Signs and symptoms
High blood pressure has been called the “silent disease,” because it often has no symptoms. Symptoms, if they occur, can include headaches, pounding heartbeat, shortness of breath during exercise, and flushing of the face. Accurate diagnosis can be made only by taking careful blood pressure measurements with instruments that are the correct size for your child’s size. If the blood pressure is high on the first reading, the doctor will check it several times at return visits to make sure that the first reading was accurate.
Home care
There is no home treatment for high blood pressure. The condition must be diagnosed and treated by a doctor. All children should have an annual physical examination. High blood pressure in child-hood is curable, but it can be dangerous if it is not treated.
Precaution
• Be sure the doctor checks your child’s blood pressure during each annual checkup.
Medical treatment
Your doctor will give the child a complete physical examination, including measuring the blood pressure, palpating the arteries in the groin, and examining the eye for changes in the blood vessels in the back of the eyes (where effects of high blood pressure may be recognized early). The doctor will also examine the child’s heart, abdomen, and genitals.
It takes complicated laboratory investigation to check for all of the many possible causes of high blood pressure. Except for rare cases, all the causes of high, blood pressure can be successfully treated or cured by medications, changes in diet, or surgery. However, the condition frequently requires the child to be hospitalized for tests and determination of treatment.
*113/84/5*
To balance your blood sugar, you need to follow three golden rules:
1. Eat complex carbohydrates regularly.
2. Avoid refined foods, especially sugar.
3. Reduce foods and drinks that are stimulants.
1. Eat Complex Carbohydrates Regularly
You need to eat foods that give a slow rise in blood sugar and keep a constant level for about three hours. Then you need to eat again, to prevent the level from dropping. Spacing food at three-hourly intervals in this way maintains a good balance.
And the best foods for this are complex carbohydrates. They give a slow release of energy because it takes time for the digestive tract to break them down into simpler substances that the body can use.
To help maintain a steady blood sugar level, aim to eat complex carbohydrates as part of your main meals and also regularly during the day. You do not necessarily need to eat large amounts. Sometimes just an oatcake between meals can be enough to keep eating urges at bay.
If you find the symptoms associated with low blood sugar level are greatest first thing in the morning or you wake during the night, heart pounding, and cannot get back to sleep, then it is very likely that your blood sugar level has dropped overnight and adrenalin has been released. Eating a small, starchy snack, like an oatcake, one hour before going to bed and, if possible, one hour after getting up, will help to alleviate these symptoms.
2. Avoid Refined Foods, Especially Sugar
Simple carbohydrates, with the exception of fruit, are all refined foods and should be avoided. Although fruit contains fructose (fruit sugar), which is a simple sugar, the fibre content of the fruit is a complex carbohydrate which slows the digestion rate. So fructose is acceptable when taken in the whole fruit, like an apple, but not when used in the refined form of powdered white fructose bought in boxes.
Pure fruit juice can also cause a rapid change in blood sugar level because it is not buffered by the fibre that is normally present in the fruit. It is therefore better to dilute fruit juice in water to make it less concentrated.
Sugar seems to be everywhere, even in unexpected places. And, by the way, the ‘brown-is-best rule’ doesn’t apply to sugar. All colours do the same damage to your blood sugar balance!
A can of cola may contain up to eight teaspoons of sugar, as may a pot of fruit yogurt. Most of the convenience foods and drinks we buy are laden with it. Sugar is also in savoury foods, such as baked beans and mayonnaise. Did you know that tomato ketchup has just 8 per cent less sugar, weight for weight, than ice cream, and that the cream substitute used for coffee is 65 per cent sugar (compared to 51 per cent for a chocolate bar)?
Indeed, sugar is added to practically everything, as it is an inexpensive bulking agent. Even some toothpastes contain sugar but, as toothpaste is not a food, sugar does not have to be included on the ingredients list.
