Во многих странах мира в настоящее время проводятся профилактические обследования населения для выявления скрыто протекающей ишемической болезни сердца (ИБС) и её проявлений (стенокардии и инфаркта миокарда), но пока такие осмотры не носят ещё повсеместного характера. Подобные обследования в последние годы ведутся и в России. Профилактические осмотры населения под этим углом зрения тем более важны, что большая часть случаев внезапной смерти связана с острым инфарктом миокарда либо с возникновением особо тяжёлых нарушений ритма работы сердца, вызванных остро наступившим ухудшением кровоснабжения сердечной мышцы.
До настоящего времени многие люди не представляют себе всей серьёзности проблемы резкого учащения случаев инфаркта миокарда и стенокардии, т.к. перестройка психологии человека происходит постепенно. Тем не менее, статистика приводит неоспоримые данные, свидетельствующие, что инфаркт миокарда и другие «коронарные эпизоды» в последнее десятилетие стали главной причиной смерти населения большинства наиболее развитых в экономическом отношении стран мира. В США по официальным данным более 4 млн. американцев страдают приступами стенокардии. Ежегодно в этой стране от инфаркта миокарда погибает более 670 тыс. человек и каждый год регистрируется около миллиона новых случаев инфаркта миокарда. Широко распространена ишемическая болезнь в Скандинавских странах, особенно в Финляндии, где ею болеют 198 человек из 10 тыс. населения (наивысший показатель в мире). В ФРГ за последние десять лет заболеваемость ИБС удвоилась. Ежегодно здесь регистрируется около 250 тыс. случаев инфаркта миокарда, а число лиц, умерших от этого заболевания увеличилось в 5 раз. В России от ИБС ежегодно умирает 529,9 тыс. человек. Недавно завершено популяционное обследование больших групп мужчин 40-60 лет, проживающих в Москве, с целью выявления распространённости ИБС факторов, способствующих ее развитию. Результаты обследования показали, что явные проявления ишемической болезни (стенокардия и др.) встречаются в 12% случаев. Более подробное обследование в условиях пробы с физической нагрузкой позволило выявить дополнительно скрытые формы ИБС ещё у 4% обследованных. В целом можно сказать, что каждый шестой мужчина в Москве в возрасте 40-59 лет имеет ИБС. В возрасте до 50 лет мужчины заболевают инфарктом миокарда несравненно чаще женщин. Поэтому главное внимание в вопросах профилактики этого заболевания уделяется мужской части населения.
Всемирная организация здравоохранения пришла к заключению, что в последние годы смертность от сердечно-сосудистых заболеваний среди мужчин старше 35 лет во всём мире увеличилась на 60%. Более 30% взрослого мужского населения в США, 28% – в Австралии погибают от осложнений, развившихся на почве ИБС.
Нельзя считать, что ИБС не встречалась в давние времена. Так, атеросклеротические поражения сосудов были обнаружены у египетских мумий. В сохранившихся древних рукописях египтян, в библии описываются сердечные боли, сходные со стенокардией. О случаях закупорки сосудистого просвета упоминал Гиппократ. Интересны описания суженных, извилистых участков артериальных сосудов, которые оставил Леонардо да Винчи. Он же подметил, что такого рода изменения чаще всего проявляются у людей пожилого возраста и высказал предположение, что это вредно отражается на питании тканей. С XVШ века итальянские анатомы стали описывать случаи разрыва сердечной мышцы у больных, при жизни страдавших болями в сердце.
Можно с уверенностью сказать, что ИБС (стенокардия, инфаркт миокарда) появились отнюдь не в середине XX века. Тем не менее, существует комплекс причин, приведших к широкому распространению этой болезни в наше время. ИБС возникает, в основном, на почве атеросклеротического поражения коронарных артерий сердца. Современная литература по этому вопросу полна описаниями, так называемых, факторов риска ИБС, активно способствующих её возникновению и прогрессированию.

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Treatment

Because it is impossible to determine clinically whether the infection is due to bacteria or a virus, all ear infections are treated with a course of antibiotics. This may be a 5-day course, though sometimes the doctor will prescribe medications for 10 days to ensure that the infection has cleared up. Various antibiotics can be effective, depending on the age of the child. Most children improve after a few days, but you should always make sure that the child finishes the whole course of treatment.

