Diplomate, Board Certification of Emergency Medicine
Let's answer some letters. From Jerusalem, we're asked a few
questions, the first being on aspirin. This wonder drug has
been around from the early part of the last century and comes
from the bark of a South American tree. It is a good pain
reliever and it reduces fever. Its most important effect is
that it prevents platelets -- the clotting cells of the blood
-- from aggregating and making clots. This is not good in
trauma and in someone who falls a lot, but it is great for
people who have arteries full of fatty deposits and
cholesterol plaques who need good blood flow. A clot in a
narrow artery can be the cause of a stroke and a heart
attack.
Current recommendations are that everyone over the age of 35
should take one a day. Low doses are fine. Keep in mind that
if you have a bleeding disorder or an ulcer, you cannot take
this drug. A new drug called Plavix causes less bleeding but
is much, much more expensive. Aspirin remains the only
treatment for some strokes.
The letter writer also asks about cholesterol. Cholesterol
comes in many forms, and if you do not eat enough of it your
body will make it. The bad ones are LDL and VLDL which have a
tendency to clog up blood vessels. HDL is better, but it is
higher in females.
Not eating cholesterol is not the problem; eating fats -- the
material needed to create cholesterol -- is the problem. You
may ask: since fat is bad and carbohydrates are now
considered not so good and proteins in excess turn into fat --
so what is there left to eat? The answer remains fruits and
vegetables and low-fat dairy and meat products. Bamba never
will be considered a good food, though I hate to disappoint
some people with this information.
He also asks about hypertension. There is some new
information on this that we will discuss next week,
iy"H.
Another correspondent from Bnei Brak complained about the
lack of supervision in water parks. You cannot depend on
Hatzolah people and rebbes to be on top of everything, and
the lifeguard as well cannot be depended on when there are
hundreds of kids. Teach your child to swim and use the buddy
system: all children must buddy-up and watch each other.
Report dangerous conditions to the administration of the park
and if they are not responsive, then to the authorities. Try
to get the cheder to send fewer kids if possible.
Volunteer to help out if possible. There are no simple
answers. Prevention remains the best cure. Teach your
children to be as responsible as possible. Write me in care
of the Yated.
A message from GlaxoSmithKline, sponsor of this
column. Serentide combines a lung passage opener with a
steroid, the combination most recommended to keep asthma in
check. Breathe easier with this tested and safe medication
from Glaxo.