Sugar is just ‘empty’ calories. This means that it contains no nutritional value so you can happily cut it out and lose nothing but weight. You may be tempted to replace sugar with artificial sweeteners – don’t. You are simply substituting an alien chemical which your body then has to deal with, giving it extra work, to do. Nobody really knows what havoc these chemicals may cause when introduced into our own bodies’ delicately balanced biochemistry.
If a food or drink is described as ‘low sugar’ or ‘diet’ it will usually contain an artificial chemical sweetener such as saccharin or aspartame. They are also found in some non-diet crisps, ice lollies, sauces, pot noodles and some over-the-counter medicines so it’s worth checking labels carefully.
3. Reduce Foods and Drinks That are Stimulants
Sugar, smoking and caffeine in tea, coffee, chocolate and caffeinated soft drinks, are all stimulants and cause a fast rise in blood sugar level, followed by a quick drop. Avoid them whenever possible. Or, even better, cut them out of your diet completely. Replace with herbal teas and grain coffee, spring water and diluted pure fruit juices.
Do:
• Eat plenty of unrefined complex carbohydrates, including whole-wheat bread, whole meal pasta, potatoes, brown rice, millet, oats and rye.
• Eat fruit and drink diluted pure fruit juice.
• Always eat breakfast – porridge oats are good.
• Eat small, frequent meals no more than three hours apart.
• Reduce, and preferably avoid, stimulants including tea, coffee, chocolate, smoking and canned drinks that contain caffeine.
Don’t:
• Eat refined carbohydrates. Avoid ‘white’ in general. Remember that white flour is in many foods, like cakes, biscuits, pastries and white bread.
• Eat sugar or foods containing it, including chocolate, sweets, biscuits, pastries and soft drinks.
• Replace coffee with decaffeinated coffee (as it contains two other stimulants, even when the caffeine is removed).
• Eat convenience foods, as they are likely to contain refined carbohydrates, sugar and high levels of fat and salt.
*37/73/5*
We all know how war kills you with a bang. We’re now beginning to understand how it kills you with a whisper. PTSD is one way. But researchers from the Carolina Population Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill also have found that combat veterans from World War II were more likely to experience physical decline and death during the first 15 years after the war than those not involved in combat.
“War is such an incredibly disruptive event,” says study author Glen H. Elder Jr., Ph.D., of the Carolina Population Center, “especially when you’re mobilized during your late twenties and early thirties like many soldiers were during World War II. This disruption, combined with returning and never really talking about the experience, seems to have had adverse consequences for their physical health, perhaps through an impaired immune function. In our studies, late mobilization and exposure to combat are predictive of declining physical health. There is more cancer and heart disease in the lives of these men.”
Echoing those findings, a 50-year study of 152 World War II veterans found that 30 out of 54 veterans who saw intense fighting contracted chronic illnesses and died by the time they were 65. Sixteen of those veterans had complained of symptoms of PTSD. And the rates of disease and death were significantly lower among veterans who had not seen much combat.
Because Vietnam occurred earlier in the soldiers’ lives, Dr. Elder isn’t able to draw parallels between World War II veterans and those who served in Vietnam. “The disruption occurred when they were younger, but the war had psychological consequences all of its own,” he says.
*124/36/5*
Is it all in the mind?
The question of psychological response, the ‘placebo effect’, needs dealing with fairly comprehensively because it always crops up with new medical treatments. Yes, some of the results described could be due to psychological influence; but in such cases they would be unlikely to last for more than a few weeks at the most. The proper answer to the question heading this paragraph is therefore, no. The beneficial effects produced by mussel extract are not of a psychological origin. That some psychosomatic influence may help the working of the treatment, any treatment in fact, is not doubted. Psychosomatic therapy in the form of a placebo is used by medical practitioners quite frequently where it is thought that this type of therapy will help a patient.
A placebo is a substance used in medicine (primarily in trial work) that does not have any pharmacological effect on the disorder. It is often in the form of a sugar pill or coloured water. The idea is that in a trial, some patients are administered a pharmacologically active substance and some a placebo which looks like the active substance but which is known to have no effect. A comparison of the patient’s progress on active and placebo then gives an ‘objective’ assessment of the effect of the active substance and rules out psychosomatic response.