Apart from antibiotics, other medications are often prescribed. Decongestants are somewhat controversial, for despite their common use in ear infections, they have not been demonstrated to be of benefit. Paracetamol in appropriate doses is usually beneficial for the fever as well as the pain, and nasal drops or spray may help relieve congestion and make the child more comfortable, as may blowing the nose.

In some children who have recurrent ear infections or a chronic infection (known as ‘glue ear’), ventilating tubes (grommets) are inserted into the eardrum to keep fluid from building up behind the drum, thus making sure that hearing is preserved. This is a very common procedure in childhood, and usually the child can be a ‘day patient’ — he does not have to stay overnight in hospital but has the procedure are in the ears, it is advisable not to go swimming unless special ear plugs are used to prevent water entering the middle ear. The ENT specialist will explain these precautions to you. Grommets usually fall out after 6 to 12 months, although sometimes special tubes are inserted which will stay in longer. In some children, grommets are reinserted several times.

When to see your doctor

The doctor should see the child at the first sign that the child may have an ear infection. Often he or she will want to review the child after the completion of treatment, to make sure that the infection has cleared up and that there is no evidence of glue ear. The doctor should also be seen immediately if there is any discharge from the ear, as this may indicate a perforated eardrum.

Prevention

There is no way we can prevent ear infections. If your child has recurrent ear infections, or you suspect that his hearing may be reduced, then it is very important that the child be closely monitored to ensure that he does not have a significant and persistent hearing loss.

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If you develop diabetes during your pregnancy, you have what is called gestational diabetes. This usually becomes evident through routine testing of the urine for sugar, which is done at regular intervals during your antenatal care. Some women are known diabetics before they become pregnant. In either case extra precautions need to be taken to safeguard the well-being of both the mother and her baby.

Cause

The exact cause of diabetes is not known. It does have a tendency to run in families.

Clinical features

You may be unaware that you have diabetes until it is diagnosed on a urine dipstick during one of your routine antenatal visits. The build up of glucose (sugar) in the mother’s system passes through the placenta to the baby. This in turn makes the baby grow very big and fat, but does not make him mature any faster. This may cause difficulties around the time of birth, because the baby may be too big to fit through the mother’s pelvic outlet. In addition, he will most likely be immature and require a special care nursery until his condition is stable. Immediately after birth the baby’s glucose level may drop dramatically (hypoglycaemia), and this needs to be monitored carefully. Such babies are jittery and may even have convulsions. Occasionally, if the risk of normal labour is thought to be too great to both mother and baby, a Caesarian section will be advised.

Treatment

Careful monitoring of the mother’s glucose levels throughout pregnancy is important for good control. This may be achieved by using a home glucose monitor. Avoiding sweet foods such as cakes, lollies and chocolates is mandatory. If stable levels cannot be achieved through dietary control, insulin may be used. Sugar levels usually return to normal soon after the delivery and there should not be any problems with breastfeeding.

*52\90\8*

«It takes me forever to climax. I get close, then fade away. Get close again, then fade away. After a few times of that, then I don’t get close. I just fade away. How could I climax sooner so my poor husband doesn’t have to work so hard and hold back so long?

ANSWER: Probably the worst word in the sexual vocabulary is «climax.» It has become at the same time a goal, a purpose, and an end of sexual activity. A super marital sex rule is that the journey should be as important as or more important than the destination. Learning to focus on what is happening instead of where it is leading you will help. The physiological reflex or orgasm, like any human response, always involves an ebbing and flowing of sensation, of getting close, then not so close, then close again. What you report is perfectly natural. That’s the way all body processes operate, and sex is no different. Learning to enjoy the fading will also help, because there is no need to follow a «one way only» sexual system. If you want to experience an earlier orgasmic reflex as part of, but not the goal of, the sexual interaction, there are a few things to remember. First, learn about your sensitive areas, the Ñ and G areas. Learn what type, speed, intensity of stimulation you like and teach it to your partner. Some people report a «withdrawal from the edge» response when they get close to pelvic contraction. Practicing alone to go over that edge can help, but most important, psychasms can help take you over. Remember your capacity for both types of response and pressure will reduce. Pushing yourself when at the edge only causes more withdrawal. Letting the edge draw you over, letting the psychasm carry you over, can also be learned.

*243\97\8*

In hysteria, no pain is felt, at least at a conscious level. Hysteria may occur in children or mentally healthy people suddenly exposed to intolerable strain, such as a war or some natural disaster.

