I was recently visited at Bikur Holim by a British woman who
asked about diseases that are more common in Israel.
We are malaria free, and do not have any exotic tropical
diseases. But we do abound with diseases that fit the
climate. Erysipelas, a fiery red infection of the legs, is
very common in this country, as is dandruff, due to the hot
climate. (We have mentioned in the past that dandruff is due
to a fungus.)
West Nile fever is all over the world now, but we see plenty
of it due to our proximity to the Nile basin. We have a lot
of G6PD, a deficiency of an enzyme that can cause blood cells
to burst if certain medications are taken. It is a genetic
disease found among the Sephardim who, by the way, eat a dish
made of fava beans that can cause this bursting as well.
We see a lot of FMF, that is familial Mediterranean fever.
And of course, fair-skinned Europeans and North Americans
must be careful about sun exposure and skin cancer, although
a short vacation is unlikely to do anything.
I was sent a letter about baby boomers. For those unfamiliar
with this term, it refers to people born between 1945 and
1965. There was a terrific increase in the birth of babies
during this time due to returning servicemen from World War
II, and these folks are now in mid-life. Many are
experiencing these diseases of prosperity — obesity and
high blood pressure. Many have low back pain. The article
pushes for lifestyle modifications and I could not agree
more.
However, this may be more relevant to my foreign readers. I
recently returned from the USA, and there is a tremendous
pressure to make as much of a variety of foods kosher as
possible. This of course adds up to extra calories. We are
also guilty here. Aside from Bamba and snack foods,
sufganiot and hamentashen, seasons in the
stores are beginning to overlap. A word to the wise...
I got a letter about noise in hospitals. Indeed there is a
lot of noise, especially in the emergency department, but it
doesn't compare to what teenagers are exposed to. Yes, we
must work on this problem. Write me in care of the
Yated.
A message from GlaxoSmithKline, sponsor of this
column. Augmentin is now available in a twice-a-day
formulation and is the drug of choice for many things
including bites of dogs and cats. It is also a superior drug
for infections of the skin like those we spoke about above
(erysipelas).