Where the placebo is used in general practice it is done as a straight psychological treatment. The patient believing that the pills or liquid are something which will help the ailment, can be influenced into feeling and becoming better. This effect of psychosomatic influence is well known and is valuable.
The reasons that the definite statement can be made that the treatment with mussel extract is not psychological in effect are several. First, the results would not be lasting. With such a painful condition as arthritis a psychosomatic or placebo effect would probably wear off after four to six weeks at the very most. With the extract treatment the results are long lasting. Second, animals are unlikely to respond to a psychological stimulus, especially when they do not even know in most cases that they are receiving any medication. Animals respond very well to mussel extract. Finally, clinical studies are carried out in a way that is designed to eliminate as far as possible any emotional influences of the trial patients. In clinical studies the extract demonstrates excellent results.
Can this substance be obtained from other shellfish?
Naturally, the discovery of the anti-arthritic effect of an extract from the New Zealand Green Lipped Mussel led to the theory that other types of mussels or shellfish may also possess the same property. This does not seem to be the case, however, and apparently only this one species of mussel can lay claim to these particular therapeutic powers. This should not surprise us. Some species of marine organisms, similar in many ways, differ because of geographical distribution; sometimes the same species growing in waters of the same ocean, but in different regions, can vary in certain characteristics. One obvious influence is the diet to which a particular group is exposed: another is environment, including, of course, the composition of the water.
Therefore, it may not only be that other species of mussels do not posses this particular activity, but possibly even the same species grown in other areas may not do so. This last factor has not yet been established, but it is not an unreasonable assumption.
*19/48/5*
The process of treatment begins at the first moment of contact. Because such contact usually comes by phone, treatment can start before the doctor and the patient have even met face-to-face.
As a doctor, I try to plant the seeds of success during those first, critical moments. If I create an atmosphere of trust, of caring, then there’s hope. If my tone is judgmental or threatening, then the process may be doomed.
The next step is to meet with those involved. If the patient herself asked for help, then the first appointment is with her; when the parents make the call, I may ask to see them first. In other cases it may be best to see everyone at the same time.
The initial evaluation may take one or more meetings. However, if the situation is life-threatening and the patient needs to be hospitalized, I don’t wait.
Every situation is different. If in your search for help you don’t feel the caregiver is responding to your needs, discuss the problem with him or her. If you are still not satisfied, keep looking.
The Initial Assessment
I perform a complete assessment of the problem before the patient and I agree on a plan for treatment. Too many professionals say, in effect, “Welcome to our facility, here’s how we’ll treat you, now tell me all about your problem.”
Typically I start by asking, “How may I help?” Patients often seem surprised that I play the role, not of adversary, but of collaborator on a joint project-as indeed I am.
The patient’s initial response is most revealing. Here are some examples drawn from recent cases:
“You can’t help me. My parents are the ones with the problem.” This comment is typical of anorexics, who feel they aren’t sick at all and have come just to get people “off their backs.”
“My father called me fat, so I started losing weight.” People with low self-esteem are very sensitive to such remarks. One fifteen-year-old patient, inspired by the Olympics, demonstrated a gift for gymnastics. When her coach said she might do better if she “lost a little weight,” she began to diet. Unfortunately, she focused on weight loss at the expense of everything else. If starvation had been an Olympic event, she would have qualified for a medal.
“/ look in the mirror and I get scared. I want to find some peace inside.” Some patients know they are hurting themselves and want help in stopping. Especially in anorexia, the more distress the patient feels, the more motivated she is to get treatment.
Follow the Leader
In conversation I follow my patient’s lead. Following someone’s concerns, hopes, and resistances is more productive than a mechanical, by-the-numbers interrogation.