It is more common in those who have the typical hysterical personality. These are immature and inadequate and seem to have no ideas or emotions of their own but to take on the attitudes of the group in which they find themselves.

They like to be the centre of attention to make up for their inferiority feelings. This posturing may not be conscious. Children often seem to live out their fantasies, and those adults with hysterical personalities seem to behave in the same way. They are self-centred and bend and twist the truth to keep themselves in the limelight.

Hysterical symptoms are always assumed in order to gain, but this gain may not be obvious on casual examination.

The symptoms may be physical or emotional or both. The more knowledge the person has of real illness, the more closely may the symptoms mimic it. Paralysis, weakness and loss of feeling are common. Difficulty in swallowing, loss of the voice, blindness, deafness and loss of memory all occur.

*448/71/1*

There has always been an alternative to seeing a proper doctor. Alternative therapies are now becoming well known and respectable. It may not be too long before the practitioners of these systems and their patients are demanding access to beds in general hospitals or even setting up hospitals for the exclusive practice of alternative medicine.

It has been estimated that about 40 per cent of patients consulting a doctor have no physical or mental disorder and that a further 40 per cent have an illness but will recover, whether treated or not.

So about 80 per cent of patients attending a doctor really need no treatment. In the long run it perhaps doesn’t even matter whether a diagnosis is made.

These people are probably going to do as well with alternative treatment as they are with orthodox Western medical treatment, so perhaps there is a living for the orthodox doctor as well as the alternative practitioner.

But what about the other 20 per cent of patients who do have a serious illness which, if properly recognised and treated, may be relieved or cured? Even fatal illnesses can often be relieved for a time.

*192/71/1*

The use of visualisation techniques has played a part in treating disease from early times and in therapies from all over the world. The technique has been ‘rediscovered’ in recent times and is often used in conjunction with a number of other therapies to aid the natural healing process as well as to create a positive self-image.

During the 1920s Edmund Jacobson observed that a subject visualising himself running experienced involuntary twitches in the muscles of his legs. The link between mind and body was used by a Texan oncologist, Carl Simonton, and his wife Stephanie, to develop a treatment for cancer patients based on visualisation. Dr Simonton first tried out his treatment on a 61-year-old man with extensive throat cancer who could not eat and had lost an enormous amount of weight. The man agreed to co-operate in his own treatment by relaxing three times a day, mentally picturing his disease and an army of white blood cells attacking and overcoming the cancer cells. He also visualised his radiation therapy and the interaction of his body with the treatment. Within two weeks the man was rapidly gaining weight and his cancer had diminished noticeably. He continued his radiation therapy and was able to go fishing every day while undergoing it. Visualising himself as well, with a bright future, the patient was able to overcome the morbid depression which often characterises advanced cancer patients. He went on to get over arthritis, from which he had suffered for many years, and to become sexually active, after 20 years of impotence. His cancer remained completely in remission.

Visualisation therapy is now a popular alternative treatment which is used alongside more orthodox treatments for cancer. It is also used to treat a variety of other conditions. Resistance to illness in old age is believed to be enhanced by visualisations of a future in which you are healthy, happy, loving and hopeful. Asthma, heart disorders and phobias are also believed to be responsive to visualisation techniques, and some people have found it an effective technique for pain relief. Breathing and relaxation exercises are often enhanced by the use of visualisation.

This technique is taught and used by a range of different practitioners, including psychotherapists, hypnotherapists and sometimes by doctors, but you will have to rely on a personal referral to find a therapist.

*75\69\2*

Manganese is perhaps no less important than calcium for maintaining the strength of the bones, according to Science News (130:199). In fact, that journal reports, the only abnormality consistently found in the blood of a group of women with osteoporosis was an extremely low level of manganese.

Furthermore, a young basketball superstar who was constantly plagued with stress fractures and found to have osteoporosis was also found to have a low level of manganese. This was attributed to a special diet that he was taking. His blood calcium level, incidentally, was normal. After he was put on a dietary supplement of minerals to correct his blood levels of manganese and some other elements, his bones healed, and he had no more fractures.

Health food stores nowadays stock tablets containing five mg of manganese (or 50 mg of manganese gluconate, which is equivalent), enough to prevent manganese deficiency (and presumably osteoporosis) if taken every day, Science News reports. If one is also taking a supplement of calcium, take manganese at a different time of day, since these substances compete with one another for absorption.

