Monday, June 17, 2013

Wipers, CPAP, Statins.

Headlight wipersMaybe we are behind the times, but we went to the store on Saturday and on walking back to the car Matt spotted a Volvo with wipers on its headlights. We had neither of us ever seen that before, however, Googling I found lots of pictures of cars with headlight wipers. I wonder how they work in the snow.

When I went to the Sleep Management Group it turned out they didn’t have a nasal pillow similar to the one I had seen atCPAP2 the clinic. Although they stock the same brand name, they don’t have that particular one. I ended up getting a different full mask and after discussion, she decided to up the level of pressure from 9 to 10. When I got home I put the flash drive into my computer and she did whatever they do in order to increase it. My friend can do that for himself, but I can’t and have to rely on them to do it for me. The USB port is on the left of the machine – small slot at the side. I had trouble figuring how it went into the computer, it doesn’t look like a regular flash drive. I am providing all this information as there appear to be a number of bloggers out there who have to go through this procedure. I finally spent some time working with the ‘clock’ face figuring out how to set alarms, change times, change humidity, etc.

I have been taking a statin, Lipitor, for a number of years. Because Heart Surgeonone is diabetic, reasonable levels of cholesterol become too high. I don’t tolerate any kind of cholesterol medication too well and get the most terrible cramps even though I am on a very low dose. I also take several other pills to help with cramp, makes it better, but doesn’t fix it. Now I am beginning to hear/read/see reports which say that cholesterol isn’t the big problem that it has been touted as being.  This article quotes a world renowned heart surgeon and his current thinking. Dr. Dwight Lundell is the past Chief of Staff and Chief of Surgery at Banner Heart Hospital , Mesa , AZ. His private practice, Cardiac Care Center was in Mesa, AZ. Recently Dr. Lundell left surgery to focus on the nutritional treatment of heart disease. He is the founder of Healthy Humans Foundation that promotes human health with a focus on helping large corporations promote wellness. He is also the author of The Cure for Heart Disease and The Great Cholesterol Lie. This is, by no means, the only source of this kind of information. I might say that I have been saying, for years, eat real food, full fat creams and cheeses, etc. except eat them in moderation. Most low fat products, apart from being full of chemicals, taste pretty awful as well IMHOP.

For me, only two weeks left before asparagus season is all over for another year.  You'll hear me crying wherever you live. Here is another recipe from The Guardian.

Hungarian-style asparagus

Sparga siitve is a very tasty dish which can be served with vegetables and salads or with bread or a pilaf. Hungarian asparagus Hungarian-style-baked-asparagusis long, thick and white, but the green British variety will do just as well. You can also use yoghurt instead of sour cream.

Serves 4-6
 
900g asparagus, trimmed
(and scraped if using white asparagus)
½ tsp sugar
300ml sour cream or yoghurt
1 tsp plain flour
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp sugar
25g fresh breadcrumbs
25g unsalted butter

1 Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Wash and drain the asparagus thoroughly. Simmer for 5 minutes in boiling water and drain. Pat dry with kitchen paper and arrange in a large, greased ovenproof dish.
2 In a small bowl, mix together thoroughly the sour cream or yoghurt, flour, egg yolk, salt, paprika and sugar. Pour this evenly over the asparagus. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top and then dot with small knobs of the butter. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the top is golden.

Have a great day
Jo_thumb[2]

12 comments:

  1. My husband was on statins at one time. They made his muscles hurt. The last time he had his blood checked his doctor wanted to stick him on statins again even though the day before she told him modifying his diet would be good since he has been losing weight. I don't like statins for the side effects. I have been reading though that if you do take statins you should take CoQ10 enzyme to counter any bad effects from them.

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    1. I take CoQ10 and Vitamin D to counter the effects. I get some muscle pain, didn't think of that though.

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  2. I can't take statins either - but I'm allergic to everything, these cause horrific headaches and hives, huge hives on my head. Weird, I know.

    Glad you are getting things worked out the the CPAP. Stop by, I've chosen you. Inspiration is the name of the day, and your blog is filled with it!

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    1. Hives, that is odd. Luckily it doesn't affect me that way.

      I will be over, thanks for the compliment.

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  3. Fat free products taste awful. Or they have next to no taste.

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    1. You are so right Alex, I refuse to buy them.

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  4. I remember my Dad's SAAB car having wiper blades on the headlights back in the 70s .. I guess they were more common in cars from the Nordic regions?

    Have you seen the 'false eyelashes' that can be attached to girlie cars ... pink minis and Ford Ka.s ?? Just Google Car eyelash decals. They were quite fashionable in the UK a couple of years back (for the younger generation who are the only ones who can afford such luxuries) LOL

    I will re-read Dr Lundell's article when not so tired but I'm pleased that people are challenging some of these medications that seem to be trotted out for expediency. I really believe that in the UK doctors earn points for ticking boxes and issuing certain medications, carrying out blood pressure surveys, sending out letters re. weightloss classes etc.

    My MIL (aged 94 and weighing just over 6 stones) has been on Statins for years. She doesn't have unusually high blood pressure but its almost the norm that everyone over the age of 60 should be prescribed them in England. We read that they lead to loss of muscle tone and weight .. as MIL is losing weight she can't afford to lose, we asked the GP to stop prescribing Statins. He did for 4 weeks but now somehow the repeat prescription has included them again so we have to do battle with the doctor to get them stopped.

    Anyway, hope you get your sleep problems resolved. Not sure what your problem is?
    My brother suffers from sleep apnea and wears a mask when sleeping at night. thankfully that seems to work for him as he is a truck driver and also holds a private pilots licence so I'm happy that he isn't going to fall asleep at the wheel now he has been diagnosed and treated!




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    1. Yeah, I remember seeing pix of the girlie lashes, but I had never seen the wipers before.

      6 stones surely isn't much (I had to calculate it as I am so used to pounds now). It hasn't cause me any weight loss I'm afraid, just cramp. Muscle tone maybe. Hope you win your fight with the doc.

      My problem with sleep is hypopnea which is, I understand, a milder form of sleep apnea - still means I stop breathing at night, but not as often. I have to wear a mask at night too. Guess you were swanning around Fuerte when I wrote about it all before.

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  5. I think you're right on the money with the dietary advice, Jo. I've never restricted what I eat based on nutrition or health guidelines, but I do eat sensibly and (almost) never gorge on anything. I never get my money's worth at a buffet.

    And yes, I've seen numerous headlights with wipers, but I've yet to see their benefit. I'm just happy when my windshield wipers work. :)

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  6. I used to get my money's worth once upon a time, but not these days.

    I think the most benefit would be in the snow rather than any other weather conditions.

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