Sometimes when I ask, “How can I help?” she replies, “You can’t help. I don’t want to be here.” I may then say, “Well, someone is concerned enough to insist that you come here. Maybe we need to look at what’s going on in your life that makes you feel you need to starve yourself almost to the point of death.” Or she may say, “I don’t think you can help-nothing has worked so far.” I might then ask, “What have you previously tried?” and explore why other efforts have failed. And because words mean different things to different people, I would explore what she means by certain terms. Does “desperate,” for example, mean “confused” or “suicidal”?
Many times, the most telling clues come from something a patient avoids saying, or hesitates over. If a patient tells me something is none of my business, I’ll respect that. But later, when we’ve established a higher level of trust, I may ask again.
Trust is crucial. It takes time to build trust, to demonstrate concern and show that my intention is to heal, not to harm. When I show a patient that I accept her feelings as valid-although I don’t necessarily accept her way of dealing with those feelings-I send the message that the patient herself is worthwhile.
*53/35/5*
Karen Uhlenhuth never needed a calendar to know what month it was. She could tell by the number on her scale.
“It never failed,” says the 42-year-old writer from Kansas City, Missouri. “In mid to late November, I’d start gaining—usually about 10 pounds, 15 at the most. Then in April, I’d start losing.”
While Karen came to expect these seasonal ups and downs, she didn’t welcome them. Eventually, she made up her mind that they had to stop.
“It was fall 1996,” she recalls. “Winter was approaching, and I could feel the pounds creeping on again. I started thinking about how I never felt as well in the winter as I did in the summer, and I blamed the extra weight.” On the spot, she resolved to maintain her “summer weight”—142 pounds on her 5-foot-8′/2-inch frame— throughout the year.
A vegetarian and healthy eater, Karen knew her problem was a her activity level. “I’m a compulsive gardener,” she says. “In the spring and summer, I’d work outside until nightfall. But I couldn’t do that in fall and winter.” Likewise, she’d run 5 miles two or three times a week in nice weather. But once the temperatures dropped, she’d pack up her running shoes.
Karen realized that she had to stay active year-round. So she began changing activities with the seasons. When the weather put an end to gardening and running outdoors, she moved her exercise indoors, swimming at the local YMCA and working out on a cross-country ski machine at home. “It took some effort on my part,” she says. “There were days when I got home from work and all I wanted to do was eat dinner and lie on the couch. But I’d remind myself that if I didn’t want to gain weight, I had to move.
For Karen, staying active year-round made all the difference. She hasn’t noticed any seasonal fluctuations in her weight since 1996, when she launched her fall and winter fitness program. To this day, she maintains her weight at a healthy 142 pounds.
“I try to stay active, even though it’s much harder during the winter,” Karen says. “I just tell myself that as soon as spring comes around, I’ll be outdoors, doing all of the activities that I love.”
WINNING ACTION
Keep moving, no matter what the season. It’s a fact that we humans tend to be less active during the fall and winter months, when the temperature drops and the weather turns nasty. Just like bears, we want to hibernate. Don’t let your fitness program falter at this time of year. Invest in some home exercise equipment or join a health club. If there’s a college in your area, find out whether its gym facilities are open to the public. Or take up an outdoor activity such as cross-country skiing, ice-skating, or snowshoeing, all of which are wonderful winter fat-and-calorie burners.
*107\89\8*
You’ve looked at the various aspects of the Immune For Life program. Now it’s time to take a look at yourself. How immune are you? Is your diet full of the Super Foods that give your “doctor within” the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients needed to fight illness and distress? Or are you eating the Standard American Diet that causes so much disease and death? Is your mind filled with positive, happy thoughts? Or are you a stress seeker or a stress phobic? Are you a regular and vigorous exerciser, or do you lie down whenever the urge to exercise comes over you?
I’m going to ask you to do some interesting work in this chapter. You’ll find three quizzes that contain the same kinds of questions I ask my patients. Taking the quizzes will teach you a lot about outlook on life, exercise and nutrition, as I see it. Your scores will be used to determine which of the four Nutri-Prevention supplement programs may be right for you. And at the end of the chapter you’ll find a list of immune-system laboratory tests that you should consider having performed by your physician to measure certain indicators of the immune system.