*178\143\2*

Pain, ache, or throbbing in any area of the head are obvious signs of a headache. The type of headache experienced depends somewhat on the cause of the headache. Some clues to the cause are the location of the pain, how long pain lasts, the time of day at which it occurs, the circumstances leading to the pain, other accompanying symptoms, and the effect medications have on the pain. In general, a headache is not serious if it can be relieved by aspirin or paracetamol, rest, or comforting attention to the child.

Migraine. A child that has migraine headaches usually has a strong family history of the condition. A migraine headache is often on one side of the head. It is generally accompanied by nausea and vomiting («sick headache»). Sometimes it is preceded by an aura (seeing light flashes or having double vision). A migraine lasts for hours and usually cannot be relieved by aspirin or paracetamol.

High blood pressure. A throbbing pain occurs with a headache caused by high blood pressure. The child may sweat and turn pale or become flushed. Heart and pulse pound. Aspirin or paracetamol do not relieve this type of headache.

Concussions. A headache caused by concussion follows an injury to the head.

Tumours, infections, bleeding within the head. Headaches associated with these conditions gradually become more severe and more frequent. The child starts to vomit and to show other signs of disorders of the nervous system such as stiff neck, vision problems, confusion, loss of balance, and sometimes fever.

Sinusitis. When headache is caused by sinusitis, the nose is congested or runny.

Eye strain. A headache from eye strain follows reading or watching television.

Psychiatric problems. Behavior problems also occur along with a headache that is caused by psychiatric problems. The headache is frequently at the top of the head, or it may affect the entire head, which is unusual with other forms of headache.

*95/84/5*

It’s All the Rage

You know that jackass who insists on driving about 10 miles per hour below the speed limit? The one who inspires Walter Mitty fantasies of you piloting a monster truck, crushing his little Volkswagen like the bug it is? Well, while Sunday drivers have always been a little frustrating, these days they’re downright deadly because increasingly, people are moving from mumbling and gesticulating at bad drivers to ramming them with their cars and, occasionally, shooting them.

This phenomenon has become so common that it even has a name: road rage. And it’s getting worse. According to AAA data, the incidence of drivers outwardly expressing their hostility at one another for actions committed on the road-the formal definition of road rage-has been increasing by about 7 percent each year since 1990.

Short of taking the train, what’s a poor driving stiff to do, especially when you feel your blood boil when some jerk bobs and weaves around you on your morning commute? Here’s what Arnold P. Nerenberg, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in private practice in Whittier, California, suggests.

Consider the consequences. Before you start your engine, think how much it could cost you financially as well as physically to get all wound up on your trip, suggests Dr. Nerenberg. «Recognize that your problem of acting hostile to other drivers could cost you your life if an accident occurs or someone shoots you,» he says. «You could be sued for causing an accident, not to mention the toll it takes on your health to get all upset.»

Get a head start. If road rage is a problem for you, always leave 15 minutes earlier for your destination than you think you should, Dr. Nerenberg says. «That way you won’t be irritated from the get-go because you’re in a hurry,» he says.

Night Terrors

Aggressive and drunken driving is far from the sole contributors to auto accidents and fatalities. Statistics show that many factors-some you’d never consider, like drowsiness or even the way you drive at night-contribute to death on the roadways as well. Here’s what you need to know to cover all your safety bases on the road.

Sleep on it. Driving without sleep can be as dangerous as driving after drinking. And the effects of sleep deprivation are so pronounced that researchers found that there is an increase in the number of auto accidents on the Monday after daylight saving time begins (when we lose an hour of sleep) and a decrease in accidents the Monday after the fall change back (when we gain an hour). «Take your sleep seriously,» says Paul.

Spit shine those high beams. «Accidents often occur at night because of poor visibility,» says Kennedy. One surefire solution is to slow it down an extra notch in the nighttime to give you extra stopping and steering time, he says. Another may be to clean those headlights of yours. Dirt on your car’s headlights can lessen their light output by 75 percent.

*104/36/5*

It’s the third group, called stress handlers, who seem instinctively to know how to deal with stress. As a moderator at the Second International Symposium on the Management on Stress, in 1979, I introduced a man who summed up the stress handler’s approach, saying, «Don’t sweat the little things. And just about everything in life is little. If you can’t flee and you can’t fight, then flow with it.»

Stress handlers realize that most things in life aren’t worth getting upset about. If the occasion demands, however, they can stand up for themselves. And if they can’t resolve a problem, they learn to live with it by changing their perception of the facts.

