose. That will remove the guesswork and keep me on track.

I hate sinus colds.

¹Correct punctuation and grammar are optional when you have a cold.

 › health     2005-10-12 13:00   ...5 comments

As if there weren’t enough reasons to quit smoking, studies have shown that smoking causes blindness.

Now a british eye disease association reports on a poll that says that about 70% of smokers would quit or cut back (41% quit, 28% cut back) if they knew it would blind them.

“Yet, the survey shows that fear of blindness is a powerful incentive to stop smoking or smoke less. Out of the respondents who had stated that they were current smokers 69 per cent would either stop smoking permanently (41 per cent) or smoke less (28 per cent). In the group of people aged 25-39 as many as 81 per cent would take this action with 46 per cent stating that they would stop smoking permanently and 35 per cent saying they would smoke less. These figures, as well as experiences in Australia and New Zealand, lend considerable support to the assertion that a focus on the link between smoking and blindness would considerably increase the effectiveness of anti-smoking campaigns.”

Time to get the word out.

 › health     2005-09-07 14:09   ...0 comments

Chris just sent me this. He said “You’d never see this public service announcement in the US!”

That’s for sure! (And perhaps it’s not just for teenagers, some of you readers with children may feel you resemble a slightly reduced version of this…)

Edited to update URL

 › health     2005-03-23 15:26   ...1 comment

Well, something about this time of year makes me want to start taking a multi-vitamin. Last year, you may recall, I had trouble finding a good one, and the one I did buy upset my stomach.

This year, armed with the nutrition information magazine my mum passed along to me, I decided to try again. I had one all picked out… the Wampole Complete Multi Adult. (That is an amusing name… Multi-Pass… Multi-Adult… ha!)

So I went to the store with the magazine so I could compare the results of my websearch with any new brands, etc. I got there and was immediately accosted by some naturopath who is “on duty” there in the afternoons. That meant I could not do my own leisurely research in the damn store, because this irritating person was breathing down my neck every time I tried to turn a package over to see what was in it. (“If you have any questions, I am a naturopath!”)

Finally I just grabbed a box of Centrum Forte (I didn’t see the Wampole there and I remembered the Centrum Forte did ok in the magazine) and left. Frustrated. Perhaps in another year I will be able to do the in-store comparison I wanted to do.

Off to unplug the kitchen sink now…

 › health     2005-01-26 16:38   ...1 comment

Well, I sadly discovered today that there was some kind of mis-communication / mixup when my allergy serum was ordered.

Seems I am getting moulds and dust mites in one arm, and trees and grasses in the other.

Missing are the cats :( :( :(

So I have been getting the shots for a year now, and have not been getting any de-sensitization for the thing I most wanted to be de-sensitized to…

I have moved my checkup forward by 1 month to mid-January, and I will get the cats started pronto. Meanwhile I will visit Halifax this winter break in the same cat state as before.

/cries

 › health     2004-12-09 23:39   ...5 comments

Do you know that old joke? The one where all the parts of the body argue about who is in charge? It goes something like this:

Well, I am not having exactly that conversation with my body, but there does seem to be a dispute among major muscle groups unfolding.

Here’s the version that’s playing out with me:

So now I have a very sore throat, and a hoarse throat. Just like if I’d been sick, but it started all of a sudden with this weird neck spasm.

I really think all these items are related, and I’m hoping that there isn’t a whole new spasm next week. Damn.

 › health     2004-09-26 16:25   ...1 comment

Well, I guess it happens to 90% of people at some time in their lives. Acute lower back pain.

Yesterday, Barkworth Green was singing two songs before the Ottawa AIDS walk, and on a freezing blustery day to boot. May and I went down to the car to pick something up, and when we got to the top of the steps at city hall I felt this stabbing pain on my lower back at the left side, with a nasty and excruciating muscle cramp as well. It stopped me in my tracks for sure. Soon the initial stabbing cramp passed, but I was left with an aching back, and no possibility of leaning forward without more stabbing pain. I then lay down for about 45 minutes, but that didn’t really help. Then I sang two songs in front of an audience like that, thankfully no stabbing during the singing.

I watched a movie with the crowd last night, while lying on the floor. Sleeping was barely OK. I did kind of half-wake to move around, but still felt rested this morning.

This morning things were still very sore, but no sign of the stabbing pains which was good good good. Then I decided to have a shower. This was a good idea I think as the heat was nice, but then I began to have thoughts about how probably the muscle tension was about the only reason that I was not feeling ok. So I relaxed my back and deliberately bent to pick up the soap. I was fine on the way down… but then more stabbing crampy pain. Bad plan. This was a bit of a setback, but I’ve been mostly lying down since then, and things are pretty much back to the this morning state at this point.

I’ve done some research on the internet about acute low back pain. here is an excellent reference. (It helps to know that radiculopathy is a pinched nerve, and I do not have this or any of the things that have long latin names.)

Interestingly, long bed rest is no longer advocated. It seems it harms more than it helps. So I am getting up and walking around every half hour or so. They recommend 2 days or so of rest, followed by a gradual return to activity with care to operate only within the bounds of comfort.

What seems so unfair is that I was not lifting anything at the time, I wasn’t being bad to my back, I just walked up the stairs! Really! Anyway, I probably set myself up for this with recent canoe lifting, etc. I’m now considering a return to Pilates when I’m feeling better because of its fantastic effect on abdominal and back tone, a key aspect to preventing relapses of back spasms. Also I need to work seriously on my posture.

Is this a wake-up call? I certainly feel that way today. Hopefully I’ll be able to carry this through when I’m fully back in action

 › health     2004-09-19 19:08   ...0 comments

Interesting essay on these diets is here.

