Crunch Time!

Understanding Your Doctor

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Instead of assuming your doctor is giving you the brush off,try reading between the lines

1. He says: “Take two aspirin and call me in the morning.”

You hear:”You’re wasting my time with trivia.”

What’s behind it? Doctors see illness at its earliest stages when a firm diagnosis is not always possible.

Aspirin is unlikely to cause harm and will ease minor symptoms until the problem is more obvious.

2. He says:”This won’t hurt a bit.”

You hear:”This is going to hurt like hell.”

What’s behind it? Doctor are aware of patient’s fears and their reputation depends as much on their reputation depends as much on their ability to soothe as to diagnose.Muscles tensed in expectation of pain resist probing fingers and needles,causing pain and discomfort anyway.

3. He says:”It’s a virus.”

You hear,”I’ve no idea what’s wrong with you.”

What’s behind it? Viruses pack out waiting rooms can cause a wide variety of symptoms. As the vast majority are harmless and self-imitating,saying this is a way of buying time.Either the problem will solve itself,or evolve into something recognizable.

4. He says:” I’m sending you to specialist.”

You hear.”I’ve had enough of you.”

What’s behind it? Doctors know a bit about everything.Specialist, on the other hand know everything about a bit.Combine these two types of expertise  and you have a safe,efficient system.Sometimes,the need for a specialist opinion is obvious, or your doctor may be worried about missing a serious cause of a symptom such as tiredness.

5. He says:” Is there anything else ?”

You hear:”Is that all you’ve come about?”

What’s behind it?  A good technique for finding out what the patient really came about. This often applies to men,who are notorious for spending 90% of the time discussing cold,only to admit to impotence just as they’re leaving.

Keith Hopcroft in The TIMES

Careful with this Food Coloring Number

Image via Wikipedia

Some artificial food colors and additives can make children hyperactive and distracted,according to recent studies. Now the Food Standards Agency (FSA) wants six food coloring to be voluntarily withdrawn by food manufacturers in the UK by next yea,rather than wait for an EU ruling,which the FSA says could take years.

The six yellow,orange and red colorings are : Sunset Yellow (E110),Carmoisine (E122), Tartrazine (E102), Ponceau 4R (E124), Quinoline yellow (E104).They are found in a wide variety of soft drinks,sweets,lollies,cakes (including birthday cake icing), biscuits,milk-shakes and even savoury products,such as mint chutney and mushy peas.

How to Prevent Heart Disease

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Women Seem to underplay their symptoms and tend to self-medicated before seeking help

Only 35 percents of women with heart disease have the typical symptom of angina

Tips on how to prevent it

• Don’t Smoke – this is the single most important things you can do for your heart.
• Have your blood pressure checked periodically
• Watch your cholesterol levels
• If you have diabetes,it should be treated and controlled
• Eat a healthy ,low-fat diet and pay attention to your weight
• keep your Body Mass Index Number-An indicator of total body fat,based on a ratio between weight and heigh at less than 25
• Maintain a waist measurement of 35 inches or less.
• Report chest,arm,throat,shoulder,blade or jaw discomfort that comes on with with exercise and goes away with rest
• If you are 40s,50s or 60s and experience shortness of breath,report it to your doctor
• If a close relative ~ a sibling or a parent-had early heart disease(in or before the the 50s,60s for,respectively,a man or a woman),your chance of heart problems is doubled, so you must work hard to reduce other risk factors
• Exercise-take a brisk,30 minutes walk every day