Let’s say the neighbor runs her noisy electric lawn mower every Saturday at 6 A.M. The stress seeker will jump out of bed, stomp out of the house and—heart pounding, muscles tense and blood pressure sky-high—angrily confront the rude neighbor. If the woman refuses to turn the machine off, the stress seeker will threaten to call the police, call his lawyer, run his own lawn mower at 5 A.M., and so on. For the stress seeker, the situation is a battle that must be won at all costs. His blood pressure will top the charts, and stress hormones will flood his body until he wins— or his «doctor within» gives out.

A stress phobic will react to the same situation by turning his anger inward, bemoaning his inability to resolve the situation.

Every time he hears the lawn mower he’ll be reminded of his helplessness. These thoughts will slowly wear away at his immune system, making him more susceptible to disease.

Stress handlers, however, will calmly discuss the problem with the neighbor, tell a few jokes, and maybe work out a compromise. They’ll make every effort to resolve the situation and keep the peace. The stress handler may be forced to handle the situation through the legal system. But, if it turns out there’s no way to make the neighbor step, the stress handler will change his perception of the facts by deciding it’s a good idea to get up early and go jogging or read the newspaper while the lawn mower is running next door. In other words, the stress handler will not allow himself or herself to become sick over a lawn mower, or any other problem.

Stress handlers subconsciously know that the most important thing in life is their good health and happiness. They want to keep their endorphins and other good biochemicals flowing in goodly amounts. And they do. Stress handlers tend to be healthier than stress seekers or stress phobics because they keep their body chemistry in balance. Stress seekers may push and push until they win the point, but stress handlers are the ultimate winners: they keep their health and happiness.

*137\80\8*

‘You know, Dr. Fox,» a formerly depressed, 22-year-old woman named Anne told me, «I stick to my exercise program. Even on days when I’m feeling lazy, I do it anyway. That means I’ve got more discipline and health-energy than more than half the people in the country. That makes me feel good.»

When Anne said so emphatically that exercise improved her spirits, I began to wonder about the effect of exercise on her endorphins. I firmly believe that the positive feelings she got from exercising were raising her endorphins. As her good thoughts raised her endorphin levels, and otherwise improved her body chemistry, she couldn’t help but feel better physically, mentally and emotionally.

Now let’s look at just a few of the ways that exercise, combined with the rest of my Immune For Life program, can improve your physical health.

*93\80\8*

Halibut Red Snapper Sand Dabs Scallops

Sea Bass Sole

Tuna (packed in water) Yellow Perch

The fish listed above are low-fat fish.

• Shellfish, such as crabs, lobster and clams, are not high in fat, but people trying to lower their cholesterol should eat them sparingly or not at all.

• Fish are a good source of protein.

• Broil or steam your fish. Cooking and/or serving in oils or rich sauces adds lots of fat.

• Eat tuna fresh or, if canned, packed in water, not oil. Six percent of the calories in tuna packed in water are fat, but an astounding 60 percent of the calories in tuna packed in oil are fat.

• Mussels and oysters have fair amounts of fat, so limit your consumption of these shellfish.

• Recent studies in medical journals have shown that even a small intake of fish, one or two meals a week, reduced the incidence of coronary heart disease.

• Certain fish, such as salmon, herring and mackerel, have a protective effect against heart disease even though they are higher in fat than the fish listed above. It’s felt that a special kind of fatty acid, called omega-3, confers the protective effect. Here’s a list of fish high in omega-3 fatty acids (modified from the Journal of the American Dietetic Association):

Fish (3V2 ounces)
Grams of Omega-3
Sardines, Norway
5.10
Salmon, Chinook
3.04
Mackerel, Atlantic
2.18
Pink Salmon
1.87
Albacore Tuna (canned, light)
1.69
Sablefish
1.39
Herring, Atlantic
1.09
Rainbow Trout
1.08
Pacific Oyster
.84
Striped Bass
.64
Channel Catfish
.61
Alaskan King Crabs
.57
Ocean Perch
.51
Halibut, Pacific
.45
Shrimp
.39
Flounder, Yellowtail
.30
Haddock
.16
• For my patients who are at risk for coronary artery disease (those with elevated cholesterol, blood pressure or triglycerides or those with known coronary artery disease), I recommend three to four servings of fish a week. Of those meals, two or more should be fish high in omega-3s.