 › health     2004-08-10 10:24   ...0 comments

Self portrait with teeth!

Yes, the big day has finally arrived, the day of the installation of my tooth. I went last week to have the colour matched up, and today was a trip to the dentist to get the actual crown put on.

As you can see from the photo, I think it looks great.

The tooth is now on with temporary cement (although apparently the temporary cement is sometimes just left alone because it allows for easier servicing if required later). I need to go back to the implant guy (my regular dentist did today’s procedure) and have him look at the gum line. The gum is a little short on the implant tooth, which isn’t generally noticeable since I don’t show much gum when I smile. However, there may be some more work to do to make it perfect. I’ll keep you posted on that later.

 › health     2004-07-15 17:09   ...4 comments

Well, mediaeval dentistry continued unabated today with the second phase of the implant procedure. No tooth yet though.

The summary is that the implant appears to have taken successfully, some metal is visible in my jaw now, and I should have a new tooth within 6 weeks or so.

Click for gory details if you desire.

Read the Complete Entry

 › health     2004-06-16 21:36   ...0 comments

Went out last night to Cafe Baci in the market. The food was very tasty, but the enjoyment did not last. When we went home with Kevin and Carrie to watch a movie I got the world’s worst stomach (and other) cramps that would not go away.

Now, I have a bit of a ‘sensitive system’ at the best of times, so I am used to discomfort that clears itself up rapidly, but this was pain for like an hour or something. It was bad.

Kevin also felt not great. Since he and I were the primary consumers of the Antipasto plate, I feel it is likely that it was the culprit. I had most of the salami, and he had only a little, so I feel that it is the salami. Very bad salami. Evil salami.

I am feeling much better this morning, but damn, that was evil.

 › health     2004-04-03 10:42   ...2 comments

The U.S. Cheeseburger bill has passed its reading in the house.

The bill makes it illegal to sue a food company (e.g. McDonald’s) because you are obese from eating their food. I personally am hoping that this doesn’t really accomplish anything, because I think the best way for companies to serve healthier food is to be running scared.

The tobacco industry should be the example here… you shouldn’t be running ads which suggest that “a new special is waiting for you everyday” at McDonald’s; doing so means that you are intentionally damaging people. After all, it is unlikely that McDonald’s can truly stand behind the “more study is needed” crap that the tobacco industry tried to pull.

Although I do not eat at McDonald’s, I think that all these fast food restaurants should immediately switch from the tobacco lying-style marketing to the type of marketing used by the alcoholic beverage industry:

McDonald’s: Please enjoy responsibly

 › health     2004-03-12 09:22   ...1 comment

10 of 13 scientists who published a paper with a suggestion that the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is linked to autism have withdrawn their conclusion.

It turns out that the paper was based on 16 case studies, and they wanted to suggest that someone should rule out a connection between vaccination and these problems. Unfortunately, this got wide publication and vaccination rates dropped, even though no connection has ever been shown.

The article is published in New Scientist.

 › health     2004-03-04 10:29   ...0 comments

I have been instructed to write more about the noSdiet, but it has been a very busy week. As a palliative, I direct you to another interesting diet. The Nietzschean diet.

 › health     2004-03-03 10:28   ...1 comment

Dan’s blog today has a link to the NoSDiet. A very simple and seemingly good way of eating. It is, of course, little more than your mother told you to do (eat three square meals a day, and don’t be piggy with snacks) but as usual it seems the internet has more brains than big diet book publishers.

My only negative comment about these folk diets is that people have a terrible time understanding that fats in foods have little to do with fatness as in weight gain. So, the NoS guy, predictably, blows off low-fat eating as a fad diet:

[regarding diet systems] It’s funny that these diets masquerade as scientific, because psychologically they rely on the most primitive magicism: magic potion foods that are good for you and can be gorged with impunity, and cursed poison foods that explode with a mouthful (carbohydrates and fat are the two biggies, alternating roles).

What makes you fat is consuming more energy (calories) than you need, and burning not enough of it off, resulting in the storage of the excess as chemical potential energy in fat cells. Since dietary fats are high in calories, that means that reducing dietary fats is a sensible way to lower your calorie intake, and thus a way to avoid becoming corpulent… but this is not the primary benefit of a low-fat diet.

Fats in foods are bad because they are bad for your circulatory system (arteries, veins, heart). Efforts to push low-fat cooking are generally spearheaded by the heart disease people.

In other words, a low-fat diet is important for preventing heart disease. It may, as a side benefit, shave off some calories, but any diet claiming to be beneficial should not be slagging off low-fat eating.

The NoSGuy grudgingly admits that there may be something to eating less fat, and that some fats are required. This is true, and it’s not so complicated to understand. Here is a good reference site that I find myself going back to time and again. They have a very good Healthy Body Calculator (which, incidentally, tells me that I should not miss the start of this year’s running clinics).

 › health     2004-02-29 17:36   ...1 comment

Got my stitches out on Tuesday. That went pretty smoothly, so now I will begin to ease back into the flipper bit by bit. Most of the soreness in now gone.

Incidentally, I coaxed the actual implant brand out of my dentist, so pictured in this entry is the actual model (if not size) of the implant that was placed. My implant is 15mm long by 4mm in diameter. Click here to see the manufacturer’s information.

 › health     2004-02-11 12:58   ...0 comments

Well, yesterday was my oral surgery to place my dental implant.

Since this is an extremely long entry, I’m not showing all of it on this main page. Click on the story’s heading (or on the date or comments or see more link below) to read the unabbreviated version.

This entry is non-gory. Jen says it is safe to read it.

Read the Complete Entry

 › health     2004-01-28 17:58   ...6 comments