Just 4 Today I will drink my 2 liters of water (it’s so weird, even to me what a difference it makes to type this promise out). And I will not have any sweet treats.
And in this special bonus section, I’ll share this tidbit from The New York Times
Vital SignsNutrition: Red Grapefruit Earns a Star on Cholesterol Test
By NICHOLAS BAKALARGrapefruit, especially the deep red star ruby variety, can help reduce cholesterol in some patients who do not respond to statin drugs, researchers in Israel are reporting.
The researchers tested 57 patients ages 39 to 72 who had undergone coronary bypass surgery and had found that Zocor, or simvastatin, was ineffective. They divided them randomly into three groups.
Each group consumed the same diet, except that one ate one red grapefruit daily, the second ate one white grapefruit, and the third ate no grapefruit at all. None took lipid-lowering drugs during the test.
After one month, there were no differences in the heart rate, blood pressure or weight of the three groups. Antioxidant activity in both white and red groups was increased compared with the group that ate no grapefruit.
But the group that ate red grapefruit every day also had significantly decreased blood levels of triglycerides.
The findings will be published in the March 22 issue of The Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry.
this is great stuff kbird! The NYT may not be good for much in some areas, but they have been doing some useful things in the area of health lately.
One sour note about grapefruit. If you are taking gabapentin or other similar anti-convulsives, whether for neuropathy (like me!) or a seizure disorder, or for whatever reason, check with your doctor before eating grapefruit or products containing it.
I take gabapentin and have been told to avoid grapefruit. I’m not sure why, I don’t like it much, so I don’t care, but anyway, ask.
DTF thanks for that information. I had noticed earlier the medicines that you are on are the same ones I’m on for migraines. My anti-convulsive is depakote and since I never eat grapefruit, I’m not too worried on that front. I have to admit I do have an excellent Doctor who will pull out the PDR and explain everything to me for any medicine she prescribes. She had to do it out of self defense. I look up every medicine I’m ever prescribed and then call back with tons of questions.
I’m finally completely done with coffee. Now I’ll follow KB’s lead and start drinking two liters of water a day. But oh how I miss that wake up cup of coffee.
Wow, family man, they give that stuff for migraines, too? Does it work well? How many do you have to take? I have to take 18 of the gabapentins, 5400 mg total.
I also have a shaman visit report just 4 this month: After their traditional whispered argument on the question of whether I am really still alive or just faking it, they perused the meter’s memory and pronounced themselves pleased with my shugga. They told me not to worry too much about the occasional high ones, which they call “spikes,” saying this is normal as the pills and diet changes slowly, yes, they emphasized slowly stabilize glucose processing.
They have added OxyContin to my pain control regimen, with instructions never to carry it around or let anyone know I am taking it because right wing talk show hosts and their undercover operatives will beat me up and steal it.
And to save my liver, they have lowered the acetominophen level in my Oxycodone.
Other than that, all medications remain the same.
This is very good news, because I won’t have to take more pills, or be on insulin. The Oxycontin is more pills but only one twice a day, which is negligible if you take a bushel basket of pills already.
Yep they sure do give that for migraines. I take 1000mg of depakote a day. They have me on percocet 10 for when the migraines get started, plus nausea medicine, plus you add in high blood pressure medicine, chlosterol medicine and assorted other ones and I’m like a pill fatory. I know how you fell on taking a bushel basket of pills.
Oh yes, cholesterol medicine! I am taking Lipitor. Which one do you have to take?
My percocets are 10s too, but with the OxyContin they think I will not have to take as many of them. We will see.
How often do you get migraines? Do you have to avoid eating nuts and cheese?
I’m on lipitor also. I’ve had migraines most of my adult life, but in the last two years they’ve been coming about one a week, sometimes lasting a couple of days. There is so much food I won’t eat or touch, I’m beginning to think rice cakes are the only things I can get by on.
One thing that my Neurologist did recently that I had never heard of was to put me on a weeklong regimen of steroids. He said we would try that to try and break up the occurrences. It didn’t do anything except make me grouchy.
FamilyMan, I am very sorry you have those so often. Do the anti-convulsants and percocets make you able to function during the attacks?
And that really sucks about the food issues, especially if you can’t at least be sure which ones are dangerous. You make me feel like I have it pretty easy, no guesswork, if it’s got sugar, if it tastes good, then I am probably not supposed to eat much of it
But - if you can eat rice cakes, then can you eat cooked rice? Because once you step into that room, the possible variations are endless..
I never heard of steroids for migraines, but I never heard of anti-convulsives for them until today.
Has anybody gotten a migraine benefit from alpha-lipoic acid? I take it because I read on the internets that it would help peripheral neuropathy. I don’t know if it has or not. because I take so much other stuff, but what I am wondering since it helps some people with one neurological problem, maybe it would help a different neurological problem?
Actually they have an opposite effect on me. With all the medicine I have to take it should knock me out and make me sleep. However, the oxycodone makes me hyper. The only thing I can do is just sit and rock back and forth. The doctor told me it’s a combination of cluster headaches turning into migraines. I sympathize with your neuropathy. I had bypass surgery three years ago and I can tell you having your chest cut open doesn’t compare to the pain of a migraine. I’ve actually beaten my head against a wall before just to get a second of relief. Crazy but true. As I’ve told the doctor, I’m willing to try anything at all to get these under control. I’ll ask my doctor about the alpha-lipoic acid. He seems pretty progressive and willing to try different things. Hopefully I’ll hit the lottery and get the right medicine soon. And thanks for the good thoughts.
FamilyMan — I am so sorry. I don’t get migraines, but I’ve had headaches so bad I’ve thought about calling an ambulance. It’s been a while for me, but I got some relief from turning off every bit of electricity in the house — the hum of it was too much.
I hate headaches.
And, I hope you find the right medication soon — I’m stunned that you suffer like that.
Thanks KB. It is pretty devastating when it get bad. I told my doctor I wished I could get back to normal and have one every two or three months as I have for years. He laughed thinking that was normal. Thanks too for the good thoughts.
FamilyMan, they just have to find something that can help you, at least keep you functional when they occur. Could they try a different narcotic? Maybe just old fashioned tincture of morphine, like people, even little kids, used to be given for minor stomachaches, etc as late as the 1950s. Do they even make that any more? If not a compound pharmacy should be able to whip you up some. And laudanum. That would at least put you to sleep. If you can’t be made functional, you should be knocked on your butt.
I know what you mean about the reverse effect of narcotics. Sometimes they make me chatty and wide awake like I had had a big slice of Cafe du Monde. Other times not, I never know from pill to pill. Always a surprise.
Do they have any idea what would cause such an increase in frequency?