Upcoming presentations

Tuesday, April 9th at 12:30 p.m., the Dove Library on El Camino Real in Carlsbad, Avoid the annoyances of aging, a discussion of those pesky things that take the fun out of growing older.  And yes, most of them can be avoided.

Wednesday, April 24th at 1:00 p.m. at the San Marcos Library, The Health benefits of wine and chocolate. This has been the all-time favorite of my 75 PowerPoint presentations. I wonder why!

Friday, April 26th at 2:30 p.m. at the LIFE program at Mira Costa College in Oceanside, The antibiotic crisis: how we got here. Only three generations of humans have lived during the antibiotic era. This presentation describes how antibiotics were discovered, how they work, why they are becoming less effective and how we can protect ourselves from antibiotic-resistant microorganisms. Details at http://www.miracosta.edu/life.

In the news

Here we go again: eggs, cholesterol and heart disease!

Is your brain being scrambled by the eggs are healthy/eggs are not healthy studies that the media revel in? It’s like watching a tennis match as the ball goes back and forth.

The latest study reports that “higher consumption of dietary cholesterol or eggs was significantly associated with higher risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in a dose-response manner”. The subjects of the study “self-reported” their egg intake to the researchers.

A prospective study that included more than 28,000 persons in China reported that eating seven or more eggs per week was not associated with an increase in cardiovascular disease or all-cause mortality. In fact, the egg-eaters in that group had a nearly ten percent reduction in stroke.

Hmmmm! Neither study looked at “egg helpers” – my term for bacon, sausage, ham, butter and hash browns – which may be why eggs appear to raise cholesterol and heart disease. Several publications have revealed that as your dietary intake of cholesterol goes up your liver produces less cholesterol, a feedback mechanism that has been recognized for decades. It is also well established that saturated fat, which makes up a large percentage of those egg helpers, raises cholesterol levels, especially the harmful type.

Is it possible that the Chinese egg-eaters are more likely to have veggies with their eggs while Americans are more likely to combine them with bacon or sausage?

Eggs have healthy protein (about 5 or 6 grams per egg) as well as several vitamins and minerals. And no carbs! A veggie omelet made with frozen mixed vegetables is one of the healthiest breakfasts you can have.

Another tip: add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil as you’re scrambling the eggs. You’ll be getting some healthy monounsaturated fat and the pan will be easier to clean.

Lifestyle

Keep that important stuff on ICE

       If you go to the emergency room they’ll want to know if you have any significant illnesses and will ask you what medications you are taking and the dosage of each.  What if you don’t know, can’t remember or are unable to communicate?

       ICE – In Case of Emergency is a list of your medical conditions and prescription medications that you can present to emergency medical responders. It can be a simple list carried in your wallet, a more formal ICE Medical Standard ID Card or a smartphone app that costs only 99 cents. The red ICE icon is easy to see on your cell phone for emergency personnel to access. Google ICE medical standard for details and materials.

Another program, the Vial of Life, provides a decal that can be stuck on a baggie to be placed on your refrigerator door and a decal for your front door. Into the baggie you can insert a form listing your current medical information and you could include a copy of your EKG, a Living Will and a recent photo of yourself. You can also store your information online at their free web site.  Google Vial of Life for details.

            Note: the information provided by both of these systems can be made available if you are away from home. ICE appears as an icon on your phone. Your Vial of Life information is online but it requires a username and password.