*52\80\8*

Colds, flus, polio, herpes, cancer, forms of arthritis and other disorders are all symptoms of an immune-system dysfunction. AIDS is the immune system disorder getting the most press at the moment, but terrible as it is, it’s far from being the only immune-system disease. When I check the blood of patients who «just don’t feel good,» I may find EB (Epstein-Barr) virus, a member of the herpesvirus group that causes infectious mononucleosis and other problems. Or I may find a virus such as CMV (cytomegalic virus), which can cause an immune-system disorder that may leave you feeling terrible, with enlarged glands and a sore throat. A sore throat may not bother you too much, but remember that CMV is attacking and weakening your immune system. With your immune system «on the run,» you’re more susceptible to other diseases.

Under ideal conditions your immune system would keep you free from many diseases, from colds to cancer. Unfortunately, we don’t live in an ideal world. Your goal, therefore, is to use the Immune For Life program to make your immune system as strong as it can possibly be. Remember: the stronger your immune system, the better your health.

Not too long ago I evaluated a 45-year-old magazine editor who was losing weight. At first he had thought it was fine: «I’m overweight anyway.» But the weight loss became associated with a rumbling in the abdomen and, later, loose stools. He soon experienced pain in the bones of his extremities. To top off his problem, the mild cough he had had for weeks became more severe.

«I finally realized I was walking like an old man!» he said. «What’s wrong with me?» The examination and various tests quickly revealed that his immune system was shot. He was suffering from Pneumocystis carinii—an opportunistic infection associated with AIDS—and had other medical problems as well. The AIDS virus severely weakened his immune system, allowing other diseases to strike. This man is now receiving chemotherapy treatment, but the outlook is poor.

I once treated a 36-year-old woman who was complaining of frequent episodes of loose, watery stools, often accompanied by lower abdominal pains. «It’s been going on for a month now, Dr. Fox. What is it?» she asked.

Examination of her stool revealed a parasite called Giardai lamblia. The same parasite had been detected years ago in a routine examination conducted by her previous physician. Because the parasite was being kept under control by her immune system and wasn’t causing any trouble, the doctor had decided that treatment wasn’t necessary. But then stress and poor diet caused her immune system to falter. It could no longer control the parasite, and her troubles began.

*8\80\8*

If you’ve been inhibited from using a condom because of stories about tearing, experts agree that your concerns are virtually unwarranted. Research has revealed that condoms are almost always uncommonly sturdy, and will endure rather severe treatment before tearing. In fact, the chances of a popular brand of condom tearing are very remote.

To ease your concerns, experts say that American brands, especially the thicker brands of condoms, are perhaps the safest when it comes to the likelihood of tearing. Some foreign brands, such as Japanese brands, are sometimes thinner than American brands, and as a result may be less sturdy.

If your concerns won’t go away, you might actually try to tear a condom. Buy a popular brand and tear several of them. Stretch them as much as you can, clamp one around a water faucet and fill it with water until it bursts. The idea is to see exactly what it takes to tear a condom. After «sacrificing» three or four condoms, you should know whether or not your concerns are warranted.

*193\27\8*

Many common household pests, such as houseflys, spiders, wasps, and mosquitoes, represent a potential health risk if not controlled. The key to keeping such household pests away is to deny them food, water and shelter.

Here are several proven methods of keeping common household pests at bay:

1) Keep food stored in tightly sealed glass or plastic containers.

2) Clean up all crumbs and spills immediately.

3) Keep sink areas clean and dry.

4) Clean garbage cans regularly, and secure their lids.

5) Fill all cracks and crevices, and repair all torn screens.

6) Cover chimney and flue openings with spark-arresting screening.

7) Electric bug zappers, while virtually ineffective against most stinging and biting insects, such as wasps and mosquitoes, do lure other flying insects away from the patio, pool and picnic areas at night.

Sprinkle a few broken up bay leaves on windowsills to combat invading ants. If the ants head straight for your flour and sugar bins, place a couple of bay leaves inside. Replace the leaves every month.

9) Don’t use «all-purpose» pesticides. They often lack the one ingredient needed to kill a specific pest. For information and advice on how to select the safest and most effective pesticide, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service.

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Many medical experts say that person under stress can easily «pass on’ their tension and anxiety to people around them— especially to those people who tend to get caught up in the problems of others. Although being sensitive to another person’s anxiety and tension is not a weakness, it can make us vulnerable to unnecessary stress which could then lead to serious health problems.