Answer all the questions honestly. No one but you needs to see what you write. Sure, you can fix it so you have better scores. But that won’t change what’s happening inside your body. The point is to learn about yourself. You can only do that if you answer the questions honestly.
After you’ve been on the Immune For Life program for about two months, take the three quizzes again. You’ll be surprised at how much higher you score, and how much better you feel.
*155\80\8*
Begin by tensing and relaxing your eyes, mouth, neck, arms, trunk and legs. To help my patients remember the sequence, I write this sentence on a card and give it to them: Every Muscle Needs A Total Loosening.
Every = eyes A = arms
Muscle = mouth Total = trunk Needs = neck Loosening = legs
Every Muscle Needs A Total Loosening: Memorize this sentence.
Every = Eyes
Begin by closing your eyes. Hold them clenched shut, as tightly as you can. Clench them still tighter. Hold the muscles taut while you count: one thousand … two thousand … three thousand … four thousand . .. five thousand … six thousand
… seven thousand … eight thousand … nine thousand
… ten thousand. Count slowly.
Relax your eye muscles.
Now take a slow, deep breath in through your nose. Hold it. Then let it slowly out through your mouth, very slowly, taking at least five seconds to let it all out.
Take another slow breath. Fill your lungs. Feel your diaphragm pulling down to open the lungs wide. In your mind’s eye, see your diaphragm dropping down as your lungs fill.
Now repeat. Squeeze your eyes tightly shut. Hold your eyes closed tightly while you count, slowly: one thousand … two thousand … three thousand … four thousand … five thousand … six thousand … seven thousand … eight thousand … nine thousand … ten thousand.
Slowly relax your muscles, and slowly open your eyes.
Take a deep breath in through your nose … a nice, deep breath. Feel your diaphragm pulling down to open your lungs wide. In your mind’s eye, see your diaphragm dropping down as your lungs fill.
Hold the breath for a moment. Now let it out through your mouth, very slowly, taking at least five seconds to empty your lungs.
Take another big breath, and fill up your lungs.
Hold it for a moment. Now let it out very slowly. Take five seconds or more to blow it all out.
The muscles around your eyes don’t feel tired anymore. They feel good.
*113\80\8*
BEVERLY HILLS COLESLAW
4 cups cabbage, thinly sliced
3/4 cup celery, thinly sliced
3/4 cup fresh pineapple, thinly sliced
2/3 cup scallions, thinly sliced
1 small” sweet red pepper, thinly sliced
Mix ingredients and serve. Serves 4 to 6.
CAROTENE SALAD
4 large carrots, grated 1 cup spinach, shredded 1/4 cup watercress
1 scallion, chopped
3 oranges, peeled, and diced 1/2 cup radishes, sliced
Combine ingredients, mix and serve. Serves 4 to 6.
EASTERN SALAD
1 cup ripe tomaotes, chopped
1 cup green apple, diced
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup green pepper, seeded, diced 2 tsps. hot green chili pepper, seeded, finely chopped 6 tbls. vinegar or lemon juice
1 tbl. dried mint leaves, pulverized
Combine all vegetables and apple in a bowl. Add vinegar, mint, mix and serve.
Serves 4 to 6.
*70\80\8*
Complex carbohydrates, or “CCs” for short, are wonderful immune builders. Imagine a table covered with bowls of steaming hot, whole-wheat pasta dishes, brown rice and other grains, fresh-baked whole-grain breads and rolls, and all kinds of vegetables. There are lots of CCs in these foods.
Carbohydrates come in chains of different lengths. CCs are long chains of sugar tightly bound together. Double or single links comprise the simple carbohydrates. In terms of calories, there is no difference between CCs and simple carbohydrates. But it takes the enzymes in your stomach and intestines more time to break up the long chain CCs. This means that your “doctor within” receives a slow, steady supply of energy to work with. And because CCs are generally found in vegetables, fruits and whole grains, when you eat CCs you’re also giving your “doctor within” plenty of vitamins, minerals and fiber.
*26\80\8*