Director, Emergency Services, Bikur Cholim Hospital
A reader asks about additives to coffee which is
decaffeinated. I cannot identify any additives to make coffee
or colas decaffeinated, and do not believe that there are any
that could be harmful to one's health. While we are at it, we
will speak a little about food additives.
In general, additives are not as healthy as a fresh product.
In Israel this may be less of a problem, than elsewhere. In
places like the UK and the USA, fruits and vegetables must
sometimes travel long journeys to market. This entails, for
example, tomatoes that are picked green and engineered to
survive the distance. Often they and oranges are gassed to a
good color while they are not really ripe. Cucumbers are
often waxed, as are rutabagas (swedes) and this wax may be
either treif or petroleum-based.
Processed foods often have lots of chemicals added in to
preserve them. While frozen foods are often the healthiest,
canned foods can be a good, if tasteless, substitute.
Prepared foods need the most for preservation, and this means
lots of chemicals. I particularly do not like sodium nitrite,
which can cause allergic reactions for asthmatics and may
cause cancer. It is found in lunch meats.
Some additives are good, however. Salt in some countries has
iodine to help the thyroid gland function better. Milk in
northern countries often has vitamin A and D supplementation.
Cereals are often vitamin fortified, but it may be a ruse to
raise the price — the addition of vitamins to a box of
cereal costs the manufacturer about a half a shekel. Israelis
seem to like foods with lots of fat and sugar. Their corn
flakes have more sugar than UK corn flakes, and oils abound
in many foods.
An interesting additive is yellow prussiate of soda, added
occasionally to salt. This additive has cyanide in it, but it
is too tightly bound to the molecule to do any damage to the
body.
What is more concerning is that meat has many additives to
give you the right cut. Often the cows are force-fed hormones
and antibiotics to make good-looking meat. Eggs may also
reflect these dietary manipulations.
I was sent an article about back surgery. Back surgery is
often used as an option for chronic back pain. The back is a
complex web of sinews, ligaments, and nerves that make for
treatments that do not often work 100 percent. We do know
that bed rest makes things worse, as do back braces. We do
know that back schools do not help much nor do muscle
relaxers. Chiropractic did not do well in latest studies from
UCLA done by chiropractors. Unfortunately, surgery results
are not the best either. We still do not have a good solution
for this problem.
As this point, I would like to correct an error that crept
into my column. A blood count will not help for detecting
sodium levels in the blood, but a blood chemistry will.
I would also like to thank you, my faithful readers, who have
kept the columns fresh with your relevant questions and
interest. As the only religious paper that prints this sort
of column by a religious doctor, the Yated is to be
saluted for bringing medical knowledge in a Torah manner to
its readers and perhaps in doing so, someone's life may be
saved or improved.
As always, write me in care of the Yated.
A message from GlaxoSmithKline, sponsor of this
column. Serevent is long acting anti-asthma care that can
allow the work of breathing to be a lot easier all day long.
When you know allergy or asthma will strike, try Serevent and
breath easier.