Since we all have our own fair share of stress to cope with every day. it is important that we know how to avoid «catching» stress from other people. Here are several expert tips on how to protect yourself from «contagious stress»:

1) While it may seem harsh or unfeeling, you should, if at all possible, try to avoid people who seem to exude tension and anxiety. For example, if you seem to be coming into contact with such a person at the same time and place —at lunch or on the bus— rearrange your schedule so you are not constantly meeting him or her. After all, avoiding potentially unhealthy situations is an important part of proper health maintenance.

2) If you can’t avoid «stress carriers», distract yourself so that you don’t get caught up in their problems. Try to remind yourself that their problems are not yours. It’s o.k. to sympathize, and even offer a few words of encouragement as long as you don’t allow yourself to be swept away in their misery.

Try to distract yourself by thinking of peaceful images when you are in the presence of a stressed-out person. Visualize the most relaxing setting you can imagine—a sunny beach or a picnic in a lush, green meadow. This type of distraction should serve as a protective barrier against intrusive tension and anxiety.

3) A sense of humor may be one of your best defenses against contagious stress. Try to make yourself laugh as soon as possible after an encounter with a stressful person. Seek out a friend who can always make you laugh, or go see a funny movie. Research has proven that laughter can be a potent antidote to stress.

4) Another proven method of reducing stress is exercise. If possible, do some exercise—walking or running—after dealing with a stressful person. Exercise will be helpful, even if you simply walk around the block once or twice at lunchtime.

5) Keep your personal and professional environment as «stress-resistant» as possible with flowers, plants, posters, or pictures of relaxing scenes. In other words, try to surround yourself with proven «stress-busters».

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You can be «true» to a low-fat diet even when you eat out by following these tips:

1) Choose a restaurant which features a good salad bar, or one that is known for its delicious, healthful salads.

2) Lime or lemon juice is a good low-fat salad dressing substitute available at most salad bars. Seafood coctail sauce is another excellent low-fat substitute dressing.

3) Ask the waiter, or the chef to prepare your vegetables without butter, sour cream, or cheese sauces.

4) Order chicken broiled instead of fried.

5) Try a low-fat entree, such as cooked chopped broccoli, on your potato.

6) Don’t give in to temptation. Most chefs will prepare your food exactly as you request.

News About Nutrasweet

The artificial sweetener Nutrasweet, found in many diet soft drinks, begins losing sweetness after about three months. To avoid getting «sweetless» diet soda, look at the code on the bottom of the can or bottle. Many diet sodas containing nutrasweet have codes which usually begin with a number that corresponds to the last number in the current year. For example, 2 for the year 1992. That number is followed by three digits that signify the day of the year. For example, a drink canned on January 1 (the first day of the year), 1992 would be stamped with the code 2001— and may taste watery before the end of April.

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Thanks to new labeling regulations, consumers, for the first time, will be able to compare the nutritional value of every packaged food available in the supermarket.

The new federally required labels on all processed foods will have to list calories, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, carbohydrates and protein, and sodium content, and show them in the context of a daily diet featuring 2,000 calories and 65 grams of fat. The idea is to show the consumer how much of a day’s total of each individual

ingredient he or she is getting from a particular food. Also, designations such as «low-fat», «high-fiber» and «light» are to have federally imposed definitions under the new labeling regulations.

Here are the federal govenrment’s definitions for some of the terms most commonly used to describe calories, sodium, sugar, fiber, fat, and cholesterol in food:

1) Free— fewer than 5 calories; less than 0.5 gram of sugar; less than 5 milligrams of sodium; less than 0.5 gram of fat; less than 2 milligrams of cholesterol, and 2 grams of saturated fat per serving.

2) Low— less than 140 milligrams of sodium; fewer than 40 calories; 3 grams or less of fat per serving size.

3) High— provides more than 20 percent of the amount recommended for daily consumption, as in «high_fiber».

4) Source of— provides 10 to 19 percent of the amount of a specific nutrient recommended to be consumed each day.

5) Reduced, or less— at least 25 percent less than the original product in sodium, calories, fat, saturated fat or cholesterol.

6) Light— if the product has more than 50 percent calories from fat, this designation means at least a 50 percent reduction in fat. However, if the product has less than 50 percent calories from fat, it can be either 50 percent reduced in fat or have 1 /3 fewer calories.

7) Light in sodium— reduces the sodium content of the original product by 50 percent.

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